Confronting Fears in the Dark| Story by Ayaan,14,Thane

Lemur’s Wisdom: Confronting Fears in the Dark

Tyler was the name of a 10-year-old young boy who lived in New York with his mother, father, an older sister, and a younger brother. One evening at the dinner table, Tyler appeared to be upset. Jenny, her mother, approached him and said, “Tyler, dinner’s ready.” “What’s the matter? Is something wrong? Jenny inquired, “Why are you looking so down today?”

“The day after tomorrow is Halloween, and I’m scared because many kids transform into ‘spooktacular’ characters dressed in Halloween costumes,”said Tyler. “They come to our house to trick or treat. Worst of all, their costumes make them look exactly like real ghosts. They appear to be horrifying,” continued Tyler in a scared voice.

“Don’t be afraid, Tyler. “I’ll do something,” his mother said.

 Later that night, Jenny spoke with Tyler’s father, Josh, and they decided to book a hotel on the outskirts of town for two days, beginning the following day. 

They all went to the hotel early the next morning. They were a group of five, but the hotel policy stated that only four people were permitted in a room. “I and your mother have decided to let you sleep alone in a room so that you will be able to overcome the fear of the dark,” sternly said his father.

In the process of pleading with his father the whole day, Tyler couldn’t enjoy the amenities of the hotel. While he was alone at night in the hotel room, Tyler found himself in major confusion. The atmosphere was horrific and cold. His mind was cautious, then he wondered, ‘was he scared of Halloween or was it the darkness?’

Immersed in deep thoughts, he dozed off. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and still found himself in the deep darkness. A shrill voice pierced his ears. He couldn’t see anything in the darkness and noticed the shrill voice speaking in English. He turned on the lights in the room in horror, only to discover that it was a big-eyed, fat, English-speaking lemur. “What are you?” said the lemur.

“I am Tyler.”

“What is Tyler?”

“I am a human!” said Tyler. He seemed confused. “Who taught you English?” asked the curious Tyler.

“My ancestors.” 

“And who taught them?”

“How do I know that? Are humans that dumb?”

“Humans are not dumb. Some of them, like me, are scared of ghosts on Halloween,” said Tyler.

“Oh, those little kids dressed as ghosts and asking for chocolates door to door! You are scared of what?” Lemur asked with a smirk on his face and raised eyebrows. He added, “Your fear is not even for the real thing, bro.”

Tyler murmured in reflection, “You are right. I have been scared for no reason. They are all my friends after all.”

In a fraction of seconds, Tyler felt a big shake on his shoulders. As he opened his eyes, he saw himself lying on the bed and his parents shouting, “Happy Halloween.”

Tyler shared all the things he knew about the lemur with his parents. His mother laughed at the weird yet amusing dream that Tyler had. But as she heard from Tyler that he wanted to face his fear of Halloween, the whole family checked out of the hotel, drifting to their house.

It was night, and Tyler was a little nervous. Just then, his friends, dressed up as ghosts, came to Tyler’s house. As he opened the door, he stood frozen for a while. Then he remembered the lemur’s words and looked at his friends, not as scary ghosts but as chocoholics. Just after that, he started to laugh with his friends and joined them, dressed up as a scary, ripped-off skeleton.

Since then, Tyler is not scared of Halloween and waits for it eagerly every year.

Moral – To overcome any fear, we should face it!