The Village Of Infinite Adventures (Meditation Sleep Story)

So,

Just take a moment to allow your eyes to close and allow yourself to begin to relax.

And as you begin to comfortably drift to sleep,

I don't know whether you'll drift to sleep faster to the sound of my voice or whether it'll be to the spaces between my words.

And as you comfortably fall asleep,

I'm just going to tell this bedtime story in the background.

And in a peaceful little village,

Nestled gently between rolling hills and lush green meadows,

There was a hidden treasure waiting to be discovered.

And this treasure wasn't made of gold or jewels,

But was made of memories and dreams.

And it began in the strangest of ways,

With an old motorbike,

Rusted with age,

Yet brimming with a sense of adventure.

And attached to this motorbike was a sidecar painted a cheerful shade of red,

Its seat cushioned and so inviting.

And one sunny afternoon,

You find yourself in a quaint village,

Standing before this motorbike and its sidecar.

The gentle hum of the breeze creeping its way through the leaves,

The distant sound of birdsong filling the air.

You climb on that motorbike.

You sit your cat in the sidecar,

On that most comfortable soft cushion.

You gently strap the cat in with its seatbelt,

And begin to set off on the motorbike,

Its engine so gently purring to life.

You begin to follow a winding path,

The road taking you through fields of wildflowers,

Vibrant colours of those flowers swaying with the rhythm of the wind.

You enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face,

The cool breeze tickling your cheeks.

You can see the fur of your cat,

Flapping and moving in the breeze,

The cat seeming to enjoy the journey with you.

The gentle scent of blooming flowers tickling your nostrils and filling your senses.

As the world around you seems to slow down,

Each moment seeming to stretch out,

Inviting you to savour the beauty of the journey.

And as you continue to ride deeper and deeper into the countryside,

You spy an old wooden sign pointing towards a forest,

And the sign reads Majestic Caves Ahead,

And so you begin to journey towards the forest,

Curious about those caves,

The trees arching overhead,

The coolness of the shade,

The change in the sound quality as you pass into the forest,

Passing through those arched trees,

Beginning to notice a deep sense of pine and earth,

The rustle of leaves just audible against the backdrop of the sound of your bike,

The dappled sunlight tickling the ground as you venture further and deeper,

Eventually discovering the entrance to those caves,

And you park up the bike near the caves,

You lift your cat out of the sidecar,

Unbuckling its seatbelt,

Placing it in a pouch on your stomach,

Its paws resting gently as it looks and enjoys the journey with you,

As you head into the caves,

And the further from the entrance you get,

The darker the caves turn,

And yet you notice in the darkness,

A distant glowing,

And as you continue walking,

Each echoey footstep,

Reverberating around the cave walls,

You notice the glowing,

The magical looking mushrooms,

Erupting from the walls of the cave,

You continue through the cool and still air of this cave,

The occasional distant dripping sound of water,

Following the gentle luminescence of those mushrooms,

Letting them guide your way deeper and deeper into this cave,

And inside this cave,

You're surprised to discover a hidden world of wonder,

The walls glistening with crystals reflecting the mushrooms glow,

Creating a kaleidoscope of colours dancing around you,

And as you explore,

You find a small intricately carved box,

Resting gently on a ledge,

And you open that box to discover a pinhole camera,

Its brass frame polished and shiny,

And with a sense of curiosity,

You look into the camera,

And are surprised to see a portal,

Shimmering with a soft iridescent light,

And you place the camera on the floor,

And it seems to almost beam that portal before you,

And with a deep breath,

You step through the portal,

And discover yourself in a vast library,

Filled with the most fantastical looking books,

And each book promises to hold the heart of adventure,

And you explore this library,

And you find a book which deeply intrigues you,

And so you open that book,

And as you do,

You find yourself drawn into the book,

Whisked away to a different land,

Where yourself and your cat are exploring lush forests,

Enchanted castles,

And serene meadows,

And as you stand there,

You can see that you're holding the book,

With this fantastical land surrounding you,

And as you close the book,

So the land vanishes,

And you find yourself stood in the library,

And you continue exploring this library,

You find a grand window,

And you see the most incredible sight through that window,

The moon gently,

Slowly,

Carefully drifting across the face of the sun,

Before creating a ring of fire,

Illuminating the sky,

You feel a deep sense of awe and tranquility,

Aware of the beauty and the mystery of the universe,

And as the eclipse passes,

So you continue exploring this library,

Holding on to that deep sense of peace and contentment,

And then you leave the library,

Step back through that portal,

Finding yourself again in the caves,

Seeing that pinhole camera just sitting there on the floor,

You pick up the camera,

Take that camera with you,

Head back to your motorbike,

Strap the cat back in its seat,

And head back to the village,

As you head back to the village,

So the sun begins to set,

The golden light,

Adding a beautiful touch to the landscape,

Giving the landscape an ethereal feel,

And back at the village,

You wander through that village,

You head into a small inviting bookshop,

Intrigued by the name of the bookshop,

You head inside,

And once inside,

You can smell the scent of the old books,

Of the ancient wood,

Seeing the unevenly stacked and arranged books,

Stretching from floor to ceiling in every room,

Books of all types,

And the shopkeeper,

An elderly woman with twinkling eyes and the most beautiful warm smile,

Greets you,

And beckons you to explore the shop,

You take some time browsing the shelves,

Your cat seemingly exploring the shelves with their eyes,

And you pull out one of the books,

You open that book,

And it seems to fall open on a page that's shimmering,

With a soft golden light,

And this book you are drawn to,

Seem to be telling the tale,

Of a hidden realm within the cave you just visited,

A realm where time stands still,

And dreams come to life,

And as you continue to read,

You feel yourself becoming more absorbed in the story again,

The words seeming to paint a vivid image in your mind,

So vivid you can almost hear the echo of your footsteps,

You can almost sense that glow of the mushrooms,

And you learn something deep and meaningful from this book,

And after looking through that book,

The shopkeeper hands you a small journal,

And tells you that this journal is for your adventures,

And as you leave the bookshop,

So you notice,

The sky is now inky and dark,

And the village is bathed in the gentle glow of the moon,

And you head back to an inn you've been staying at,

And you settle down into your room at the inn,

You begin to write in the journal about your day's experiences,

While your cat curls up on the end of the bed,

Purring gently,

Writing with one hand,

Gently petting the cat with the other,

Finding the words flow so effortlessly,

So easily as you write,

And while writing you feel yourself relaxing deeper,

And deeper with the moonlight gently creeping in through the window,

The breeze through the window gently swaying the net curtains,

The most comforting sensation of the cool breeze through that window,

Tickling your nostrils,

The most beautiful ambience of nature,

Wafting in through the window,

And after you finish writing,

You relax back and begin to drift into a dream,

And as you dream,

You feel a deep sense of peace and contentment,

Feeling a sense of finding yourself on some deep and meaningful level,

And the next morning you awaken to the gentle chirping of birds outside,

You enjoy breakfast at the inn with a wedding out through the village,

Finding a hidden garden tucked away behind a wooden fence,

The gate slightly ajar,

And as you pass through the gate,

You discover that sanctuary of lush greenery and vibrant flowers,

Like a tranquil oasis with winding paths and secluded nooks inviting you to explore,

And in the centre of the garden is a grand oak tree,

Its branches stretching out in all directions offering a natural canopy,

A natural umbrella from the sun,

And beneath the tree is a stone bench,

And this bench looks deeply worn like it's been there and sat on for hundreds of years,

And sitting on that bench,

You notice a young girl,

She has a book resting in her lap,

She introduces herself and tells you that her name's Leander,

She shares stories of the garden,

Each tale filled with magic and mystery,

You listen captivated by her words,

As she stands up and begins to walk and you follow,

And together wander through the garden,

Discovering hidden corners and secret paths,

Your cat rolling around on the grass,

Wandering off at times on its own little missions,

Before returning and checking you're still there,

Leander leads you to a small sparkling pond on the edge of the garden,

With water so clear,

At the right angle it reflects the sky above like a mirror,

And you gaze into the pond,

And you can see the shimmering light beneath the surface,

And Leander explains that it's a portal to another world,

She asks if you'd like to see where it leads,

With a sense of adventure,

You feel that that would be an exciting thing to do,

And she holds your hand and steps with you into the pond,

And you can feel the coolness of the water,

And your cat,

Not wanting to miss out,

Runs and jumps,

And latches onto your back and climbs up onto your shoulder,

And then drops off your shoulder into the pouch in front of you,

And together you wade deeper and deeper into the pond,

The light of that portal glowing brighter and brighter as the world around you fades,

And you feel yourself gently travelling through the portal,

Finding yourself standing before the most beautiful landscape,

The sky a deep and endless blue dotted with the occasional fluffy white clouds,

Rolling hills undulating before you,

Covered in the most beautiful carpet of vibrant green grass and colourful wildflowers,

And you head through this meadow,

And you head towards some distant caves,

And once reaching the caves,

You head into them,

And have this sense like these caves resemble caves you've already been in,

Like maybe there's a connection between them,

And there's a certain hum or resonance,

The way the air passes down the cave,

Seeming to create the most beautiful note emanating from all around you,

And deep in this cave you discover some intricate carvings telling the story of this land,

And Leander explains that the caves contain great wisdom,

They're a place where past and present meet,

Where those who seek knowledge and understanding come,

And you take some time to marvel at the beauty and history etched into the stone,

And deep in the cave you discover a small alcove filled with ancient scrolls and books,

And Leander carefully picks up a scroll and begins to read aloud in a language you don't recognise,

And as she reads you have this sense of mental images forming in your mind,

As if the words are reverberating around the cave,

And somehow making your mind see what the words are about,

Even though you don't understand the words themselves,

And you start having these images and ideas in your mind,

Of this land being ruled by benevolent beings,

Used to harness the power of the earth and sky to bring peace and prosperity to all,

And although you don't understand the words,

You start to feel a deep sense of connection to these stories,

To this land,

As if somehow the magic of the cave is wrapping around you,

Enveloping you,

Filling you with a deep sense of wonder and tranquillity,

And as you listen you start to realise that these stories aren't just tales of the past,

But guides for the future,

Demonstrating the power of dreams,

And the importance of seeking wisdom and deep understanding,

And eventually Leander finishes reading,

Places the scroll back,

And guides you back towards the portal,

All the way back to that garden,

And you leave the garden,

And head back out,

Continuing your journey around the village,

Continuing to explore the outer reaches of the village,

And as evening sets in,

So you head back once again to the inn,

You write in your journal about your day,

The cat resting gently on the bed,

Before your eyes get heavier and heavier,

And so you close the journal,

Drift deeply and so peacefully asleep,

And the next day,

You awaken knowing you're only here for a few more days,

You set off into the village outside,

At the first light of dawn,

The soft golden glow wrapping its way around the landscape,

The scent of morning dew,

Curious what today will bring,

What adventures you might go on,

And you head back off again on that motorbike,

Making good ground away from the village,

Allowing you to explore further afield,

And you find yourself,

Way off from the village,

Heading into the landscape,

Arriving at some forest,

Heading deep into the forest,

And discovering some ancient ruins,

And you park up the bike,

And you go and explore those ruins,

And while exploring the ruins,

You hear a sound coming from in the forest around you,

And a man walks out of the forest in your direction,

A friendly,

Kind-hearted looking man,

With the most wonderful smile,

And deeply curious eyes,

And he introduces himself as Dornan,

He tells you that these ruins hold a deep secret,

Deep under the ruins,

If you can find the entrance,

Is a secret library,

And he guides you through the ruins,

He moves aside some ivy wrapped around and hanging down some of the stonework,

He crouches down and squeezes through a small gap,

And beckons you to follow,

And so you follow through that gap,

And he lights a flame,

Touches that flame to something on the wall,

And suddenly the flame seems to shoot around this area,

Lighting up torches which are lining the walls here,

Revealing the beauty of this secret library,

And together you head around this library,

You see the most incredible books,

And find in the centre of the library is a pedestal,

And on that pedestal is one large book,

And he tells you to rest your hand on the book,

And as you do you begin to feel a pulsing,

And you hear a deep guttural chanting,

And the library seems to almost vibrate and pulse around you,

Almost as if it's your vision pulsing,

And then the library disappears,

And just that book on the pedestal remain in the middle of a vast meadow,

You remove your hand from the book,

And begin to explore this meadow,

And as you explore the meadow,

You notice the sky here looks different to what you're used to,

The stars don't match up with the stars in the sky you normally see,

And you can smell the distant scent of freshly baked bread,

Somehow wafting through this meadow,

And you find yourself driven by your nose,

Exploring the meadow deeper and deeper,

There are the scent of flowers,

The sounds of wildlife,

The twinkling of stars,

And the scent of freshly baked bread,

And as you walk and explore,

You find over a small hill a man resting there,

Seeming so jolly,

Baking bread over an open fire,

And he asks you if you'd like to join him,

And you sit down on a log near the man,

He hands you some torn off bread,

And then covers it in some butter,

And tells you this is the most luxurious bread and butter you've probably ever tasted,

And together you enjoy eating that bread and butter,

Enjoying that rich taste,

He then offers you a pastry he's made,

With the sweetest cinnamon scent,

And you enjoy this pastry,

And almost feel a sense that you don't want to leave here,

But after a while,

You know you have to head back,

And so you head back through the meadow,

And find your way back to that pedestal,

You rest your hand on the book,

You hear the chanting,

You notice the world around you vibrating,

Before fading away and the library returning,

And you find yourself stood there,

With Dornan just watching you,

And Dornan asks if you're okay,

Says that you seem to zone out for just a moment,

But that just a moment from his perspective,

Was a long period of time,

Of enjoying eating some bread and butter from your perspective,

He guides you over to a book,

Called the Solar Eclipse,

He shows you the intricate patterns of shimmering light,

Etched onto the cover,

He tells you this book is magical,

And carefully opens the cover,

And as he does,

The room around you begins to fade,

As you feel yourself pulled into this story,

And as the room fades,

So you find yourself,

In a field watching the sun,

Pass across the sky,

Gradually beginning to set,

Most beautiful colors,

Undulating,

And tickling the earth below,

And you can see that there's an elderly man,

With an ornate bronze telescope,

And a group of people enthusiastically crowded around them,

And each person in the group,

Takes turns,

To look through that telescope,

And as you approach with dawn,

The man notices you and tells you you've arrived just in time,

For Solar Eclipse,

The telescope is set up especially,

For being able to see Solar Eclipses safely,

They ask if you'd like to see the Solar Eclipse,

In a way you've perhaps never seen one before,

You share your excitement at this opportunity,

And as you look through the telescope,

So you see,

How incredible it looks,

Up close,

The shadow of the moon,

Slowly eating away at the sun,

The surface of the sun,

Violently undulating,

And pulsing,

And the man tells you his name is Orion,

He tells you that when the eclipse happens,

The veil between different worlds,

Is thinnest,

And so you can see this eclipse in the different worlds,

Do you remember being in the other library,

And the eclipse seeming to happen through the window,

And wonder whether they're all linked,

He tells you it's at that moment,

Where you have the best chance of accessing magic and possibility,

And as the eclipse reaches its peak,

The world turns into the most beautiful twilight,

The air seeming to almost hum with energy,

You start to feel such a deep sense of connection to the universe,

A deep sense of infinite possibilities,

Orion starts to tell you,

About stories of ancient trees,

And spirits that dwell within them,

He gestures over to a majestic looking old oak tree,

Its arms seeming to almost stretch out,

Encouraging and welcoming some kind of connection,

He explains that,

This tree is a guardian of the portals,

They're gateways to other realms,

And other dimensions,

He tells you that you've come here through a portal,

And that through time,

Books have been made with wood from this tree,

Each book containing a portal,

Through the form of a story,

Through the words written within the pages,

Of these magical books,

He says that you can approach the tree,

Run your fingers gently around the bark of the tree,

And a portal can open up for you,

Because the tree itself,

Can generate portals,

And so you head over to the tree,

Gently run your fingers over the bark of the tree,

And you find a portal opening before you,

You walk through that portal,

To a land of deep violets,

Glowing mushrooms,

Large crystalline structures,

Presenting a deep sense of wonder and mystery,

Your cat perched up in front of you,

Looking on with deep curiosity,

And you find,

Glowing runes,

And you pick up some of those runes,

Seeing the symbols contained on them,

Sharing a sense of peace and tranquility,

A land around you seeming to almost hum with magic,

And you head back through the portal,

To share your experience,

And Orion says that every time you pass through a portal,

If there are no instructions,

It could lead anywhere,

He says that the journey of curiosity and discovery,

Never really ends,

There's always a new realm to explore,

There's always new stories to uncover,

And so you head back with Dornan,

You leave this place,

You ride the bike back to that inn,

And settle down once again,

Drifting and floating so peacefully asleep,

And the next day you're curious what you'll discover,

What today will bring,

You know that it's your last day here,

Before you and your cat head home,

And each day has brought curious discoveries,

And you explore the village,

Finding an old antique store,

Containing magical items and artifacts,

Shelves full of glass jars,

With different powders in them,

Paintings on the walls,

Trinkets and knickknacks in drawers and on shelves,

Objects hanging from the ceiling,

Casting enchanting shadows on the walls as they sway and gently move,

And as you look around,

You find a curious small little brass item,

That really catches your attention,

It's got some intricate patterns etched into it,

And so you pick that up and take a closer look,

And the owner of the shop says that,

It is an attachment for a pinhole camera,

But the pinhole camera is obviously lost to time,

And you wonder with curiosity,

As you take the camera you picked up a few days earlier out of your bag,

And you ask where the attachment would go,

And the shopkeeper takes the pinhole camera and the attachment,

And almost like putting together some Lego,

Or perfectly fitting some Tetris blocks in place,

They attach the attachment,

And even they feel a sense of shock and surprise,

That discovering the attachment seems to have come from this camera,

How both must have got lost many years earlier,

And separated from each other,

The camera remaining lost somewhere,

And this attachment finding its way to the shop,

And he says that the attachment means that the pinhole camera,

Can now do more than capture images,

If you place a crystal within the camera,

A specific type of crystal,

It will capture moments and memories,

Almost holographically contained within the crystal,

And then these crystals can be used,

To project a portal to different times and places,

And with curiosity you say you want to try this out,

And they guide you to a quiet spot outside the shop,

You carefully point the camera at the village square,

Intending to capture the charming scene and all its morning glory,

They hand you a small crystal,

You place it in the camera,

You reveal the pinhole of the camera,

And after a little while you cover it over again,

And then you feel a strange sensation,

And you remove the crystal,

And place it into a place in the centre of the camera,

And then uncover the hole in the front,

Then the world around you begins to shift and blur again,

And you find that you're standing in the village square,

Except now the light is different,

Softer,

The colour is more vibrant,

There's a strange sense of magic in the air,

You find that the land around you has changed,

Somehow this is like the village that always was,

Only it seems different,

It's like a moment in time that you can wander round and explore,

That seems to loop,

Just a very short moment,

About the time it takes for a bird to be flapping its wings,

And so the birds seem to be flying on the spot,

And you walk around and explore the village like this,

And it's like exploring the village,

Except that everything is looped,

And exactly the same moment in time is happening over and over again,

And everything in the village seems as real as real life,

Except this is just a hologram,

And you can walk around,

And you can even interact with what's in this image,

And then you head back to the camera,

Lift the lid,

Twist the crystal,

And the image disappears,

And you wonder what it's like for those outside of the experience,

What do they see and experience themselves,

And after your experience you head off,

And take a few more of these curious photos,

Before heading back to the inn,

Knowing tonight's your last night,

And so you have the most hearty,

Most delicious meal and conversation,

You relax in the inn by the log fire,

And you read a good book,

Before heading up to bed,

And you write in that journal,

While the cat rests on the bed,

And then you rest back on the bed yourself,

The cat climbs onto your lap,

Snuggles up on your stomach,

As you're laid back on the bed,

And you gently stroke that cat as it purrs on your lap,

Before drifting and floating asleep,

Knowing you're heading home in the morning,

And you've got your journal of curiosities,

Of the strange experience you've had in your time here in this village,

And you wonder whether it'll shape your dreams,

And how it will shape your future,

And how you approach the future,

And you drift and float asleep,

So deeply,

So comfortably asleep,

Into slumberland.