Hi, I'm Zoe, and welcome to Big Zees, sleep stories for grownups.

And tonight I'll take you to a place that doesn't show up on any map, a place that floats between memory and imagination,

a peaceful drifting market where everything you forgot is waiting to be found again.

But first, let's help your body sink into stillness. We'll try a three, two, one, sensory countdown.

A gentle technique to guide your attention inward.

Start by noticing three things you can feel.

Maybe the sheets against your skin, the weight of your body, the airing your face.

Now notice two things you can hear.

Perhaps the soft hush of the room or the distant sounds in this recording.

And finally, bring your attention to one thing you can imagine, a colour, a shape, or a place that makes you feel calm.

Let that imagined place begin to open and let it carry you towards sleep. Now the tide is coming in and the

floating market is waiting.

It begins with water.

You're stepping onto a small wooden boat, bobbing gently near a misty shoreline.

The boat knows where to go.

You don't need to steer.

You simply sit, wrap a soft shawl around your shoulders, and let the journey begin.

The tide carries you gently forward, past lily pads the size of tables,

past giant silver coi that drift just below the surface,

and soon the mist parts,

revealing a floating city of boats, lanterns and soft swaying bridges.

This is the market of forgotten things.

...