“Joy, stop kidding around!” Justin tells her. 

“You stop kidding around,” she shoots back. “Tell me what’s dark here!” We’re standing at the edge of a dream so dark that there isn’t an iota of light anywhere. It is the dream of a woman called Amahle, who has been blind from birth and so her dream has learned to never show light. And yet, Joy insists there is no darkness. 

“Those three buildings over there, they’re not dark! That woman over there with the dog, she’s not dark.” 

Justin’s face goes white. “Amahle does have a seeing eye dog. I never told you that!” 

“The clouds are not dark,” Joy points forward. “Those birds on the trees!” 

Charlie steps to the edge and squints. “Joy, are you really seeing those things? I can’t see anything.” 

Joy makes a face at Charlie as if he just told her he’s a butterfly.

“Joy,” I say. “They’re not kidding. It’s just darkness inside it.” 

She looks at me. I think she knows I wouldn’t kid, but she finds it hard to believe. Then she turns to the robot. “Master Mind, I order you to tell me the truth! What do you see?” 

“As long as this paper heart beats inside me, Little Pirate, I will not lie to you. I see darkness. There is no light within that dream. I believe it is you who must prove you can see something.” 

Joy crosses her arms and looks around from person to person. “This is silly,” she finally says. “There’s nothing scary about this dream. You can see everything.” 

Justin has the same expression on his face as Joy does, but obviously for opposite reasons. He is wondering if Joy is pulling his leg so she can go into a forbidden dream. “Dad,” he says. “Come up with a scientific test. How can she prove she can see?” 

Hmmmm. I think about it for a second. “I know,” I say. “Justin, lean in and make something appear just ahead. If Joy can see what it is, she can see. If she won’t, she can’t.”

“Wow, that’s good,” Justin says. 

“Let’s do it!” Joy welcomes the challenge. 

Justin stands at the edge, holds on to the clammy walls, and leans half his body out. As he does, half his body becomes dark and we can no longer see it. 

“Okay,” I hear his voice. “Joy, what do you see?” 

“It’s a flying dinosaur,” she says dismissively. “Over there. This is stupid.” 

Justin pulls himself out of the darkness and straightens. He stares at his daughter. He whispers, “What...the...hell?”

(To be continued…)

—Told by Grampa Walt