Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Sunsets on a Faraway Planet

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey friends, for the best Get Sleepy experience, be sure to check out our supporters feed Get Sleepy Premium for our free listening weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire catalogue. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make the free version of this show possible. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. Thank you for tuning in. Tonight's story will be read by Jessica and was written by Alexandra. It takes us on a trip far across the universe to a distant galaxy.

Starting point is 00:00:54 We'll join an astronaut named Clio as she explores the surreal landscape of a far away planet and makes an amazing discovery. Before that, I'd like to remind you that the best way to listen to the show is on our supporters' feet, Get Sleepy Premium. With over 500 full-length episodes, a weekly bonus episode exclusive to premium supporters, and an entirely ad-free listening experience. Get Sleepy Premium makes a good night's rest even easier to achieve. Tomorrow's premium bonus sees us return to Scarborough, a coastal English town, where we'll have our fourth instalment from Kate and her cat whiskers, who live in a converted windmill, with views of the North Sea.

Starting point is 00:01:54 It's a series that our premium supporters absolutely adore, so do join me there tomorrow, if you'd like to listen too. You get a 7 day free trial when you first sign up to get sleepy premium so you can make sure you're happy. Just go to GetSleepy.com-support or follow the link in the show notes for more information. Thanks everyone. Now them, make yourself nice and comfortable in bed, feeling the softness of the duvet covering your body and the gentle support of the pillow beneath your head. Take a deep breath in, filling your lungs with nourishing air, sing into your bed more and more. Just think how lucky you are to have this comfortable place to snuggle into each night. Take a moment to appreciate that comfort right now. And staying with that sense of gratitude and appreciation,

Starting point is 00:03:34 I'd like you to briefly trace your mind back over the events of the day just gone. day just gone. See if you can remember any small micromo moments in which you felt a sense Perhaps all three rolled into one. Maybe it was your morning coffee or a delicious meal. Maybe it was a passing smile with a stranger or a friendly message received from a colleague or a loved one. Maybe you're grateful for the weather that came today. Perhaps for the work you were able to do and how it made you feel a sense of accomplishment. I hope you appreciate just giving yourself that chance to remember the positive moments in your day, no matter how small. no matter how small. It's a good practice to help us settle down in a gentle frame of mind. And with that being said, it's time to begin our story. So I'll make way for Jessica as we join Clio who's just about to wake up after a long

Starting point is 00:05:32 sleep and an even longer journey. Clio is fast asleep in how cocoon-like pod on the spaceship. She's tucked up snugly under the covers, with the blanket pulled right up to her chin. The chamber is dark, but the small blue lights of the buttons on the wall create a soothing glow. And then, ever so slowly, another light begins to shine. Above Cleo's head is a golden halo-shaped lamp that becomes gradually brighter and brighter until she begins to stir. The spaceship has nearly arrived at its destination so it's time for her to wake up. Clio is the only passenger and crew member. Everything else is automated. Whenever the spaceship arrives

Starting point is 00:07:09 at a new planet, Cleo likes to supervise the landing and ensure that everything goes smoothly. But there's no rush, as she knows that her spaceship is capable of doing everything itself. Clio takes her time in bed, rubbing her eyes, stretching her arms, and slowly adjusting. After all, she was asleep for such a long time, resting deeply while the spaceship traveled for light years. It knew exactly where to go, so there was nothing for her to do until she arrived at her destination. Cleo has almost no memory of the journey, as she spent most of it fast asleep.

Starting point is 00:08:08 But as she lies in her pod, relishing the warmth of the soft felt blanket, she recalls a few images. The memories are faint, like something from a dream. Perhaps she was only dreaming, but she thinks she remembers waking at one point and looking through the window. She was in the middle of a nebula, a cloud of cosmic dust with swirling shapes of gold and red and luminous stars. And although she knew she was travelling at incredible speeds, in that moment it felt like everything was completely still. She was suspended in a radiant cloud in the middle of space and nothing was moving. It felt like she herself was part of the cloud, a single floating speck like a bubble of air

Starting point is 00:09:17 in golden glass or an ancient piece of amber. And then she went back to sleep, or perhaps the dream ended. Now she's not so sure, but whatever it was, she's glad she has this glorious memory. After getting out of her pod, Cleo does some light stretches and makes a cup of milky coffee. Then she goes to the flight deck, which is just down the narrow hall. The spaceship is small and compact, and after so many journeys, Clio feels completely at home here. For her waking up and walking to the flight deck is like heading to the home office.

Starting point is 00:10:19 Through the window she can see her destination, a small pink planet that seems to shine in the darkness of space. As the spaceship approaches, the surface of the planet gradually becomes clearer. Cleo is excited to see formations that look like statues or trees, and in the distance, something that might be a body of water. She doesn't know exactly what to expect. No other astronaut has ever visited to her knowledge, or at least no one from Cleo's planet. She'll be the first person to set foot here on the planet with the provisional name beginning with x345 followed by a long series of numbers and letters. Cleo plans to learn its properties and map its geography. If she likes, she can even give it a new name.

Starting point is 00:11:36 This is Cleo's job. Although her official title is much more formal, she thinks of herself as a space scout. She does brief preliminary visits to some of the more hospitable planets, and while she rarely encounters other forms of sentient life, she always finds something of interest. During her travels, she's walked through the ruins of ancient civilizations and climbed mountain ranges made of gemstones. She's dived into silver, mirror-like pools, and wandered through jungles with trees taller than skyscrapers. and wandered through jungles with trees taller than skyscrapers. And now she's here on this mysterious new planet, which lies at the far edge of the violin galaxy.

Starting point is 00:12:39 Cleo smiles as she presses the buttons and pulls the levers to complete the landing process. She can't wait to explore. Once the spaceship has landed safely, Cleo changes into her suit and helmet. She travels with a range of different suits and equipment, but for this expedition, her lightweight gears should be sufficient. This planet has a warm, almost tropical climate. Although Cleo travels alone, she won't be exploring alone. Before she leaves the spaceship, she presses a switch on the wall.

Starting point is 00:13:29 The nearby alcove fills with blue light and a glowing sphere emerges. Rise and shine says Clio. Good morning, the blue light replies with a friendly male voice. This blue sphere is an advanced form of artificial intelligence. Just like the planet, it originally had an anonymous code like name, but Cleo likes to give everything a personal touch, so to her, the light is male, and his name is Puck. In the early days of their travels together, many years ago, Puck had a cheeky, slightly rebellious nature. He would follow Cleo's orders in unconventional ways, or even play the occasional practical joke.

Starting point is 00:14:32 With his mischievous personality and ethereal appearance, he reminded her of the fairy park. Mary Park. The original park was a character from a story on planet Earth, written tens of thousands of years ago. When she mentioned this, none of Cleo's colleagues back home understood the obscure literary reference. Still, Cleo can't help but smile fondly whenever she calls Puck by his name. She thinks of him as her very own fairy, the kind of companion she dreamed of when she was a child. These days, Puck is no longer quite mischievous. He's become calmer and more obedient as though he's settled down in old age. And he's an invaluable source of help. Whenever clear explores a new planet, Park is by her side offering information and guidance. Slowly and silently, the hexagonal spaceship doors

Starting point is 00:15:51 open. The movement reminds Cleo of a flower blooming, the petals peeling back. Then she walks through down the floating steps and onto solid ground. The first thing Cleo notices is the temperature. Her thin space suit allows her to feel the air and it's like stepping into a warm bath. It's humid, but not uncomfortably so. The earth is a dusty orange pink. It's a beautiful shade, things clear, like the colour of a peach. Somehow it seems both natural and surreal. The landscape resembles a sprawling desert. It's mostly flat, though straight ahead the land gradually slopes upwards.

Starting point is 00:17:01 There are no plants and no trees, although Cleo is keen to investigate the strange shapes she can see in the distance. From where she's standing, the planet seems to be just bare rock and empty space. Cleo loves the sparse beauty of these kinds of landscapes. She feels a sense of total freedom. And even though she's alone, she never feels lonely. The warm glow of Puck's blue light keeps her company. And even without him, she knows that she'd feel perfectly content. No matter how far she travels, or how vast the space, Cleo always has

Starting point is 00:17:59 the sense that she's connected with the rest of the universe. Distance doesn't mean separation. Even here, light years away from her home planet, it's as if she's tied by some invisible cosmic thread. Perhaps it would have felt different in the past, she thinks. But now, with advanced technology and artificial intelligence, she's happy to roam the universe as a solo traveler. And while she won't be going home for a while yet, she can contact her friends and family

Starting point is 00:18:43 whenever she wants. Later today, she'll go back to the spaceship and activate the phone orb for a conversation with her sister. When Cleo uses the orb, it's as though the other person is sitting right there in front of her. But for now, she's completely focused on her surroundings. Cleo is fascinated by everything she sees, from the fine powdery texture of the pink earth beneath her feet, to the strange sky. Cleo has seen similar skies on other planets, but this one is particularly striking. It seems to be both night and day at the same time.

Starting point is 00:19:38 The sky is mostly black, with a purple tinge where it meets the horizon. And it's filled not only with thousands of glittering stars, but also a vast orange sun hanging right there at the center. Although it feels like morning to Cleo, there's no way of knowing what time it is on this planet. Maybe there's no such thing as day or night, and if no one lives here, perhaps it doesn't matter. Clio turns to Puck, who's hovering near her shoulder, and asks for his impressions. He often notices things that escape her attention and he can analyze the landscape in more detail.

Starting point is 00:20:33 This planet is habitable, says Park. But there don't seem to be any sentient beings here. The only thing worth investigating, as far as he can tell, is that group of trees in the distance. So their trees, after all, think clear. From here they look more like abstract sculptures, or candelabra's dripping with wax. But P Park says their trees, and he's almost always right. As they cross the dusty plain, Cleo becomes aware of a faint, distant sound. It's so subtle that at first she thinks it must be her imagination. There's something musical about it, like thousands of tiny bells ringing at the same time. Cleo stands still for a moment and closes her eyes so she can focus on the sound.

Starting point is 00:21:42 Yes, it's just like tiny bells. How would she describe it? Like the bell on a kitten's collar, perhaps. Not just one, but hundreds or thousands of kittens wearing identical collars with small, jangling bells. The image is so vivid that for a second, Cleo half expects to see a tide of kittens surging towards her. But when she opens her eyes, there's nothing but the pink desert and the distant trees. Although Puck can't read Cleo's mind, he's become attuned to her over the years, and he tends to volunteer information at exactly the right moment. The sound is coming from the trees, he tells her. Once they're closer, he may be able to identify the exact source. Cleo picks up her pace, walking in the direction of the nearest tree.

Starting point is 00:23:00 Sure enough, the sound grows louder and louder. Something is ringing, vibrating, creating a mystical melody. She inspects the strange tree. Its bark looks like golden melted wax with swirling markings on the trunk like whirlpools of honey. The sound seems to emanate from inside, but when clear moves away, the ringing is just as loud. It must be a kind of auditory illusion. Or maybe each individual tree is producing a sound, and together they create a kind of symphony.

Starting point is 00:23:55 What is it, she asks Puck? He hovers by the nearest trunk, then floats towards the others, drifting from tree to tree, and pausing by each one. When he returns, he tells Cleo that the sounds are definitely coming from the trees, but he doesn't know what the exact source is. She can tell from his tone of voice that he's a little frustrated. Usually, Park can identify just about anything. He always has an answer, or at least an intelligent guess.

Starting point is 00:24:38 Perhaps, says Cleo thoughtfully, the sounds are made by invisible insects like a kind of secada. Perhaps, says Puck. Cleo tells him not to worry. They'll work it out eventually. And in the meantime, it's nice to have a little mystery. Park doesn't seem convinced, but he cheers up when Cleo asks him to take some photos and recordings. They can send the information to scientists back home and maybe get an answer. After a while, Cleio barely notices the sound.

Starting point is 00:25:28 The ringing seems to fade into a relaxing background hum, just like Sir Cardis, she thinks. And while these trees aren't exactly beautiful, Clio finds herself appreciating their peculiar forms. They look like they've been sculpted by an eccentric artisan. Instead of leaves, there are bulbous formations growing out of the crooked branches. The way the trees are scattered randomly across the land, spread far apart from each other, makes Cleo think of Cacti. It's like a surrealist desert, where the Cacti have been replaced with melting musical coatstands. coat stands. There's such endless variety in the universe, Cleo thinks, gazing around in wonder. Everywhere she goes, she sees something that astonishes her, something even

Starting point is 00:26:39 stranger than her dreams. With infinite space, maybe everything that can be imagined exists somewhere in the universe. Everything imagined, everything dreamed, and more besides. Park covers impatiently in front of her, his light blinking. Even without words, they understand each other. It's time to walk on and see what other mysteries lie beyond the pink horizon. When they leave the trees behind, the ringing fades. The planet is silent now, apart from the muffled echo of Cleo's footsteps. She walks slowly, as the force of gravity means that moving requires a little more effort. But Cleo doesn't mind being forced to slow down.

Starting point is 00:27:49 She's in no rush after all. Moving at a leisurely pace, she feels completely present and aware of just how unique this place is. It's a privilege to be here. The ground slowly rises, turning into a gentle slope and then a hill. When Cleo eventually reaches the top, she's feeling tired and a little out of breath. There are times when she envies Puck, who floats effortlessly onwards. But the climb was worthwhile.

Starting point is 00:28:35 The view from up here is absolutely breathtaking. The pink desert stretches endlessly in front of her, appearing as infinite as the universe itself. And at the bottom of the hill is a vast green lake, its surface resembling vained marble. It can't be water thinks Clio staring in amazement. Curious to get a better look and hoping that Park can shed some light on the mystery, she heads down the hill towards the lake. Park flies ahead of her.

Starting point is 00:29:22 By the time Clio reaches the lake, he's already hovering a few feet above the surface, examining the green liquid. Cleo has never seen anything like it. The surface is completely motionless. Just as the trees looked sculpted, this lake also seems artificial. And yet, it's not. Clio's idea of what's natural, or unnatural, changes with every planet she visits. Parking forms her that the liquid in this lake is perfectly safe.

Starting point is 00:30:08 Although it looks unusual, it's essentially a kind of water, only thicker. Swimming in it would probably be like wallowing in a warm mud bath. All the same, Clio isn't tempted by the idea of a swim. She asks Park if he's identified any living creatures in the lake. No, he replies confidently, happy to be certain of something. It seems that the planet is uninhabited, at least for now. One day, maybe there will be forms of life here. Cleo tries to imagine what the future inhabitants might look like. She pictures prehistoric fish in the lake, and small reptiles scuttling through the desert, their scales

Starting point is 00:31:08 the same peachy color as the sand. But really she has no idea. Cleof feels as though the boundaries of her imagination have expanded a little further, and yet at a certain point she reaches the limit. It's the sensation she has whenever she visits a planet for the first time. There's always something beyond, something that she can't quite reach. reach. For a moment she feels almost overwhelmed, her head filled with infinite possibilities. She could use a break, she decides, especially after the long slow-motion walk through the thick air. Not far from the lake is a large flat rock. It's a shade of orange pink, blending in perfectly with the desert sand. And while it's unlikely to make a comfortable bed, it will do for a short rest. Cleo stretches out on the surface of the rock and takes a deep breath of fresh air through

Starting point is 00:32:34 her helmet. As she lies still, her heavy limbs become loose and relaxed. The rock has been warmed by the sun and this pleasant heat spreads through Cleo's body. She closes her eyes and soon drifts into a light, dreamless sleep. She's awoken a little while later by Pugs voice. Rise and shine, he says. Cleo sighs sleepily. The warm rock has turned out to be more comfortable than she expected, and she feels so relaxed lying here. She could happily continue her nap for at least a little longer. But Park insists. Sit up, he tells her. Look at the sky. Cleo Grogly lifts herself up and turns to look.

Starting point is 00:33:50 It's as though the whole universe is alive with light. The entire sky is filled with the most incredible sunset. Reddable sunset, a spectacular display of every shade of red, orange, pink and purple, merging beautifully into each other. Everything seems bigger, brighter, larger than life. Cleo watches spellbound as the golden sun sinks into the horizon. But the show is only just beginning. The sky turns darker, the stars reappear, and then the sun returns. Cleo can't tell whether it's the same sun as before or a different one. She can hardly believe her eyes.

Starting point is 00:34:59 But before she can find the words to express her astonishment or to ask Park a question, it's happening again, a second sunset. And then another, and another, each one more brilliant than the last. It's like watching a never-ending fireworks display. Radiant sun rays shoot across the sky, creating a shimmering canvas of colour. Cleo is hypnotised, unable to tear her gaze from the sky. She doesn't want to miss a single second. As she watches the beginning of yet another sunset, she finally asks Park the first simple question that comes to mind. Is it real?

Starting point is 00:36:06 I see it too, he says. Cleo isn't sure exactly what that means. She'll never know how puck sees or senses things. It might be a completely different experience for him. Yet in this moment together, transfixed by the endless sunsets, she believes he understands too. It's another beautiful shared experience to be treasured for the rest of her life and the rest of his existence. The sun sets continue on and on and Cleo tries to think of a word. This planet needs a name and she wants it to be perfect. She searches her memory, going through all the languages she knows, waiting

Starting point is 00:37:10 for the right name to magically present itself. When it does, it comes from Puck. Fulcoria, he suggests. The name is based on a word in one of the universe's most ancient languages. It means splendor or dazzling brightness. Clear knots. It's the perfect name for this planet. When they get back to the spaceship, she'll send the suggestion to her team back home, along with her notes and recordings. At last, the final sunset ends, dissolving into the darkness.

Starting point is 00:38:09 Cleo's size happily and gets down from the rock. She's ready to go back. The sky is black and empty now, except for the stars. Their soft silver light provides just enough visibility, while Park's glow helps to illuminate the way. Soon they'll be back in the spaceship, Clio tucked up in her pod, and parked resting in his nook in the wall. It's been a long day on Fulgoria, or perhaps multiple days. Clio smiles at the thought.

Starting point is 00:39:07 Regardless of how much time has passed, she's happy to have spent it here on the planet of endless sunsets. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you ... ... you ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you you ... ... ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Sunsets on a Faraway Planet

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