The Autumn Train Ride - A Cozy Bedtime Story for Adults - Rest: Sleepy Bedtime Stories

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good evening, and welcome to Rest, your sanctuary for peaceful
sleep and relaxation. Whether you're escaping daily stresses or seeking
a nightly companion, you're in the right place. My name
is Jessica, and I'll be your host this evening. Before

(00:27):
we begin, why don't you turn off your screens and
turn down your volume. Now that's done, let's unwind and
help you ease into a blessed rest. As summer begins

(00:56):
to fade, the world prepares for a gentle transformation. Soon,
the greens of the trees will shift into a glowing
patchwork of golds, russets, and auburn. Leaves will loosen, falling
softly to the ground, laying down their colorful coats for

(01:18):
the season ahead. It's in this space between the warmth
of summer and the cool hush of autumn that we
meet Andy. Andy's a man who longs for crisp air
and quiet moments, and who finds himself stepping aboard an

(01:39):
old train bound for landscapes rich with autumn light. This
is not a tale of hurried destinations or grand events.
It is a story of slowing down, of watching sunlight
scatter through branches of listening to children play in pumpkin

(02:02):
and cured patches of feeling the gentle rhythm of a
train as it carries you steadily, peacefully forward, like the
chuck chuck chuck of a train's wheels on the track.
Let each exhale carry away the weight of your day,

(02:27):
and with each in hail, let calm and stillness return.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
So settle in.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
The windows are open, the air is cool, and the
countryside awaits. Let us ride with Andy now through a
season of change and into the soft embrace of autumn.

(02:57):
Andy really felt he was well and truly done with summer.
He knew that a few months from now he'd be
yearning for the warm temperatures and the long days again,
but that wasn't how he felt at the moment. He

(03:18):
was tired of the unceasing humidity. It was draining all
the energy out of him and yet making him oddly restless.
He lay on the sofa, unable to focus on the
book he was reading, and gazed out the window. There

(03:42):
was hardly a breeze to relieve the stifling warmth. How
he longed to be somewhere cool, he thought idly to himself.
The thrum of late summer radiated in through the windows
as his eyelids grew heavy, dropping little by little, the

(04:06):
light buzzing of the insects and the shushing of the
standing fan formed a backdrop of white noise, and his
thoughts began to wonder, until he was halfway between waking
and dreaming. He didn't know how long he was like that,

(04:28):
but he was roused by a rhythmic, mechanical noise with
a low rumble. It said, chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, Chuck,
chuck chuck. He opened his eyes, thinking his fan had

(04:50):
somehow malfunctioned, but as he propped himself up on his pillow,
he was amazed to find that the soft throat pillow
and sturdy arm of the sofa had vanished. Instead, he
was surrounded by a smooth, hard surface. Looking around himself

(05:15):
with confusion, and he saw that he was sitting on
a wooden bench. More incredible, the bench was one of
many located in what appeared to be an old fashioned
train car. The benches were situated in two long rows

(05:37):
on either side of the carriage. They were back to back,
so that there were repeated sections of four seats, each
with two facing the other. On the inside top edge
of each pair, there was a metal handle, presumably to

(05:58):
allow people to try traversed the carriage safely. Large square
windows lined the length of each side of the car.
Above all the windows, there were shallow luggage racks, which
were presently empty. Andy's mind attempted to process this information.

(06:23):
He blinked hard two times, but nothing changed. His sofa,
his fan, his book, and his living room had vanished. Instead,
he felt like a character in a historical drama.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
A smile spread across his face.

Speaker 1 (06:46):
How delightful, he mused, having accepted this strange plot twist
in his afternoon, he began to look farther. The train
was moving, which explained the chugging sound that had woken
him from his slumber. He was currently the only person

(07:11):
in the quaint old carriage. Once he had gotten the
lay of the land, he widened his perspective. He realized
that the scenery flashing by outside the windows of the
train was also unexpected. Gone were the verdant green leaves

(07:34):
and the fading pastor blooms of August. In their place,
a parade of riotous autumn color was slowly rolling past.
The train was traveling through the most beautiful country scenery.

(07:55):
Undulating green hills were dotted with trees that were bedecked
in the colors of October. All at once he spotted
flaming red, burnt orange, and cheerful yellow foliage. Haystacks and

(08:16):
hay bales sat piled in fields here and there, ready
for winter. And when he tilted his chin upward to
look at the sky, he could see that the sultry
air of August had been replaced by the guileless, crisp

(08:36):
blue of a fine autumn day. Eager to take it
all in, he lowered the window next to his seat.
Instantly a river of refreshing cool air flowed into the carriage.
With it came the unique sense of autumn wood smoke,

(09:03):
he thought, the oddly pleasing smell of damp leaves and earth.
He inhaled, deeply, closing his eyes. How I have missed this,
he realized, And as the outdoor smells of autumn flooded in,

(09:26):
his mind began suggesting the indoor memories as well. He
thought of apple and pumpkin pies, the delicious aroma of cinnamon,
the comforting smell of warm bread, remembering the wonderful sense

(09:48):
of the cooler season then brought other happy memories. He
saw himself sitting around a crackling fire in the evening
with his cat. He imagined himself raking leaves on a
beautiful sunny day. Then he pictured himself baking in the

(10:11):
kitchen with friends. It was like his mind was perusing
a menu of autumn dreams he'd filed away and forgotten
during the long hot summer. He was distracted from his
imaginings by the realization that the train was pulling up

(10:34):
to a station platform. It was a quaint little place,
with just a couple of benches, a little green building,
and an ornate sign that said Forest crossing. Standing on
the platform there was a couple with two small children.

(10:58):
The adults were wearing child carriers on their backs and
seemed to be finishing up an easy family hike. The
older of the two children was excitedly showing his parents
an enormous orange leaf he had picked up. As the

(11:18):
train stopped, the family climbed into the carriage closest to them. Meanwhile,
a woman disembarked with an excited pup at her heels.
The dog surged ahead, dragging his person by the leash
as she laughed. When the little family was safely inside

(11:43):
the train and the woman and the dog were already
setting out on a trail into the woods, the train
slowly began moving again, and he leaned against his open window,
enjoying the cool rush of air against his face. He

(12:06):
watched the woman and her dog as they tripped lightly
into the autumn foliage and vanished, bound for a great adventure.
Andy was curious to see where the train would go next.
It traveled for a while, revealing stunning views. Technicolor trees

(12:31):
gave way to more open fields with utterly charming faded
old barns and placid cows. The train passed a corn
field recently harvested. There was a comical scarecrow standing there
at attention, with birds brazenly hopping at its feet. At

(12:57):
one point, the train crossed a tall bridge that spanned
a canyon. In the bottom, a bright blue river sparkled,
running lazily away to places unknown, and he sat back
on his wooden bench seat, feeling happy and peaceful. He

(13:23):
was totally relaxed and simply wanted to enjoy the ride
as long as he could. But the next stop on
the train journey changed his mind. As the cars slowed
and pulled up to another platform, he beheld an autumnal

(13:47):
feast for the eyes. Our harvest fare was happening on
the lawn and in the trees near the station. On
one side of the fair, children laughed as they clambered
over an enormous pile of pumpkins and goats, rolling them

(14:08):
about and choosing their favorites to take home for supper
and celebration. Nearby, the focus of the gathering was unfolding
a decorating contest of wreaths and garlands. Tables had been

(14:28):
set out with baskets of autumn leaves, berries, pine cones,
and twining branches. Families and friends clustered together, weaving and arranging,
while more intrepid and artistic souls sat down in quiet concentration,

(14:51):
creating intricate designs.

Speaker 2 (14:55):
In another area, a.

Speaker 1 (14:57):
Wagon full of hay was being loaded with a boisterous
group of children. The older ones clambered up into the
back with a little boost from their parents. A few
really small children had grown up so long to help them.

(15:18):
Everyone was dressed for cool weather in wooly sweaters and
light jackets. The children were overcome with excitement, and their
uncontained joy was infectious, and he felt like he was
rediscovering the best parts of the season he had long forgotten.

(15:43):
To his delight, a conductor stood on the platform just
then and called out that everyone should feel free to
disembark for a half hour stop with a flourish. He
then directed the passenger's attention to a bake sale nearby,

(16:05):
where a group of friendly looking people manned a table
absolutely spilling over with delicious treats. Without hesitation, and he
opened the door to his carriage.

Speaker 2 (16:22):
And stepped out.

Speaker 1 (16:25):
With the amiable clamor of the fair goers in the background.
He stood at the bake sale table and surveyed his options.
It seemed like a collection of every full treat he loved.
There were little pumpkin bread squares, cinnamon muffins, apple turnovers,

(16:53):
spiced bars, and cupcakes with maple icing, and that was
and all. He spotted chocolate brownies, cheesecakes, apple crumble, caramel
popcorn balls, and tarts. It was, quite frankly, the most

(17:18):
bountiful bake sale he'd ever seen. Feeling regret that he
didn't have any money, he shoved his hands in his
pockets low and behold he felt change. Jingling around there,
pulling out the coins, he gazed at them in his

(17:40):
open palm. A jolly looking man behind the table said amiably,
that's enough to buy anything you want. What will it
be then, and he selected his very favorite item after
long deliberation. Then nodding a farewell to the bakers, he

(18:06):
wandered over to watch the decorating contest. Some garlands were
simple and sweet, others detailed and ornate. A few especially
creative people had fashioned their wreaths into miniature woodland scenes,

(18:27):
complete with tiny cottages and winding parts, and he thought
how beautiful they would look later in the evening, hung
from doorways and lit softly by lantern light Alas the
conductor eventually called out that it was time to reboard

(18:52):
the train, carrying his snack, and he promptly returned to
his carriage, reclaiming his seat by the window. But he
watched the little festival as the train slowly pulled out
of the station, peering backwards so as not to miss

(19:14):
a minute of the autumn fund that continued at the
train stop. Once he was moving forward again at a
good clip, Andy prepared to unwrap his treat and enjoy
it while watching the scenery. Just as he'd taken his

(19:36):
first bite, a friendly young man entered the carriage pushing
a little cart. On top of the cart there was
a metal canister with a spout. Smiling ear to ear,
he stopped and asked Andy if he'd like some complimentary

(19:59):
hot cider. Andy couldn't believe his good fortune because he
knew it would go perfectly with his dessert. He gratefully accepted,
and the man looked as pleased as punch. He handed
Andy a cup, cautioning unnecessarily that it was very warm

(20:25):
and to sip carefully. Andy smiled and nodded his thanks.
Inhaling the tangy aroma of the drink, ah, he thought,
how could this day possibly get more festive? As he

(20:46):
savored his goodies, Andy noticed a gradual change in the
scenery outside. What had been a largely rural view gave
wade to more and more gardens and homes. Soon the
train was slowly chugging through a charming, old fashioned town.

(21:12):
Their houses looked to be a hundred years old, towering
gracefully over the quaint little streets lining those avenues. Sturdy
old trees reached for the heavens with a thousand colorful
leaves fluttering at the ends of their branches, and he

(21:37):
tried to take it all in. People were talking in
pairs on the sidewalk, they were walking dogs, children rode bicycles,
and in every fourth or fifth yard they were raking leaves.

(21:57):
On one enormous front porch, which a woman was cheerfully decorating,
propping up corn stalks by the door, and placing a
variety of whimsically shaped squashes in piles near the steps.
As the train left her behind, she stood with her

(22:20):
hands on her hips, surveying her work. He imagined her
home would soon be a gathering place for neighbors, Glowing
warmly as the evenings drew in, all too soon the
sweet little town was behind him. He settled back in

(22:45):
his seat once again. Oddly, he realized that the empty
paper and cup from his snack had magically vanished. How
very convenient this train is, he thought, with amusement. He

(23:05):
noticed that the landscape was now bathed in a golden light.
The slanting rays of the late afternoon had arrived, and
while the air coming in the window was refreshing, he
found himself putting the window up to keep out the

(23:27):
chill of approaching evening. He recalled anew how the daylight
ebbed away early at this time of year. However, it
did fill him with a lovely feeling to know that
there would be cozy nights to spend inside with loved ones.

(23:52):
In fact, all the fresh air had made him rather tired,
with a pleasurestantly full feeling and increasing warmth in the carriage,
he realized he was a little drowsy. He leaned his
head against the window and continued to watch as the

(24:17):
train went chuck chuck, chuck chuck through a woodland where
the trees came right up to the tracks. A gust
of wind blew merrily through the forest, and all of

(24:37):
a sudden there were leaves flying everywhere, as if in
a storm. They were gold and red and orange and brown,
and they swirled like a tempest.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
The leaves flew up and around and over and down,
as if.

Speaker 1 (25:06):
Stirred by the playful spirit of autumn itself. And he
closed his eyes happily and thought trousily, what a kind
and gentle season. Though he hardly realized it, that autumn

(25:29):
world slowly retreated in his mind, and he stopped thinking
about much of anything until he was wandering the dark
corridors between consciousness and sleep. Then, gradually, the sound of

(25:51):
the train was no more. Instead, he heard the hum
of the fan and the s of the insects, and
he lifted his head and realized he'd been asleep on
his sofa. It was August once again. He smiled ruefully,

(26:18):
trying to retain the happy feelings of the magical train ride.
He slowly rose and walked past the blowing fan to
the window, But just as he was leaning over to
lift the sash a little farther, a breeze gusted in.

(26:43):
It was a cool breeze, heralding the onset of night,
but there was something else about it, a dry freshness.
It wasn't quite a chill, but rather a cooling burst,

(27:05):
and amid all the lush green scents, there was something
earthy and crisp about it, and Andy smiled happily because
he knew that autumn was just around the corner.

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The Autumn Train Ride - A Cozy Bedtime Story for Adults

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