“Dad! I’ve been on adventure a million times!” 

We are all standing on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge and everyone’s excited. 

“Last time you went to other dreams, I almost lost you forever,” Justin tells Joy. “And the dreams I went to, some of them you would never have survived. So: Let’s go through our checklist. Does everyone have jetpacks?” 

Charlie points to his. Joy looks up in despair and points to hers. 

Master Mind says, “I don’t need one.” 

Justin points to his own and says, “Check. All right, and Joy has touched every one of those?” It is her touch, done with intent, that makes objects stay. They stay ven when the dreamer is gone. They stay even outside the dreams. 

“Yes, yes, yes,” Joy points at every one of the jetpacks, exasperated. 

“Joy, do you have your water?” 

“Yessss!” 

“Weapons? Sword,” he touches the scabbard on his belt. “Check.” 

Joy does the same. “Check.” 

“Laser pistol?” He touches his laser pistol on his belt. “Check.” 

Joy does the same, still exasperated. “Check.” 

“And, Joy, you’ve touched all four?” 

“Yesssss!”

“Now. Protection. We have me, check, ready to fight any dream. We have Master Mind, now healed.” 

“Check,” Master Mind says. Finally, after a month of doing a million other things, Joy had gotten around to finishing sewing him up. Now, the deadly robot with the paper heart is whole again, thanks to Joy and Suzy having sewn back his upper half and bottom half. 

“And Charlie.” 

Charlie nods. “Check.” 

“Remember what we talked about, Charlie,” Justin says. “Nightmares come when you panic. Never panic and remember you can do anything in the dream.” 

Charlie purses his lips in determination. “Check. I promise.” 

“Master Mind, remember that any time, Charlie can wake up or I can wake up. Or we both can wake up.” Master Mind nods. “Okay. I think we’re done.” 

“Hold on,” I say, raising my hand. “I’d like to come, too.” 

Justin and Joy look at me, and I feel their judgment. 

“Dad, I don’t think that’s smart.” 

“I’ll hang back,” I say. “I’ll watch from the tunnel if need be. But I want to see other dreams again. And I want to see you two have adventures. I won’t need protection.” 

Justin thinks about it, then nods. “Of course you will, but there’s enough protection here. Remember everyone, first protect Joy, then protect him. They’re the most vulnerable.” 

“I’m afraid to use a jetpack, though. At my age…” 

“That is not a problem,” says Master Mind. “I can easily carry the grandfather as I have carried Charlie.” 

Justin looks around. His eyes fall on Suzy. “What about you, Mom? Do you also want to go?” 

Suzy shakes her head. “Me on adventure? I’ll be waiting for all of you here.” 

Justin nods. 

“Are we done, Dad? Can we just go?!” 

He looks around one last time. 

“Let’s go,” he says. 

And off we go, to our first outing to someone else’s dream! 

—Told by Grampa Walt