Joy lands on Justin’s Shroom a few meters above us and disappears from view. She’s probably going back to Bonny’s Revenge. 

We are all awkwardly left on Amahle’s Shroom: Amahle who has just told Joy that she believes her to be her dream, Justin who just found out Amahle can always hear him breathe and recognized him as the man responsible for killing her in the dream and almost killing her in real life, Master Mind and Charlie. 

Justin’s face is red. He is looking down. He doesn’t know what to do. 

He opens his mouth to talk, then closes it. 

Amahle stands and listens. 

“Charlie, I can hear you standing near me. Why didn’t you disappear with Joy?” 

“Joy didn’t disappear. She went home on her jetpack. She’s real, Amahle.” 

Amahle shrugs. “I feel Justin’s breaths growing stronger and stronger. I am not scared of you!” she shouts in Justin’s direction. 

Justin bites his lips and puts his hands on his face.

“I am not afraid! You cannot do to me what you did before! I know that you’re just a nightmare!” 

Justin’s shoulders sag. He sighs. 

Without raising his head, he looks at me in desperation. 

I shake my head. I don’t know what to do. 

“You’re just a nightmare!” Amahle shouts at him. “I have power over you! Go away!” 

Justin turns around, takes a step off the edge and falls down. 

I gasp, then immediately remember nothing bad can happen to him in the Dream. 

A few seconds later, I hear the jetpack fire up and see him rise up, far away from Amahle’s Shroom. .

And now we are four on Amahle’s Shroom. Two Dreamers and two dreams made permanent by Joy, standing there awkwardly. 

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt