A Hayride To The Good Witch's Cottage | Bedtime Tale

Sleep and Sorcery presents Arthur's Corner,

Magical bedtime stories for young people.

Inspired by fantasy,

Fairy tales,

And folklore,

This bedtime story is especially designed for children,

But can be enjoyed by listeners of all ages.

You can find more bedtime stories for any age at Sleep and Sorcery.

This fairy tale-inspired bedtime story is called A Hayride to the Good Witch's Cottage.

In this story,

You will take a fun hayride on a crisp autumn evening.

The hayride ends at the cottage of the good witch,

A kind woman who has knowledge of healing,

Nature,

And magic.

She invites you inside for tea,

Treats,

And to teach you how to do your own magic.

Before this story begins,

Take a moment to get really comfortable.

Snuggle up under your covers,

And let your eyes close whenever you're ready.

You can listen to my voice for as long as you like,

And feel free to let yourself fall asleep even before the story is over.

You can always come back and finish it another time.

Take a moment to breathe deeply,

In and out.

Breathe all the way into your belly,

So that if you put a hand on your belly,

You would feel it rise and fall as you breathe.

With your eyes closed,

Relax your body,

And begin to use your imagination.

Imagine that you are a part of the story I'm about to tell.

Use your imagination to see pictures in your mind,

Like a full moon over a pumpkin patch.

To hear the sounds of the story,

Like the crackling of a fireplace.

To feel the sensations in the story,

Like riding in a wagon over the ground.

And to smell the smells in the story,

Like the smell of flowers outside a tiny cottage.

And to taste the flavors of the story,

Like warm apple cider.

The hayride is leaving soon,

To visit the good witch.

Can you imagine yourself on the ride?

One last thing,

Before the story begins,

I invite you to imagine a person,

Someone in your life,

Who will also be in the story with you.

This might be a parent,

A grandparent,

A caregiver,

Or an older sibling.

Someone who takes care of you,

And makes you feel safe.

Imagine that they come with you on the hayride,

And they stay with you throughout the story.

I'll just call them your loved one,

And any time you hear that,

The person you're imagining now is the person I'm talking about.

Now climb aboard the wagon,

And let the hayride begin.

The ground is a little bumpy as the wagon,

Lined with bales of hay,

Moves over the countryside.

You sit on one of the bales of hay,

And every time the wagon hits a bump,

It makes you and your loved one,

Who sits next to you,

Laugh.

The wagon is pulled by two big horses with chestnut coats.

It's a beautiful October night,

And the air is just a bit chilly,

But you have a thick sweater and a flannel blanket wrapped around your shoulders to keep you comfortably warm.

There's not a cloud to be seen in the sky,

And the full moon shines so bright that it lights up the farmland and rolling countryside all around you.

Under the brilliant moon,

You can see the sprawling pumpkin patch,

With pumpkins large and round and orange on the vines.

You already picked your pumpkins before the sun went down,

And they sit with you in the wagon,

Bouncing against the hay.

You can't wait to take them home and carve them into jack-o-lanterns,

Then set them outside your home with candles glowing behind the carved faces.

You wonder what you should carve yours to look like this year.

Maybe a cat,

Or a bat,

Or just a silly smiling face.

But soon the countryside becomes rough and grassy,

Untidy,

And the farmland disappears behind you as the wagon follows a wide path into a thicket of trees.

Most of the trees still have leaves on them,

And even in the moonlight,

You can tell that they are very colorful,

Red,

Yellow,

Orange,

And brown.

But many leaves have already fallen to the ground,

And you can hear the leaves crunching under the hooves of the horses,

Drawing you,

And under the heavy wheels of the wagon.

The forest blocks out some of the moonlight,

But it's still light enough to see well,

And the wagon driver holds a lantern aloft,

Which flickers with a warm amber glow.

Your loved one puts an arm around you and holds you close.

You feel incredibly safe,

But you're also excited about what lies in the woods.

The hayride is meant to take you to the cottage of the witch,

Who lives in the woods.

She's a good witch,

And she is said to welcome visitors and share her knowledge with them.

You've never met a witch before,

And you're not sure what to expect,

But you're very curious.

As the wagon trundles through the woods,

You can hear the hoot of an owl,

And you see squirrels scurrying up and down the trees,

Then nestling into hollows in the trunks.

You can smell the soil,

The leaves,

And the crisp,

Fresh needles of evergreen trees,

The ones that look like Christmas trees.

These ones haven't lost their leaves or needles at all.

They're as rich and full and green as ever.

That's how they get their name,

After all.

These trees smell very fresh,

Almost minty.

Very soon,

As the wagon continues rumbling and bumping over tree roots and the rocky path,

You come to a clearing in the woods.

The moon is still full and bright overhead,

And there are fireflies dancing in the moonlight,

Blinking on and off as they buzz about.

You reach out of the wagon and catch a firefly in your hands.

You peek inside your hands,

Where it's very dark,

And you can see the firefly continue to blink its light.

Then,

Smiling,

You let it go,

And it buzzes away to rejoin its friends.

As you watch it go,

The wagon slows to a rumbling halt.

You look around to see why you're stopped.

You don't see the witch's cottage yet,

So you can't be at your destination,

Can you?

But then your loved one nudges you gently and points in between a grove of trees,

Where the fireflies are headed in droves.

The trees bend toward each other like an archway,

And there,

Beyond the arch,

Lit up by the mass of fireflies,

You can see a cottage after all.

It's guarded by wrought iron gates,

Which are twined around with vines and pearly white flowers.

The driver of the wagon tells you that you've arrived,

And the good witch will be happy to welcome you.

He'll be waiting here when you're ready to go.

So you and your loved one carefully get out of the wagon.

They pull bits of straw off your clothes,

And hand in hand,

You walk toward the grove of trees,

Following the blinking fireflies.

Now that you're on foot,

You can hear the chirping of crickets in the wood.

The sound reminds you of quiet nights at home,

With the window open,

When all you can hear is the sound of crickets.

You are told that crickets come out and sing at night by rubbing their wings together to make that chirping sound.

It's how they talk to each other.

Together,

You pass under the archway of trees,

And you behold a very beautiful and welcoming sight.

The fireflies are still floating around,

Blinking on and off,

Lighting up the grove,

Which feels like a cozy nest all around you.

There are the iron gates wrapped in vines and flowers,

And beyond the gates,

You can see a beautiful garden.

There are countless different kinds of roses,

Deep red ones,

White ones,

Yellow,

And even some that look like a swirl of pink and purple,

Or red and yellow.

There are also herbs which your loved one points out,

Like lavender,

Rosemary,

And chamomile.

You can smell the sweetness of the flowers and the calming scent of the herbs as a gentle breeze rustles through the leaves.

The garden pathway leads up to the door.

You peer through the iron gates for a better look at the cottage,

Which is made of different sized stones.

There are pumpkins sitting on the steps,

And a tabby cat snoozes in front of the door.

There's a flickering light,

Like from a fire in the windows,

And a little bit of smoke issues from the chimney,

So the good witch must be home.

Then the front door opens,

And the cat lazily lifts its head and moves out of the way.

Someone comes out of the front door.

They're wearing a long purple cloak that looks like it's made of very soft velvet,

And it's embroidered with fine gold thread.

The hood is pulled down over their face,

So you can't see them yet.

They come down the steps and wind through the garden path toward you and your loved one.

Then they pull the hood down around their shoulders.

The first thing you notice about the good witch is her warm and welcoming smile,

Then her sparkling green eyes.

She greets you like old friends,

And with a wave of her hand,

She magically opens the iron gates to let you in.

She asks your names,

And you and your loved one respond.

She tells you her name is Matilda,

And she loves to have company.

You're welcome to come inside.

You follow Matilda,

The good witch,

Up the path,

And you giggle as you notice the cat,

Who was asleep a moment ago,

Clumsily chasing after fireflies.

Matilda holds the door open for you,

And you go inside the cottage,

Which is much warmer than outside,

And smells of fresh baking spices.

You can hear the crackling fire in the fireplace,

And a small cauldron bubbling over the fire.

You wonder if Matilda is brewing a magic potion.

She invites you to sit beside the fire and make yourself comfortable.

You and your loved one each settle down in a fluffy velvet armchair.

Yours is a rich dark green velvet,

And it's draped with a fuzzy blanket.

You can feel the warmth from the fire at your feet,

Making you feel nice and toasty.

Matilda steps into the kitchen to retrieve a tray of shortbread biscuits and cups of some hot steaming drink.

She comes back into the sitting room and sets the tray down on a table,

Seating herself upon a cozy looking couch.

She asks what your favorite warm autumn drink is,

Maybe hot apple cider,

Or hot chocolate,

Or even herbal tea.

You tell her what your favorite is,

And she wiggles her fingers over the top of a teacup,

Which appears to hold only hot water.

As you watch,

You can almost see little sparkles coming off her dancing fingers,

And the color of the water transforms into your favorite drink.

Your eyes light up,

And Matilda smiles.

She seems happy that you like the demonstration of magic.

You take the cup and drink a sip.

The temperature is just right,

And it tastes better than anything you've ever drunk.

You dip one of the cookies into it,

Which is even more delicious.

You and your loved one enjoy the treats by the fireside.

Matilda speaks.

I understand your loved one wanted to bring you here,

Because you show an interest in magic,

She says.

Her eyes are sparkly and kind.

I'd be happy to show you a few things,

If you like.

She goes on to explain that her kind of magic has a very simple,

But very important power source.

Without it,

She could do no magic at all.

That power source is simply the power of good intention.

She can only make magic when her intentions are pure and kind.

After all,

That's the only kind of magic worth doing,

Isn't it?

Magic that brings some good into the world.

So before you can learn to do any magic,

You must know yourself very well,

And be aware of your intentions.

When you're feeling angry,

Or frustrated,

Or tired,

It may not be a very good time to do magic.

But when you're feeling generous,

Compassionate,

And open-hearted,

These are the very best times to try.

Think about how you feel now.

Are you feeling generous?

Are you feeling compassionate,

Open-hearted?

There's nothing wrong with feeling angry or upset.

In fact,

There's nothing wrong with feeling anything at all.

As long as you can recognize how you feel,

Share your emotions with someone you trust,

And try not to let those feelings control you and your choices.

In fact,

Matilda says,

Recognizing your emotions is the first step to returning to good intentions.

There's a little piece of magic that always works,

No matter how you're feeling.

Would you like to know how to do it?

First,

Take a deep breath.

The biggest breath you've taken all day.

Then let it all out very slowly.

Close your eyes and count back from 10.

While you count down,

Imagine a place where you feel safe.

It could be a garden,

The beach,

Or your own bed at home.

10.

.

.

9.

.

.

8.

.

.

7.

.

.

6.

.

.

5.

.

.

4.

.

.

3.

.

.

2.

.

.

1.

.

.

Now,

That may not seem like magic to you,

But don't you feel a little better than before?

That's what magic is all about.

Transformation,

Change,

And if you can use your imagination to feel just a little bit better,

Who's to say it isn't magic?

Now that you understand about good intentions,

Matilda will teach you a piece of magic you can practice on your own whenever you want.

Would you like to learn a little ritual to help you sleep deeply and have sweet dreams?

My favorite sleep ritual starts in the garden,

Matilda says,

And invites you and your loved one to visit the herbs outside.

You follow her out into the moonlight to the garden of roses,

Hollyhocks,

And moonflowers.

Plants,

She explains,

Are a witch's best friend.

Then Matilda introduces you to the herbs that line the garden gates.

Here,

With the pale purple buds and dusty green leaves,

Is lavender.

Can you smell the lavender?

You take a deep breath in,

And your nostrils fill with the sweet,

Powdery aroma of fresh lavender.

Just one whiff instantly makes you feel relaxed and peaceful.

Matilda tells you that lavender has many special properties.

It can help you find calmness and sleep.

It can bring good luck,

And sometimes she even uses it to help treat little aches and pains.

Next to the lavender plant,

There is a wild,

Unruly shrub with needle-like leaves.

This is rosemary.

Can you smell the rosemary?

You inhale deeply,

Taking in the warm,

Evergreen scent of rosemary.

Like the lavender,

The fragrance makes you feel very calm,

But your mind also feels very clear.

Matilda explains that rosemary can improve memory,

Helping you feel more focused.

The good witch tells you about many of the herbs and flowers that grow in her garden,

From mugwort and rose to sage and poppy.

Now that you know more about them,

You can choose a few plants to harvest from the garden and use in your sleep ritual.

Matilda helps you clip a few sprigs of lavender and rosemary,

And she gathers a few rose petals that have fallen on the ground.

The petals are soft and velvety in your hands.

Back inside the cottage,

You sit by the crackling fire,

And Matilda presents you with a small silk drawstring purse,

About the size of the palm of your hand.

You can place your chosen herbs inside it.

This you carefully do.

Then Matilda instructs you to choose an intention for sleep,

Which you'll write on a small piece of paper,

And add the little sachet of herbs.

Whenever I do this ritual,

She says,

I write an intention like,

I sleep deeply and peacefully,

Finding joy in my dreams.

When making your intention,

She says,

Speak it as if it is already true,

And it will plant itself like a seed in your mind.

Intention,

She reminds you,

Is the root of all magic.

You take a moment to think about your intention for sleep.

If nothing comes to mind right away,

You can use one of the following.

I sleep deeply through the night and wake up refreshed.

I feel safe and fall asleep with ease.

My dreams are pleasant and peaceful.

You and your loved one write down your intention on a little scroll of paper,

Which Matilda rolls up and places inside the sachet.

Then she draws the silk strings shut and holds the purse tenderly in her hands,

As if infusing it with a little bit of her own magic.

She presents the purse to you and says,

Take this home with you tonight,

And when you're ready to go to sleep,

Place it under your pillow or somewhere next to your bed.

Think about your intention as you get ready for bed.

You can even repeat it to yourself out loud a few times,

Like a spell.

Hold it in your mind as you fall asleep,

And if you wake up in the middle of the night and you need help falling back asleep,

Just hold this little sachet in your hands,

Smell the fragrance of the rose and lavender and rosemary,

And come back to your intention until you feel safe,

Cozy,

And sleepy again.

Do you think you can do that?

You look to your smiling loved one,

Then back at the good witch,

And you nod,

Taking the silk purse from her.

I'll tell you a little secret about magic,

She continues.

This is just one way to practice it.

The most powerful spells are the ones you make for yourself,

And you don't need anything to practice magic except yourself and your good intention.

Plants and tools can be helpful,

But all you really need is already in you.

You hold your little sleep spell in your hands and smile,

Thinking about your intention.

Together with your loved one,

You finish your warm drink by the fire,

And the good witch tells you stories about her life.

You feel so warm and cozy here in the cottage,

Surrounded by magic,

Kindness,

And love.

The scent of lavender and the crackling of the fire in the fireplace combine to make you feel pleasantly sleepy.

Your eyelids start to get heavy,

And your face settles into a contented smile.

In time,

Your loved one notices your tiredness,

So they scoop you up in their arms,

And bidding thanks and farewell to Matilda,

Carry you to the door of the little cottage.

The perfume of roses winds on the breeze of the night,

And the stars twinkle overhead,

Like they're smiling at you.

Beyond the garden gate,

The wagon is waiting,

Lined with bales of hay.

As you climb aboard and it pulls away,

You look through heavy-lidded eyes back at the witch's house.

You can see her standing by the gate,

A tabby cat winding around her legs,

Waving goodbye.

You wave back,

Hoping you can come back and visit again another day.

For now,

However,

You are ready to sleep.

The wagon rolls over bumps in the ground,

Lulling you sweetly into an even more peaceful,

Sleepier state.

In your hands,

You clutch the silk purse,

Filled with sweet-smelling herbs and flower petals,

And infused with good intention.

You repeat the intention in your mind,

And promise yourself that you'll return to it anytime you need a little magic to fall asleep.

Your loved one snuggles you close.

You feel safe and warm and loved,

And this feels to you like nothing less than magic.

Good night.