In this second episode,
Paul and Pablo take us behind the scenes to reveal the mechanisms of our emotions.
Let them guide us to find out what is really going on.
It's 5pm and the parents are settled expectantly in the auditorium.
It's 5pm and the parents are settled expectantly in the audience.
The play is about to start.
Pablo has taken his place backstage.
But the stage fright is still there.
The same stage fright he'd had last night when the worst possible scenario happened in his dream.
This time,
However,
He's not comfortably tucked up in his bed.
But although there's a lot of tension in the room,
However,
He's not comfortably tucked up in his bed.
But although the backdrop has changed,
The disaster scenario that is unfolding in his head is uncomfortably and horribly the same.
An agonising thought and anguish as a corresponding feeling that is spreading throughout his body.
Eric knocks three times.
The curtain rises and the performance begins.
Everything starts off really well,
Just as it had all of the rehearsals.
And soon the go signal awaited by Pablo rings out.
Nicolas takes the white tablecloth out of his bag and says,
Tablecloth,
Set the table please!
Pablo,
Attentive,
Pulls the first chain,
Checks that the trapdoor on stage opens,
And then activates the second lift mechanism to bring the table onto the stage.
Although he has rehearsed this scene over and over again,
This time the appearance of the table seems particularly magical to Pablo,
Who still can't believe that everything is going so well.
He is speechless,
Under the spell of these amazing special effects.
Distracted,
Pablo forgets to fasten the chain,
And the table barely has time to arrive on the stage before it disappears quickly into the pit.
Pablo is frozen with fear.
This is his worst nightmare coming true.
He has absolutely no idea what to do,
And he wishes the pit could swallow him up too.
But suddenly,
In the distance,
He hears a voice coming to his rescue.
It's Nick from the stage.
He has created a new line to fit into the play.
Sometimes the table is hard of hearing and you have to call its order twice.
It's all Pablo needs to switch back into action,
And he finds himself pulling up the table without even feeling he has consciously made this decision,
Or that he is even in charge.
He wonders if it was actually he who pulled on the chain,
Or if it was the chain that pulled him.
It's a very strange feeling to be an actor in a story you didn't write.
In this state of pure presence,
Pablo has dissolved into the scenery,
And the rest of the play runs smoothly.
Everything seems fluid and right.
And it's not long before the applause is ringing out,
And the students all take their bows,
And Pablo joins his parents for the ride home.
Well,
Pablo,
That was an absolutely brilliant performance.
But how was it for you?
Asked Paul.
Dad,
You know,
In the end,
You could say I kind of screwed up.
But funnily enough,
I wasn't stressed,
Whereas in my dream I was in a cold sweat.
It was scary at first,
But then somehow when Nick said that extra line,
It all fell into place.
That's kind of weird,
Don't you think?
Hmm.
What if the fear you felt was just the wrapping around a very special gift,
Suggests Paul smiling mysteriously.
And if you had refused this gift because of the wrapping and stayed home sick,
You would never have seen the value of the gift under the wrapping paper.
Now you've cracked a mystery,
Pablo.
Fear is just scary because that's its nature.
But that's not a war that should ever stop you,
Because fear is just a fleeting feeling and not a hard obstacle,
Paul suggests.
Pablo feels relieved.
I really like that,
Dad.
That's a brilliant way to look at it.
And I already feel that the next time fear triggers that horrible mechanism inside me
that makes me feel all anxious,
Like the way it did in the theatre,
I'm just going to wait for the stress to go down,
Just like the table did.
Paul and Pablo can't help but burst out laughing.
Pablo,
That sounds like a really good idea.
The curtain is lifted and light is shed on the other side of the story.
The fear that we thought was a warning of real external danger
turns out to be purely internal stress.
What a relief!
Which means that no more courage is required to go forward
when we no longer have a reason to be held back by fear.
Fear is no more than scary wrapping paper.
The end.
