Good short bedtime stories for adults
10 Bedtime Stories for Adults to Help You Get Some Serious Shut Eye
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I’ve never been blessed with the ability to fall asleep fast. I have to toss and turn and click around on my phone for an hour at least before I can even attempt to get some shut eye. It drives me up the wall sometimes when I have an early morning or a big meeting the next day and all I can do is lie there.
Bedtime stories as a kid always helped me shorten that empty time between when I got in bed and when I actually fell asleep. But, as I’ve moved into adulthood, the fairytales and fables have been replaced with social media and mindless scrolling. I know, I know, this so does not help my inability to sleep. It’s hard to turn it off sometimes and sit in silence instead.
Which got me wondering, are there bedtime stories for adults that could take the place of those from my childhood? There are apps, I know, that play white noise or block notification or limit your screen time. But I wanted that feeling of being a kid and reading a nice, gentle story before bed.
If you’re in the same boat I am, seeking that same feeling but a little more grown up, try one of these bedtime short stories for adults to see if you can get some sleep.
“Whitefoot” by Wendell Berry
“Whitefoot” focuses on the life of a mouse much in a similar vein of the many fables your parents read you as a kid. Whitefoot the mouse encounters some tribulations, obstacles from the large world around her, but (spoiler alert) she gets out unscathed, ready to keep at it. It’s long, gentle, and beautiful. You’ll have images of little Whitefoot’s journey with you as you fall asleep.
“Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway
I’m sure many of you have read “Hills Like White Elephants” at some point in your school career. Masked in metaphor and implications, the surface level of the story is simply a conversation between a couple while waiting for their train. Sure, there’s subtext if you want to dig into it.
But, if you turn off your thinking brain and read the straightforward prose, you’ll be drifting off in no time.
“Ghosts and Empties” by Lauren Groff
Some of you may share a fondness for walking when you can’t sleep, much like the main character in “Ghosts and Empties.” She walks off her anger, her pent up feelings, through her neighborhood and the ones surrounding it. She ponders her neighbors, the people she sees, thinks about her home and her boys and her husband. If walking soothes you, this story will too.
“With the Beatles” by Haruki Murakami
“With the Beatles” traces a man’s discovery of The Beatles in his young adulthood through his life alongside his dating history. It has the feeling of remembering the first time you found your favorite band and how that love develops through your life, major events coinciding with new releases. You know that feeling when you play a song and remember where you were in life when you were obsessed with it? This story feels like that: nostalgic and comforting.
“The Book of Martha” by Octavia Butler
“The Book of Martha” is, at it’s core, about how to make a perfect world. Or, I guess, how difficult that is. God grants Martha the power to help humanity. But that proves much harder than she thought. In a careful exploration of belief, perfection, and humanity, “The Book of Martha” is sure to catch your attention without keeping you up too late. Plus, it’ll give you something to think through when you close your eyes, pushing those pesky daily worries out the window.
“Cousin Tribulation’s Story” by Louisa May Alcott
This short story set on New Year’s Day follows a family who sacrifice their meal to help their neighbors in need. It’s heartwarming and sure to restore your faith in humanity before you go to sleep. Plus, it’s only 800 words! You won’t be up late into the night to find out what happens, and you’re sure to have a smile on your face when you do.
“Bruce and the Spider” by James Baldwin
This quick, fable-like story follows a king as he watches a spider.
The spider keeps failing to connect her web, and the king, also having failed in battle, sympathizes with her. But she keeps trying, and so he decides to take her cues and try again himself. It’s sure to inspire you in its simplicity and put you to sleep with it too.
“Instructions” by Neil Gaiman
This is more of a poem, and intended for a younger audience perhaps, but the rhythm is sure to lull you no matter your age. As the title implies, “Instructions” is a list of, well, instructions on how to leave home, how to interact with the world, and how to come back again. You’ll meet an imp, an old woman, a ferryman, an eagle, and ghosts in time. You’ll pick strawberries and return favors and grow up in your time away. This is one of those bedtime stories for adults and children alike.
“Kew Gardens” by Virginia Woolf
This short stories centers around the Kew Gardens in London on a summer day. Various pairs of people walk past the flowers, each lost in their own thoughts.
A young couple, a pair of men, and an elderly couple meander through the narrative. A snail makes an appearance as it climbs a flower. The story is gentle and slow, making it perfect to help you drift off tonight.
“A Telephone Call” by Dorothy Parker
“A Telephone Call” is a sweet, light-hearted story of a woman waiting by the phone. That’s it. Much the same way we wait for that text or Snapchat now, the main character sits beside the telephone waiting for a man to call. The internal monologue and lack of much else won’t raise the blood pressure or keep you too engaged. You’ll sleep, maybe thinking of your own telephone call.
I hope these bedtime stories for adults helped you get some shut eye. If you’re still looking for something low-key or soothing, try these comforting books for hard times or these comforting comics, if those are more your speed. You can also be read to sleep with these soothing audiobooks to fall asleep to.
Best Bedtime Stories To Help You Fall Asleep
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16 short FAIRY TALES FOR ADULTS that make me burn! (18+)
1. A joint French-Russian fairy tale about patriotism
Papa Dubois had three sons: the elder Jacques, the middle Jules and the younger Jean the Fool.
It's time for them to get married. They went out to the Champs Elysees and began to shoot in different directions. Jacques hit the deputy of the National Assembly, but he was already married.
Jules got into the cure, but religion does not allow him to marry.
And Jean the Fool hit a frog, and in fact he didn't hit that one, but missed. The frog tried to explain to him in Russian that she was really a princess, and turned into a frog so as not to stand for a visa at the embassy, but Jean was a Frenchman and did not understand Russian. He cooked a frog according to an old recipe and became a chef in a Parisian restaurant.
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Moral: girls, sit in your native swamp and don't croak. There is nothing for you to do on the Champs Elysees. And we have enough fools at home.
2. Sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka
Once upon a time there was a sister Alyonushka and brother Ivanushka. Alyonushka was smart and hardworking, and Ivanushka was an alcoholic. How many times did his sister tell him: “Don’t drink, Ivanushka, you will become a goat!” But Ivanushka did not listen and drank. Once he bought some singed vodka in a stall, drank it and felt that he could no longer stand on two legs, he had to lower himself by four points. And just then the shameful wolves come up to him and say: “Well, the goat, did you drink it?”. And so they hit him on the horns that he threw back his hooves ...
And his sister Alyonushka got his apartment, because good always triumphs over evil!
3. Arabic folk tale "Ilyich and Aladdin"
In a certain sultanate, in a certain emirate, Aladdin lived.
Once he found an old lamp in a landfill and decided to clean it. As soon as he began to rub, a genie came out of the lamp, and let's fulfill wishes. Well, Aladdin himself, of course, ordered the palace
, to marry the princess, the magic carpet is the six hundredth and all. In short, since then, all Aladdin's problems have become a light bulb. Just a little - rub it and dictate the conditions to the genie. And then one day he went on a cruise, and left his wife at home. And then a man walks down the street and shouts - "I am changing old lamps for new ones!" nine0005
Well, the wife was delighted and changed Aladdin's lamp for Ilyich's lamp. And how much later Aladdin did not rub this light bulb, Ilyich did not get out of there and did not fulfill his desire. This is how technological progress defeated the backward Asian superstitions.
4. About the tail
Once a fox stole a whole load of fish from a peasant. Sits and eats. And a hungry wolf comes out of the forest.
“Fox, give me fish!” “Go and catch it yourself,” the fox replies. "But as? I don’t even have a fishing rod,” says the wolf. “I don’t have one either,” said the fox, “but I threw my tail into the hole, so I caught it.” "Thanks for the idea!" - the wolf was delighted, tore off the tail of the fox and went fishing. nine0005
5. Seaside folk tale about the Old Man and the Golden Fish
There lived an old man with his old woman near the blue sea. The old man threw a seine into the sea, a seine came, and there - a pike. "What the heck? the old man was surprised. — Like a goldfish should be. I'm not Emelya, after all. “That's right,” the pike replied. - We worked with the goldfish for a long time in one sector of the market.
And just recently, the board of directors reached an agreement on the takeover of one enterprise by another.” And the pike burped satedly. nine0005
6. A folk tale near Moscow about the wrong personnel policy
Once upon a time there was a pop - a thick forehead.
He had his own business, his own clientele, and there was only one assistant, and even that one was a bullshit. But nothing, the pop coped. Moreover, the assistant worked for a long time literally for this - well, bullshit, what do you say. However, even
and the bulldozer ran out of patience. “Master,” he says, “when are you going to pay?”
And the priest answers him: "Go to hell!". Well, the bastard went. And he sold all the trade secrets of the priest to the devil. The devil then enticed all the clients from the priest, and he went bankrupt. And serve him right. Because the staff should be paid on time, not wait,
while they flick you in the forehead.
7. Petersburg folk tale about a smart old woman
A soldier was walking home from service. He knocked on the way to a house. “Let me in,” he says, “to spend the night, masters.” And in the house lived a greedy old woman. “Spend the night, sleep,” she said, “only I have nothing to treat you with.
” “It doesn’t matter,” the soldier replied, “just give me an ax, and I’ll cook porridge out of it.” “What are you, a soldier,” the old woman was indignant, “do you think I’m completely stupid? What am I going to chop wood with later? So the soldier remained without salty slurping. By the way, his name was Rodion Raskolnikov. nine0005
8. A man and a bear. Moldovan folk tale.
Somehow a man decided to organize a joint venture with a bear. "What we are going to do?" the bear asks. “This year - to grow wheat,” the man replies. "How to share?" "It is known how: my tops, your roots." "He's coming," the bear agreed. They grew wheat, the peasant took all the tops for himself, sold, sits and rejoices, counts money ... And then a bear came and brought his roots ...
9. Moscow folk tale about money and whistling
Somehow the Nightingale the Robber wanted to get gold and silver. He went to Koshchei the Deathless to offer security services.
Koschei got angry, unleashed an unclean force on him - the Nightingale left a little alive. Then he went to the Serpent Gorynych to demand a ransom
. The Serpent was angry, blazed with fire - the Nightingale barely took his legs. He goes sad, he sees - towards Baba Yaga. He thought at least to get money from her, but Yaga departed with a bone leg so that the white light became not nice to the Nightingale. Then he wept bitterly, and Yaga took pity on him. nine0005
“Go,” she said, “to the road, and bury yourself there in the green bushes. When you see a person passing by - whistle with all your might, he will give you money.
The Nightingale listened to the advice of the wise, but since then he has not known the need. That's how traffic cops started up in Rus'.
10. Medical folk tale about Koshchei and a healthy lifestyle.
Ivan Tsarevich married a stupid frog… no, not like that. Ivan the Fool married the frog princess, and she ran away from him with Koshchei.
Ivan was offended and decided to kill Koshchei. How long, how short Ivan walked around the world - he came to Baba Yaga. nine0009 - Where are you going, good fellow? Yaga asks.
- Well, grandmother, you didn’t get drunk - you didn’t feed, but you ask? Ivan says.
“You are a fool, you are a fool,” replies Yaga. How can I feed you if you haven't washed your hands?
Ivan washed his hands, told Yaga about his misfortune. And Yaga answered him:
- The death of Koshcheev is in the needle, the needle is in the egg, the egg is in the duck, and the duck in hospital number 8 is under the bed.
Ivan went to hospital #8, found a duck, broke an egg and put Koshchei on a needle. This is where Koshchei ends. Drug addiction, it does not bring anyone to good. nine0005
11. Spanish folk tale about the sleeping beauty.
Once upon a time there was a king and a queen, and they had a daughter. And they arranged a ball, and invited everyone there, except for the most harmful fairy, because they knew that she would come anyway.
The most harmful fairy came and said: “Are you happy? Oh well. But when the
princess turns 18, she will become a drug addict and inject herself with such a dose that she will pass out and not come to her senses. The princess turned 18 years old, she became a drug addict, injected herself and did not come to her senses. And the king and queen, courtiers
and the servants took a sedative out of grief and also passed out. And gradually all the roads to the castle were overgrown with a dense forest. A hundred years later, a handsome prince rode past and asked what kind of reserve it was. The good people told him the whole story and added that only then would the princess come out of the blackout when the handsome prince kissed her. The prince bravely rode through the dense forest, entered the castle, took the key to the treasury from the king's neck, loaded all the gold and diamonds on his horse and rode back. And he didn't kiss the princess, no. In fact, why does he need a drug addict? nine0005
12.
Marriage-frog
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, a father had three sons - two stupid ones, and the third was none at all. The father decided to marry them. He took me out into the yard and ordered to shoot whoever hit where. The first son fired and hit the air. The second shot -
hit the police. The third shot - hit the grandmas. Father spat in his hearts, gave each a frog and went to sleep. And what kind of frog gender, and did not check ... In general, it turned out badly.
13. Danish folk tale about a little mermaid
Once upon a time there was a little mermaid somewhere in the outback. And she wanted to be a pop star. She went to the witch.
“That can be arranged,” the witch says, “only you give me your vote.”
- No problem, - the little mermaid answers, - why do I need it? You, most importantly, make your legs longer.
— Okay, — the witch agreed, — just keep in mind, if you don’t spin, you will become sea foam.
And what do you think, did it become foam? No matter how! For a month now, he has been holding the top lines in the charts. And this is no longer a fairy tale, but the harsh truth of life ...
14. Administrative folk tale about a traveling frog
Once upon a time there was a frog. She lived in her swamp and saw nothing but mud. And her duck neighbors traveled abroad every year. Well, the frog, of course, also wanted to, so she persuaded the ducks to take her with them. She clung to the twig with her mouth
, and the ducks picked it up with their beaks and flew away. And from below, the heron looks and is surprised: “Wow, what clever ducks! Such a method of transportation was invented!
“These are not ducks, I am smart!” the frog screamed and fell back into the swamp. Then the heron ate it. Moral: we, of course, have freedom of speech, but if you want to fly high, keep your mouth shut. And they won't eat it.
15. Administrative folk tale "Winnie the Pooh and all-all-all"
Somehow they appointed Winnie the Pooh in the forest to manage the household.
He took Eeyore and Piglet as his deputies. And he put Rabbit to work, because he is the smartest.
But no matter how hard the Rabbit tried, under the leadership of Winnie the Pooh, the economy still fell apart. They began looking for the culprit. Went to Winnie the Pooh. He says, “What about me? Look what deputies I have - one donkey, the other a pig! nine0009 They come to Eeyore and Piglet. They say, “What are we? Look at our boss - he has sawdust in his head!” In general, in the end, the Rabbit was given in the ears. And everyone else was given a hat. From rabbit fur. Another
play was written about this, “Woe from Wit” is called.
16. Untitled
There lived a king with his queen near the blue sea. They lived and lived, but they had no children. And the king says to the queen:
- Bake me, queen, a bun! nine0009 - Completely fucked up, or what? the queen answers. — What am I to you, cook?
- Oh, you, - the king was offended, - but I took you as a simple Cinderella, shod and dressed you, brought you into people .
..
And the fairy tale does not end here at all. Their fairy tale ended on the second day after the wedding ...
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Magic stories for adults | Mom's fairy tales
Posted on December 1, 2018. Comments: 1.
Category: Magical stories for adults Tags: fairy tale for adults, therapeutic fairy tales, philosophical fairy tale.
Once upon a time there was a mother. Mom was good. She loved her children more than life! She gave herself all to them: she fed, played, told fairy tales, fulfilled all their whims, protected them from tears. She often forgot about herself - she so wanted to please her children. And she pushed her husband into the background, explained to him that children are more important now - they will grow up, then there will be time for their relationship.
One night, a mother was poring over a new warm sweater for her daughter, and she herself did not notice how her sleep there on an armchair with knitting needles in her hands overcame her.
And now she dreams ... Read more
Posted on October 4, 2018. 2 comments
Once upon a time there was a happy chance. He walked around the world with his knapsack, and if he met kind and good people who were in need, he would definitely help them. Once he was sitting in a roadside tavern, drinking tea with bagels and looking at people. Suddenly, two people sat down at the next table. Lucky chance listened to their conversation. One told about his family: a good wife, children, household chores, that in the spring he was going to add another room to the house, as they were waiting for the appearance of a third, and various other household chores. Another complained: the roof was leaking, his wife was constantly sawing that there was no money, and that he would not fix the roof in any way. And how will he fix it without money, if there is nothing to buy the material for? nine0005
Lucky Chance took pity on him. I decided to help the man. At the same moment, the door of the tavern opened and a man came in, tired, dirty, and immediately went to the table of those two.
Read more
Posted on October 30, 2017. Comments: 1.
Category: Magical stories for adults Tags: fairy tales, fairy tales for adults, funny fairy tales, Halloween.
I didn't write this tale for a blog, but it fits the occasion very well. Happy and fun reading! Follow the link for other Halloween themed tales. Drawing of my beloved Zhenya Yasnaya. nine0005
Tale of a funny incident
A lot of talk these days is about the overseas holiday, Halloween is called. Zealous opponents call it pagan and believe that celebrating it is the same as trampling on the foundations of Orthodoxy. Supporters, on the other hand, assure that the religious overtones have long since left it, and people are having fun, dressing up in “creepy” costumes in order to show any evil spirits there that we are not afraid of you.
That's how a boots factory in a northern town decided to introduce a new tradition and hold a “Halloween-style” party for employees.
Read more
Posted on March 15, 2017. Comments 3.
Category: Fairy tales for adults Tags: fairy tales for adults.
There is absolutely no time to write something new, I take it out of my stash. I also wrote this fairy tale for adults for one marathon on Instagram. The task was to combine the following words "chest", "ficus", "baritone", "misalliance" in one story. Here's what happened. As an illustration, the painting by Lyudmila Ostapets “The Universe. Wisdom". It was very difficult to name the fairy tale. Stopped at this one. nine0005
Beginning
When dusk falls on the earth and the first stars twinkle in the sky, She inhales the tart aroma of the approaching night, spreads her naughty hair over her shoulders, like a herd of wild horses, and raises her eyes to the vaulted ceiling. On it you can read the entire history of mankind.
— Madam, are you ready? the maid asks.
- Wait, I need to tune in to the strings of fate.
A minute, another - She already hears the unhurried footsteps of the approaching night and the cry of newborn babies. nine0154 Read more
Posted on February 17, 2017. Comments 9.
Category: Magical stories for adults Tags: magic, winter tales, short tales, fairy tales, fairy tales for adults.
I also wrote this adult story for the marathon on Instagram. I hasten to share with you, while the winter mood is not gone yet. After all, spring is coming soon .... By the way, the story is written without a single adjective. As an illustration, a painting by Richard Savoy.
Miracle under the lamppost
Street. Lamp. Young woman. She stands, freezes, wraps herself in a scarf. I also forgot my gloves at home!
Snowflakes are spinning and falling, falling, silvering under the light of a lantern.
“No, he didn't come again,” she shakes her head. – Once again, he didn’t come! What will he come up with this time? Visited an employee in the hospital? Did you help your neighbor open the door? Rescuing a kitten from a drain? And, like a fool, I suppose I will believe him again.
Well, what kind of fool am I, what kind of fool am I? And my mother spoke, of course, she spoke. It would be better to be silent. Read more
Posted on December 8, 2016. Comments 2.
Category: Magical stories for adults Tags: for adults and adults, fairy tales, fairy tales for adults, philosophical tales, Halloween.
I wrote this fairy tale for a contest on instagram, but I just can't help but share it on my blog. How I love lighthouses! I already have one fairy tale about the lighthouse. And with this fairy tale I begin the section “Tales not for kids”. In it I will publish fairy tales for teenagers and adults. Although, in principle, this tale can be read with younger students. In fact, I just can’t think of a name for the rubric, so if you have ideas, write. nine0005
The lighthouse and the ghost
The old lighthouse keeper passed away ten years ago. Since then, the lighthouse has not been lit again.
