In a quiet village toward the end of the autumn weather, an old soap maker named Vera Ashby has been chasing a single bar of soap for almost a year. She wants a rose and lavender bar that does not pretend to be a perfume, that does not sit on the skin like wet wool, that lingers instead the way a kettle lingers in a kitchen long after the water is poured. Every batch she has tried has failed her in some quiet way. Tonight she is beginning the hundred and forty-second batch, and there is a knock at the workshop door.In this episode, Thomas Bennett reads a slow, gentle story about craft, attention, and the small moments when something finally comes right after a long time of being nearly right. The episode follows Vera through one evening of making, the arrival of an apprentice she did not know she was waiting for, and the slow unfolding of a method that was lost in the way of remembering it. Suitable for drifting off, or for staying awake a little longer in a quiet room.The story is told at the pace of someone who has spent a lifetime boiling water for a living. It is about a recipe that is not really a recipe, about a teacher who is almost ready to retire, and about a young woman named Iris who arrives on the step in the wet weather with a canvas bag and a grandmother who used to buy the soap that never made her hands feel like wet wool.Chapters:0:00 — A Hundred and Forty-Second Batch2:20 — The Knock at the Door6:00 — The Apprentice in the Apron9:30 — The Recipe Book in the Drawer13:00 — The Bar That Will Not Come Right17:00 — The Wild Rose by the Fence20:00 — The Soap in the Morning22:30 — The Tin Chimney at DuskThis episode was crafted with care using AI tools for story creation and voice synthesis.DISCLAIMER 📢Bedtime Sleep Stories For Grownups is an independent production by HustleStudios. The stories and topics discussed are for entertainment and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect HustleStudios or its affiliates.Some names and details may be altered to protect privacy. Listener discretion advised. All content protected under copyright law.This episode might be ad-supported. Support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes, early access, and exclusive promos.👉 Check our Patreon👉 Or subscribe via Apple Podcasts📻 Listen to Hustle Studios Radio 24/7!🎧 radio.hustlestudios.net/live🔊 All our podcasts — playing back to back, anytime!

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