Master Mind has gone out of the tunnel a few minutes ago, and I’m losing my patience. The pain is slightly better. I crawl down the slimy tunnel to look outside. 

There is literally nothing in the dream now that the Dreamer is gone. Where is Master Mind? Where is Joy? 

I wait for what seems like an hour, when I hear the familiar sound of the jetpack. 

I crawl back to give Master Mind room to land. 

In a few seconds, I see the bottom of his leg beyond the top of the tunnel, slowly descending. Sitting on it is Joy. 

“Joy!” She’s alive! Thank goodness, she’s alive!

She leaps off Master Mind’s foot and looks at me. “Grampa! You’ve been shot! Are you okay?” 

I see her cheeks are full of dried blood and long wounds. “I’ll be okay, Joy. Let’s talk about me in a second. What happened to you?” 

She looks back. “Come in, Master Mind!” And back at me, “I’m glad you’re okay, Grampa!” 

Master Mind lands from above, and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. There are five children hanging off of him - one on his neck, one on his torso, two on one arm and one on another. 

These are some of the Somalian children we’ve seen at the encampment!

They are young. Two are girls, three are boys. They all still carry their machine guns. They are looking around the tunnel in wonder. 

“Joy!” I whisper. “What did you do?!” 

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt