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Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy.
I'm your host, Thomas.
Thanks so much for being here.
Tonight we have the third and final episode of a three-part series set on a sailboat cruise in Turquia with a lady named Mattie and a group of fellow adventurers.
There's no need to worry if you haven't had the other episodes.
This story can stand alone, and you can always go back and listen to the first and second parts another time.
And one last thing to mention tonight is that this time next week, back by very popular request, we'll be returning to Lily's Rainy Day Bakery.
And I can guarantee you that it's one of the sweetest episodes we've ever had on the show.
So make sure you're here for that next Monday.
Now, before we begin tonight's soothing story, let's just take a moment to unwind from the day and bring our minds to a place of comfort and rest.
So make sure you're lying in a well-supported, cozy position and allow your breathing to slow a little, still maintaining a natural rhythm, but giving your lungs ample time to draw in full, nourishing breaths, then letting the air flow back out at a steady, relaxed pace.
It truly means a lot to me that you are here listening to my voice and enjoying our stories that are designed to be a source of comfort and reassurance.
The modern world can feel so noisy, so full on.
And with all the politics, societal issues, the attention grabbing nature of content we consume on platforms like social media, it can feel difficult to find some escapism.
I've definitely felt affected by this lately too.
It can seem like there's so much division in society and that the outside world might feel just as hostile as it feels online.
But with all that being said, I saw a fantastic perspective a few days ago from a well-known journalist here in the UK.
He made the point that if we spend vast amounts of our time online and building our understanding of the world based on what our social media feeds show us then yes, it's pretty likely you'll feel a sense of us versus them, of division and distrust.
But when you simply go outside, you walk through the streets of your town or city, you commute to work or maybe visit a coffee shop.
Generally, most people are just getting on with their lives, trying their best to be decent, reasonable and friendly citizens.
And you'll probably find that most people will smile in your direction and you'll smile back at them.
Now, as I said, I feel truly privileged to be able to speak to you on a regular basis here and to have the opportunity to share these little bites of positivity with you.
I know they're not always related to sleep or relaxation, but I hope you know that I do so to try and lift your spirit, settle your mind and help you look forward to tomorrow, just that little bit more.
Now, my wonderful friends, let's make our way to the deck of a sailboat in the Aegean Sea, where we'll rejoin Matti and the other passengers.
This is where our story begins.
Mattie heard a soft flapping sound above her.
Her eyes were still closed.
She had just been dreaming about something wonderful that was already slipping beyond the grasp of her consciousness, but it left her with a pleasant and contented feeling.
Her body was rocking slightly and she sensed bright morning light, along with a growing warmth falling across the left side of her face.
She was aware of these sensations even before she was fully conscious.
As she wakened further, Mattie remembered where she was.
She was on a small cruise along the southern coast of Turkia and last night she'd slept outside on deck.
Opening her eyes, she saw the source of the flapping sound.
A big sail overhead was neatly furled, covered, and tied up with ropes.
But a corner of the cover had come loose.
The sturdy fabric was slapping rhythmically against the mast.
Beyond it, a cloudless sky attested to a gorgeous morning warmed by the sun that shone from her left.
It was early and the air was fresh, and it still held a hint of dewy dampness.
But already, the promise of a summery day had caused her to kick back the covers in her sleep.
She stretched luxuriously and listened to the other sounds lurking behind the flapping that had awakened her.
There was the ever-present whisper of the water against the hull of the boat.
She heard a seagull somewhere far off and just audible someone cooking behind and below her.
The chef must be preparing the sumptuous spread of simple, fresh ingredients that make up their shipboard Turkish-style breakfast.
They were anchored somewhere at the southern edge of the Aegean Sea, near where it meets the Mediterranean.
Located between Greece and Tychia, the Aegean was the sea of ancient Greece, the cradle of civilizations that are credited with giving rise to much of modern Western culture.
The Aegean's blue waters are dotted with islands and peninsulas.
That made it easy for ancient people around the area to interact and trade with one another.
This exchange informed the development of their complex civilizations.
These islands include one called Thera, which some believe could have been the real-life place that inspired the ancient Greek story of the lost city of Atlantis.
This legend told of a great city that sank below the sea.
And in modern times.
Remains of cities were found on Thera under layers of volcanic lava and ash that had turned to stone over the centuries.
These settlements were buried thousands of years ago by one of the largest volcanic eruptions history has ever known.
This event, some say, may have been the origin of the Atlantis Tale.
During the 1800s, explorers discovered a town that was perhaps 4000 years old, hidden beneath volcanic rock.
Then, in the 1960s, came an even more amazing discovery.
A rich city was uncovered preserved under the volcanic debris, just as it had stood at the time of the eruption, millennia before.
The city, captured in time, provided a rare window into the long, distant past.
It held large houses several stories tall, their walls decorated with vibrant frescoes, a kind of mural painted on plaster.
That historic eruption shot ash and lava into the sky, where air currents carried it to far off lands, spreading the debris across the region.
The remainders of that volcanic rock have been found in places as distant as Egypt.
Some people have even suggested that the explosion could be behind stories in the book of Exodus from the Old Testament of the Bible.
The rich history of this place filled Mattie's mind now as she looked around her at the sparkling morning.
It was her third and final full day on the cruise, which was carrying a dozen passengers through these storied waters.
The yacht they rode on was a specialized vessel known as a gulet.
These uniquely Turkish boats are custom-built motorized sailing boats, usually with two or maybe three masts.
They are handmade out of wood at various ports in the south of Takia.
These gulets are very similar to the working boats of the past.
But they are outfitted with engines and modern conveniences, even to the point of luxury.
The contemporary boats and their contemporary builders carry on the heritage of their vessels that transported wine and copper across the Aegean thousands of years ago.
And their crews carry the heritage of the sailors who pulled fish from the sea to fill ancient tables.
Their yacht had a beamed wooden hull, cozy cabins and a wide deck outfitted with sunbathing cushions and awnings.
It was a floating residence of delightful comfort combined with pleasing simplicity.
Already, Mattie had grown accustomed to the leisurely routine of life on board, with its lazy rotation of reading, swimming and dozing, punctuated by the fellowship of communal meals.
She stood now and folded her covers carefully, then carried them inside to her little cabin.
There, she stowed them neatly for the day.
She picked up her hat, sunscreen, and book then went back above deck.
A scent of eggs and sausages was rising from the kitchen, and she sat down at the large outdoor table to await the breakfast gong.
When it came, she and another passenger were first into the main cabin.
A tempting buffet was laid out on the counter which separated the narrow kitchen and the cozy sitting area.
From the main cabin, corridors led forward and aft, lined with ship-shaped sleeping quarters.
There were twelve passengers on the boat, along with three crew members, one of whom the second mate also served as chef.
Matti heaped her plate with fresh fruit and Turkish delicacies, then made her way on deck to the large table where everyone ate together.
A couple of other passengers had arrived now, and they all breakfasted companionably.
When she'd finished, Mattie took her dishes back down to the kitchen before settling herself to read on a shaded bench.
Soon.
She was so deeply absorbed in her story that she was surprised to hear the engine starting up, ready to carry them to their next destination.
This proved to be a wide, shallow cove, protected from the wind.
The surface of the water in this sheltered harbor was so smooth that it looked like glass, and it reflected the shore and the boat faithfully.
The captain informed the group of passengers that this cove was ideal for snorkeling and, if they were interested, he welcomed them to select snorkeling masks from a large chest at the front of the vessel.
Some of the passengers demurred for the time being, but Mattie replaced the bookmark in her novel and headed to the front of the boat at once.
She'd been looking forward to this stop.
She quickly located the chest of snorkeling equipment and then rummaged about a little before settling on the right mask for her.
It was old, of faded blue, but its glass was pristine and unscratched and it fit her face perfectly.
She put it over her head and took up her snorkel.
Then she walked over to a narrow plastic stairway that was attached to the side of the boat.
She descended a few wobbly steps to a platform just under the surface of the water.
Holding the rail, she stepped gingerly onto this platform, feeling the water come up over her feet and reach her ankles.
She pulled up the mask so it was in place over her eyes, and took the snorkel in her mouth.
Then she pushed off into the cool water, sending out waves that set the glass-like reflection dancing and shimmering around her.
Mattie lowered her face into the sea and a whole underwater world came into focus below and around her.
She breathed easily through the snorkel, to the accompaniment of a soft rushing sound as the air flowed up and down the tube.
The sandy bottom lay some little way below her.
It was hard to judge the distance underwater.
Shadows played over the sand in time with the ripples of the water's surface, and quiet rained.
She saw a flitting movement out of the corner of her eye.
Turning her head, Mattie witnessed a school of minnows darting by.
To her other side.
A few bigger fish drifted along more slowly, their silvery bodies shining with reflected light.
Gently kicking along, Mattie returned her gaze to the sea floor.
As she looked closer, she noticed activity there.
A creature with an elaborate shell was inching along the bottom, churning up a tiny cloud of sand as it moved.
A couple of long skinny needlefish swam in single file just above the sand, one leading the way, the other following on sedately.
The Aegean Sea, like the Mediterranean Sea it connects to, is saltier than most other seas, making it more buoyant.
This meant Mattie stayed afloat, without feeling she was even trying.
She let herself drift, and the currents moved her slowly and gently.
She saw a patch of seaweed below her, swaying with almost impossible grace in its silent underwater dance.
The quiet and drifting slowness of the underwater world seemed to seep inside her, calming her body and leaving her mind tranquil and at peace.
A flash of color caught her eye now, and Mattie looked to see a fish of incredible beauty swimming nearby.
It was small, but its patterns were so intricate and its colors so vibrant that Mattie held her breath for a moment.
Then she breathed out again, and drew in a deep, even breath through her snorkel.
She studied the fish carefully, joyfully, committing its delicate beauty to memory.
Its body was lime green, striped with black bands near its gills, and its head was turquoise.
The turquoise head was adorned with red lines and curlicues that curved and doubled back like a child's doodles filling a cramped paper.
Mattie floated in the water, admiring the decadent beauty of this bright rainbow fish.
She knew this was just one of hundreds of species of fish that made their home in these abundant waters.
The Mediterranean contains an exceptional array of life, and its eastern basin, which includes the Aegean Sea, is one of the most diverse areas.
The island studded, Aegean holds a parade of rich underwater habitats, from waving meadows of seagrass to deepwater coral reefs.
These in turn play home to dozens of marine mammals and sharks, from majestic sperm whales to elusive beaked whales.
Enormous sea turtles and rare Mediterranean monk seals also inhabit these waters, and the oddly ray-like angel shark.
Not to mention a wealth of fish that have fed human civilizations since prehistoric times.
Still watching the colourful rainbow fish, Mattie sees it flick its tail and swim off.
She turns to go as well.
Paddling around, she began to swim in the direction of the boat.
Then she reached the platform and climbed aboard, carrying the tranquility and wonder of the undersea world with her.
Next came lunch, as pleasant and satisfying as the other meals on the boat.
And after lunch they set off again, this time to cross a long stretch of open water to the other side of the large bay.
In the middle of the bay, the breezes were stronger.
So the captain did something he hadn't done so far.
He put up the sails and switched off the engines.
As the gentle drone of the motor fell away, it was replaced by the whispering rush of the wind against the sails, and an almost total serenity fell over the vessel.
The sound of the wind underscored the hush of the open water that Mattie remembered from their previous crossing of the bay on the first day of the cruise.
This hush, combined with the smoothly rolling motion of the craft, soothed Mattie.
It left her feeling light and at ease, in a way she rarely experienced on land.
She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the fresh wind, and exhaled joyfully.
She could have happily gone on this way all day, just speeding gently through the rushing quiet.
Nevertheless, they made good headway, and it was less than an hour before they reached the other side of the bay and turned into another tiny cove.
Yet this cove was so heart-renderingly lovely that she could forgive the time for passing and the captain for stopping their sail.
The cove was a charming little nook set in a forested shoreline from which they could catch no glimpse or sign of any human habitation, past or present.
For all they could see or hear.
They could have easily been the only people on Earth, the only inhabitants of a primordial world.
It was a perfect place to pass their final evening on board.
Mattie sat on the front deck for a while, watching the sun setting slowly behind the distant hills.
The group's last dinner on the boat was perhaps their most superb yet, but that wasn't what made it the most special.
It was marked by a warmth that came from the bond the passengers had forged after several days together in such cozy and charming quarters.
A lovely couple of hours passed at the table with the group enjoying the food, the setting and one another's company.
Then, towards the end of the lingering meal, One of the passengers brought up the idea of a night swim to finish off their adventure.
Mattie was more than willing.
Someone very special to her had once advised that any time she was considering taking a swim she should do it.
She would always be glad that she had.
And, what was more, there was a tradition that had come down through generations of her family never to leave a beach vacation with a dry swimsuit.
So she had more than one motivation to go along with the suggestion, despite the cooling night air and the gentle laziness that comes at the end of a pleasant meal and satisfying day.
She stood up, ready to seize the moment and take the plunge.
And after clearing away their dishes, Mattie and several others found themselves diving into the jet black water that was surprisingly warm against their cooled skin.
Mattie kicked away from the boat and opened her arms out wide in a slow breaststroke.
As she did so, sparkles erupted from her fingertips, glittering through the water like fairy dust.
The sparkles were bioluminescence illumination created by tiny plankton in the water, which emitted their own light when moved by her body.
She swam out across the dark sea, creating a twinkling trail through the water.
Then she treaded water for a while, slowly waving her arms and legs, sending out glittering streams with each movement.
Lifting her face slightly, she gazed up at the night sky.
Millions upon millions of stars shone in the darkness.
She looked around at the sparkling points of light both above and below her and Mattie felt the undeniable truth That the universe was full of light, of wonder, of astonishing beauty and utter tranquility.
Also, she felt how she was part of it all, an inextricable piece of the wonderfully mysterious fabric of the cosmos.
With all of this understanding flowing through her, Mattie moved her arms and legs slowly and dreamily through the glittering night.
And she gave thanks with all her soul for the very universe itself.
I don't know.
