The Night Train

Read along

Settle into your bed, and let tonight be simple.

There's nowhere to go now. Nothing left to do.

Let your body take up all the space it needs.

Let the bed hold you… the pillow, the blanket, the mattress beneath.

Your breath doesn't need anything from you. Let it come and go.

Let's soften the body, slowly, from the top down.

Let your forehead be smooth and wide.

Let your eyes rest heavy in their sockets.

Let your cheeks soften… your lips part a little… your jaw loosen.

Let your neck lengthen, and your shoulders sink.

Feel a warmth spreading down your arms, like sunlight through a window… into your elbows… your wrists… your fingers.

Let your chest be easy.

Let your belly be soft.

Let your hips grow heavy.

Let the warmth travel down your legs… your knees… your calves… all the way to your toes.

Now imagine you're on a night train.

You've found your compartment. It's small and warm, with a narrow bed made up with crisp, clean sheets and a thick blanket.

A little lamp glows on the wall beside you, soft and yellow.

The train has just left the station. You feel it start to move… gently… slowly.

And then the rhythm begins. The soft rocking of the carriage. The quiet sound of wheels on the track.

You draw the blanket up and lie down.

Through a gap in the curtain, you can see the night outside.

Dark fields. A line of trees. Snow resting on the hedges, pale and quiet.

Far away, a single farmhouse window glows… and slides past.

Rain begins to tap against the glass. A soft, steady sound.

Somewhere further down the carriage, someone closes a door. Then everything is still.

The train sways… gently… left… and right.

You don't have to watch where it's going. The driver knows the way.

All you need to do is lie here and be carried.

If there are thoughts still travelling with you… let them get off at the next quiet station.

Watch them step onto the platform, under a little lamp in the snow.

The doors close softly, and the train moves on without them.

The carriage is warm.

The blanket is heavy.

The rails hum beneath you, low and even.

Outside, snow falls on fields you'll never see in daylight.

The train rolls on… through valleys… past sleeping villages… over a quiet river.

Your breath is slow now. Slow like the train.

There's no need to follow my voice.

Let it fade… like a station falling behind.

The lamp glows.

The wheels turn.

The night goes on.

Sleep well.