Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Duncan and the Fairy Boots

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Starting point is 00:01:22 Where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas, and it's my pleasure to be your host. Thanks so much for tuning in for this evening's story, which was written by Frankie and will be read by Chloe. It's fair to say that fairies have captured our imaginations for many generations, and tonight we'll revisit one of the best-known folk tales about fairies, and witness the kind of these mischievous creatures. So let's prepare to listen by making sure we're relaxed and restful as you ease into your bed. Try to soften your mind and relax your body.

Starting point is 00:02:33 Both have worked hard all day and they deserve this time to rest. rest and recharge. Take a deep breath in and let it out slowly. With each breath, you may find yourself drifting closer towards that magical place where sleep and dreams come naturally as your breathing slows. Try visualizing yourself lying on a field of soft grass with a golden sun high in the sky. The sun's warming rays caress your skin and relax each and every muscle in your body. This peaceful caress melts away any stress or worry, bringing you a luxurious sense of sleepiness. Feel as the sun travels over your body, from the top of your head, across your face, your neck, your shoulders,

Starting point is 00:04:24 and chest. The nourishing rays continue to move over your abdomen, your hips across your upper legs, and your lower legs, any tension or achiness in the lower half of your body begins to melt away. And eventually the light reaches your ankles and feet. Every part of you relaxes more and more, feeling warm and soothed by the nourishing rays of our life-sustaining sun. In this state of calm and stillness, we can turn to our story. In your mind's eye, imagine a wide-open, green countryside. The hills seem to roll on forever, and they are criss-crossed with it.

Starting point is 00:05:59 fields, single-lane roads, and ancient hedge roads. In the distance, you can see a figure cresting a hill, and this is where our story begins. The pure blue sky met the green of the earth all around Duncan. Duncan loved walking. It was his purpose in life and his passion. He loved nothing more than taking in both nature and mankind as he strolled along. He preferred the rural parts of the world. But every once in a while, he would be grabbed by the urge to walk the moonlit city streets, feeling the cobbles under his feet. He's Today, however, Duncan was walking through the idyllic green of a vast countryside. Occasionally, he would see some sheep or a few fat ponies in a field.

Starting point is 00:07:53 Otherwise, he was quite alone, which was just the way he liked it. As Duncan walked, he reflected on the past few days. While the landscape was more beautiful than he could have imagined, the people were less than friendly. They would shoe him off the road, or send him from their door as soon as they saw him. Duncan looked down at himself. He had to admit, after years of walking, he wasn't exactly clean.

Starting point is 00:08:44 He was a pleasant and... polite man, all he ever asked from people was whatever they could spare, a ragged blanket, a bite to eat, or even some old boots. These days, he was lucky to get a crust of bread, Duncan's attention was drawn by the sound of rushing water. There must be a stream nearby. He peaked through hedgerows and followed the sound until he found a little river bubbling between two small hills. Duncan decided this must be a sign. He would wash himself in the river, get as scrubbed up as possible, and then knock on the door of that farmhouse over there, and see you.

Starting point is 00:09:57 and see if they had anything to spare. Duncan washed himself and his travel-worn clothes in the cool, clear water of the river. The birds sang in the branches of the weeping willow tree on the bank. Small fish darted here and there in the shallow water. Curious as to what kind of fish Duncan's toes could be. Finally, Duncan laid himself and his clothes in a sunny spot on the bank to try. The warmth of the sun made quick work of the soggy clothes,

Starting point is 00:10:47 and he was soon on his way. As Duncan approached the farmhouse, he brushed his hair away from his face and was sure to stand up straight. He knocked on the heavy oak. door. From inside came the patter of little feet. The door was opened by a little girl, no more than six or seven years old. She looked Duncan up and down for a moment, before remembering her manners and asking how she could help him. Duncan asked if her mother or father was home. The little girl nodded and darted away into the house without another word.

Starting point is 00:11:41 Duncan stood at the door for several awkward moments, waiting for her to return. Finally, a man came to greet Duncan, with the little girl skipping along behind him. Duncan greeted the man politely, told him that he was a traveller, and asked if the man might have anything to spare. The girl's father shook his head gruffly. He told Duncan that they had nothing to give him, and suggested not unkindly, that Duncan should consider getting a job. This was a line that Duncan had heard many times. He wanted to tell the man that he had, once upon a time, been a working man, he had laboured for eight hours a day or more. made some money, and strived to build the life that society expected from him.

Starting point is 00:13:01 But Duncan had never been happy in that life. Underneath it all, he had always heard the call of the countryside. He wanted to tell this man that the whisper of the wind through the trees and the babbling of a brook was more precious than any money he ever. received. He wanted to take the man by the hand and walk with him through the hills, pointing out the way the green changed to gold in the sunset, all the way the stars glittered on a cloudless night. But Duncan did none of these things. He merely thanked the man and turned away. Back to the road. As Duncan walked, He noticed a sudden breeze, somewhere down by his toes. He looked down and saw that,

Starting point is 00:14:12 Not one, but both of his boots had come detached from their souls. They both flapped like open mouths as he walked, allowing in dust and dirt with every step. Duncan sighed heavily and walked on. After a while, however, His feet were simply too sore to continue at his usual pace. At midday, he decided to take a break. Along the side of the road, there was a twisted hawthorn tree. It looked like the perfect place for Duncan to take a nap. He clambered up the slope with his broken boots,

Starting point is 00:15:12 walked around the tree and sat himself down with his back against the trunk, looking out at the surrounding valley. The ground beneath the tree was soft with velvety moss. The branches provided the perfect cover from the hot summer sun. Duncan took off his broken boots. and let his sore feet rest in the breeze. It was not long before he started to drift off to sleep. He was in the magical place between dreaming and waking. Part of him could still feel the moss and the breeze and the sun, while another part of him was somewhere else entirely.

Starting point is 00:16:20 Strange music drifted through his head. He was surrounded by hundreds of people. There was something strange about them as well. They seemed to glow. They were all at a party. A huge celebration. A party? Perhaps Duncan felt he was just about to turn around

Starting point is 00:16:55 and meet someone very important. important when a pain in his foot brought him back into the waking world completely. Duncan looked around. His gaze fell on his bare feet. All three of them. Wait, that couldn't be right, Duncan looked again. There were his own two feet, and a little creature the same size as his foot. The little person was dressed in fine green clothes. But upon closer inspection, they seemed to be woven from leaves. On its little feet were two bright yellow boots made from buttercups. The rest of the creature was like nothing Duncan had ever seen before. He gulped at the being for a long moment. Then a little piping voice came from the fairy.

Starting point is 00:18:12 It told Duncan that he must be off as soon as possible. Duncan blinked once or twice before responding. He told the fairy that he just needed to rest here for a little bit longer. His feet was saw, and he had been travelling for a long time. The fairy, however, was insistent. Tonight was the Queen of the Fairy's birthday party, and Duncan was sleeping in the exact spot where they had planned to have the party. For a thousand years, the Queen of the Fairies had had her party on this little hill. Under this hawthorn tree, Duncan listened to the fairy in amazement,

Starting point is 00:19:19 still hardly believing who and what he was talking to. When the fairy finished, Duncan bowed his head and apologised. He told the fairy that he would soon be on his way and went to grab his old broken boots. The fairy watched him for a moment, before holding up a tiny hand. Duncan paused.

Starting point is 00:19:56 With his boots in his hand, the fairy snapped its fingers, and the boots jumped from Duncan's hands. They ran off with no feet in them, down the hill, and out of sight. Before Duncan could react, the fairy sat down and took off its own shoes, which were bright yellow and finer than any Duncan had ever seen. They were so small, they could only fit on Duncan's fingers. The fairy offered the boots to Duncan, who politely declined them.

Starting point is 00:20:46 He told the fairy that they were far too fine for him. But inside, he also doubted he could even get them over one toe. The fairy insisted, and Duncan felt he had no choice but to accept. The fairy urged him to try the boots on. Duncan, amazed, pulled up. One boot over one toe, and then all the toes, and then his entire foot. The boot magically grew and morphed to fit his foot perfectly. The other did just the same.

Starting point is 00:21:46 They were so comfortable. It felt like Duncan was wearing nothing at all. His feet were no longer sore, and he could walk on forever. He jumped to his feet with joy, thanking the fairy profusely. But just as he was about to leave, the fairy stopped him. It told Duncan that the yellow boots would never wear out and never get dirty. they would be the only boots he needed for the rest of his walking days. However, if he told anyone where he got the boots, they would disappear forever.

Starting point is 00:22:46 Duncan promised never to tell a soul. The fairy examined Duncan with its beetle black eyes and then told him to delay his travels. for one night. The queen of the fairies would like to have him as a guest of honor at her birthday celebrations. Duncan was surprised. He asked how the fairy knew that the queen wanted to invite him. The fairy broke into a wide smile and revealed that she herself was the queen of the fairies. Duncan was so surprised he stumbled into a shaking bow. The queen laughed and waved away his formality. Then a strange song seemed to rise up from the very earth. Ferrys appeared from behind every rock and blade of grass and every leaf on the hawthorn tree. Duncan was swept away all day and late into the evening with dancing, singing,

Starting point is 00:24:17 storytelling, eating and revelry. The night was a blur of joyful merriment. Duncan ate the best food he had ever tasted and listened to the sweetest music ever heard. he could not remember falling asleep. And only flashes of memory were with him in the morning when he woke up under the hawthorn tree. But looking down to his feet, he saw the yellow boots.

Starting point is 00:24:59 As real as the ground beneath him, Duncan stood up, stretching in the fresh morning air. He felt better than he had in mind. Maybe even years. He wiggled his toes in his yellow fairy boots, enjoying the comfort. Then he set off down the little grassy hill, back towards the road. When he reached it, he looked back at the hawthorn tree, and the mossy spot where he spent the night, a thought briefly stole over him. How much of what he remembered was true?

Starting point is 00:25:53 Did he really meet the fairy queen and celebrate her birthday with her? If not, where did the shoes come from? Duncan decided that such questions were better left unanswered and made his way down the road. For many days and nights, Duncan travelled in a state of joy he had not known since he first set out on his walking trip. He found he could walk for miles without needing a rest, true to the Fairy Queen's words. The shoes never got dirty, never broke, never shrank, and never made his feet hurt. One day, he accidentally stepped into a big puddle.

Starting point is 00:26:54 and his feet stayed dry. He quickly came to consider these shoes to be his most prized possession. He and his very boots walked across fields and through forests. With his newfound enthusiasm and comfort, Duncan was able to journey to places further away. He found himself crossing purple moors, blanketed with heather. He marvelled at the way the wind shook the heather across the landscape. Like waves on the sea, he hiked up mountains to sit under strange rock formations.

Starting point is 00:27:53 Each one carved by the elements. He camped on white sand beaches on remote. islands, where it was so windy that no trees could grow. He even walked to the oldest forest he could find and went to the heart of the woods, where he camped under the boughs of the largest, oldest tree. In the moments of rest, when he sat down after a long day of walking, he amused himself, by paying attention to all the wonderful details of the world around him. He tried to memorize the sound of a running river.

Starting point is 00:28:47 And the way the wind blew through the highest branches. He attempted to mentally catalogue the sounds of all the animals and the smell of the earth. In all his walking, however, Duncan found himself skirting around villages and avoiding big cities. He was worried that he might somehow let it slip, that he got his magical, marvellous boots from the fairy queen and thus lose them forever.

Starting point is 00:29:31 As a result, Duncan had to learn some new skills. He foraged for berries. and wild mushrooms in the forests. He became adept at identifying plants for making his meals. This new knowledge drew him closer to nature and made him more aware of the changing of the seasons. It was nearly a year before Duncan found himself back in the land of the rolling green hills.

Starting point is 00:30:15 He had seen so much in the past year. and still had his yellow fairy boots. The sun was bright, and midsummer was fast approaching. Under the heat of the day, Duncan decided to take a break and go for a swim in the river, where he had bathed a year ago. The water was cool and refreshing after so much walking. But Duncan always stayed where he could keep one eye on his bundle of clothes and the yellow boots hidden beneath them.

Starting point is 00:31:05 After his swim, Duncan returned to the bank of the river and dressed. He was just lacing up his boots when someone approached him. A tall man strode purposefully towards Duncan. He looked wealthy. with his fine shoes and clothes. Everything was in immaculate condition. Behind him, Duncan could see an elegant horse waiting patiently by the road. He assumed this man had never walked further than his front door to the stables in his life.

Starting point is 00:31:52 Speaking in an authoritative voice, the man asked Duncan, what he was doing. Duncan answered politely and meekly that he was having a swim in the river, but now that he had finished, he would be on his way. The rich man looked down his nose at Duncan and peered at the fairy boots. He demanded to know where he had got such fine boots. Duncan did not want to lie, but he also wanted to keep his promise. He mumbled an answer about them being a gift. The rich man did not believe him and accused him of stealing. This insult was not one that Duncan could bear. The man even threatened to take Duncan with him to the authorities. Before he could stop himself. Duncan told the man in a proud voice that the shoes were a gift from the fairy queen.

Starting point is 00:33:16 In an instant, the boots were gone. Duncan felt the cool grass beneath his feet and nothing else. The man stared down at Duncan's feet, unable to believe his eyes. The two men looked at one another in silence for a while. unsure of what to say. Finally, the rich man spoke. He apologized to Duncan and told him that he had to accept what he had just seen. The fairy boots had disappeared, so Duncan's story must be true. The man regretted that he had falsely accused Duncan and made him lose his boots. Then, the rich man did something even more unexpected. He offered Duncan a ride on his horse. Duncan accepted.

Starting point is 00:34:31 Not sure what else to do. The rich man led the horse, with Duncan on it, all the way back to his large, fine house. On the journey, he told Duncan about his farm and his family. while Duncan talked all about the beautiful things he had experienced on his walks, the way the sun painted the landscape in shades of gold at sunrise, and the fresh smell of the first snow. He recounted all the different wildflowers, their smells,

Starting point is 00:35:20 and the months in which they bloomed. The rich man listened to every word. having never thought about the wonders of nature in such a way. When they got to the man's house, Duncan was invited to stay for the evening. The man gave him new clothes and a fine pair of boots. They weren't as lovely as the yellow fairy boots, but they were sturdy, well-crafted, and comfortable. That night, Duncan dined with the rich man and his family. He told them the story of his fairy boots.

Starting point is 00:36:16 The next morning, the family sent him on his way with food, a blanket, and a pack full of useful items. As Duncan walked away, he marvelled at the generosity of the family, an idea. deer came to him, which he turned over in his head for the next few days. He arrived once more at the farm he had visited a year before. Again, he knocked at the door. The father answered, with his daughter peeking around his legs to look at Duncan, instead of asking for anything they could spare, Duncan offered them a story. he said he would give them an evening's worth of entertainment. In return for a meal, the father looked down at his wide-eyed daughter.

Starting point is 00:37:33 She nodded, and he opened the door to allow Duncan inside. From then on, Duncan was welcomed in homes, inns, and anywhere people drew. together in the evening. He told not just the story of the fairy boots, but also new stories that he collected during his journeys. Duncan never wanted for clothing, blankets, food, or boots again. He was welcomed with joy and excitement. A few years later, Duncan was waving goodbye to a lovely little village that had housed him for the evening. A young man came jogging up to him, just as Duncan was turning back to the road. The young man, Shiley at first, asked Duncan if he might accompany him on his walks.

Starting point is 00:39:04 This young man said he also felt an urging in his heart to walk. He wanted to learn the stories of the people in this country. But also the secrets of the wilderness. He felt that all the passion and wonder of his life lay on the road. Duncan looked the young man up and down for a few moments. Finally, he nodded and told the man that they were not far from a special place. That night, they would camp on soft moss underneath a hawthorn tree. And then, maybe, the young man might get his first story.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Duncan and the Fairy Boots

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