Catnap (Encore)

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“Hi, I'm Catherine Nikolai, and if you're looking for something gentle to listen to, that”

isn't news or true crime or self-improvement, I made this for you.

Always from the village of nothing much is like easy listening, but for fiction, cozy,

warm, calm stories about ordinary moments that feel a little magical. They're grounding, soothing, and quietly uplifting, without being cheesy. Relaxing, without putting you to sleep, and just dreamy enough to remind you that they're still sweetness in everyday life. Stick for your commute while you're tidying up, or when you want a little escape, that

feels simple and good. Search for stories from the village of nothing much, wherever you listen.

You already know how much good sleep matters, because when you sleep while everything

feels a little easier, your mood, your focus, even how your body feels the next day. And when you don't, I can feel like you're dragging that tiredness with you everywhere.

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been using as part of my own wine-down routine, and which I gifted to another friend today. What I appreciate about it is that it's designed to help your body ease into rest, rather than knocking you out, or leaving you groggy the next morning. The sleep bundle combines two formulas that work together to support deeper, more restorative sleep.

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I take them about an hour before bed. Usually, while I'm dimming the lights, getting into my reading, I like that they work with my natural sleep rhythms, and I wake up feeling rested, not foggy, and that makes a big difference. Right now, the sleep bundle is already 10% off, and you can take an additional 20% off

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You feel good, and then you fall asleep, I'm Katherine Nikolai, I write and read all the stories you hear on nothing much happens, audio engineering is by Bob Widdersheim. We are bringing you an on-court episode tonight, meaning that this story originally aired at some point in the past, it could have been recorded with different equipment in a different location, and since I'm a person, and not a computer, I sometimes

sound just slightly different, but the stories are always soothing and family friendly,

and our wishes for you are always deep-brast and sweet dreams. Especially at night, your mind can spin and spiral with thoughts, and you need a way to lift

“the needle off the record, to find some stillness and peace, and that's what the story is for.”

I'll read it twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through. Just follow along with the sound of my voice and the simple shape of the tail, and before you know it, you'll be waking up tomorrow, feeling rested and refreshed. Our story tonight is called Catnap, and it's a story about Marmalade, the Cat, and Crumb, the Dog, as they find ways to play through the winter.

A pup cub, then joyed on a heated patio, and a suitcase, ready to be packed.

Now switch off your light, set down anything you've been looking at, snuggle down into your sheets, and pull your comforter up over your shoulder.

“You are safe. There's nothing you need to remember or stay on top of.”

You can let everything go. Take a slow, deep breath in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Again, bring it in. Out with sound, good. Catnap, Marmalade was dozing in her spot by the window.

She'd been too small to climb up to it, that first winter when I found her.

A tiny orange kitten out in the snow. But the following autumn, the first day the boiler had kicked on, and the radiators began to circulate warmth. She'd discovered it. A broad flat shelf built over the radiator, and right beside a big picture window, she could lay her soft belly against the wood, when feel the heat rising up.

As she looked out at the birds in the branches, pure kitty heaven.

“Plus, and I think this was a big plus, crumb couldn't reach her there.”

Crumb, my little brown dog, with a snaggle tooth, and a lion's mane of delightfully disheveled fur, adored Marmalade. He brought her his toys and waited for her at dinner time, shifting excitedly from paw to paw, as her plate was set down beside his. While Marmy frequently pretended not to notice any of this, I saw that they snuggled together under the blanket at night, and that she cleaned his face in years each day.

“We were a little family, the three of us, and I loved our life.”

Crumb and I took walks most days, though lately the icy sidewalks had made them less fun. I'd bought him booties to protect his paws, which went about as well as you might imagine. He'd stood at the door alternating between shaking out each leg and freezing in place, as if we were playing red light green light. We'd made it about 20 feet down the sidewalk, before we'd abandoned the whole idea, and since then waited for dry days to go on walks.

Instead, I found some other ways to entertain all of us over the winter. I'd grown a potful of cat nip on the window sale in the kitchen, and in the afternoons, when we all needed to pick me up. I'd rub a leaf along Marmylade's scratching post, and over her tiny toy mice. And Crumb and I would watch her go from sleepy and disinterested to wild attack cat in a flash.

I found out Crumb enjoyed car rides, and once a week or so we'd head out to do some errands together.

that he made everyone laugh and fallen love with him. In fact, if I showed up at the hardware store

“without him, the clerks would peer over the counter, and listen for the scrabble of his paws on”

the lenolium, asking, "Where's Crumb?" They kept biscuits by the register for him, and those days out had become a long buffet of treats for Crumb. We'd often ended our favorite coffee shop, which had a covered patio with heaters, and a walk-up, dog-friendly window. I'd get my macho with soy.

Crumb would get his pup-cup with biscuit garnish, and we'd find a table in the sun.

He'd scramble up onto my lap, and we'd enjoy our quiet time together. Whenever we got home from those days out, Marmalade would meet us at the door,

“thoroughly sniff Crumb, as if to assure herself. He hadn't been anywhere he shouldn't have,”

then turned her tail, and had backed our spot in the window. We'd also had more play-dates with birdie, the sweet giant Greyhound,

whom Marmalade had known since she was a kitten.

Birdie's favorite thing to do was sleep, so when he and his dad came over, it was often for a quiet day, and sighed together. In fact, those days together had grown, more frequent, in the last couple of months. We'd started without even noticing, to spend every Friday night, all five of us, watching movies on the giant sofa in my living room, waiting for takeout to be delivered,

or cooking together in the kitchen. It had grown slowly, organically, this feeling of being together, being more natural, more comfortable than being apart. And now, Birdie had his own bed beside the others, and his own bowl in the kitchen. He ate different kibble than crumb, and I'd bought a big bag of it from the pet store,

to keep in my pantry, talk about commitment. I went to pet Marmalade in her spot at the window, and she woke as I laid a hand in her fur. She snuggled her head up into my palm, as I rubbed her ears, and scratched down her back. I started to tell her about something we had planned.

“I think crumb already knew, since she'd found my suitcase open in the middle of the bedroom,”

and had sat in it, and frowned for a while. Now, Marmy, I said, leaning down to talk quietly to her. You've got to be a big girl, a good big sister. You know how crumb looks up to you. Her tail flicked when she began to purer.

You and crumb and birdie. You're going to spend a few days with a friend. You know her, the nice lady at the in. She's going to take care of you all when you're going to have fun there. Birdie's dad and I will only be gone a few days,

She turned, and looked at me shrewdly,

“then faced back to the window, where a bright yellow bird,”

with a swath of black crosses wings, and behold, yellow eyebrow sat, an evening grass beak, a rare, pretty bird, but seemed auspicious. Crumb pranced over, and I scooped him up, so he could look out as well. I was excited for our trip.

We were headed somewhere sunny, where we could walk on the beach,

and see how this little spark we'd started, my grow.

“And I was also nervous to leave the animals.”

The in-keeper had jumped at the chance to host them. As they were still closed for the season, and she'd mentioned she'd been thinking about getting an animal friend. So, we'd all of us be testing things this next week or so. I'd pack up my own bag with sandals and sundresses and books to read on the beach,

and then I'd pack up their little bags with their favorite blankies and toys and kibble, and tomorrow, we'd drop them off at the end.

“I imagined them running through the halls,”

crumb chasing a toy down the length of the ballroom, and marmalade, preening among the houseplants in the library. I was excited to go and already excited to come back home again. Katnab. Marmalade was dozing in her spot by the window.

She'd been too small to climb up to it.

That first winter when I found her.

A tiny orange kitten out in the snow. But the following autumn, the first day the boiler I'd kicked on. And the radiators began to circulate warmth. She'd discovered it. A broad, flat shelf built over the radiator and right beside a big picture window.

She could lay her soft belly against the wood and feel the heat rising up. As she looked out at the birds in the branches, pure kitty heaven. Plus, and I think this was a big plus. Crumb couldn't reach her there. Crumb, my little brown dog, with a snaggle tooth and a lion's mane,

of delightfully disheveled fur, a dourd marmalade. He brought her his toys and waited for her at dinner time. Shifting excitedly from paw to paw. As her plate was set down beside his. While Marmy frequently pretended not to notice any of this.

I saw them snuggled together under the blanket at night. Her cleaning his face in years each day. We were a little family, the three of us.

Crumb and I took walks, most days.

“Though lately the icy sidewalks had made them less fun.”

I bought him little booties to protect his paws, which went about as well as you might imagine. He'd stood at the door, alternating between shaking out each leg and freezing in place, as if we were playing red light, green light. We'd made it about 20 feet down the sidewalk,

before we'd abandoned the whole idea.

And since then, waited for dry days to go for walks.

Instead, I found some other ways to entertain all of us over the winter.

“I'd grown a pot full of cat nip on the window cell in the kitchen.”

And in the afternoons, when we all needed a pick-me-up. I'd rub a leaf along Marmy's scratching post and over her tiny toy mice. And Crumb and I would watch her go from sleepy and disinterested to wild attack cat in a flash. I found out Crumb enjoyed car rides.

And once a week or so, we'd head out to do some errands together.

He quickly became a favorite customer at several of our stops. He was such a natural ham that he made everyone laugh and fall in love with him.

“In fact, if I showed up at the hardware store without him,”

the clerks would pier over the counter. I'd listen for the scrabble of his paws on the linoleum, asking, "Where's Crumb?" They kept biscuits by the register for him. And those days had become a long buffet of treats for Crumb.

We'd often end at our favorite coffee shop, which had a covered patio with heaters and a walk-up dog friendly window. I'd get my macho with soy. Crumb would get his pup-cup with biscuit garnish and we'd find a table in the sun.

He'd scramble up onto my lap and we'd enjoy our quiet time together. When we got home from those days out, Marmalade would meet us at the door, thoroughly sniff Crumb as if to assure herself.

He hadn't been anywhere. He shouldn't have. Then turn her tail and head back to her spot in the window. We'd also had more play dates with birdie. The sweet giant Greyhound, whom Marmalade had known since she was a kitten.

Birdie's favorite thing to do was sleep. So when he and his dad came over, it was often for a quiet day inside together. In fact, those days together, I'd grown more frequent in the last couple of months.

We'd started without even noticing,

All five of us watching movies on the giant sofa in my living room,

“waiting for takeout to be delivered or cooking together in the kitchen.”

It had grown slowly, organically this feeling of being together, being more natural, more comfortable than being apart. And now Birdie had his own bed beside the others,

and his own bowl in the kitchen.

He ate different kibble than crumb,

and I'd bought a big bag of it from the pet store to keep in my pantry. Talk about commitment.

“I went to pet Marmalade in her spot at the window,”

and she woke as I laid a hand in her fur, she snuggled her head up into my palm. As I rubbed her ears and scratched down her back,

I started to tell her about something we had planned.

I think crumb already knew, since he'd found my suitcase open in the middle of the bedroom, and had sat in it and frowned for a while. Now, Marmy, I said, meaning down to talk quietly to her.

You've got to be a big girl,

“a good big sister, you know how crumb looks up to you.”

Her tail flicked and she began to fur. You and crumb and birdie were going to spend a few days with a friend. You know her, the nice lady at the end. She's going to take care of you all, and you're going to have fun there.

Birdie's dad and I will only be gone for a few days, and we'll bring you back something nice. She turned, and looked at me shrewdly, then faced back to the window, where bright yellow bird,

with a swath of black across his wings, and bold yellow eyebrow sat, an evening grassbeak, a rare, pretty bird, had seemed auspicious. Crumb pranced over, and I scooped him up,

so he could look out as well. I was excited for a trip. We were headed somewhere sunny, where we could walk on the beach, and see how this little spark we'd started,

my grow. And I was also a little nervous to leave the animals. The in-keeper had jumped at the chance to host them. As they were still closed for the season. And she'd mentioned,

she'd been thinking about getting an animal friend. So we'd all of us be testing things this next week or so.

and books to read on the beach.

And then I'd pack up their little bags

“with their favorite blankies and toys and kibble.”

And tomorrow we'd drop them off at the end.

I imagine them running through the halls,

“crumb chasing a toy down the length of the ballroom,”

and marmalade preening among the houseplants in the library.

I was excited to go,

“and already excited to come back home again.”

Sweet dreams.