This has been a bad day. While Justin was awake, Joy had outsmarted Master Mind and escaped Justin’s dream. 

Master Mind looked for her, going from dream to dream, but did not find her. Justin, once he arrived, looked for her. And finally, after a few hours, he found her looking into the dream of the one they call the angel Chrysallis. She just sat at the top of the tunnel and looked down.

Justin had brought her back, angry, scared more than I had ever seen him. I have heard what happened the first time she was there. I understand Justin.

Justin put her on our island, screamed at her, ordered Master Mind to not let her off our island until further notice. And then he gave himself timeout and took Bonny’s Revenge away. 

It’s been a few hours and I see the ship enter the atmosphere. He’s coming back. 

He docks in front of our house and jumps down. Suzy takes a step forward, leaning on the porch, looking at our son and our granddaughter. I stand next to her.

“I’ve calmed down a bit,” he tells her. 

She sits there, arms crossed, not looking at him. “Great,” she says. “Me, too.” 

“I hope you understand why you got the punishment you got.” 

She shrugs. “I don’t care.” 

“I understand that you’re angry with me.” 

“I’m not angry.” 

“Joy, your shadow is throwing things at me!” 

Joy looks down at her shadow. I look as well. The shadow is throwing nothing at Justin again and again. While Joy sits motionlessly, her shadow shows her very angry and aggressive. 

“That’s not me. That’s her,” Joy says. “Maybe you insulted her.” 

“Well…” Justin sits next to Joy. “I think you’re angry. And you have a right to be. But I think I’m angrier and I have bigger right to be.” 

I now see that Joy’s shadow is trying to strangle Justin’s shadow. But to no avail. 

Joy looks at her shadow trying to strangle a shadow she can’t touch. “Oh, look,” she says, pointing at the images in Justin’s shadow. “That’s Grampa Walt punishing you.” 

Suzy and I lean closer. We’ve learned that a Dreamer’s shadow has images of life in them, life that often influences the dream. 

Justin looks at his shadow, then at me. “Yeah. Grampa Walt taught me that sometimes you have to be clear about the rules, what’s allowed and what’s not. This is not.” Justin gets up. “I’m taking the ship again. As long as you’re angry,” he points at Joy, her shadow, then at Joy again. “It means you don’t get how crazy stupid that was. As long as you’re angry,” he points at her shadow. “I don’t think I should even talk to you! I’m going!” 

He jumps up, does a double-flip in the air, and lands on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge. He takes the ship away. 

Joy doesn’t move. Her shadow punches the air.

—Told by Grampa Walt