Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Library Bats of Coimbra (October Bonus #4)

Starting point is 00:00:00 If you've benefited from Get Sleepy, then the single best way you can support our work is with a premium membership, and right now is the very best time to try out premium, because during the month of October, you can enjoy a 90-day free trial on any premium membership in our network. You'll get ad-free listening across the entire catalogue, access to all exclusive bonus episodes, and much more, totally free for 90 days. So if you've been thinking of trying a premium membership or wondering how you can support our work, now is the perfect time. Give it a go for a few months before you commit and see if the premium experience helps you sleep even better. You can cancel any time. Don't wait though because the 90-day free trial is only available during the month of October. So take advantage of this incredible deal now by going to slumber studios.com slash premium. That's slumber studios.com slash premium. Or if you're on Apple Podcasts, you can sign up directly in the app.

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Starting point is 00:02:55 credit. So the best tapas in town might be in a new town altogether. That's the powerful backing of Amex. Terms and conditions apply. Learn more at amex.ca.com slash Y-Amex. Good evening and welcome to get sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. I'm Thomas, your host, and I really appreciate you being here. Thanks for joining us for the fourth of five bonus episodes we're releasing each Friday

Starting point is 00:03:44 throughout October, the last of which will be coming out to this time next week on Halloween. That's because during the month of October, we're offering a 90-day free trial to any new subscribers of Get Sleepy Premium or the entire Slumber Studios podcast bundle, and we wanted to mark this really special offer by bringing you even more great content to enjoy. With the 90-day free trial, you can listen to all our episodes completely add-free, access our premium exclusive third. Thursday episodes and enjoy our entire back catalogue of stories and meditations, dating all the way back to November 2019. It really is the very best time to become a premium member. So to enjoy your 90-day free trial, visit slumberstudios.com slash premium, and I'll put

Starting point is 00:04:45 a link in the show notes too. Our story tonight was written by Alicia Stefan, and I have the pleasure of reading it for you. Get cozy in your bed as we whisk you away to the famous Biblioteca Joannina, or Joonine Library, at the University of Coimbra. Once we're within its ancient walls, you'll meet one of its many tiny resident bats, who lives side by side with precious tomes, and keep them safe from gobbling insects. Never fear, just like you, the bats are welcome in the oldest library in Portugal. It may be hard to believe, but the librarians have been graciously accommodating them for

Starting point is 00:05:48 more than 200 years. And if you feel nervous about the idea of meeting the bats in our story, you can rest easy. Our friendly protagonist and his family are nearly undetectable by day and hard at work minding their own business by night. You will merely be along as a welcome observer. Before we embark upon this fascinating journey, tuck yourself up in bed where you feel cozy and warm. Wiggle your fingers and toes, allowing them to relax. loosen your jaw and let go of any tension you've been holding there. Then breathe in through your nose.

Starting point is 00:07:04 Hold at the top for a few seconds and exhale very slowly. Repeat this cycle, allowing yourself to settle more and more each time. Now we will have to be very quiet to observe these bats, so let go of busy thoughts and daytime worries. As you'll see, night time in the library is a whole different place from the one humans inhabit by day. It is time to let go of the world of people and step over to follow the friendly helpers of the dark. This is where our story begins. sunlit day, Pip and his family slept in their secret places. They had lived in the grand

Starting point is 00:08:51 halls of the library his entire life. According to his family members, so had his forebears. His parents, their parents, and their parents before them, had always This dwelt in the peaceful spaces of the Joinine Library, quietly resting in its nooks and crannies by day, and roaming its aisles unfettered by the light of the moon. Unlike bats in wild places, they did have to compromise with the humans a little. When the sun rose, the people came and opened the old wooden doors. They began trickling through the library and removing the protective cloths that had covered the furniture at night. When everything was clean and ready, they opened the doors to the legions of guests once again.

Starting point is 00:10:10 People came all day long in groups, inching their way along the red carpet that run down the middle of the library. They stayed contained there, penned in by the ropes along the walkway. But they craned their necks, greedily devouring the room with their eyes. Each person gazed in awe at the soaring ceilings, the beautiful paintings, and the countless wonderful books. They were amazed by these rows and rows of books, some of which had rested there for hundreds of years. Most of the time, Pip was peacefully sleeping while the people visited. But occasionally he would wake and watch them, cycling in and out in small groups.

Starting point is 00:11:32 Sometimes there would be one person talking loudly to the others. This lead person would drone on about human things. If Pip could have understood, he would have learned all about the construction of the library in the early 18th century. The talking person would direct the visitors to the portrait of King John V of Portugal, a lover of Enlightenment, who had given input on the design of the library. They would elicit head nods and murmurs while pointing out the significance of building a library where only a small medieval prison had once stood. If he'd been able to understand the guides, Pip would have

Starting point is 00:12:39 swelled with pride when they described the colony of soprano pipistral bats who lived in the library. He would have enjoyed the amazement of the visitors, as they learned about how he and his family were considered important pest control, keeping the precious books safe from harm. But Pip knew nothing of these things. He had his own view of the world inside the Joannine Library. Pip knew all of the books by their smells and their places on the shelves. The scent of the old tomes was home to him. They meant safety and comfort.

Starting point is 00:13:47 Each night, when the humans had closed to the old wooden doors, and the moon first came through the windows, he and his family would emerge sleepily from their hiding spots and begin their nightly work. Swooping and soaring through the library, they snapped up tiny insects that would seek to take up residence in their stacks, eating their precious walls of words and paper. Although they were very small, Pip and his family took. this work seriously and could eat as many as 3,000 tiny insects in one evening. Bats were the only wild creatures who were welcome in this place. The humans and the bats didn't see each other during the human's daytime visits, but

Starting point is 00:15:05 But sometimes, when the library hunkered under grey and rainy skies, or right when dusk crept in the tall windows, he and his family would sing happy little waking sounds to each other. On those occasions, the children and only some of the adults in the room seemed to notice. They would nudge each other with excitement and strain to catch more. For those with excellent hearing, it was a rare opportunity to be assured that Pip and his family were really hiding there behind the books, just as the tour guide had promised them. And when that bat song became audible, they knew that the animal helpers of the Jeannine Library were preparing for their nocturnal activities.

Starting point is 00:16:23 When night fell, the librarians and caretakers would close the heavy teak wood doors of the library and go home. Finally, the bats would venture out from behind their oak shelves. Those first hours after sunset were a busy time. Even though Pip was a mere 40 millimetres in length from head to tail, he would confidently spread his wings to their maximum span of five times that amount. The best hunting was no more than a few meters from the ground. In a short time, despite his petite size, Pip could eat thousands of destructive little bugs.

Starting point is 00:17:30 When he wasn't gracefully sweeping up insects, he sometimes soared high into the graceful arches of this, the top floor of the library, where the lofty ceilings were heavily decorated. with priceless paintings. Pip didn't know what these images meant. He didn't care that they represented the ideals and principles of the people who had created his library home. In contrast to the humans who visited its confines each day, He wasn't impressed by the aged black, red and gold-painted shelves, the elegant tables or the fancy red carpet. He did not secretly yearn to climb the ladders to the forbidden mezzanine above the main floor,

Starting point is 00:18:41 or gently plunk the keys of the impressive grand piano. He didn't marvel at the graceful white and gold columns that appeared to hold up the artificial sky under which he floated. And he did not gawk at the decorative patterns on the age-old floors. Pip had no idea that the books behind which he roosted at night were hundreds of years old. His lifespan, which seemed grand to him, would likely be no more than a decade. A mere ten years at most, out of the centuries during which his family had been caretakers,

Starting point is 00:19:40 caretakers of this place. And it was probably best for his pride that he didn't know that the books were also periodically sanitised in a nitrogen chamber as further protection against pests. Pip didn't know what nitrogen was, but he felt that bat security was the best possible maintenance for the library. He would not have seen the need for more. He didn't even know that modern devices were constantly monitoring the temperature and humidity inside his home, making it easier for the humans to preserve the treasures inside. Why shouldn't two-meter-thick walls and grand old wooden doors be sufficient? They had been for his

Starting point is 00:20:53 ancestors. Pip felt strongly that he was enough, because this was the only job he had ever known. Besides his family, there were a few other bat occupants who shared their space. These bats seemed very large to Pip, measuring more than twice his size. They were also notoriously solitary and grumpy. He always knew when they were about to come out of their hiding places, because they'd make a rattley noise first. But this other species of bat lived harmoniously with his family and didn't cause him any bother.

Starting point is 00:21:58 In fact, they didn't even like to eat the same tiny insects as the soprano pipistram. preferring larger moths and beetles. So the help that the larger bats gave in keeping the library clean was welcomed by all. They just weren't very jolly company. He was aware that there were other rooms beneath the floor where he was aware that there were other rooms beneath the floor where he hunted. Legend has it that one of his predecessors had flown down there through an open door long ago.

Starting point is 00:22:48 But this enterprising bat had not liked the lower ceilings, they say, or the lack of roosting spots. He hadn't wished to linger in these inferior, spaces where the glory of his library home was much diminished. The floors downstairs were not worth the wander, the other bats said. Do not seek the portals to go below. Stay upstairs where it is beautiful and safe, his family always said. There were also portals that led upwards to the balcony level, but only the humans needed them.

Starting point is 00:23:45 The librarians used doors hidden in fake marble arches in order to climb to the mezzanine levels, where only they were permitted to go. Likewise, the ladders on the balcony level tucked neatly into the bookcases, retrieved as they were needed only by those who were authorized. Pip required neither ladder nor door. He spread his wings and soared as high as he liked, embracing all the sky the library contained. No place in that room was off-limits to him. Almost everything Pip needed was inside the main floor of the Jeannine Library. Only one thing was lacking, and that was water.

Starting point is 00:25:05 Each night, when his tummy was full, Pip would follow his family members through gaps in the heavy wooden doors or out of the open windows. Shortly before he was born, those grand doors had been replaced, but the gaps had been preserved just for the bats. With this unfettered access, each night his family surged out into the night sky to fly above the ancient city of Coimbra. Free from the completed task of hunting, they would twist and saw more freely, hurtling their tiny bodies through the town. With new freedom, they made their merry way towards the Mondago River, weighing roughly the same as a one euro coin, Pip and his family could travel as fast as 30 or 40 kilometers per hour when they weren't feeding on insects.

Starting point is 00:26:33 With their dinner behind them, they were on a mission to get water. As the tiny brown creatures hurtled through the city, they flew above terraced streets, containing rows of tall, colorful buildings. In contrast, the many white houses glowed faintly in the moonlight, nestling under their reddish-brown tile roofs. The Little Bats surely thought nothing of the exquisitely preserved medieval midtown, the 17th century bell tower, or the 12th century cathedral, that was built in the durable, Romanesque style of thick walls and round arches. They sometimes performed dazzling acrobatics around

Starting point is 00:27:43 crosses and statues, placed all over the city by those mysterious humans of the past. Pip and his family had no awareness that this great city was once the capital of Portugal, or that no fewer than six medieval kings had been born there, They also couldn't know of the role their library home played in the history of its great university. But they did have a sense of place and of permanence. To them the storied night-time streets of Coimbra were home, as it had been for their many ancestors, dwelling in their Baroque vault of books and manuscripts. While more than 140,000 human residents settled down to sleep, the bats soared past the

Starting point is 00:29:03 narrow, winding streets and the closed shops. And as a backdrop to this maze of streets, businesses, and homes, there was always the shining Mondago River in the distance, with the midnight blue sky up above. Behind that lay the silhouette of the Ceradalusia mountain range, as if painted on the horizon, its dark hills cloaked in low-lying fog. There was an old story that a magical forest had once existed beyond the city. According to the tale, there were many wondrous creatures living there, and it was rife with buried treasures.

Starting point is 00:30:07 Supposedly, a number of adventurers went into the forest, hoping to discover its secrets. But none ever returned. Pip and his family did not know this story. The river was as far as they would wander. but it was a majestic waterway, and it was enough for them. Their entire wild existed between its silver ripples and the library where they roosted by day. Nearing this nightly destination, Pip and his family zoomed effortlessly among the tall. old trees that lined the river walk.

Starting point is 00:31:14 Occasionally, they would pass a pair of lovers walking hand in hand, or a lone person pondering the stars. Pip loved to feel the rush of air across his little face, just ever so slightly pink, against his dark brown fur. To be under this canopy of stars, after so many hours, tucked inside a hiding place in the library, was exhilarating. His life was a comfortable balance of safety and adventure. His days balanced with his nights. All was as it should be. After quenching their thirst at the river, the bats would circle and fly homeward again. They retraced their path through the drowsy city. Down below, humans still gathered in cafes and restaurants, chatting in pockets of the town.

Starting point is 00:32:44 Often, drifting upward through the darkness all the way to the bats, came the plaintive sound of the local Fadu music, as men sang yearning words to the sound of melancholy strings. Almost certainly, many of these evening merrymakers were students. Coimbra was home to one of Europe's oldest and greatest universities. There was even a legend about a prince who so desired to study that he disguised himself as a student. Before he was discovered and returned to his royal position,

Starting point is 00:33:43 he fell in love with a local girl in Coimbra. According to the story, he treasured her always and would often secretly return to see her again. But while the bats listened to the singing of the humans, the people on the ground didn't have hearing strong enough to detect the bats. This was due to the high frequencies of the sounds that Pip and his family used to orient themselves in the dark. Using echo location at about 55 kilahats, their tiny noises wouldn't have been within the range of sound that even a child could notice. And so they sailed through

Starting point is 00:34:49 the darkness, sure of their path, but without attracting the notice of any revelers or stargazers on the cobblestone streets of Coimbra. But tiny bats need a lot of sleep. Pip and his family were not meant to roam the shores of the river all night. nor did they feel the need to hunt insects until the dawn. Slipping one by one through the gaps in the heavy wooden door, they happily returned to the library each evening, refreshed by their journey to the water. they had reclaimed the space, they explored it anew.

Starting point is 00:35:55 They refamiliarized themselves with the interior shape of its ceiling. They flew near the portrait of King John V on the wall, with its jaw-dropping frame, rich with gold flourishes. They swooped past decorative pillars, easily climbing to the top level of bookcases, out of the reach of any person without a ladder. They luxuriated in their space, just big enough to accommodate them, but small enough to feel cozy, safe, and known. And then, one by one, the little bats, and even the solitary, big grouchy bats, found their way to their favourite roosting places.

Starting point is 00:37:08 If there had been a human observer, they would have seen the pairs of wings dwindle gradually, as one very tired bat followed another, seeking that clandestine space amid the cozy-smelling tomes. Once there, they settled themselves in, folding up their wings, Then, as bats must do, they relaxed only after turning themselves upside down and attaching their little feet to their usual roost. After exchanging sweet bedtime farewells, Pip, his siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, drifted off to Dreamland. When the sun rose and the human caretakers arrived to remove the cloths from the tables,

Starting point is 00:38:28 Pip and his family would be fast asleep. When the visitors arrived and stared at the books, from the safety of the red carpet, Pip and his family would dream on. And as the world of humans discussed history and kings, books and thick walls, Pip and his family would still be slumbering sweetly, dreaming of the shiny Mondago River and the plaintive strains of the singers. And so, life would go on inside the ancient Shawnee Library, until night fell once again. You know, ...hehran...

Starting point is 00:40:12 ...where... ...you're... ...the... ...their... ...that... ...you... ...the... ...you...

Starting point is 00:40:40 I'm going to be able to be. So, you know, We're going to be able to be. We're going to be able to be. We're going to be able to be. So, you know,

Starting point is 00:42:16 You know, you know, You know, I'm going to be the We're going to be able to be. We're going to be. We're going to be. You're going to be.

Starting point is 00:42:56 Thank you. Thank you.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Library Bats of Coimbra (October Bonus #4)

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