Suzy and I are sitting on rocking chairs on the porch of our house on the small island I’ve come to consider my home, when Justin appears on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge.

I get up as I see him disappear into Joy’s cabin. 

He comes out almost immediately, and motions for me to go back to my chair. 

He says something to Master Mind, and the two walk quickly down the ramp. 

“Did she go to sleep late, Mom?” Justin asks Suzy. Suzy nods. “Good. I’ve been waiting for some time alone with all of you.” 

“What’s going on?” I say, concerned.

“Nothing bad. Let’s, uh, I wanted to write down what we know about how Joy is different.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean, we all know she’s different. But let’s make a list. Maybe it will make us wiser in some way. Maybe we’ll figure out how it is she’s in the Dream or why she has certain powers.” 

“Abilities,” I correct him. I don’t like the word ‘powers’ where Joy is concerned. She is not a comic book heroine.

A piece of paper appears in Justin’s hands. “That’s no good,” he says. “It’ll disappear when I wake up unless Joy touches it, and I’d rather she not see this.” 

“I know!” Suzy goes into the house and comes back a couple of minutes later with a piece of paper and a sharpie. “We use permanent paper when teaching her. You can use the other side.” 

Justin takes both and begins to write. 

“Joy makes things permanent in the Dream if she wants to or if she feels great pain,” he writes as he talks.

“Correct,” Master Mind says. “Do not forget that she does not wake up like other humans.”

“No, she wakes up,” I correct him. “She doesn’t dream!” 

“She claims she doesn’t dream,” Justin says. “But I think I believe her. Doesn’t dream,” he says as he writes.

“Lives in the Dream,” Suzy adds.

Justin nods and adds it.

“Born in the Dream?” I ask. 

Justin holds his head for a second with a pained look, and says. “I don’t know. There’s no way to know. I won’t write that. What else?” 

We look at each other. 

“She makes the dream stable,” he says and writes it down. 

“What do you mean?” Suzy asks.

“The dream is clearer. It doesn’t jump around. It’s consistent. When she’s around. It’s not that when she’s not here. Remember? I figured that out after Dad’s funeral, when I was looking for Joy.” Justin shoots the deck a look. Joy has not emerged. “What else?”

“Oh, Suzy says. “There’s that thing she does when she touches Amahle’s hands and makes the dark go up and down.” 

“And made her see colors!” 

“Sense colors,” I correct Master Mind. 

“How do I write that down?” 

“Magical touch?” Suzy says. 

“There’s no magic,” I say immediately. 

“Special touch?” Justin says. “I’ll call it ‘the special Amahle touch’,” he says and writes it down. 

He looks at the paper. “Anything else?” 

We all look at each other. No one comes up with anything. 

“So,” Justin points to the paper. “How is this possible?”

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt