Charlie's elevators — Blog — The Lost In Dreams Universe

I am surrounded by darkness. I’ve been here before, in Amahle’s dream, a dozen times at least. But it doesn’t get easier. And it doesn’t get less spooky that there isn’t even a little bit of light, so your eyes never get adjusted. We are right next to the sun in her dream, and yet there isn’t a photon to be found.

But then, that’s not the only change. As soon as I walk into Charlie’s elevator in Amahle’s dream, there is music. I don’t recognize many of the instruments. But I do recognize the voice. There usually isn’t a voice when Amahle’s music is played outside her head in the Dream. But now… She’s singing. Without any words, just singing…

“The music is making the hair on my hand stand,” Charlie says.

“It’s beautiful,” Justin says.

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Feb 21
Feb 21 S02E210 Interlude, Part 4, Legends Are Legends

“His name is Master Mind,” Charlie says. “He’s a big robot.”

“A big robot?” Amahle is thoughtful. That seems to remind her of something.

“A big killer robot. He protects Joy.”

“Why are you all here, Charlie? Why aren’t you all gone from my dream?”

She takes a step forward.

“Stop!” Charlie grabs her hand. She stops.

“One more step and you’ll fall off the ledge of your Shroom,” he says. “This isn’t your dream, Amahle. If you fall down here, you’ll fall until you hit something or until you wake up.”

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Feb 14
Feb 14 S02E207 Interlude: Amahle Leaves Her Dream

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’.

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Feb 3
Feb 3 S02E196 The Zulu Heritage, Part 1, Warrior Race

“Have you never heard of the Zulu, Joy?”

“Amahle, I don’t know almost anything,” Joy’s voice sounds like she’s so sad and helpless.

Amahle takes a big breath. “That is not all right. You should speak to your father.”

“I will. Definitely,” she raises her voice, knowing her father is right there.

“Charlie, have you heard of the Zulu?”

“Not much. They’re an African tribe, right? They’re Native Africans.”

Amahle laughs. “That’s an interesting name to call them. They’re Africans. The Zulu are the fiercest and mightiest warrior race that ever was.”

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Jan 27
Jan 27 S02E189 Curses Ahoy, Part 4, White Man’s Words

“Now, take in all that you’ve learned, and forget about it. This is a way that people behave. It’s a way to express yourself. It’s not for kids yet. But I think you needed to know about this, Joy. Okay?”

“Those were stupid curses anyway,” Joy says. “What’s the point?”

“I’m not going to do anything that man told me,” Charlie says as we leave the house and walk towards Charlie’s elevator.

“Why not?”

“He said he’s teaching us words because we must not listen to The Man. But my Kwa’a says the White Man always used nice words to tell us how he’s with us, and the White Man always backstabs.”

Justin looks at him. “That’s a good point. That’s very true.”

Charlie shrugs. “I’m not sure. My mom hates everything he says about the White man. But I don’t like Sam anyway. He’s a liar.”

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Nov 6
Nov 6 S02E144 The New Dream Protocol, Part 1

Over the last two months Joy, Justin, Master Mind, Charlie and I have covered quite a few dreams in our immediate surroundings. They’re always different. Some are dangerous. Some are harmless. Many don’t speak English or French and we can’t find a way to communicate well.

Now we’re traveling a bit further away, going five Shrooms in one direction.

“All right,” Justin says, as he peeks into the tunnel. “Let’s go in. Me, Charlie, Joy, Master Mind, then Dad.”

It’s the same order as always. Two Dreamers first who can deal with anything and/or die without anything happening to them. Then Joy, because you can’t keep her further back than that. Then Master Mind to protect her. Then me, because I’m a grandpa and a dream and I can get hurt.

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Oct 31
Oct 31 S02E136 Special Delivery

Age: 6.5, Told by Grampa Walt

With Justin and Charlie both awake and gone from the dream, it’s time for Master Mind and Joy to do their special delivery to Charlie’s dream. As always, I join them. Just in case something happens. Just in case something should be reported back to Justin.

Joy has gathered on the deck of Bonny’s Revenge ten permanent jetpacks that Charlie has left in Justin’s dream, having used them to come over. Once he’s here, he wakes up from here and the jetpack gets left behind.

So, once a week, Joy and Master Mind bring them back.

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Aug 29
Aug 29 S02E99 Reaching Outside the Dream, Part 1: Sandra’s Dream

Joy doesn’t wait for us.

She didn’t want to hear Charlie tell me who Luis is. She didn’t want to experience again, I assume, the feeling of seeing Justin have another child but her. Not that it was an actual child. As Charlie explained to me, Sandra dreamed that she and Justin were married and that they had a child called Luis. He wasn’t a real child, but a child in the dream. And yet, Joy is a child in the Dream, and whether she came from a dream or not, she is real and human and Luis is not.

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Aug 29
Aug 29 S02E98 Beach Time, Part 3, The False Child

Joy separates from Charlie and turns to me. “We have to tell Dad!” she says.

I run scenarios in my head. She’s right. We should tell Justin that Charlie can remember her outside the dream. But he’s on his private and secret romantic time with some dreamer. Do we wait? Do we tell him now? What should we do? No. She’s right. We shouldn’t wait with this news. “Let’s go now. Kids, get into your regular clothes.”

Charlie looks down at himself and he’s back to wearing jeans and his favorite T-shirt with the condor on it.

“No fair!” Joy says.

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Jul 24
Jul 24 S02E79 Charlie’s Secret Dream

Age: 6.5, Told by Grampa Walt

One of Charlie’s glass elevators waits for us at the end of the tunnel into his dream. Joy has made this one permanent way back a couple of days after their big adventure.

As we descend down to the park that was always there, we see a new beach nearby.

“The Child is there,” Master MInd points at a small dot on the beach.

At the park we activate our jetpacks and fly towards the beach.

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Jul 8
Jul 8 S02E73 The Tennis Match, Part 1

Age: 6.5, Told by Grampa Walt

And here we are again, entering Madelyn’s dream.

As the glass elevator descends, we see that we are above a tennis court.

“What’s tennis?” Joy asks.

I look at Justin, almost horrified. “Justin, have you never shown Joy what tennis is?” Justin looks away from me and shakes his head. “But it’s such a big part of your life! Even now!”

He shakes his head again.

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Jun 27
Jun 27 S02E62 The Dream with No Exit, Part 5: Justin’s Warnings

We all go down the ramp to the peer on the Night Planet.

I must admit, even to myself it is unsettling standing, walking, handling myself in a completely new place where I can’t see anything, not even a sliver of light.

Suzy holds my hand. “I don’t like this place,” she tells me.

“Me neither.”

I hear everyone getting further down the dock. We stay standing.

“Do you want to leave?” I ask her.

“Do you?”

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May 23
May 23 S02E36 Madelyn’s Dream, Part 5: We’re Not in North America Anymore