Sleep story
Rip Van Winkle
In a little village at the foot of the Kaatskill mountains lives Rip Van Winkle, a kind man loved by children and dogs alike, who would rather help a neighbor than tend his own farm. One bright autumn afternoon he climbs into the hills with his faithful dog Wolf, helps a strange little man carry a heavy keg, and finds a company of silent bearded men playing ninepins in a mountain hollow. A sweet drink sends him into a deep sleep that lasts twenty years. When he wakes with a long gray beard, his village has changed, his friends are gone, and the inn sign that once showed a king now shows General Washington. Gently retold for sleep, this episode follows Rip home to his daughter Judith, his grandchildren, and a quiet life by the fire, where time has moved on but kindness has stayed the same.
Rip Van Winkle (1819) by Washington Irving. Public domain in the USA (Project Gutenberg ebook 64636).