It is our fifth time in Amahle’s dream.

Joy and Justin have had arguments that had gone back and forth many times in Justin’s dream about re-introducing Justin to Amahle. Back when Joy had run away from home on her sixth birthday, Justin, on my advice, tried to convince Amahle in her dream that he was killing her. He had hoped that when she woke up, the darkness of her dream would disappear and he would find the way out to save Joy.

But weeks later we had discovered, upon returning to Amahle’s dream, that she had died in real life and was brought back. What Justin had done had almost killed Amahle. Justin did not want to face Amahle. Joy wanted to become Amahle’s friend and wanted them to talk and meet again BS fUB. 

Joy had won the argument partially - Justin agreed that they could show Amahle the way out of her dream and into The Dream with a capital ‘D’. 

Charlie, Joy, and Master Mind go down Charlie’s elevator and into her dream while Justin and I wait in the tunnel, where we can see. 

Joy and Charlie had already told Amahle that Joy lives in the Dream and moves from dream to dream. They had promised to show it to her. Now is that time. 

We wait and wait. 

Justin is growing more and more nervous by the moment. He’s fidgety, he keeps tapping his leg on the slimy tunnel ground, and he is constantly looking around. 

“We didn’t say that you’d talk to her,” I remind him. “As long as you’re silent, she won’t know you’re there.” 

Justin nods, but that doesn’t make him less fidgety. 

The elevator makes a sound. We can’t see it - it’s inside the darkness of Amahle’s dream. 

We hear the doors open. Justin takes a step back. 

Charlie walks into the tunnel. 

Joy walks into the tunnel, her hand inside the darkness behind her. 

“Careful, careful,” she says. “The ground is slimy.” 

A cloud of darkness walks into the tunnel. I have never seen Amahle, and I can’t see her now. Even in the tunnel, she is surrounded by darkness. 

“Elvis! Where’s Elvis!” Amahle says. 

“Elvis is part of your dream,” Charlie tells her. “Everything from the dreams doesn’t exist between the dreams.” 

“I think out here, outside your dreams, you can see, too,” Joy tells her. She puts both hands inside the darkness. 

And suddenly, the darkness shrinks. 

I can see that Joy is holding Amahle’s hand with both her hands and that Master Mind is standing behind Amahle.

The darkness continues to shrink, and I can see parts of Amahle.  

And suddenly, there is no darkness. And there’s Amahle, a young black woman, slightly chubby, her long black hair set back with a colorful bow, wearing a simple colorful T-shirt and blue jeans. And there’s something disturbing about her eyes. They are not focused on the same spot. They are not focused at all. 

“There,” Joy says. “Now you can see, right?” 

Amahle smiles, and it is such a charming, innocent smile that makes me think that everyone in her life loves her. “I cannot see, Joy. I have never been able to see.” 

Joy frowns. “I thought I could make you see.” 

“Give me your shoulder,” Amahle says simply. “Show me this dream world.” 

Joy nods. “Let’s go!” 

—Told by Grampa Walt