It’s been a week since Master Mind had told Joy that he wants to leave Justin’s dream and explore the world outside on his own. Joy had not been herself since.
It’s the end of the day for Joy. Madelyn is in France these days so she woke up first. Then Amahle, living in South Africa. Then Justin, waking up for work, and Charlie, waking up for school. Yumio and Colin did not come today.
Bonny’s Revenge is docked by our island, the island that houses Suzy’s and my small suburban Toronto home. I refuse to call it the name Joy had given it, so I just call it ‘the island’.
Suzy and I are seated on the porch. Joy is seating at the edge of the garden, her bare feet in the ocean water.
Master Mind walks over to her slowly, and sits by her side.
“Little Pirate, have you made up your mind? Will you allow me to discover the Dream for a few years, to see what lies far away?”
Joy picks up small pebbles from the garden. She throws one into the water.
“Look at that, Master Mind. Do you see the waves the pebble makes?”
“I only see ripples, Little Pirate.”
“Ripples! I meant ripples! Don’t be annoying!”
“You have been annoyed by me seventeen times over the last week, but only once over the previous year. I would point that out, but I fear you would be annoyed by my statement of fact.”
“Look at the ripples, Master Mind,” Joy throws another pebble. “See how they spread?”
“I see.”
“When Dad wakes up, he has his job, his friends, his family. Everything he does has ripples. Madelyn won a medal in the Paralympics. She made ripples through the world. Charlie has his class, his mom, his family back in the Rez. He creates ripples through the world.”
“That is a non-annoying statement of fact, Little Pirate,” Master Mind says.
“But me? I make ripples here in the Dream. And when everyone wakes up, there are no ripples at all.”
I perk up at hearing that. So does Suzy next to me. We continue to listen in silence.
“That is untrue,” Master Mind says. “You are able to reach outside the Dream. Charlie remembers you and tells his mother and his class. Amahle wrote popular songs about colors thanks to you.”
Suzy nods, but Joy doesn’t see her. Joy shakes her head. “Everyone Charlie tells thinks his dream is not real. Amahle doesn’t remember me when she’s awake. She doesn’t know where the songs came from. I make no ripples in life, Master Mind.” She throws a pebble into the water. “I make no ripples.”
Suzy moves to stand up. I hold her hand and motion for her to sit down. This is something we should tell Justin about.
Joy looks at Master Mind. “You can go. Go and discover things we don’t know about the Dream. Maybe you can find a way for me to make ripples.”
Master Mind nods his robotic head. “Your approval warms my paper heart. I feel 89% thankful, 6% humbled, and 5% like I deserved this anyway.”
“Don’t go yet. Go in a week. We have to do Operation Message in a Bottle first.”
The two sit on the edge of the water and Joy continues to throw pebbles into the ocean.
—Told by Grampa Walt