← Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories
A New York City Nutcracker Dream: Part 1
01:01:05
Narrated by Thomas. While spending the night at her uncle’s apartment, Marie goes on a magical winter adventure with a toy soldier come to life. They take a carriage to the Central Park Zoo, where the animals put on a delightful show.
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- [00:01]
Thomas
Tonight's episode is sponsored by the wonderful folks at BetterHelp. I find it's always bittersweet saying goodbye to the long days of summer and the vibrant colours of autumn. But I do love embracing the coziness of the winter months. It feels like a time made for self care and home comforts. Therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that never goes away. One thing I particularly love about therapy is that it can help us identify if we're becoming overrun and burned out and needing to give ourselves more time for rest and relaxation for our mental and physical health. So if you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be convenient, flexible and suited to your schedule. Find comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com getsleepy to get 10% off your first month. That's BetterHelp. Help.com getsleepy welcome to get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas. Thank you so much for joining me tonight. I'll be reading to you this evening and our story was written by Alicia Stephan. One of the most iconic stories of the festive period celebrated in writing, music and dance is the Nutcracker, which was Originally written by E.T.A. hoffman, especially in the ballet. The details of the story have been reimagined and adapted many times. Different artists have interpreted the story with their own special flourishes. Tonight we'll begin our own two part adaptation, a sleepy adventure through a festive night in New York City. In our version, a girl named Marie will make this treasured holiday tale her own. Part two is coming up on Wednesday, so if you don't manage to hear the full story tonight, which of course is the whole idea of the show, you can always pick back up wherever you left off tomorrow evening. So you're all set for Wednesday's instalment, but I'll do a quick catch up at the start of that episode anyway, so don't worry one bit if you miss anything. Before we begin, make sure you're warm and comfortable in your bed, easing into the moment with a few deep breaths. I hope you're feeling peaceful in both body and mind, but I do understand if you're not quite there yet, rest assured you're in the right place to find peace and comfort. There may be one or two or perhaps several thoughts racing about in your mind, which isn't ideal when trying to settle down, but it is very common. So as our story tonight has a wintry festive theme I thought I'd return to A Wind Down, I wrote around this time last year, which should be quite complementary to the theme of our story. I'd first like you to visualize yourself standing outside somewhere peaceful and away from any busy roads or built up areas. You're all wrapped up in your warmest winter wear, enjoying the crispness of the cold air that you breathe in and out. And as you stand here, a gentle snowfall begins to drift down from the cloudy sky above. The snow is light and charming, igniting a pang of excitement inside your heart. It softly floats down and lands on the ground around you and on your own clothing and face. Imagine now that your hands are in a pair of warm black gloves and simply hold a hand out in front of you with your palm facing up to the sky. Watching it with a smile, you see the occasional snowflake drift down and land on your glove. Just gaze at each one for a brief moment, marveling at its beauty and its unique pattern. After a few seconds, watch as it succumbs to the warmth of your glove and gently melts, becoming an invisible liquid that disappears. I want you to imagine that these snowflakes represent each lingering thought or concern in your mind. Every time a thought drifts into view, watch it for a moment, appreciate its presence without judgment. But after a few seconds, that thought in snowflake form can melt and disappear, absorbed by a feeling of warmth and comfort that you're harnessing within. One by one, watch the snowflakes land on your glove. Each time they softly melt and disappear, leaving your mind quieter, free to enjoy the wonderful story I'm about to tell. Whenever you're ready, you can begin to imagine the streets of New York City lit up with a thousand twinkling lights. The weather is brisk and music is in the air. This is where our story begins. It was Marie's favorite week of the year. Christmas was just a few days away, and New York City felt like the most festive place in the world. Her family lived in the suburbs outside the city, but tonight they'd made a special trip into town on the train. Her uncle, who lived in a stately brownstone on the Upper east side, had invited them all to a holiday party. Even better, since the revelries would be going on quite late, they were all invited to stay for the night. Marie and her brother Fritz had been looking forward to this event for many months. Their train had pulled into Grand Central Terminal just a little while ago, and what a sight it was to behold. It wasn't her first time walking through this storied landmark of New York City. But she found herself awestruck on each and every visit. The soaring ceiling featuring the constellations, the grand staircases, the countless people swiftly traversing the terminal on their own paths and with their own exciting plans. It never failed to impress her. Now, in December, it was even more lovely than before. Decked out for the holidays, Grand Central was putting on its most beautiful airs. Enormous wreaths hung in the arched windows high up in the air. Every shop in the concourse was filled with gifts, snowy decorative displays and twinkling lights. And as Marie and her family exited onto 42nd street, she turned and got a glimpse of the gorgeous facade of the building similarly decked out. The Pershing Square bridge itself had been illuminated in red and green lights for the season. It was a cold, clear night so far, and Marie swore she could feel happy electricity in the air. People rushed by in the business like way that New Yorkers always do, but there were telltale signs of upcoming fun. Brightly wrapped packages peeked out of shopping bags that seemed stuffed to the brim. Ladies who were wrapped up in woolly coats had fancy shoes and sparkly dresses that peeked out at the bottom. Marie smiled to herself as a man passed by dressed up as Santa Claus. He was carrying a cardboard cup of coffee and talking on a mobile phone. It wasn't really business as usual in the city, and that was wonderful. Marie could have stood and people watched forever, but they had somewhere special to be. Her father hailed a passing cab, although they didn't mind a bit of a walk. They were all dressed in their nice party clothes. It seemed like a good excuse to splurge on a taxi. Squeezed in the back with Fritz and her mother, Marie was still able to enjoy the holiday sights as they crawled northward in the direction of uptown. Even the residential blocks were glittering with lights and decorations. And there was so much going on at the street level where the shops and businesses were located. Food carts were doing brisk business in the holiday rush, and the restaurants seemed to compete for the honour of having the most charming entryway decorations. Signs placed outside their front doors advertised prixquest dinners and that reservations were being taken for New Year's Eve. Marie turned and watched a woman who was walking a little dog. The dog was wearing a tiny set of stuffed antlers on its head. All too soon the cab had pulled up in front of her uncle's house. Her mother had commented in hushed tones that not many people owned an entire brownstone anymore. Many of them had been converted into apartments, but Uncle Dan had done very well for himself as a high profile theatre set designer. In the process, he had somehow been able to acquire this building many years ago and renovated it to his liking. Marie and Fritz always loved visiting because the house itself was such an adventure. Arriving on Uncle Dan's doorstep was always a thrilling moment. They weren't even all the way up the stairs when their host had thrown open the door to welcome them. A bright light shone from the interior hallway behind him. Laughing, he stood in the doorway, stretching out his arms as if to embrace them all. He urged them to come inside straight away and get out of the cold. And he promised delicious treats. Grinning ear to ear. Marie and Fritz took the top steps two at a time and gave him a hug as they scooted inside. She and her brother knew their way around their uncle's house. They quickly took off their heavy coats, hanging them in the hall closet, and stuffed their gloves and hats in the pockets. They didn't wait for their parents, who were still standing in the hallway talking to Uncle Dan. Instead, they went straight into the living room where they knew that they would find something good to eat. Sure enough, a couple of their uncle's friends were enjoying a lavish spread, seated on his various velvet chairs and his overstuffed couch. Appetizers were beautifully arranged on trays with wheels of cheese, fancy crackers and cold cuts. Tiny little sandwiches were elegantly stacked on plates. There was a punch bowl with something delightfully red and fizzy in it. Champagne glasses waited for a moment when a celebratory cocktail would be poured for the adults. Uncle Dan leaned over Marie's shoulder and told her to take anything she wanted, adding that there were lots of tasty sodas in the kitchen. She and Fritz didn't hesitate to take him up on the offer. They politely greeted the other guests and then took plates, piling them high with snacks to take with them while they enjoyed the run of the house. Then they raided the fridge in the kitchen, each choosing their favourite drink from a tall glass bottle. Because they were often the only kids at the party, the two siblings always entertained themselves on the upper floors of the house. In fact, while the second floor had three bedrooms and a very elegant bathroom, it was the top floor they loved to visit. This was the open space that Uncle Dan called his workshop. Although he puttered about in there sometimes, it was really just a grand storage space for odds and ends that were left over from his countless theatre productions. Costumes, period appropriate furniture from all different eras, and a crazy collection of props filled the open space of the entire third floor. Once inside, Marie and Fritz always passed the time happily immersing themselves in a fantasy world where they could don any number of elaborate personalities. Marie might find herself putting on a sparkly gown and a fur cape, or she could end up wearing the front end of a horse. Meanwhile, Fritz could be lounging nearby on an old fashioned chaise, wearing a monocle. There was no end to the hilarity, and the time in Uncle Dan's studio always went by far too quickly. On this particular festive evening, Marie found a lovely set of fancy dishes and some heavy glass goblets. She set a table just for herself and Fritz, where they sat down with their plunder from the appetizer table and dramatically toasted the event with their sodas. As they were enjoying their snacks, Fritz spied something new in the corner. It was an old fashioned soldier's uniform. He jumped up from his place at the table and went to examine the costume, exclaiming that it had a sword with it. Intrigued, Marie came to look. Fritz put on the overly large coat from the uniform and placed the tall feathered hat on his head. While he was doing this, Marie was rummaging around in the shadows. She called out with amusement that she had found another good costume. As her brother turned to look, she jumped out at him wearing an enormous mouse head. He pretended to be surprised and they both laughed uproariously. In a mock display of belligerence, he lifted the sword with ease and poked it in her direction, commenting that it wasn't that heavy at all. He handed it to her and she easily tested its weight. He was right. The ornate prop was an excellent fake, but it was as light as a toy. Further amusement ensued as Marie pretended to commandeer the sword. Fritz faked outrage and then laughed once again with all there was to get into. Up in Uncle Dan's workshop, the soldier's uniform and its sword were eventually laid to the side. Marie took the mouse head off and put it down by the sword, saying it was too hot to wear any longer, and eventually both costumes were forgotten. The siblings knew it was quite late when their mother came to tell them that it was time to get ready for bed. Reluctantly, they cleared their empty plates and descended to the first floor to return them to the kitchen and to say goodnight to Uncle Dan. There were still a few guests lounging about, and the children knew from past experience that the adults would still be up for some time. Nonetheless, Marie and Fritz went upstairs to the second floor. With the murmur of the party continuing below, they got into their pyjamas and brushed their teeth in the grand old bathroom with the black and white tiled floor. Then they slipped into the twin beds in the guest room that they always slept in after parties at Uncle Dan's house. For a while, the two siblings whispered excitedly to each other in the semi darkness. There was a tall window between them and the moonlight streamed into the room, forming a rectangle on the floor. Nestled in their beds in the shadows on either side, they recounted their favourite treasures from the evening upstairs, as well as what gifts they were hoping to get for Christmas. Then, without either of them noticing, a long pause turned into a lengthier silence. Both Marie and Fritz had dozed off. She didn't have any sense of time passing, but Marie woke later to a silent house. While she had slumbered, the party had ended and the last guests had gone home. Thinking she'd like a drink of water, Marie pulled off her covers and swung her feet to the floor, observing as her toes lit up in the rectangle of moonlight on the hardwood padding. Silently to the closed door, she slowly turned the knob and peeked into the hallway. It was dark and silent except for the quiet ticking of the wall clock that hung between the two guest bedrooms. Walking carefully along the carpet runner that ran the length of the hallway, she stopped in front of the clock. It was very old, she could tell. Its most unusual feature was a carving of an owl that sat on the very top of it. She had been fascinated by that owl since she was little. It sat silently and seemed to regard her even as she gazed upon it in the darkened hall. Turning away, Marie went into the bathroom and got a small drink using one of the little paper cups that were stacked by the sink. Just as she was about to return to her room, however, she was stopped in her tracks by a sound from downstairs. The doorbell was ringing. Marie looked around at the other bedroom doors in surprise. Did nobody else hear this? She wondered. Although the ringing continued insistently, nobody else in the house stirred. It was enormously strange. She felt compelled to see who was there. So she wandered down the staircase to the downstairs hallway. Stretching on her tiptoes, she looked out of the peephole. There, standing on the lighted front steps, was a very gentle looking fellow in a soldier's uniform, in fact, and at this point Marie had to do a double take. It appeared identical to the uniform that she and Fritz had found upstairs, right down to the elegant feathered hat. As strange as this seemed, when the gentleman reached for the doorbell again, she pulled the door open to prevent him from waking the entire house. The chilly December air rushed in swirling around her flannel pyjamas. Putting her hands on her hips, she asked the man why he was ringing the bell at this very late hour. In return, the soldier on the doorstep smartly clicked his heels together and doffed his hat, bowing in her direction. I am Hans, he said. I'm sorry to bother you, but I seem to have left my sword here. Marie stared at the young man, trying to make sense of what he was saying. She was sure she hadn't seen anyone like him at the party. Then, tilting her head to the side, she responded, there is a sword here, but it's in Uncle Dan's workshop. Wait here and I'll bring it to you, she told him. The man nodded politely and stepped back. Clearly he was prepared to wait. Marie closed the door quietly, her thoughts racing. She supposed she could show him the sword. If it wasn't his, he would go away. She scurried up the stairs, taking two at a time. As she passed the second floor, the clock on the wall chimed the hour. It was 1am Shaking her head at the oddness of it all, she pushed open the door to the studio. There, just where they had left it, next to the mouse costume, was the sword. Although she could have sworn it was gleaming in a way it hadn't before, it was almost like it was calling out to her. Crossing the room, she picked it up and then uttered a gasp of surprise. It was so much heavier than it had been a few hours earlier. None of this made sense, but she knew that Hans was waiting outside, so she didn't stop to puzzle over it. Instead, she headed back towards the first floor, carefully lugging the heavy sword with both hands. It took a while to to get the sword down to the front door. Marie wondered for a split second if the strange visitor would still be out there. Pulling the door open, she saw that he was on the steps right where she had left him. She dragged the sword over the threshold and rested it on the step. Is it this one? She asked, feeling rather out of breath. The man's eyes lit up and he grinned widely. His smile was charming, and Marie was quite distracted for a moment. Yes, he said happily. That's the very one. Taking the sword from her as if it weighed practically nothing, he slipped it into a belt at his waist. There now, he said. I'm ready to take you out to the town. Marie watched in surprise as he swept a low bow and extended his hand towards the street. As she turned her gaze to the curb, she saw an elegant horse and carriage roll to a Stop at the bottom of her uncle's steps. The carriage itself was a shining white with a rich red upholstery inside. The top was down. The beautiful horse at the front was also white, looking every inch like something out of a fairy tale. As she watched, a driver in a black coat and a top hat stepped down from the driver's seat and graciously opened a little door at the side. He tipped his hat to her and said, you're right, young lady. Although the night was cold, Marie didn't hesitate to walk down the front stairs of the townhouse in her pyjamas. The pavement was cool under her feet, but strangely, she wasn't too chilly. Stepping into the fancy carriage, she nestled into the plush upholstery. As she did so, the driver draped a warm, fuzzy blanket over her lap and handed her a pair of soft slippers to keep her toes warm. Seeing that she was settled, her genteel escort, Hans, took a seat near the door of the carriage and the driver clicked it shut. Turning to smile at Marie, the dashing soldier said, well, then, we're off. With a little whistle from the driver, the stately horse was in motion. The carriage lurched ever so gently and began to pull forward. Marie noted with interest that no other cars whatsoever were driving on the streets. Even though she and Hans were riding through the streets of Manhattan, they seemed to be the only people who were out and about. The lights of the city were just for them, Marie and her gracious escort. Although she could have ridden in luxury like this for hours, the carriage ride turned out to be a short trip. The horse turned onto stately Fifth Avenue in a matter of minutes, and she saw that they were at the border between the Upper east side and Central Park. In fact, as the carriage slowed to a halt near 65th street, she immediately recognized where they were. Hans stepped neatly out of the carriage and offered her his hand, delivering her onto the sidewalk in front of the familiar entrance to the Central Park Zoo. Marie had been here before, but it had always been during the day, in warm weather and with large crowds competing for space. At this moment, the world was hushed and there wasn't another person visible anywhere. There were lights glowing from within the zoo, as if to welcome Marie and Hans and to invite them inside. Eager to explore, she walked ahead confidently. Inside, she knew that she would find the sea lion pool, which served as the centrepiece of the zoo. Although it was cold, the pool hadn't frozen over, and it was full of lightly rippling water that glistened in the moonlight. She had thought the sea lions might be sleeping. But as she walked up to the edge of the enclosure, a few of them emerged in front of her. One, two, three. They popped up onto the rock in the centre and arranged themselves like a row of dancers, waiting to begin a routine. As she clapped her hands together in delight, they answered, barking joyfully. You are welcome here, they seemed to say. We've been waiting for you. Then, as she watched, they wiggled one by one down to the water and splashed under the surface, vanishing beneath the glittering waves. Marie let out a joyful giggle and waved a quick goodbye. She turned and saw Hans standing at attention nearby, patiently waiting for her. With a silent smile, he indicated that they should walk in the direction of the polar circle. They were going to see what the penguins were up to. Marie need not have worried that she'd come too late at night. The inhabitants of the polar circle were ready to greet her. There were several different types of penguins living at the zoo. Marie had visited them before. She knew that it was the Gentoo penguins who were greeting her. When she heard the loud trumpeting call up ahead, it seemed to announce their arrival like they were royalty. With somewhat more detachment, the macaroni penguins sat nearby. They waved their large bills in the air and seemed to be rather vain about the long yellow feathers on either side of their heads. It was like they were models in a fashion show, strutting with fancy headdresses on. Standing regally in the background was a king penguin, just a little over three feet in height, but taller than all the others. Its orange cheek patches glowed in the low light of the winter night as it turned its head this way and that. Then, apparently deciding it was ready for a swim, it dived into the deepest waters of the enclosure, vanishing for good. But the best of the polar circle was yet to come. The tufted penguins began what seemed to be an elegant routine of synchronized swimming. Somewhere nearby, the famous Delacorte clock in the children's zoo began to play a festive tune on the hour. Marie paused and tried to identify it. She realized quickly that the song was Greensleeves. In response to the musical prompt, the acrobatic tufted penguins began an amazing synchronized routine. With practised ease, they circled and dived, creating a water ballet like she had never before seen. Marie watched in amazement, quite sure that no daytime visitor had ever been privy to to a show like this. Did the zookeepers know that their penguins had these magical nighttime abilities? She suspected not, and she felt very privileged. On this night, Marie had a front row seat to some kind of magic. And she was going to relish every moment of it. She would keep the secrets of the polar circle close to her heart. Finally, the last penguin had disappeared. Marie stood there, watching the water settle and return to its glassy, undisturbed state. At that moment, she realised that there were flakes of snow gently drifting around her. It was just a few, but they were enormous, heavy ones. She raised her face to the sky and savoured the cold tingle on her skin as they delicately landed there one by one. Now that the penguins had retired for the night, Marie turned to Hans and asked him eagerly if they might stop by to see if the snow leopard was out. Surely this would be the perfect weather for it. Hans nodded graciously and gestured at the rocky area of the zoo where the snow leopards could be found. At first, arriving there in the dark, Marie was disappointed she didn't spot any of the beautiful cats and wondered if they were slumbering out of sight. However, just when she was ready to move along, Hans pointed at an outcrop above their eye level. There, one of the graceful creatures was sitting still, nose to the air, as if delighted by the chilly night and the falling snow. Marie silently clasped her hands and smiled. The regal animal was a sight to behold. Like a ghost in the dark, its luxurious fur almost glowed with whiteness, its wide snout taking in the wintry weather. Then, after a few moments, it slowly rose and sauntered into the gloom. Its enormous tail, nearly the length of its body, was the last bit to fade out of sight. Hans allowed Marie to bask in the moment until she was ready to continue through the winter wonderland of New York City. Sa sa sa.