Welcome,
Dear one.
You've done enough for today.
Everything that needed your attention has been met with care.
Or it can wait for the soft light of tomorrow.
Now is your time.
Your time to rest.
To return to yourself.
To let your breath deepen and your body soften.
Let the rhythm of this story guide you gently into the realm of dreams.
Imagine this.
You're arriving at a quiet vineyard,
Tucked between the gentle slopes of sun-warmed hills and the vast open sea.
It's the kind of place that seems to exist outside of time,
Where the days move slowly and the nights are lit with starlight and silence.
The air is soft,
With the golden scent of dusk,
And the moment your feet touch the earth here,
Something inside you lets go.
You can feel it,
Like an exhale from your soul.
The road behind you winds through the hills in long,
Lazy curves,
And now it disappears from view as you step into a world made of warmth and stillness and old beauty.
The villa before you is centuries old,
Made of warm stone the color of oat and cream.
Sunlight clings to its walls like a final embrace of the day.
There are shutters that are painted in soft,
Faded blue.
They're half open,
And vines of flowers spill down.
The sides like rivers of color,
Magenta and blush and deep corals.
The sky above is beginning to blush with twilight.
Soft streaks of peach,
Lavender,
And rose gold are stretching now out toward the sea.
You take a deep breath in.
The scent of the ocean is mingled with something earthy and sun-drenched.
Crushed time underfoot.
Ripe figs hanging low on nearby trees.
A trace of sweet jasmine on the breeze.
You walk slowly toward the villa,
Your footsteps falling gently on the path of worn sunbaked stone.
Every step is unhurried.
Every breath is rich with presence.
You spot a tabby cat that appears at the top of the stairs,
Stretching lazily before it pads over to greet you.
It brushes against your leg,
Purring,
And then wanders off toward the vines.
Even the animals here move like time itself is soft.
Inside the villa,
The coolness greets you,
Like a quiet welcome.
Stone walls,
A wooden table with sunflowers in a glass jar.
Wicker baskets of fruit gathered from the land.
Grapes,
Still dusty with bloom,
Plums deep as night.
And golden pears blushing at the edges.
The silence here isn't empty.
It's full of presence.
A pitcher of orange blossom water sits beside a bowl of lemons.
You can pour yourself a glass.
Cool and fragrant,
It touches your lips and your senses soften even more.
You feel it in your chest,
Your shoulders,
Your whole being,
Beginning to release.
You wander through arched doorways until you find the wide terrace where the world seems to open into forever.
You step outside,
And you're met by a sweeping view.
The vineyard stretches below you in perfect sloping rows.
Vines thick with fruit sway gently in the breeze.
And beyond the vines,
The sea,
Wide,
Endless,
The color of deep indigo.
And fading light.
Waves move in the distance like slow breathing.
You can hear them even from here.
Soft,
Rhythmic,
Soothing.
A table is set with flickering candles and a small plate of fresh bread and olive oil.
But tonight,
You don't need anything more.
Just the sky above you,
The sea below,
And the hush of the earth as it settles into evening.
You find a wide,
Cushioned chair,
And you sink into it slowly.
The softness cradles you.
A light linen blanket rests over your legs,
Warm and just right.
You close your eyes for just a moment,
And you listen to the rustle of the leaves,
The occasional call of a nightbird,
To the heartbeat of the ocean rising and falling like a lullaby.
The stars begin to appear one by one.
You gaze upward,
Watching them emerge,
As though someone is lighting tiny lanterns in the sky,
Just for you.
The wind shifts slightly,
Carrying the scent of the sea and the vines.
And something else,
A memory,
Maybe,
Of something you've longed for,
And now somehow found.
You are safe here.
You are home here.
There is nothing to do.
Nowhere to be.
Except right here,
In this soft moment,
In this gentle night.
Let yourself rest even more deeply now.
With each breath,
Let your thoughts drift like clouds across the sea.
Let the weight of the day fall from your shoulder,
Like petals slipping from a flower.
You are being held by the earth beneath you,
By the sky above,
And by the stillness within.
And now,
Let's begin a gentle sleep countdown.
With each number,
You will feel yourself drifting deeper into comfort,
Deeper into peace,
Deeper into sleep.
10.
You are safe.
The night wraps around you like a soft shawl.
9.
Your body is warm,
And every muscle begins to let go.
8.
A wave of quiet flows over you.
7.
The world grows softer,
Dimmer,
Further away.
6.
You are floating.
Carried by stillness.
5.
With every breath,
You drift deeper into rest.
The sea sings softly,
And you follow its rhythm.
7.
So calm,
So deeply relaxed.
2.
The stars above you begin to blur into dreamlight.
1.
You are already dreaming.
2.
Drifting,
Sleeping,
Safe.
Good night,
Dear one.
Let the vineyard hold you.
Let the sea sing you to sleep.
Let the stars keep watch,
Until the morning light returns.
Good night.
