All hell breaks loose as soon as Justin allows us to speak again.

“She saw us!” Joy yells. “She looked right at us and saw us!” 

Justin nods. “I think she saw us, too.” 

“Was that a dragon?” Charlie whispers. “An actual dragon?!” 

“Why’d you do that? What’s the danger?” Joy is upset with her father. “We could have talked to her! We could have played with her! We could have asked about Red’s sister dragons!” 

Justin shakes his head. “We can’t be seen, Joy.” 

“Why not?” 

Justin turns his back to her. 

“Why not, Dad? Why can’t we be seen?” 

Justin turns back around and his tone is low. He seems calm, but Justin only talks like that when he is frightened out of his wits. “There are creatures in the Dream, Joy, who are looking for you.” 

“What?” 

“They’re looking for you.” 

“Looking for me? What are you talking about?”

“They want to do bad things to you, Joy. We can’t let them ever ever find you!” 

Joy’s head seems to be swimming. She can’t talk for all the questions she has. 

“Who are they?” she says. 

“I don’t… I don’t remember what they look like. I don’t know who they are.” 

“What do they want to do to me?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Why’d you never mention them?” 

“I saw them a really long time ago. I don’t remember.” 

“Uh, guys?” Charlie says. 

What Justin doesn’t sound right to me. Justin’s memory is very good. There’s very little he doesn’t remember. And if this has to do with Joy, it couldn’t have been more than 9 years ago. Something that dangerous he would remember.

“Dad… Someone knows I’m here?”

Justin puts his hand on his head, like it’s hard for him to concentrate or even think. “I think so. I don’t remember.” 

Joy looks down. 

“Uh, guys?” Charlie says. 

“Someone knows I’m here?” 

“I… I can’t remember. I think so. But these are bad creatures, Joy.” 

“Could it be that good creatures are also looking for me?” 

Justin stops to think. “Maybe. I don’t know.” 

“The bad creatures looking for me? Are they dragons?” 

“Guys?” Charlie says. 

Justin shakes his head. “Not that I know of… I think… I can’t remember.”

“Then why didn’t you let me talk to the dragon! She looked nice! We could have asked!” 

“We have to be careful, Joy!” Justin shouts at her. “No one can know we’re here! No one! I can’t keep you safe from everything! I can hardly keep you safe in your normal life!” 

Joy once again stops when her father is clearly scared. She looks down and moves sideways. 

“Uh, guys?” Finally everyone looks at Charlie. “It’s a dragon, right? How can a dragon be outside the dreams?”

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt