The Winter Fairies: Magical Journey To Sleep

Journey into a realm of eternal whimsy and crystalline beauty in tonight's magic sleep story,

The Winter Fairies.

Three fairy sisters with healing powers govern a frosty haven of untouched snow,

Where the modern world fades away through the gift of suspended animation,

The cooling relief of physical touch,

And the luminescent clarity of the aurora.

This tale guides you from your bedside into a world of mystical encounters and breathtaking sights.

Notice how everything slows down in the beauty of a pristine winter wonderland as you shed the weight of the day and soar through portals of windowpane ice into a sanctuary of deep restorative slumber.

It's time to dream away.

Welcome to Michelle's Sanctuary.

I'm Michelle,

And tonight consider me your own personal sleep fairy.

I am here to guide you,

To hold a lantern as you approach the sweet winding path to slumber,

A place where suddenly,

Anything feels possible.

Before we begin,

I encourage you to leave behind your earthly concerns.

The to-do lists,

The conversations of the day,

And the weight of tomorrow have no place here.

Remember you may customize any detail of this journey to suit your mood.

A mood always changes,

And you know best what it needs at this moment.

This is your dreamscape.

Fall asleep whenever the heaviness in your eyelids becomes too much to resist,

As the words of this tale may continue to dance in your dreams.

The Winter Fairies was inspired by a request from one of you.

Born from the fairies I came to love as a kid,

And the hope I feel as an adult that they may still be here among us.

As someone who once loathed winter so much,

My existence in this season took a dramatic change when I leaned into the pleasures it offers.

And while sometimes it feels as though winter lingers too long,

The story is here to help make peace with a season of cold,

And to remember it offers its own unique crisp healing.

And the Winter Fairies are here to help us find it.

I invite you to enjoy a few moments of winding down with a brief relaxation session.

You've made it through another day,

And deserve to take some easy breaths,

Easing into the creative powers of your imagination.

So let out a sigh,

And with it all your cares and concerns.

When you're ready,

Take a deep cleansing breath in,

Filling yourself with the promise of all good things to come.

Release it with a long,

Audible sigh.

Feel your shoulders drop an inch further away from your ears,

Making space for a little magic to saunter in.

Now inhale slowly.

As the air enters your nose,

Notice how the room has changed.

The air carries the sharp,

Clean notes of frozen juniper berries,

And the grounding scent of sweet,

Resinous cedar.

Exhale in another long sigh,

Letting everything go.

And inhale again,

Focusing entirely on the cool sensation in the back of your throat.

If you feel a yawn arriving,

Welcome it.

Let your yawn be a signal to every muscle that the work of the day is done.

And then allow one final delicious sigh,

Knowing you can sigh and yawn all you want in your sanctuary.

Now we begin the descent into the winter woods.

With every number,

Your sleeping space transforms,

And you become more aligned with the enchantment of this frosty land.

Five.

Starting at the crown of your head,

Feel a shimmering stillness brush over your brow.

The air itself is slowing down.

Your forehead smooths and your jaw unhinges.

Six.

Time is beginning to stretch and stall,

Carving out a space in the ice where nothing is expected of you.

Four.

Now notice the weight of your blankets.

They begin to feel heavier,

More substantial,

Like a protective drift of snow.

You become aware of a faint tink-tink against the window.

The sound of ice crystals dancing against the glass,

Inviting you to listen to the music of a winter night.

Three.

The scent of the snow deepens,

Filling your lungs.

A soft,

Pearlescent mist begins to swirl in the corners of your room.

It carries the glow of the moon,

Turning the shadows into a comforting,

Deep velvet blue.

Two.

Feel a sudden luxurious softness at your feet.

It's the first hint of the marshmallow-thick soles of boots that will soon carry you.

A numbing peace travels up your legs,

Soothing any fatigue and preparing you.

Three.

Because with each breath,

You become part of the quiet,

Frozen landscape.

One.

A faint,

Melodic crackle fills the air.

The sound of wings made of frost.

Two.

The veil between your world and the fairy's is now as thin as a new layer of ice.

You are perfectly relaxed,

Perfectly still,

And so perfectly ready.

Snuggle deep into your covers now,

And notice how much more relaxed you feel as the fairies beckon us to their winter wonderland.

As cozy as the comforts of home can be on a dreary winter day,

There's a moment when it becomes a bit too enclosed.

When the heart yearns for a bit more freedom and fresh air.

Three.

And to remember what it's like to spend a night beneath the stars.

The breath of winter comes in sharp,

But its softness may be found in both the snow and the inventive ways we bundle and hunker down.

Four.

Your home is quiet,

But for the occasional creaks and groans of its settling structure,

It's deep into the night.

As you linger in the liminal space before sleep,

A mind wanders in this time.

And when infused with a positive spirit,

It may begin to wander in a childlike way.

Memories stir to life of what it felt like to see the world as a magical place waiting to be discovered.

You lie in the quiet dark,

Watching the frost coat your windowpane.

It gradually,

Yet persistently grows,

Lacy and delicate,

Yet so intent on consuming the glass.

Just a few breaths ago,

It occupied the lower left corner,

And now it has risen halfway up the pane.

The author Vera Nazarian once wrote,

Frost grows on the window glass,

Forming whorl patterns of lovely,

Translucent geometry.

Breathe on the glass,

And you give frost more ammunition.

Now it can build castles and cities and whole ice continents with your breath's vapor.

In a few blinks,

You can almost see the winter fairies moving in,

But first you hear the crackle of their wings.

And indeed,

You do hear it.

A delicate crystalline sound that vibrates through the glass.

The frost begins to knit together a majestic scene.

A portrait of you illuminated by moonlight,

Standing at the edge of a great white snowy expanse.

The fairies' glow illuminates icy lanterns etched in the frost,

With soft rose pink,

Violet,

And light blue.

The window artwork is an invitation,

A glimpse into a world where the malaise of the indoors is suddenly replaced with the beauty of a winter night.

One of the three fairy sisters taps the glass,

Her eyes sparkling like starlight.

And together,

They unlatch the window from the outside with beguiling smiles and secretive winks.

They push the pane open,

And as they beckon you into the silver night,

The air instantly changes.

While it's quite an odd occurrence indeed,

You don't dare to overthink it.

That part of your mind is shut off for the night,

And instead you revel in the way you feel.

As if in a dream,

Where everything feels safe and right,

You welcome this unexpected invitation and cheerily tag along.

Flying comes easier than one might imagine.

It's as if gravity decided to give up on you,

And your arms and legs flutter in a way that feels natural,

And you swim through the winter night air.

Trailing just behind the three fairies,

You are soon suspended in the midnight sky.

You are instantly adorned in heavy ivory faux fur and thick pearly blue layers that are lined with comforting fleas.

On your feet,

You notice the incredible comfort of snow-white marshmallow-thick soled boots cushioning your feet.

All these layers have self-warming features.

The radiant heat traveling around your face to leave a deep sense of comfort.

Suddenly,

The winter's frost is no longer a hindrance,

And the season's beauty may be enjoyed with nary a shiver.

The three sisters bank left,

Their wings leaving trails of diamond dust in the moonlight.

Their dulcet tones are reserved for a soft melody that guides you through the night.

And once more,

Like in a dream,

They convey ideas telepathically.

They speak to you with a resonance of their spirits.

Unquestioningly,

You find their guidance comes in a simple knowing and understanding.

Making it so easy to unwind and enjoy the winterscape.

Aira leads the trio of fairies.

She is the oldest sister,

With hair as white as a fresh snowfall and as sparkly as moon dust.

She reaches out a tiny hand bejeweled with ornate rings of bezel-set ice gemstones.

And as she sweeps her fluttering fingers across the horizon,

You notice the world below.

The swaying trees.

A distant owl.

Even the smoke rising from a chimney suddenly halts.

This is her healing gift.

The stillness.

She has frozen time,

Giving your mind a chance to finally walk or fly through a world in suspended animation.

Where nothing moves unless you wish it to.

And with an easy sleight of hand,

The world is back in motion and the icy wings of your new friends and guides flutter fast in an iridescent blur.

Aspen comes around to the right.

The sister with the eyes the color of a frozen mountain.

Lake and long lavender curls.

Her touch is the remedy for all burdens.

She playfully brushes your shoulder and you feel her power to transform discomfort.

Her miniature fingers bring the cold release.

Any lingering physical discomfort or mental weight simply evaporates.

Replaced by a deep,

Numbed tranquility.

Her work is magical.

A single touch sends healing energy throughout every cell.

Suddenly protected by an orb of coolness.

In this unexpected moment,

You find your muscles are as relaxed as jelly.

The fairies revel in this moment of small introductions.

So gleeful as they share their naturally born talents.

In fact,

They always get excited to have guests like you for this very opportunity.

The third sister,

Neva,

Flutters above you.

She is the spark.

Her wings glowing with the shifting greens and purples of the aurora.

Her gift is the luminescent insight.

She clears the winter blues and the fog of the mind.

Lighting up the beauty of the landscape below so you can see it with the wonder of a child.

She reminds us that wherever there is dark,

There is also light.

The world begins to shift beneath you.

The suburban rooftops give way to jagged,

Snow-covered mountains that pierce the snow clouds that hang heavy in the celestial expanse.

You fly above these clouds and begin a dreamy descent through them.

You drift into the heart of these floating snow factories,

Magically churning millions of snowflakes,

Not one the same.

You connect with a sense of your own uniqueness.

As you watch the fairies' gifts and the iridescent flakes that travel leisurely to the fairies' home below.

The fairies are eager to introduce you to playful winter pastimes.

With their guidance,

You glide down the mountain peaks without the need for skis.

Your pillowy boots barely grazing the powder,

Sending up tiny plumes of white glitter as you soar.

The speed is exhilarating,

And the sense of safety and trust you feel is profound.

The fairies start to tug playfully at your sleeves,

Their laughter sounding like frozen wind chimes and colliding icicles.

They move with incredible grace and purpose.

Pirouettes in the air as they spiral through valleys were ice sculptures of fairies,

And snow-coated evergreens with dangling icicles rise naturally from the snowy earth.

The fairies' handwritten messages in the pristine fields of white read,

Always believe,

Remember your magic,

And embrace your gifts.

Perhaps it's been some time since you last even considered your gifts or talents.

Those you've honed,

Those you were born with,

Those you still wish to explore.

The snowy valley opens up to reveal an expansive glacial lake,

Frozen solid and resembling an aquamarine gemstone.

You descend toward it,

Your boots touching the surface as you slide across the glassy ice.

You move with the speed of the gentle breeze,

All the while feeling perfectly balanced.

The sisters dart around you,

Pulling you faster,

Showing you that winter is not a season of hiding,

But a season of magnificent play.

Like them,

You have the freedom to hover over the ice,

Flying and touching back down effortlessly in this wintry paradise.

Soft,

Silvery rays of moonlight slip through the lavender-gray snow clouds.

And the ice crystals refract into tiny,

Mesmerizing rainbows.

You glide and skirt from the farthest edge of the lake,

Deep in the wilderness,

To the opposite side,

Where an ice castle rises from the frozen shore.

The castle features spectacular geometry and angles,

Spires and columns,

And turrets that glow from icy blue lights,

Illuminating the dark winter night.

The snow falls with more passion as flakes swirl around you,

And the three fairies add a touch of fairy dust that instantly lightens your mood.

You come to ice bridges with carvings of fairy wings in the columns and rails.

And an ethereal rendering of their castle,

Depicted along the floorboards.

Your plush snow boots land with ease as you glide across the curved ice bridge,

Looking down on the patterns of snow and swirls in the ice.

Pine needles settle within the ice,

Sparkle in deep green,

The resinous smell conjured in your mind.

Aspen circles you,

Her wings fluttering faster,

And with a brighter illumination than the others.

It only becomes brighter the more her excitement grows.

The fairies encourage you to follow them to the castle's entrance,

Their tiny hands gripping the downy fabric of your coat.

As you soar through the air,

A laugh rising in your throat.

The design of this castle makes it quite clear that it's here to welcome human souls like you.

Wide double doors of the castle feature massive slabs of pressure-cleared glacial ice,

So pure they have a deep electric blue transparency.

These doors are polished to a brilliant shine,

And pivot on silent hinges made of smooth,

Rounded white river stones.

As they open,

A foyer of faceted crystal greets you.

The icy walls are carved into thousands of diamond-shaped planes designed to catch the natural moonlight,

And bounce it into every corner of the hall in a dazzling display of light.

The floor is a solid sheet of frosted sapphire ice,

Textured just enough to provide a secure,

Sparkling path for your marshmallow-thick souls.

As you walk,

The light from above catches the tiny air bubbles trapped deep within the ice,

Making it look as though you're stepping across a galaxy of frozen stars.

The iciness of the palace is softened by the fairies' botanical alchemy.

The sisters flit through the foyer,

And with every beat of their wings,

They release the faint,

Sweet perfume of winter jasmine and crushed silver needles.

Ira and Aspen zip and whirl toward the ceiling,

Their movements as effortless as light reflecting off a prism.

You feel the radiant heat of your ivory coat,

A private pocket of dry warmth that follows you through these magnificent,

Frozen halls.

The sisters beckon you into a towering conservatory,

Where the interior design is a tribute to the geometry of a snowflake.

The columns are made of translucent white quartz,

Looking like pillars of salt that support a vaulted ceiling of interlocking ice panes.

Thousands of icy flowers rise from the floor.

As unique as snowflakes,

They have been carved into shapes of delicate ferns,

Lilies,

And wide-petaled roses.

The mineral-rich ice creates a pale metallic silver shimmer.

As you walk past,

The heat from your coat causes the air around the frost to shimmer,

Making the petals look as if they are trembling or unfurling in slow motion around you.

In the center of the hall,

Ira hovers near a basin carved from a single block of aquamarine stone.

A slow drip of mineral water falls from a stalactite above.

She holds out a hand,

And as the drop falls,

It hits the sub-zero air and flash freezes into a perfect,

Clear sphere of ice.

It's like a crystal ball.

You lean in and see a joyous moment from your life.

Etched inside the sphere in microscopic white frost needles,

It's a scene from a day where everything felt easy,

Full of hope for more days like it to come.

You extend your palm,

And with a small gesture from Ira,

Motion returns and the small ice lands atop your hand.

Its tactile sensation stirs a feeling of aliveness.

Naeva flits down to join you,

Her wings shedding a fine mist of iridescent fairy dust that settles on the frozen sphere,

Making the memory glow with a soft,

Internal amber light.

The sisters zip around the basin,

Creating a swirling current of air that makes the icy lilies nearby sway and chime like tiny silver bells.

The fairies enjoy guests so much that you notice how each sister tries to capture your attention to share her talents.

Aspen guides you into a long gallery where the walls are lined with sheets of mica,

Minerals that glow with a natural pearly luminescence.

The floor transitions into a path of combed white sand that has been frozen into soft rippling waves,

Mimicking the surface of a fresh snowdrift.

As Aspen moves,

She stirs the air,

Creating a localized thermal shift.

You get lost in the transformation,

Experiencing a cool release.

A physical sensation of the air pressure dropping just enough to make your body feel buoyant and light.

You feel the weight of the day's fatigue physically lifting off your joints.

The self-warming blue silks of your sleeves hug your wrists with a soothing pulse.

And a wave of healing energy circulates through your body.

The sisters flutter between the pillars,

Their movements full of speed,

Grace,

And intent.

They show you how to slide across the ripples of frozen sand,

Your boots gliding with the speed of a gentle breeze.

You feel a deep,

Grounding sense of ease,

As if you have become a part of the mountain itself.

Solid,

Unmoving,

And peaceful.

You think to yourself,

Laughing in this spontaneous party,

And understand what wintering feels like when it's done right.

The room takes on an easy silence,

And Ava leads you up a spiral staircase of frosted turquoise glass.

She hovers above each step,

Her wings lighting the way with a soft,

Violet glow.

Under her influence,

The glass becomes as clear as a lens,

Revealing ancient,

Frozen constellations trapped deep within the spiral,

Guiding your ascent with a map of contained stars.

At the top,

You emerge onto a balcony of white granite,

Heavy and ancient.

Neva steps to the edge and raises her hands toward the horizon.

As she does,

She showcases her mastery over the light.

With a sweeping motion of her arms,

Neva pulls the aurora down from the high atmosphere.

The curtains of neon green and violet descend until they are swirling just above the balcony railings,

Wrapping the spire in a vibrant,

Pulsing cocoon of celestial energy.

Through this veil,

Neva's power shifts your perspective.

You see the deep blue crevices and the fine,

Powdered glare of the snow-capped mountains with an almost supernatural sharpness.

This is her true gift.

She strips away the fog of the world and brings sweet clarity.

Neva helps you understand that the most important thing is not what happens to you,

But how you respond,

And what lens you choose to examine this world and find your clarity.

For some,

The mountains may seem to be cold barriers,

But through the lens you choose right now,

You deign them to be protective walls built to shield your rest.

The light is so vivid,

It reflects off your ivory coat,

Turning you into a part of the shimmering landscape.

Watching the sisters drift out over the edge,

Their wings catching the emerald light of the aurora,

You feel a resounding sense of contentment.

Neva has shown you the world in a beautiful,

Honest state.

You understand now that wintering is a physical necessity.

Time for the world to go dormant,

For you to hunker down in a structure built to withstand the ages.

Sensing the waves of tiredness arriving,

Neva dims her radiance to a soft,

Comforting gold,

Signaling that the time for exploring is over,

And the time for dreaming has begun.

Your new friends as well now experience waves of incoming sleepiness as they lead you to your chamber.

Located in the castle's core,

The walls here are the thickest.

They are made of polished white quartz that have been insulated with layers of thick ivory tapestry and faux fur hangings.

The floor is covered in fluffy rugs,

Their fibers long,

White,

And dense.

The sisters lead you to an ensuite,

Where you prepare for bed,

More tired with each passing moment.

While you settle into warm pajamas,

The sisters fly around the room,

Pacing much slower as they perform a final check of your sanctuary.

Ira hovers over the bed,

A massive frame of pale birch wood,

And uses her touch to ensure the internal heating within the mattress is at the perfect temperature.

When you climb in,

The heat is immediate.

It seeps through the quilted silk sheets and relaxes your muscles.

Aspen and Neva flit toward the fireplace built from orange salt bricks,

Which provides a steady,

Dry warmth.

A smokeless spectacle leaves only the scent of dried pine needles and beeswax.

You are protected by meters of ice and stone as you sink deeper into the heated bed,

And the fairies tuck you in with maternal grace.

You reach out and place the small glowing sphere of ice,

That physical record of your warmest memory,

On the bedside table.

It pulses with a soft,

Gilded light.

A tiny sun kept safe within the frost to watch over your rest.

You are wintering in the most secure,

Most beautiful fortress of light ever built.

The sisters hover in a final protective circle above you,

Their wings slowing to a gentle,

Soporific pulse.

You feel a resounding sense of ease as sleepiness takes hold,

Carrying you into a slumber as deep and peaceful as the heart of the mountains.

The fairies flit away to their hidden chambers,

But their kindness and hospitality remain as you drift into a deep slumber.

Finding magic,

Finding inspiration,

Finding comfort,

Finding sleep.

It's time