Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Sunset on the Pirate Ship

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. I'm your host Thomas and it's wonderful to have your company. Tonight we'll be travelling to the shores of a secluded island and exploring the wreck of an old pirate ship. This story was a special request from one of our listeners. We love hearing your creative ideas and working to bring them to life. So if you have a story idea in mind that you'd like to share with us, then please do. The best way is to email me via the contact page of our website at GetSleepy.com. Now just a quick word on our sponsors.

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Starting point is 00:03:34 If you would like to listen to the show completely add free, why not try get sleepy premium? You can enjoy well over 400 full-length episodes. Plus every Thursday we release a new bonus episode for our premium supporters. Tomorrow night, TK is back to guide us along the historic carriage roads of Acadia National Park in Maine. To find out more, go to GetSleepy.com slash support, or simply follow the link in the show notes. You get a 7 day free trial when you first sign up, so you can be sure you love the premium feed. Thank you so much for your support. So, let's just take a few moments to get settled. Make sure you're nice and comfortable. Feel free to adjust your pillows or blankets if you need to. When you're ready, let your eyes drift closed. I'd like you to imagine a vast blue ocean. Sunlight glitters on the horizon, casting a golden glow on the farthest edges of the water.

Starting point is 00:05:11 If you listen closely, you can hear the distant sound of seagulls calling and waves crashing on sand. Soon you see an island come into view. Palm trees and thick undergrowth cover much of the centre, which is surrounded on all sides by wide yellow beaches. There are a few quaint settlements here and there, but the details are hard to make out. They blend in seamlessly with the natural landscape. Leading away from one small cluster of buildings is a narrow trail. A warm breeze russles the palm fronds overhead.

Starting point is 00:06:50 You turn your gaze upwards, marveling at the way the light catches the ribbed leaves, making them glisten gold and then dark green in town. As the fronds move the sunlight dances across your face. You shade your eyes. The shimmering light gives everything here an ethereal quality as though you're somehow floating outside of time. It's just you and the elements so alive and present in every moment. The sultry weather slows down the day. Seconds tick by as the insects hum, the palm fronds ripple and the sunlight glints across your islands. This island is special, you think, unlike anywhere else you've ever been. You feel there are secrets here that have yet to be uncovered, perhaps by you or some other curious traveler. the glorious traveller. The thought is intriguing to you. It lends a sense of purpose to your

Starting point is 00:08:29 otherwise mundane walk this barmy afternoon. The path ahead of you winds its way through the palms, old yellow fronds that have fallen from the trees are piled on either side of the narrow trail. Occasionally, they find their way into the middle where they crunch underfoot like thick, waxy cardboard. The warm air is heavy and aromatic. You detect hints of fragrant coconut and pineapple mixed with deeper, darker undertones of old wood and damp soil. A brine equality of salt and seaweed mingles with the other scents, reminding you that you're never far from the ocean. This is a place where the pull of the sea is always felt.

Starting point is 00:09:48 You are drawn to it as if by an invisible line. Every time you've gone for a walk here on the island, looking out at the glimmering expanse of blue and green. At times you've been tempted to leave the sandy shore and walk straight into the water. Then continue swimming, twirling and splashing through the turquoise waves, free and unencumbered. You understand why story books are filled with tales of the sea and the people who've made their home on it. Whether romantic, daring, or made by necessity, the choice to leave the land for sails catching the wind. Continuing on, you come to a turn where one of the trees has grown at an angle across the

Starting point is 00:11:18 trail. You reach out, feeling the jagged and scaly bark beneath your palm as you step over the crooked trunk. It reminds you that you are merely a guest here among these trees. They have seen countless others pass this way before and heard the crunching of many other footsteps and will continue to do so long after you are gone from this place. As you walk, you feel the gentle prickling of moisture on your skin. Days and nights are warm and humid, making you grateful for the occasional breeze that flows around you. As it tickles the back of your neck, you feel it beginning to cool you down.

Starting point is 00:12:31 For a moment, your mind clears too, as if a dreamy haze has lifted, and you can see the sharper edges of the palm fronts, the vibrant greens of the tangled undergrowth. A fly buzzes past you. The sound is clear and true, as is the reverberating electric hum of the insects filling the trees with their song. Underneath it all, you can sense the rhythmic pulse of your own heartbeat. You close your eyes and focus on all the life sheltered from the hot sun here beneath the protective canopy of palms. Your heartbeat, the insect hum, a small animal moving in the distance, the call of a seagull. of a seagull. And then the breeze dies down and the dream like trance returns. The muggy warmth wraps itself around the trees like a blanket, pushing thoughts and sounds. Once again it's you and the elements, alive and yet subdued as you

Starting point is 00:14:14 continue down the trail. Your feet carry you over the gentle bumps and indentations along the path. Occasionally, you feel a palm-front crumple beneath your shoes, or a patch of loose dirt moves slightly to one side as you pass. Your eyes scan lazily from your root to the foliage to a sliver of blue sky to a mound of damp leaves and other plant matter gathered at the base of a trunk. Time passes this way as you move through the chattering palms. But then, the trail leads you to a dense cluster of trees. They are packed so tightly together that you can't see what lies beyond them. You pause here for a moment and wait for your other senses to take hold. Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath in. There's the familiar scent of pineapple and coconut, wet leaves, dirt and seaweed.

Starting point is 00:15:54 But the smell of brine is stronger here. You find your nose responding to the salt. And you can hear a new sound permeating the buzz of the palm forest. Waves crashing on a sandy shore. You must be near the beach you realise. Looking ahead, you see a V-shaped gap between two of the palms. It's large enough for you to fit. Bracing your hands against the rough trunks on either side. You climb through, pushing the overgrown plants that surround you out of the way.

Starting point is 00:16:54 On the other side of the greenery, you are met with a stunning view of a blissfully windswept beach. Golden sand stretches out in either direction as far as the eye can see. Directly before you, Cerulean depths give way to white-capped waves that rumble onto the shifting sand, pulling and pushing in an eternal dance. You make your way down to the waterline. A recent wave left a bit of foam behind leave, left a bit of foam behind, under shadowy outline of its path. You trace the darker sand with your foot, moving just in time to avoid the next wave, rolling towards you. When the water approaches, you bend down and let it run over your fingers. The water is warm and bits of sand catch in your fingertips as the receding wave tugs at the greens. Standing up, you glance up the beach. There, in the distance, you see a large, dark shape resting on the shoreline. You hold your hand up over your eyes and try to get a better look, but you're too far

Starting point is 00:18:48 away to make out any details. Your curiosity carries you onwards. As you walk the waves lap up and over your footprints, washing them away. To an observer, it would seem as if you'd emerged from the sea itself, rather than walked down from the palm forest. You find yourself falling into a natural pace with the sound of the waves. The air here is invigorating compared to the heavy stoneness within the trees. A sea breeze rumbles your clothing and evaporates some of the moisture on your skin, cooling you pleasantly. Sometimes a gust of wind picks up some of the loose sand, creating miniature dunes along a small berm between the forest and the shore.

Starting point is 00:20:08 Every gust brings a flurry of white caps to the blue water. Even from your vantage point, you can see the deeper water, churning and rolling. Before long, you're close enough to the dark shape to note some of the details. It appears to be a large, old-fashioned wooden sailing ship, beached here for some time. The ship is resting at an odd angle, tipped to one side. You can see chunks of the hull are missing, along with some of the wood paneling along the sides. You wonder where the ship was going when it ended up here, who was on it, and how it came to be wrecked on these loans and shores. As you walk towards the ship, you begin to truly appreciate how large it is.

Starting point is 00:21:28 Standing beside it, you are small compared to the hull, some of which is crusted in salt, sand and barnacles. Its dark wood cuts an imposing figure against the blue sky, and you crane your neck upwards to see the tops of the masts. A portion of the keel is visible, and you reach out a hand to touch it. The surface is rough and abrasive as though years at sea have transformed this ship into something of the deep water rather than a vessel made on land. Clumps and tangled strands of old dried seaweed hang from the wreck, and thick, freed ropes dangle freely, occasionally swinging in the wind. The ropes look as though they've been waxed or tired, but perhaps it's just the work of time,

Starting point is 00:22:48 transforming the strands into something a curious beach-coma might pick up and take home with them. Carefully, you search the perimeter of the ship until you get to the place where there's damage to the hull. Peeking inside, you see it leads to a storage area that's filled with wooden crates, chests, and sacks. You rest a hand on the splintened wood. In that moment, a feeling moves through you. It's as though you're being called to explore this wreck. You can't explain it, but you feel drawn to it, like the ship has a magnetic pull. The ship has chosen you. With a glance over your shoulder at the empty beach, you climb into the belly of the wreck and begin to look around.

Starting point is 00:24:11 Mutant daylight filters through a scattering of holes and cracks in the old wood. The air inside the ship is still and dusty. Somehow it's drier here than outside, despite being exposed to the elements. You detect a faint aroma of vegetables, maybe straw, and a sweet burnt sugar fragrance that reminds you of grains and caramel. Most of the crates and chests are secured with heavy iron padlocks, but you peek inside a few of the sacks. The contents have disappeared for the most part. Though you find an old dried up lemon that's as hard as a pebble and a glass bottle with a well-fitting stopper.

Starting point is 00:25:25 Picking your way through the dimly lit maze of storage bins, you soon come to a flight of stairs leading to an upper deck. you will be safe. It's as though the ship wants you to be here. The wooden steps creak with every footfall. The sharp sound echoes through the silent space. You are tempted to be a little quieter, so as not to disturb anyone. But then you remember this ship was abandoned long ago. It's just you and the cargo, the sand and the sea. When you come to the next landing, you find the cruise quarters. Old musty hammocks hang from the ceiling or a strung up between support beams. Many are in tatters, left by their previous owners after the wreck. There isn't much to see here, so you make your way up to the next level, which is open

Starting point is 00:26:58 to the ship. But your eyes soon adjust and you take your time meandering around the deck. You find the wheel first. Its wood is old and cracked, but you still enjoy the feeling of standing there, looking out towards the sea with one hand on it, as though you're the captain of this ship or the helmsman you suppose. The thought makes you wonder who these people were. What were their stories? Where were they from? Where did they go? Perhaps you'll never know for sure.

Starting point is 00:28:10 Surprisingly, the masks are still intact. They were made of sturdy tree trunks, incredibly straight, you think with admiration. A gentle fluttering at the bottom of one of the masts catches your eye. Curious, you move towards it. It could be a part of a hammock that's torn loose, or perhaps a piece of a sack. But as you get closer, you see it's a bit of black fabric rippling in the breeze. Gently you pick up the coils of rope and the couple of heavy metal hooks that have fallen on top of the fabric. But you keep hold of the fabric itself so it doesn't fly away on a gust of wind.

Starting point is 00:29:20 When it's free, you use both hands to unfurl it and what it reveals takes your breath away. Their gazing at you from the black background is a white skull and crossbones. bones. As the realization forms in your mind, a gust of wind pulls one side of the flag out of your hands. For a moment it's held outside ways, just as it would be atop the mast, snapping in the warm breeze. The skull seems to laugh as it moves, and you imagine seeing the flag through a spy glass as the ship sails in your direction. But then you think of what it would be like to sail under a flag like this. The grinning emblem her, the flag hangs loosely in your grasp. You fold it carefully and replace it under the hooks and ropes. There's some way you have to find now, the captain's quarters. It isn't long before you're pushing open the door and stepping inside the nicest living

Starting point is 00:31:18 quarters on the ship. Light cascades in through the slanted windows behind the captain's large wooden desk. The fine layer of dust covers many of the surfaces here and there are tiny windblown piles of sand in the corners of the room. The wooden floorboards, though weathered, are elegant, as are the lighting fixtures, and the various nautical instruments scattered about the room. scattered about the room. On the desk is a stack of papers that you leaf through gently. All of the pages are yellow with age and many have already started to crumble. You see lists of goods, ports of call, and what could be a crew or passenger manifest. Whether these papers came from the pirate captain or the captain who had the ship before, you'll likely never know. Leaving the desk, you head to a window seat, looking out over the back

Starting point is 00:32:50 of the ship, and the deep blue expanse in the distance. If you were the captain, this is where you'd like to spend your time, you think. Dreaming about new horizons and adventures long past or yet to come. As you lean against the seat, you feel something behind you. Reaching back, you retrieve a long, wooden case. You gently unscrew the two sides of the case and remove the rolled up parchment you find inside. When you see what it is you've found, a sense of understanding washes over you. This is what the ship wanted you to find you realize. In your hands is a beautifully drawn map.

Starting point is 00:34:06 Studying it closely, you see that the map doesn't depict some unknown land as you suspected. In fact, it seems to be a map of this island. I'm there just inside the tree line not too far away. You see a dark X. X marks the spot. For what you aren't sure. But you know you're meant to find out. Glancing around the room, you spot a long-handled shovel leaning against one wall. It's a not place for a shovel, you think. Or perhaps it isn't? Maybe this map is the reason the ship travelled to this island so many years ago. The crew was preparing to go in search of what they'd find in the forest when their vessel was wrecked. Somehow the map was left behind, along with the shovel. With a last look out the window, you turn and stand up, taking hold of the shovel on your way out.

Starting point is 00:35:48 Back on the open deck, you marvel at the beauty of this ship. In its heyday, it must have been spectacular, you muse. You muse, bustling with activity and sounds under the watchful eye of the black flag. You carry the map and the shovel back down the stairs to the crew quarters, and then down further to the darkest recesses of the ship. From the storage area, you pick your way over to the damaged section of the hull and then carefully climb out. While it's a relief to have the sand beneath your shoes once more, you feel a tingle travel up your spine as you remember the magical dotted line heading into the forest between two crossed palm trees. You scan the tree line for the distinctive feature. It doesn't take long to spot the trees, whose trunks form an almost perfect X.

Starting point is 00:37:30 The sound around the ship is soft and loose. Your feet gently slip down the sides of tiny mounds and make deep footprints. But it doesn't take you long to reach the bam that divides the beach from the forest. You find yourself on firmer ground, littered with pebbles, sticks and palm fronts. You follow the line of trees to the pair of crossed trunks. You bend down slightly and pass underneath where they cross, as those stepping through a magical doorway. A tiny marking on the right-hand tree catches your attention. Carved into the trunk is a miniature circle with an x below it. Almost like a simplified skull and crossbones, you must be on the right path.

Starting point is 00:38:59 Now that you've returned to the forest, you notice it's quite a bit darker than it was earlier in the day. Sunset is approaching and the light is already fading in preparation for the evening ahead. The soft breeze is blowing in from the beach, enough to keep this part of the palm forest cool. Looking ahead, you see what could be a simple footpath winding through the trees. It loosely matches the dotted line on the map, so you decide to follow it. Crackling fronds split in two beneath your feet, and insects hum their evening song. Further on, you come to a secluded grove. On the map, this cluster of trees seems to surround the place marked with an X.

Starting point is 00:40:18 You begin by walking up to the nearest tree and inspecting the rough bark of the trunk. Just as you suspected, the same mark appears. You continue on to the next tree which bears the mark as well. On and on you walk, checking every trunk. Each time your fingers graze the bark of a tree, you feel more connected to this enchanting place, more enveloped by its dreamy essence. Perhaps it's that same magnetic pull or your knowledge of the map that draws you into the center of the grove. As soon as you enter the circle of trees, you know you've found a special place.

Starting point is 00:41:29 On the ground in front of you is a large X, made of carefully arranged pebbles of many different colours. colors. The stones glitter in the faded sunlight that filters down through the palm fronds. X marks the spot you whisper to yourself. Feeling the weight of the shovel in your hand, you take a moment to appreciate the beauty of the forest, and this artful sign that someone laid out so long ago. You don't know who left the marks, or who drew the map, but you silently thank them for leading you on such an enticing adventure. The hum of the insects grows louder as you focus on the pebbles. on the pebbles. Lifting up the shovel, you place the point down on the dirt and begin to dig.

Starting point is 00:42:53 Seconds tick by to the thudding of the tool against the soil. The warm air gathers around you and you feel the moisture building on your arms and neck. A light breeze ripples through the trees, hinting at the cooler air to be found on the beach. You'll return there soon enough once you've finished what you came here to do. When the shovel makes a metallic sound, you know it's come into contact with something other than the soil. It jumps a little in your hand, so you lay it to the side and kneel down by the hole. Using your hands, you clear off any loose soil from the object the shovel struck. A large wooden chest with iron bindings. You take a deep breath before opening it. Coconut and pineapple, damp leaves and seaweed fill your senses and ground you to this place and time.

Starting point is 00:44:32 Exhaling you creek open the top of the chest. gemstones and gold and silver coins, glimmer and glint as dusty shafts of light engulf them. Old papers, yellowed in some cases, or held together with leather straps, are piled in one corner. Leva straps are piled in one corner. Garnet rings and emerald-studded necklaces are jumbled together with ladies' hat pins, notes and doubloons. And there, resting lightly on top, is a delicate glass bottle with a message inside. You can't read the message as it's rolled the other direction. Picking up the bottle, you hear something jingle as it hits the glass. Perhaps a piece of jewelry or a coin you think. As far as you know, you are the only one to have any knowledge of this treasure. This is a secret between you and the island. Only the insects and the

Starting point is 00:46:11 stoic palms have witnessed you here today. You set the bottle with the message carefully to one side of the hole and close the top of the treasure chest. It will be our secret, you whisper, to no one in particular. Then you use the shovel to replace the dirt. But instead of arranging the pebbles in a perfect axe, you add a circle at the top, the same as the markings on the trees. Carrying the shovel, map and glass bottle in your arms. You make your way out of the palm grove and under the crossed trunks. You follow your footsteps along the tree line and down the berm to the soft sand all the

Starting point is 00:47:23 way back to the pirate ship. You climb in the hull and up the flights of steps into the captain's quarters, where you leave the map and shovel. Then, you head out onto the open deck, just in time for sunset. The sky glows red along the horizon, with a feathering of deep orange merging with the blue above. You absent mindedly turn the bottle in your fingertips, listening to the jangling of the small object inside. Someday you'll open the bottle and read the message when you're ready for your next adventure. And someday, you'll return to the forest, to the buried treasure, when the time is right. But for now, you'll enjoy the sunset, here aboard the old pirate ship,

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Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Sunset on the Pirate Ship

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