Justin reappears a few moments later, and with him come the dark demons. 

We are all watching from the safety of the tunnel, but I hold my breath as soon as I see them. Suzy, near me, gasps. Joy’s hand goes to the holster of the laser pistol at her side, but she doesn’t draw it. 

Justin tries to fight the demon with a sword from the weapons cabinet, but he is suddenly inept with a sword. 

“Dad! Into the tunnel!” Joy yells at him. 

She stands right on the edge of the tunnel, confident that nothing of the dream can make it across. 

Justin sees her, and immediately there is a jetpack on his back. He flies forward, as Joy ducks, but one of the huge demons captures him in its huge talons. 

“Dad!” 

The demon shakes Justin up and down violently, disorienting him. Suzy gasps again. 

The demon holding Justin begins to fly away from us. Joy leaps forward to the plank, but Master Mind’s arm blocks her in the chest while she is still in the tunnel, and brings her back. 

“You cannot continue, Little Pirate,” he says calmly. “For you it is dangerous. For him it is nothing.” 

Joy makes an angry face, but does not argue. 

Farther away from us, the demons begin to throw Justin from one to the other, grabbing him with their talons. His body is limp, and he is being tossed around like a rag doll. 

“Don’t look, dear, don’t look,” Suzy tries to put her hand in front of Joy’s eyes. Joy swats her hand away. 

“What’s the matter with him?” Joy can’t take her eyes off her helpless father. 

“This is what he wants,” I say. “For whatever reason, this is what he believes would happen or needs to happen.” 

“He is an obsessed Dreamer,” Master Mind says. “There is nothing we can do to help.” 

“No!” Charlie steps forward to the edge of the tunnel. “He needs help! I’m going to save him!” 

And with that, he takes another step and is on the plank, inside Justin’s dream. 

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt