“This is exciting!” Suzy says, as excited as I’ve seen her since we met Joy six months ago. “I’m so excited! Walt, aren’t you excited?” 

We’re all standing in the living room in Suzy’s and my home: Suzy, me, Joy, Justin, and Charlie. Master Mind is waiting outside on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge, docked just a few meters away. 

“Very excited.” 

“Right,” Justin claps his hands once. “We’re going to do this the way we do it in the real…I mean, in the waking world.” 

In the waking world, Angela, Justin’s sister, has come to visit us with her husband, Ethan, and our two other grandchildren, the ones we knew we had, Grace and Tommy. Which inspired Justin to do the same thing here, in the Dream, and introduce Joy to the rest of her family.

The doorbell rings. Suzy gasps. “They’re here!” 

We chose to not make them just appear. They should come to our home, just like in the waking world: Ring the bell and everything. 

Suzy says hurriedly. “Wait, Justin, Justin, dinner!” 

Justin blinks, and the living room table becomes full of food that Suzy usually makes. The table’s even set: plates, cutlery, glasses, everything. 

“Do the honors,” I tell Suzy.

I notice that Joy takes Charlie’s hand and squeezes hard. She’d never met her aunt, her uncle, or her cousins. As in the dream, the ideas that have to do with the waking world just slip past Justin. 

Suzy opens the door. Angela is there, holding four-year-old Grace in her hands. 

“Angela!” Suzy hugs her tightly. “It’s been so long!” 

“Hey, Mom,” Angela hugs her back. I smile. It’s been such a long while. I haven’t even talked to her on the phone all this time. 

“And Grace!” Suzy gushes. “You’ve grown so much!” 

“Hasn’t she?” Angela says. “Ethan’s just bringing the bags. He’s right behind me.” 

As Suzy gushes over Tommy, standing behind Angela, I notice Justin whispering to Joy, “Remember, don’t make them permanent. Like we practiced.” 

Joy nods. 

I greet them and Tommy runs towards me, almost throwing me off-balance, and hugs me. 

“Tommy, have you met your cousin? This is Joy!” 

Tommy looks down. He’s almost a year older than Joy and has suddenly become shy. 

“Joy!” Angela walks in. “Oh, my god! Justin, she’s so beautiful! Didn’t get that from you, then!” 

Justin laughs, as Angela leans down to smile at Joy. “Hey, Joy, nice to meet you!” 

“Say ‘nice to meet you’,” Justin says. 

“Nice to…” I see Joy’s eyes move over to the door, as Ethan comes in carrying so many bags, he’s hardly able to move. 

“Joy, that’s–” Justin begins to introduce them. 

Joy slams her right hand on the table, then begins to run towards Ethan. It takes me a second to realize she’d taken the big kitchen knife from the table. 

She grabs Ethan’s arm, and he glows for a split second. 

“Joy, what are you–” Justin never finishes the sentence, as Joy slams the knife into Ethan’s heart. 

“Joy!” “Ah!” “Ethan!” everyone screams all at once. 

Ethan’s shocked. Even before he falls, his body turns to a pile of dust. 

We all stare at Joy as she turns to look at us, wild-eyed. 

What the hell just happened?!

(To be continued…) 

—Told by Grampa Walt