March 16, 2025 • 35 mins
Lose yourself in the rugged beauty of the Outer Hebrides with this soothing sleep story, where ancient myths and the rhythm of the sea lull you into deep relaxation.
Jane escapes to a remote island, seeking solitude away from the world. But as she gazes at the restless waves, she is not alone. A seal watches her from the water, its dark eyes holding secrets of the deep. Is it simply a curious creature—or something more? Wrapped in the legend of the selkies, this peaceful bedtime story will transport you to a place where myth and reality intertwine, and the sound of the sea carries you gently into sleep.
Let the calming sounds of the sea, soft storytelling, and a meditative atmosphere ease your mind, helping you unwind and drift into deep, restful sleep.
If you love immersive sleep stories and guided meditations, subscribe to Your Sleep Guru Podcast for more nature-inspired journeys, binaural beats, and tranquil soundscapes. Like, follow, and leave a review to help others discover their own peaceful escape.
✨ Listen now and let the waves carry you away. ✨
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Jane had arrived on the island fora week long break seeking solitude.
The cottage had been recommended bya close friend who'd assured her it
was the perfect retreat, far fromthe endless harm of modern life, the
(00:24):
relentless tide of news notifications.
In the weight of expectation
here on this remote island,she had only time silence
and
the elements,
(00:52):
the old house stood justbeyond the shoreline.
Caught between two vast expenses.
On one side, the wild mos stretchedfrom miles to the nearest village, and
on the other, the ocean rolled on forthousands of miles to another continent.
(01:20):
It was battered by wind and.
It's stone walls weathered by time,yet still standing firm against the
storms rolling in from the Atlantic.
It felt like the last outpost beforethe land surrendered to the sea.
(01:45):
A place shaped by wind andwater isolated yet enduring.
For days, a storm had raged outsidekeeping chain confined indoors.
(02:10):
The wind held around thehouse sometimes so fierce.
It buffeted the stonewalls, rattling the windows.
And seeping through every crack
rain, lashed against the pains,turning the world outside into
(02:35):
a blur of gray and silver.
Jane spent her days bythe window, a cup of tea.
Warm in her hands watching the skyshift in endless layers of storm clouds,
(03:00):
the sea restless, and ever changing
the fire in the flickered, castingshadows on the wooden beams
overhead as she turned the pages of.
After book, letting storiesfill the spaces where noise
(03:26):
and worry had once lived.
One morning Jane woke up to findthe storm had finally relented,
(03:48):
though the air was still damp.
The wind no longer held throughthe cracks in the windows and the
rain had eased into a fine mist.
The world outside was drenchedglistening in the weak morning light
(04:13):
when she walked overto the bedroom window.
She saw a sheep standing inthe field behind the house.
Its wool was thick and matted.
With damp,
its eyes fixed on her.
The two of them stared at eachother across the distance.
(04:38):
The only sound, the occasionaldrip of water from the eaves.
Eager, eager to go outside.
After days of being indoors, Jane wrappedherself in layers, pulled on her boots,
(05:04):
and made her way toward the beach.
The air was heavy with saltand the scent of wet earth.
(05:33):
The breeze was still brisk.
Tussling her hair and making herpull her coat tighter to keep warm
puddles formed in the dips of the molandand rettes of water wound their way toward
(05:55):
the sea, carving delicate patterns inthe sand as they merged with the tide.
When she stepped onto the beach,she noticed movements in the waves,
(06:22):
a sleek, dark shape, bobbingjust beyond the breakers,
a seal.
It's round head surfaced,
and for several minutesit watched her unblinking.
(06:55):
It was close enough to shore thatshe could make out the silvery gray
mottled patterns across its body,
the damp fur, catching the lightas it rose and fell with the waves.
(07:19):
Its large, dark eyes, held hersdeep and done blinking, reflecting
something ancient and knowing
then it tilted its head slightly as if inrecognition the whis goes on its muzzle.
(07:47):
Twitching
(08:07):
she'd read about the legends of theSilkies, the shape shifters of the sea.
According to island law, therewere seals in the water but could
shed their skins and walk on land.
As humans,
(08:34):
their skins were their magic,
the source of their abilityto return to the sea.
When they stepped onto the shore,they'd leave their seal skins
behind, often folding them neatly onthe sand or tucking them carefully
(09:00):
into the crevices of the rocks.
But if a human found the skinbefore they could reclaim it.
The silky was powerless, trapped inhuman form and bound to land for as
long as the skin was kept from them.
(09:30):
Some stories told of men and womenwho unknowingly picked up silky skins,
mistaking them for ordinary pil.
Keeping them as trophies,blankets, or clothing.
Oblivious to the desperate soul,left searching for its lost body.
(10:04):
Other stories spoke of fishermenwho stole the skins deliberately.
Knowing that without them, a silkycould never return to the waves.
Some silkies resigned to their captivity,would marry their captors, raise
(10:28):
children and live out their days on land.
Yet they'd always be drawn to the sea.
Standing at the water'sedge, gazing at the horizon.
Longing for what was lost
(10:52):
the moment they found their hidden skin.
Locked in a chest buriedbeneath floorboards.
Stowed away in an attic.
They would snatch it up,
slip it back over their bodies, and vanishbeneath the waves, never looking back.
(11:36):
Some believed soggies were souls of those.
Lost at sea returned in another form.
Fishermen swore they saw seals s lingeringnear their boats, their keys to knowing
too human as if watching and waiting.
(12:04):
They spoke of strange encountersof figures seen on the shore.
One moment, and gone.
The next of voices carried on the windwhispering in languages long forgotten.
(12:29):
The line between myth and realityblurred on these shores where the
sea reclaimed what it had once lost.
Others thought there were beings ofanother realm caught between two worlds.
(12:56):
Neither fully belonging to land nor Roan.
The Islanders told stories of womenwith sorrowful eyes and men who
arrived mysteriously from the seaonly to disappear with the tide.
(13:19):
There were whispered warnings,never to fall in love with one.
For a silky heart was nevertruly bound to the shore.
(13:49):
Watching the seal now, Jane wonderedif the myths had roots in truth.
What if the creature before her carried asoul that had once walked this very shore?
(14:12):
Lost, well longed forsomething beyond the horizon.
Could it have once been human yearningfor something just out of reach?
(14:38):
She remained there for a long time.
Letting the presence of the seaand the legend settle into her.
Then as she turned to walk furtheralong the beach, the seal moved to
(15:01):
gliding effortlessly through the water.
She strolled along the dampsand firm onto her boots
the wind, carrying the brinyscent of seaweed and sea salt.
(15:35):
With each step, she clad toward the waveswhere the seal swam parallel to her.
Its sleek body writing and fallingwith the rhythm of the tide.
(16:00):
The waves broke on the shores steadily.
While the steel followed,never strained too far
at times, it vanished beneaththe surface only to reappear
moments later, closer than before
(16:24):
Jane felt it watching her orperhaps simply keeping her company.
The further she walked, the more shefelt a quiet understanding between them
(16:45):
two beings alone in their own waysconnected at this moment in time.
She let her gaze drift down to the shorewhere scattered shells layoff buried
(17:08):
in the sand, smooth by time and tied.
Some were broken, their edges softened.
Others were who their spirals glistening.
(17:29):
Faintly in the muted light
strands of dark seaweed curled around thesmall stones glistening with sea water.
The scent of salt anddecay mingling in the air.
(18:00):
Here and there, polished pebbles ofall different colors, caught the light,
their surfaces wet and gleaming tinygifts from the sea placed at her feet.
(18:30):
Jane paused bending to pickup a small peel shell, tracing
the ridges with her thumb
as she did.
She glanced toward the waves andsaw the seal had stopped too.
(18:55):
It popped on the surface of the waterunmoving, except for the gentle rise
and fall of the tide beneath it,
she studied it again, taken in thesmooth seat lines of its body, the
(19:18):
curiosity behind its dark eyes.
For a long moment, theystared at each other.
(19:40):
Then without warning, thedisappeared beneath the waves.
Jane scanned the waterwaiting for it to resurface.
(20:01):
Moments passed and just as she beganto wonder if it had gone for good,
it emerged again this time with alarge fish clutched in its flippers.
The seal toyed with its meal, letting itslip from its mouth only to retrieve it
(20:25):
again with quick, effortless movements.
Finally, with a snap of itspowerful jaws, the fish was gone.
Jane exhaled.
Realizing only then howstill she'd been standing.
(20:54):
There was something wild andeffortless about the seals movements.
A reminder, she was only a visitor here,
an observer in a world thatbelonged to the wind, the sea.
And its creatures
(21:39):
a sudden gust.
Swept across the beach, and she felt thefirst cool raindrops against her skin.
It began as a light drizzle,
barely noticeable, but within moments,the sky darkened and the rain intensified.
(22:12):
She lifted her gaze towardthe seal one last time.
It remains still watchingher as if acknowledging her.
(22:36):
The rain bell harder now.
Pelting against her face.
Cold, relentless.
The wind whipped aroundher pushing against her.
As she turned back toward the house,
(23:05):
Jane pulled her coat tighter.
Bowed her head against thedownpour and walked quickly home.
The footprints she'd left behind werevanishing, swallowed by the shifting tide
(23:30):
and rain, leaving no trace of her passing.
(24:03):
At the doorstep.
She paused to remove her boots shakingoff the wet sand before stepping inside.
She shrugged off her coat chocolatesof rain scattering across the.
(24:33):
And hung it near the fire to dry
the warmth of the room embraced her.
She moved toward the window,gazing out at the sea.
(24:55):
Seeing the place where the seal had been,
she wondered if the stories could betrue if somewhere beyond the waves the
(25:18):
steel was shedding its skin even now.
Stepping onto the land in human form,
would it wander these shores beneaththe moonlight, searching for something
lost or someone to remember it?
(25:40):
She let out a slow breath,
allowing herself to sink intothe quiets of the cottage.
She imagined the seal stillout there slipping beneath the
(26:05):
surface, vanishing into the depthswith time moved differently.
Was it merely an animal followingsome instinctual curiosity, or was
(26:27):
there something more, somethingunseen, something ancient,
woven into its watchful case.
The thought settled in her soft andunspoken, the myths, the sea, the storm,
(27:01):
and the quiet solitude.
They all felt intertwined, likethe tide shaping the shore.
Perhaps the stories were more thanlegend, more than mere echoes of the past.
(27:28):
Perhaps in some way they werealways unfolding, carrying whispers
of old magic that lingered atthe edges of waking dreams.
(27:50):
She took another breath, feelingthe warmth of the fire against
her skin, the weight of her body
sinking into relaxation.
Outside the rain continued to fall.
(28:15):
The wind still moving across the mos,
but here within the embrace ofthe cottage, she felt the gentle
rhythm of the world slowing theharsh of the approaching evening.
(28:36):
Drawing her into sleep
carried by the same timeless tide,
the storm would pass, the seawould remain, and for now, she was
(29:00):
exactly where she needed to be.
Jane had arrived on the island fora week long break seeking solitude.
The cottage had been recommended bya close friend who'd assured her it
was the perfect retreat, far fromthe endless harm of modern life, the
(00:24):
relentless tide of news notifications.
In the weight of expectation
here on this remote island,she had only time silence
and
the elements,
(00:52):
the old house stood justbeyond the shoreline.
Caught between two vast expenses.
On one side, the wild mos stretchedfrom miles to the nearest village, and
on the other, the ocean rolled on forthousands of miles to another continent.
(01:20):
It was battered by wind and.
It's stone walls weathered by time,yet still standing firm against the
storms rolling in from the Atlantic.
It felt like the last outpost beforethe land surrendered to the sea.
(01:45):
A place shaped by wind andwater isolated yet enduring.
For days, a storm had raged outsidekeeping chain confined indoors.
(02:10):
The wind held around thehouse sometimes so fierce.
It buffeted the stonewalls, rattling the windows.
And seeping through every crack
rain, lashed against the pains,turning the world outside into
(02:35):
a blur of gray and silver.
Jane spent her days bythe window, a cup of tea.
Warm in her hands watching the skyshift in endless layers of storm clouds,
(03:00):
the sea restless, and ever changing
the fire in the flickered, castingshadows on the wooden beams
overhead as she turned the pages of.
After book, letting storiesfill the spaces where noise
(03:26):
and worry had once lived.
One morning Jane woke up to findthe storm had finally relented,
(03:48):
though the air was still damp.
The wind no longer held throughthe cracks in the windows and the
rain had eased into a fine mist.
The world outside was drenchedglistening in the weak morning light
(04:13):
when she walked overto the bedroom window.
She saw a sheep standing inthe field behind the house.
Its wool was thick and matted.
With damp,
its eyes fixed on her.
The two of them stared at eachother across the distance.
(04:38):
The only sound, the occasionaldrip of water from the eaves.
Eager, eager to go outside.
After days of being indoors, Jane wrappedherself in layers, pulled on her boots,
(05:04):
and made her way toward the beach.
The air was heavy with saltand the scent of wet earth.
(05:33):
The breeze was still brisk.
Tussling her hair and making herpull her coat tighter to keep warm
puddles formed in the dips of the molandand rettes of water wound their way toward
(05:55):
the sea, carving delicate patterns inthe sand as they merged with the tide.
When she stepped onto the beach,she noticed movements in the waves,
(06:22):
a sleek, dark shape, bobbingjust beyond the breakers,
a seal.
It's round head surfaced,
and for several minutesit watched her unblinking.
(06:55):
It was close enough to shore thatshe could make out the silvery gray
mottled patterns across its body,
the damp fur, catching the lightas it rose and fell with the waves.
(07:19):
Its large, dark eyes, held hersdeep and done blinking, reflecting
something ancient and knowing
then it tilted its head slightly as if inrecognition the whis goes on its muzzle.
(07:47):
Twitching
(08:07):
she'd read about the legends of theSilkies, the shape shifters of the sea.
According to island law, therewere seals in the water but could
shed their skins and walk on land.
As humans,
(08:34):
their skins were their magic,
the source of their abilityto return to the sea.
When they stepped onto the shore,they'd leave their seal skins
behind, often folding them neatly onthe sand or tucking them carefully
(09:00):
into the crevices of the rocks.
But if a human found the skinbefore they could reclaim it.
The silky was powerless, trapped inhuman form and bound to land for as
long as the skin was kept from them.
(09:30):
Some stories told of men and womenwho unknowingly picked up silky skins,
mistaking them for ordinary pil.
Keeping them as trophies,blankets, or clothing.
Oblivious to the desperate soul,left searching for its lost body.
(10:04):
Other stories spoke of fishermenwho stole the skins deliberately.
Knowing that without them, a silkycould never return to the waves.
Some silkies resigned to their captivity,would marry their captors, raise
(10:28):
children and live out their days on land.
Yet they'd always be drawn to the sea.
Standing at the water'sedge, gazing at the horizon.
Longing for what was lost
(10:52):
the moment they found their hidden skin.
Locked in a chest buriedbeneath floorboards.
Stowed away in an attic.
They would snatch it up,
slip it back over their bodies, and vanishbeneath the waves, never looking back.
(11:36):
Some believed soggies were souls of those.
Lost at sea returned in another form.
Fishermen swore they saw seals s lingeringnear their boats, their keys to knowing
too human as if watching and waiting.
(12:04):
They spoke of strange encountersof figures seen on the shore.
One moment, and gone.
The next of voices carried on the windwhispering in languages long forgotten.
(12:29):
The line between myth and realityblurred on these shores where the
sea reclaimed what it had once lost.
Others thought there were beings ofanother realm caught between two worlds.
(12:56):
Neither fully belonging to land nor Roan.
The Islanders told stories of womenwith sorrowful eyes and men who
arrived mysteriously from the seaonly to disappear with the tide.
(13:19):
There were whispered warnings,never to fall in love with one.
For a silky heart was nevertruly bound to the shore.
(13:49):
Watching the seal now, Jane wonderedif the myths had roots in truth.
What if the creature before her carried asoul that had once walked this very shore?
(14:12):
Lost, well longed forsomething beyond the horizon.
Could it have once been human yearningfor something just out of reach?
(14:38):
She remained there for a long time.
Letting the presence of the seaand the legend settle into her.
Then as she turned to walk furtheralong the beach, the seal moved to
(15:01):
gliding effortlessly through the water.
She strolled along the dampsand firm onto her boots
the wind, carrying the brinyscent of seaweed and sea salt.
(15:35):
With each step, she clad toward the waveswhere the seal swam parallel to her.
Its sleek body writing and fallingwith the rhythm of the tide.
(16:00):
The waves broke on the shores steadily.
While the steel followed,never strained too far
at times, it vanished beneaththe surface only to reappear
moments later, closer than before
(16:24):
Jane felt it watching her orperhaps simply keeping her company.
The further she walked, the more shefelt a quiet understanding between them
(16:45):
two beings alone in their own waysconnected at this moment in time.
She let her gaze drift down to the shorewhere scattered shells layoff buried
(17:08):
in the sand, smooth by time and tied.
Some were broken, their edges softened.
Others were who their spirals glistening.
(17:29):
Faintly in the muted light
strands of dark seaweed curled around thesmall stones glistening with sea water.
The scent of salt anddecay mingling in the air.
(18:00):
Here and there, polished pebbles ofall different colors, caught the light,
their surfaces wet and gleaming tinygifts from the sea placed at her feet.
(18:30):
Jane paused bending to pickup a small peel shell, tracing
the ridges with her thumb
as she did.
She glanced toward the waves andsaw the seal had stopped too.
(18:55):
It popped on the surface of the waterunmoving, except for the gentle rise
and fall of the tide beneath it,
she studied it again, taken in thesmooth seat lines of its body, the
(19:18):
curiosity behind its dark eyes.
For a long moment, theystared at each other.
(19:40):
Then without warning, thedisappeared beneath the waves.
Jane scanned the waterwaiting for it to resurface.
(20:01):
Moments passed and just as she beganto wonder if it had gone for good,
it emerged again this time with alarge fish clutched in its flippers.
The seal toyed with its meal, letting itslip from its mouth only to retrieve it
(20:25):
again with quick, effortless movements.
Finally, with a snap of itspowerful jaws, the fish was gone.
Jane exhaled.
Realizing only then howstill she'd been standing.
(20:54):
There was something wild andeffortless about the seals movements.
A reminder, she was only a visitor here,
an observer in a world thatbelonged to the wind, the sea.
And its creatures
(21:39):
a sudden gust.
Swept across the beach, and she felt thefirst cool raindrops against her skin.
It began as a light drizzle,
barely noticeable, but within moments,the sky darkened and the rain intensified.
(22:12):
She lifted her gaze towardthe seal one last time.
It remains still watchingher as if acknowledging her.
(22:36):
The rain bell harder now.
Pelting against her face.
Cold, relentless.
The wind whipped aroundher pushing against her.
As she turned back toward the house,
(23:05):
Jane pulled her coat tighter.
Bowed her head against thedownpour and walked quickly home.
The footprints she'd left behind werevanishing, swallowed by the shifting tide
(23:30):
and rain, leaving no trace of her passing.
(24:03):
At the doorstep.
She paused to remove her boots shakingoff the wet sand before stepping inside.
She shrugged off her coat chocolatesof rain scattering across the.
(24:33):
And hung it near the fire to dry
the warmth of the room embraced her.
She moved toward the window,gazing out at the sea.
(24:55):
Seeing the place where the seal had been,
she wondered if the stories could betrue if somewhere beyond the waves the
(25:18):
steel was shedding its skin even now.
Stepping onto the land in human form,
would it wander these shores beneaththe moonlight, searching for something
lost or someone to remember it?
(25:40):
She let out a slow breath,
allowing herself to sink intothe quiets of the cottage.
She imagined the seal stillout there slipping beneath the
(26:05):
surface, vanishing into the depthswith time moved differently.
Was it merely an animal followingsome instinctual curiosity, or was
(26:27):
there something more, somethingunseen, something ancient,
woven into its watchful case.
The thought settled in her soft andunspoken, the myths, the sea, the storm,
(27:01):
and the quiet solitude.
They all felt intertwined, likethe tide shaping the shore.
Perhaps the stories were more thanlegend, more than mere echoes of the past.
(27:28):
Perhaps in some way they werealways unfolding, carrying whispers
of old magic that lingered atthe edges of waking dreams.
(27:50):
She took another breath, feelingthe warmth of the fire against
her skin, the weight of her body
sinking into relaxation.
Outside the rain continued to fall.
(28:15):
The wind still moving across the mos,
but here within the embrace ofthe cottage, she felt the gentle
rhythm of the world slowing theharsh of the approaching evening.
(28:36):
Drawing her into sleep
carried by the same timeless tide,
the storm would pass, the seawould remain, and for now, she was
(29:00):
exactly where she needed to be.
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