This is our first day staying in what Joy has named our ‘temporary base’: The tunnels into and out of Justin’s dream, and the Shroom outside.
We are still afraid that Justin will appear dreaming about those horrible demons. Which is also why we’re not going to Charlie’s dream. A dream’s a dream, regardless of the dreamer.
So here we are, those who stay behind when the Dreamers are awake: Master Mind, Suzy and I, and Joy.
Suzy is sitting on one of the two lawn chairs that Justin summoned, leaning outside the tunnel, and that Joy touched and made real. Suzy has put it on top of Justin’s Shroom, and is sitting on it like she’s on the beach. Except that she’s looking at countess Shrooms in every direction, stretching down past our ability to see, stretching up so high in the sky that we can’t discern their origin.
Here she sits, when one of the Fairy Flies from the stem lands on the corner of her hat. Oh, yeah, she asked and Justin recreated her beach hat, and Joy made it real.
“Oh, look,” Suzy’s excited. “A glowing thing is resting on my hat!”
“I call them Fairy Flies,” Joy says. “They’re nice.”
“Oooh, I can see that,” Suzy takes off her hat ever so slowly, to not frighten the Fairy Fly. “Let’s take a closer look at you? Oh, my!” she says as she squints at the glowing fairy. “She does look like a fairy. She has a face and wings and legs… Wow! An actual fairy!”
Suzy opens her free palm and places it near the fairy on her hat. “Come here,” Suzy says. “Come here!”
We all gather around Suzy, keeping a safe distance so as not to spook the fairy. The fairy hesitates then flies to rest in Suzy’s palm.
“Oh, that tickles!” Suzy is excited. “Hello, little fairy! Do you understand me when I talk?”
“Bzzzz bzzzz!” The fairy says.
Suzy opens her mouth in happy surprise, “She answered me! She knew I was talking to her! Can I caress you, little fairy?”
Without moving the palm with the fairy, she puts her hat on her head again, and tries to reach out with a small finger to the fairy.
“Can I?” She reaches closer. The Fairy Fly jumps back, but remains on Suzy’s palm. Suzy doesn’t move her finger now. The fairy then takes a step forward, toward the finger.
“There you goooo!” Suzy purrs and begins to caress the back of the fairy with her finger. “Look at her! She’s enjoying it!”
Joy leans in. “Whaaa! They never let me touch them!”
I laugh. “Suzy loves animals. They know she loves them. I’ve seen dragonflies land on her. Butterflies. It’s crazy.”
“Look how she’s closing her eyes!” Joy says. “She loves it!”
I lean in and see for myself. The glowing Fairy Fly is enjoying herself. Looks like Suzy made a new friend!
—Told by Grampa Walt