Jules
Chapter 9: Sharing your experience
Jules is no longer afraid of the dark… but his friend Théo is. What if Jules could show him that the night isn't scary at all?
Reading difficulty
Jules is proud. He has overcome his fear of the dark and feels stronger.
Tonight, his friend Théo is coming to see him in his workshop.
Théo usually asks a lot of questions about Jules' inventions. But tonight, he seems worried.
— Jules… have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised by this question.
— Before, yes. But now I understand the dark better and it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighs.
— I'm afraid of shadows. They move in my room.
Jules understands his friend. He grabs his notebook and looks for his notes on the fear of the dark.
— We're going to analyze all of this, like a scientific experiment!
They go into Jules' room. He turns off the light and switches on a flashlight. He shines it on a pile of books. A large shadow appears on the wall.
— Look. It looks like a monster, but it's just my books.
Théo puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow becomes gigantic on the wall. He laughs.
— That's right! Shadows are just reflections!
Jules gives him a blank notebook.
— Every evening, write down what you observe. You'll see, you won't be afraid anymore.
Théo leaves with his notebook, happy to begin his investigation into the night.
Jules smiled. His experience could help others.
Tonight, his friend Théo is coming to see him in his workshop.
Théo usually asks a lot of questions about Jules' inventions. But tonight, he seems worried.
— Jules… have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised by this question.
— Before, yes. But now I understand the dark better and it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighs.
— I'm afraid of shadows. They move in my room.
Jules understands his friend. He grabs his notebook and looks for his notes on the fear of the dark.
— We're going to analyze all of this, like a scientific experiment!
They go into Jules' room. He turns off the light and switches on a flashlight. He shines it on a pile of books. A large shadow appears on the wall.
— Look. It looks like a monster, but it's just my books.
Théo puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow becomes gigantic on the wall. He laughs.
— That's right! Shadows are just reflections!
Jules gives him a blank notebook.
— Every evening, write down what you observe. You'll see, you won't be afraid anymore.
Théo leaves with his notebook, happy to begin his investigation into the night.
Jules smiled. His experience could help others.
Jules is proud of himself. He managed to sleep without his inventions, even far from home. He feels stronger, as if he had conquered uncharted territory. But he doesn't expect this experience to be useful to anyone else.
Tonight, Jules is tinkering with a new invention in his workshop. Théo comes to visit him.
Usually, Théo loves watching Jules build his machines and asks a thousand questions about circuits and gears. But tonight, he seems preoccupied. He plays with the end of his sleeve, looks at the ground, hesitates.
— Jules… can I ask you a slightly strange question?
Jules puts down his screwdriver and nods his head.
- Of course !
Théo hesitated for a moment.
— Have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised. He wasn't expecting that question, especially coming from Théo, who loves observing the world and understanding how everything works. But he remembers that just a few weeks ago, he didn't dare sleep without a light.
— Before, yes. But I've learned to understand the dark better, and now it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighed and sat down on a stool.
— Even though I know that black is "nothing," I don't like it. I know it's just the absence of light… but sometimes, when everything is turned off, I feel like shadows are moving all by themselves.
Jules understands exactly what Théo is feeling. But he also knows that simply saying "It's okay" won't make the fear disappear. He has to help him see the night differently.
He thought for a moment, then grabbed his notebook and turned the pages to his list of steps that helped him overcome his fear of the dark.
— You know what? We're going to do like me: we're going to analyze all of this.
Théo narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
— Analyze? Like a scientific experiment?
— Exactly. To understand something, you have to observe it, test it, and draw conclusions.
— Okay… but where do we start?
Jules thought about it.
— First of all, what scares you about the dark?
Théo crosses his arms and thinks.
— The shadows, especially. Sometimes they look like bizarre shapes.
Jules smiled.
— I used to be afraid of shadows too. But I learned that they're just distorted reflections of objects we already know. Come on, I'll show you something.
They go up to Jules's room. He turns off the light and switches on a small flashlight. He shines it towards a pile of books and a large shadow appears on the wall.
— Look at that. It looks like a monster, doesn't it?
Théo watches and nods.
— Yes… but it’s just your books, actually.
— Exactly. Shadows are like illusions. They are just stretched shapes. A shadow can appear immense, but it comes from a very small object.
Théo reaches out and puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow grows larger on the wall.
— That's true! My fingers look like they're gigantic!
He laughs, then thinks.
— Okay, so the shadows are just reflections. But what about the sounds?
Jules smiled.
— Ah, that's like a game! I've learned to recognize every sound in the house. The creaking of the wood, the wind in the shutters, even the cat wandering around… Everything has an explanation.
Théo nods, his scientific mind in action.
— So… instead of imagining things, I have to try to understand every noise and look for a logical explanation?/>
- Exactly !
Jules leans over his desk, grabs a blank notebook and hands it to Théo.
— Here. This will be your journal of nocturnal discoveries. Every evening, write down what you observe and analyze the shadows and sounds. You'll see that in a few days, you won't find them so frightening anymore.
Theo's eyes light up.
— Like an investigative journal about the night?
— Yes! You will be a scientist of darkness.
Théo heads home with his notebook under his arm, eager to begin his observations. Jules closes his own notebook with a smile.
He thought he was facing his fear of the dark for himself. But today, he understands that his experience can help someone else.
And perhaps one day, Théo will also help another child to no longer be afraid of the dark.
Tonight, Jules is tinkering with a new invention in his workshop. Théo comes to visit him.
Usually, Théo loves watching Jules build his machines and asks a thousand questions about circuits and gears. But tonight, he seems preoccupied. He plays with the end of his sleeve, looks at the ground, hesitates.
— Jules… can I ask you a slightly strange question?
Jules puts down his screwdriver and nods his head.
- Of course !
Théo hesitated for a moment.
— Have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised. He wasn't expecting that question, especially coming from Théo, who loves observing the world and understanding how everything works. But he remembers that just a few weeks ago, he didn't dare sleep without a light.
— Before, yes. But I've learned to understand the dark better, and now it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighed and sat down on a stool.
— Even though I know that black is "nothing," I don't like it. I know it's just the absence of light… but sometimes, when everything is turned off, I feel like shadows are moving all by themselves.
Jules understands exactly what Théo is feeling. But he also knows that simply saying "It's okay" won't make the fear disappear. He has to help him see the night differently.
He thought for a moment, then grabbed his notebook and turned the pages to his list of steps that helped him overcome his fear of the dark.
— You know what? We're going to do like me: we're going to analyze all of this.
Théo narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
— Analyze? Like a scientific experiment?
— Exactly. To understand something, you have to observe it, test it, and draw conclusions.
— Okay… but where do we start?
Jules thought about it.
— First of all, what scares you about the dark?
Théo crosses his arms and thinks.
— The shadows, especially. Sometimes they look like bizarre shapes.
Jules smiled.
— I used to be afraid of shadows too. But I learned that they're just distorted reflections of objects we already know. Come on, I'll show you something.
They go up to Jules's room. He turns off the light and switches on a small flashlight. He shines it towards a pile of books and a large shadow appears on the wall.
— Look at that. It looks like a monster, doesn't it?
Théo watches and nods.
— Yes… but it’s just your books, actually.
— Exactly. Shadows are like illusions. They are just stretched shapes. A shadow can appear immense, but it comes from a very small object.
Théo reaches out and puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow grows larger on the wall.
— That's true! My fingers look like they're gigantic!
He laughs, then thinks.
— Okay, so the shadows are just reflections. But what about the sounds?
Jules smiled.
— Ah, that's like a game! I've learned to recognize every sound in the house. The creaking of the wood, the wind in the shutters, even the cat wandering around… Everything has an explanation.
Théo nods, his scientific mind in action.
— So… instead of imagining things, I have to try to understand every noise and look for a logical explanation?/>
- Exactly !
Jules leans over his desk, grabs a blank notebook and hands it to Théo.
— Here. This will be your journal of nocturnal discoveries. Every evening, write down what you observe and analyze the shadows and sounds. You'll see that in a few days, you won't find them so frightening anymore.
Theo's eyes light up.
— Like an investigative journal about the night?
— Yes! You will be a scientist of darkness.
Théo heads home with his notebook under his arm, eager to begin his observations. Jules closes his own notebook with a smile.
He thought he was facing his fear of the dark for himself. But today, he understands that his experience can help someone else.
And perhaps one day, Théo will also help another child to no longer be afraid of the dark.
Jules is proud of himself. He managed to sleep without his inventions, even far from home. He feels stronger, as if he had conquered uncharted territory. But he doesn't expect this experience to be useful to him… someone else.
That evening, while he was tinkering with a new invention in his workshop, Théo came to visit him.
He loves watching Jules build his machines and usually asks a thousand questions about the circuits, gears, and mechanisms. But tonight, Théo seems preoccupied. He plays with the end of his sleeve, looks at the floor, and hesitates before speaking.
— Jules… can I ask you a slightly strange question?
Jules puts down his screwdriver and nods his head.
- Of course !
Théo hesitated for a moment, then finally blurted out:
— Have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised. He wasn't expecting that question, especially coming from Théo, who loves observing the world and understanding how everything works. But he remembers that just a few weeks ago, he didn't dare sleep without a light.
— Before, yes. But I've learned to understand the dark better, and now it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighed and sat down on a stool.
— Even though I know that black is "nothing," I don't like it. I know it's just the absence of light, that it doesn't change anything around me… but sometimes, when everything is dark, I feel like shadows are moving all by themselves.
Jules understands exactly what Théo is feeling. But he also knows that simply saying "It's okay" won't make the fear disappear. He has to help him see the night differently.
He thought for a moment, then grabbed his notebook and turned the pages to his list of steps that helped him overcome his fear of the dark.
— You know what? We're going to do like me: we're going to analyze all of this.
Théo narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
— Analyze? Like a scientific experiment?
— Exactly. To understand something, you have to observe it, test it, and draw conclusions.
— Okay… but where do we start?
Jules thought about it.
— First of all, what scares you about the dark?
Théo crosses his arms and thinks seriously.
— The shadows, especially. Sometimes they look like bizarre shapes.
Jules smiled.
— I used to be afraid of shadows too. But I learned that they're just distorted reflections of objects we already know. Come on, I'll show you something.
Jules turns off the light and switches on a small flashlight. He points it towards a pile of books and a huge shadow appears on the wall.
— Look at that. It looks like a monster, doesn't it?
Théo watches and nods.
— Yes… but it’s just your books, actually.
— Exactly. Shadows are like illusions. They are just stretched shapes. A shadow can appear immense, but it comes from a very small object.
Théo reaches out and puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow grows larger on the wall.
— That's true! My fingers look like they're gigantic!
He laughs, then thinks.
— Okay, so the shadows are just reflections. But what about the sounds?
Jules smiled.
— Ah, that's like a game! I've learned to recognize every sound in the house. The creaking of the wood, the wind in the shutters, even the cat wandering around… Everything has an explanation.
Théo nods, his scientific mind in action.
— So… instead of imaginingThings, I have to try to understand every noise and look for a logical explanation?
- Exactly !
Jules leans over his desk, grabs a blank notebook and hands it to Théo.
— Here. This will be your journal of nocturnal discoveries. Every evening, write down what you observe and analyze the shadows and sounds. You'll see that in a few days, you won't find them so frightening anymore.
Theo's eyes light up.
— Like an investigative journal about the night?
— Yes! You will be a scientist of darkness.
Théo clutches the notebook to his chest and smiles. He already feels a little less worried. Jules is right: instead of running away from the darkness, he can study it, as he would with any natural phenomenon.
— Thank you, Jules. I'll start tonight.
— And if you want, we can talk about it again tomorrow. You can tell me what you discovered.
Théo nods enthusiastically. He heads towards the door, then turns around one last time.
— By the way… how did you manage to stop being afraid?
Jules thought for a moment.
— I realized that the darkness wasn't my enemy. It's just a different time of day. And then, I stopped imagining things that don't exist. I listened, observed, and saw that everything was normal.
Théo smiled.
— So, in fact, it's my imagination that scares me, not the dark itself.
— Exactly. Your imagination is powerful. It can invent monsters… or it can invent solutions.
Théo nods thoughtfully. He puts the notebook in his backpack and says goodbye to Jules before leaving.
Once alone, Jules returns to his workshop. He looks at his own notebook, the one where he has written down all his fears and all his victories. He thinks about Théo, about his question, about his courage in asking for help.
He told himself that overcoming his own fear was already a big step. But helping someone else overcome theirs is even more important.
Théo heads home with his notebook under his arm, eager to begin his observations. Jules, meanwhile, closes his own notebook with a smile.
He thought he was facing his fear of the dark for himself. But today, he understands that his experience can help someone else.
And perhaps one day, Théo will also help another child to overcome their fear of the dark. Because that's what growing up is all about: sharing what you've learned and passing on your courage to others.
That evening, while he was tinkering with a new invention in his workshop, Théo came to visit him.
He loves watching Jules build his machines and usually asks a thousand questions about the circuits, gears, and mechanisms. But tonight, Théo seems preoccupied. He plays with the end of his sleeve, looks at the floor, and hesitates before speaking.
— Jules… can I ask you a slightly strange question?
Jules puts down his screwdriver and nods his head.
- Of course !
Théo hesitated for a moment, then finally blurted out:
— Have you ever been afraid of the dark?
Jules is surprised. He wasn't expecting that question, especially coming from Théo, who loves observing the world and understanding how everything works. But he remembers that just a few weeks ago, he didn't dare sleep without a light.
— Before, yes. But I've learned to understand the dark better, and now it doesn't scare me anymore.
Théo sighed and sat down on a stool.
— Even though I know that black is "nothing," I don't like it. I know it's just the absence of light, that it doesn't change anything around me… but sometimes, when everything is dark, I feel like shadows are moving all by themselves.
Jules understands exactly what Théo is feeling. But he also knows that simply saying "It's okay" won't make the fear disappear. He has to help him see the night differently.
He thought for a moment, then grabbed his notebook and turned the pages to his list of steps that helped him overcome his fear of the dark.
— You know what? We're going to do like me: we're going to analyze all of this.
Théo narrowed his eyes, intrigued.
— Analyze? Like a scientific experiment?
— Exactly. To understand something, you have to observe it, test it, and draw conclusions.
— Okay… but where do we start?
Jules thought about it.
— First of all, what scares you about the dark?
Théo crosses his arms and thinks seriously.
— The shadows, especially. Sometimes they look like bizarre shapes.
Jules smiled.
— I used to be afraid of shadows too. But I learned that they're just distorted reflections of objects we already know. Come on, I'll show you something.
Jules turns off the light and switches on a small flashlight. He points it towards a pile of books and a huge shadow appears on the wall.
— Look at that. It looks like a monster, doesn't it?
Théo watches and nods.
— Yes… but it’s just your books, actually.
— Exactly. Shadows are like illusions. They are just stretched shapes. A shadow can appear immense, but it comes from a very small object.
Théo reaches out and puts his hand in front of the lamp. His shadow grows larger on the wall.
— That's true! My fingers look like they're gigantic!
He laughs, then thinks.
— Okay, so the shadows are just reflections. But what about the sounds?
Jules smiled.
— Ah, that's like a game! I've learned to recognize every sound in the house. The creaking of the wood, the wind in the shutters, even the cat wandering around… Everything has an explanation.
Théo nods, his scientific mind in action.
— So… instead of imaginingThings, I have to try to understand every noise and look for a logical explanation?
- Exactly !
Jules leans over his desk, grabs a blank notebook and hands it to Théo.
— Here. This will be your journal of nocturnal discoveries. Every evening, write down what you observe and analyze the shadows and sounds. You'll see that in a few days, you won't find them so frightening anymore.
Theo's eyes light up.
— Like an investigative journal about the night?
— Yes! You will be a scientist of darkness.
Théo clutches the notebook to his chest and smiles. He already feels a little less worried. Jules is right: instead of running away from the darkness, he can study it, as he would with any natural phenomenon.
— Thank you, Jules. I'll start tonight.
— And if you want, we can talk about it again tomorrow. You can tell me what you discovered.
Théo nods enthusiastically. He heads towards the door, then turns around one last time.
— By the way… how did you manage to stop being afraid?
Jules thought for a moment.
— I realized that the darkness wasn't my enemy. It's just a different time of day. And then, I stopped imagining things that don't exist. I listened, observed, and saw that everything was normal.
Théo smiled.
— So, in fact, it's my imagination that scares me, not the dark itself.
— Exactly. Your imagination is powerful. It can invent monsters… or it can invent solutions.
Théo nods thoughtfully. He puts the notebook in his backpack and says goodbye to Jules before leaving.
Once alone, Jules returns to his workshop. He looks at his own notebook, the one where he has written down all his fears and all his victories. He thinks about Théo, about his question, about his courage in asking for help.
He told himself that overcoming his own fear was already a big step. But helping someone else overcome theirs is even more important.
Théo heads home with his notebook under his arm, eager to begin his observations. Jules, meanwhile, closes his own notebook with a smile.
He thought he was facing his fear of the dark for himself. But today, he understands that his experience can help someone else.
And perhaps one day, Théo will also help another child to overcome their fear of the dark. Because that's what growing up is all about: sharing what you've learned and passing on your courage to others.