Welcome to Drift Off, bedtime stories to help you unwind, relax and drift off.

Thank you for joining me.

I'm your host Joanne and it's a pleasure helping you get restful sleep.

I created this podcast because I wanted to provide a quiet space for comfort for my listeners.

Life can get really busy and I want this podcast to be a soft place to land at the end of the day

where you feel safe and cozy as I read you a bedtime story to help you unwind and relax

as you ease into a restful night's sleep.

So if you're enjoying the podcast and want to support the show so that we can continue to bring you even more sleepy bedtime stories,

we've created a premium membership where you can enjoy relaxing, intro and ad-free listening,

two monthly bonus episodes as well as access to a monthly guided sleep relaxation or sleep hypnosis

that you can use at bedtime to help you sleep.

Go sign up at driftoff.supercast.com or see the link in the show notes.

That's driftoff.supercast.com

Tonight I will be reading from the Mata book series by Enis Haynes Irwin published in 1909.

The story is about a sweet little girl named Mata who is sickly in lame.

Her father is well known to be one of the most wealthiest men in America.

He decides to buy her a little shop in Charleston, Massachusetts to give her a purpose and to help restore her health.

However, he has one condition that she not tell anyone who she is or who her father is.

And for the first time in her life, Mata makes wonderful new friends because they think she's just an ordinary girl.

And so, as always, my friend, settling comfortably into the covers.

Take a slow, comfortable breath.

And as you exhale, relax and let go.

...