Jacob yawned so hard that his ears popped. Outside the window, it was dark; only a streetlamp painted long, tired shadows on the wall. He was putting on his pyjamas with little rockets and planets, and he didn't feel like sleeping at all. Why did the day always have to end so soon?
He looked at his special window. It wasn't just any window. Its frame was painted with a paint that shimmered softly in the dark, and the glass was always perfectly clean, as if dust itself didn't dare to touch it. And the best part was, it didn't always show just his street. Sometimes, when he gazed at it in just the right way, it showed him something else entirely.
And that's exactly what happened now.
The dark street with the lamp was suddenly replaced by a view into a sun-drenched room. Bright light reflected off a white wall, and cheerful reflections danced on the wooden floor. In the middle of that sunny room stood a little girl in pyjamas with parrots on them, stretching and yawning. But her yawn was different. It wasn't a tired one, but full of energy, as if she had just woken up.
“Hello,” Jacob said quietly towards the window.
The little girl looked over in surprise. “Hello! Who are you? And why is it so dark behind you?” she asked curiously, pointing a finger at his dark room.
“My name is Jacob. And it’s dark because it’s night and I’m going to sleep,” he explained, pointing to his pyjamas. “And you? Why is it so bright where you are? Are you not asleep yet?”
The little girl laughed. Her laugh sounded like the tinkling of tiny bells. “My name is Eliza. And I’ve just woken up! The day is just beginning here.”
Jacob frowned. That was strange. How could he have night and she have day? They lived on the same planet, didn't they? “That’s a bit odd,” he mumbled. “The sun can’t just be shining on you.”
“And why not?” Eliza replied. “Maybe it likes it here better. It’s warm here in Australia, and funny birds are singing.”
“But there’s only one sun,” Jacob thought aloud. He looked at his small wooden spinning top lying on the table. He had been playing with it that afternoon, watching how fast it spun on its tip. “You know what?” he had an idea. “Maybe it’s not the sun. Maybe it’s us!”
Eliza tilted her head. “What do you mean, us? We’re just standing still.”
“Not us, our Earth!” Jacob blurted out excitedly. “What if our Earth is spinning, just like my top?”
That was an interesting thought. Eliza sat down on the floor and listened curiously.
“Wait, I’ll show you,” Jacob said and quickly ran to the kitchen for an apple. He placed it on the table. “Imagine this apple is our Earth.” Then he turned on his small desk lamp and pointed it at the apple. “And this lamp will be our Sun. Agreed?”
“Agreed!” Eliza nodded from behind the window. “It looks like space in your room.”
“Exactly! And now… where do you live?” Jacob asked.
“In Australia.”
Jacob thought for a moment. He knew Australia was very, very far away. He carefully pointed a finger at one side of the apple. “Okay, let’s say this is your home.” Then he turned the apple and pointed to the opposite side with another finger. “And here, on the other side, is where I live, in Europe.”
The light from the lamp shone on the spot where Eliza was. It was bright there. But on the spot where Jacob was, there was a shadow. It was dark there.
“Do you see?” Jacob exclaimed quietly, so as not to wake his parents. “The Sun-lamp is shining on you!”
“Yes, I see! And it’s dark where you are,” Eliza added. Her eyes shone with curiosity. “And now what?”
“And now for the most important part,” Jacob whispered. Carefully and very slowly, he began to turn the apple on its axis, just like a spinning top.
Eliza’s side of the apple slowly moved away from the lamp’s light, into the shadow. And conversely, Jacob’s side emerged from the darkness into the light.
“Look! Look!” Eliza gasped. “Now your little house is moving into the sun and mine is disappearing into the dark!”
Jacob kept turning until his side was completely lit and Eliza’s was completely in shadow. “And there you have it! Now I have day, and you have night!”
For a moment, they both fell silent, just looking at the simple but amazing model. So that was it! No magic, no broken sun. Their planet simply spins. This movement is called rotation.
“So our Earth is like a giant, slow spinning top,” Eliza said, her voice filled with wonder. “And we’re all riding on it.”
“Exactly,” Jacob smiled. “And while I’m sleeping and dreaming, you’ll be playing in the sunshine. And then we’ll switch.”
He wasn’t angry at all anymore about having to go to bed. Suddenly, it all made sense. It was just his part of the day, or rather, the night. The sun hadn’t gone anywhere; he had just turned away from it for a while to rest.
“Thank you, Jacob. This was the best discovery before breakfast,” Eliza said and waved to him.
“And thank you for your help,” Jacob replied, waving back. “Good night… or rather, good morning!”
“Good night, Jacob!” Eliza laughed.
The view in the magical window slowly faded away, and Jacob once again saw his dark street. The lamp outside no longer seemed so tired. Instead, it looked like a small star guarding the sleeping side of the world.
Jacob turned off his desk lamp, the Sun, and crawled under the duvet. He closed his eyes and imagined their big, round Earth slowly and quietly turning in space. And somewhere out there, on the other side, a sunny day was just beginning for his new friend.
What do you think, children? Will you try making day and night at home with the help of your parents and an apple, too?