All tagged slavery

S02E185.5 The Family Reunion, Part 5, The Talk

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

We return to Justin’s dream before Sandra wakes up. Justin is embarrassed by everything we’ve seen over in Sandra’s dream, but Justin’s behavior changes as soon as we get back to the deck of Bonny’s Revenge, their flying pirate warship that’s waiting for us at the edge of the tunnel in and out of the dream.

He is now a father and a hero. He docks the ship near our island, makes sure that I’ve got a good place to rest and heal, and then returns to the ship, asking Master Mind to join us so Justin can have some alone time with Joy.

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S02E184 The Family Reunion, Part 3, Justin’s Return

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

The Justin in front of my eyes disappears, and Sandra runs to Justin and hugs him.

“Hey, honey, welcome back!”

She stands on her tiptoes and kisses him on the lips and he kisses her back.

Oh, my! I see Suzy look at the kiss with eyes wide open.

“Yuck!” Luis and Joy say together.

Justin straightens and looks around. “Joy, come here!”

Joy runs to him and leaps on him. He lifts her up and hugs her. She hugs him like she hasn’t seen him in years.

“Oh, my god,” Justin says. “You survived! Thank god! It must have been so awful for you! All alone!”

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S02E179 The Children in the Camp, Part 13, The Freedom of Death

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

Joy is crying into my chest and doesn’t stop. I hug her with one hand, but awkwardly. I don’t know how to comfort a child who feels responsible for two deaths. I don’t know how to comfort a child who survived a slave camp for a day while figuring out how to save the other children.

What did happen there? I wish she would stop. My shoulder still hurts.

“Little Pirate, if you keep crying, you will make me cry,” says Master Mind. “I do not wish to cry at this time.”

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S02E178 The Children in the Camp, Part 12, Sorry!

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

“I’m sorry it’s not perfect,” she says. “It’s what we have.”

Master Mind eyes them warily. His weapon is still on his arm. He has not returned it to the inside of his exoskeleton.

“Yeah, you’re good,” Joy goes one by one. “You’re good. You’re okay. Okay!”

“Okay!” One of the boys says.

Joy suddenly grabs his arm. “I’m sorry!”

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S02E177 The Children in the Camp, Part 11, Yes, Go!

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

The three children stand together, heads down, bowed as if ready for punishment. Two of them are crying. The dust of their friend is still between us. Their other friend fell off and died.

“Ah, Master Mind, Joy,” I use a gentle tone, sitting on the Shroom, leaning against its stem, feeling the bullet wound in my shoulder. “I don’t think they’re dangerous now.”

“They are armed, scared, and we cannot communicate with them,” says Master Mind.

“No, no,” I shake my head. “They were kidnapped like Joy and trained to be slaves. We killed one of their own. They see us as the enslavers now. They won’t do anything.”

“We are not your enslavers!” Joy says. “We set you free! You’re free!”

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S02E176 The Children in the Camp, Part 10, Tragedy

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

“Master Mind!” Joy calls out, halfway through her ‘Noooo!’

Master Mind drops me quickly but softly to the Shroom and activates his jetpack. Looking around, I see he is the only one with the jetpack. Madelyn’s, Charlie’s, and Justin’s jetpacks are all in the tunnel. And mine, too.

Master Mind is in the air above us, about to zoom down, when he stops. “I fear it is too late!”

Joy stands on the edge and leans to look down. So do the other kids.

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S02E175 The Children in the Camp, Part 9, Five Children

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

There are now five armed children in the tunnel, looking around at this strange green gateway from the dream to the sea of Shrooms.

“Look, look,” Joy calls out to the kids happily. “You’re free! We freed you! You don’t ever have to go back!”

The kids look at her without understanding. I don’t expect it will work, but I try again, “Do you speak English? Parlez-vous français?”

The same kid that answered before answers now. “Français non.”

A girl asks something.

Joy says, “This is the Dream. You were in a dream. You don’t have to go back. Out there is freedom!”

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S02E173 The Children in the Camp, Part 7: Where Is Joy

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

After a couple of minutes just resting, lying on my side on the ground of the tunnel, I decide that I’m not going to die. It doesn’t look like I’m going to lose consciousness if I keep resting.

That’s good. I haven’t lost that much blood.

I wonder if I should take off my jetpack, which is making it hard to lie down.

No. I should wear it. Just in case.

I decide I’m good enough to crawl to the tunnel entrance and peek down.

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S02E171 The Children in the Camp, Part 5: A Team Destroyed

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

I’m lying on the slimy tunnel ground of this strange dream, the jetpack still on my back. My shoulder is in unbelievable pain. I can see there’s blood coming out of it from the corner of my eye. And Joy’s been taken!

I’m just a dream, I tell myself. It’s okay if I die!

I look behind me. I see only Charlie and Master Mind. “Where are they?” I say.

“They were shot!” Charlie says. “They disappeared! You’re bleeding! I have to save Joy! You’re bleeding!”

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S02E170 The Children in the Camp, Part 4: Aftermath

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

I find that I’m breathing hard. This was scary for me. I try to sort myself out. Everyone is.

We’re all here in this small tunnel, where Justin, Master Mind and I can’t even stand up straight. Madelyn keeps touching Joy’s shoulders to see that she is fine.

Charlie jumps up and down, and occasionally laughs to himself. I think he completely panicked.

Justin exhales. All he’s worried about is that Joy got out safely.

Joy recovers the fastest. She goes to the edge of the tunnel and looks down. “What was happening there? Why were there all those kids with--”

Then, out of nowhere, the adult dreamer appears from the outside, below the tunnel’s exit, his arms grab Joy inside the tunnel, and scoop her towards him.

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S02E169 The Children in the Camp, Part 3: Children with Guns

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

Justin raises his hands. “Hey there, hey there,” he says in a calm voice. “We come in peace.”

Three of the children are aiming their guns at us over their breakfast table, here in the desert. The other children look at us with fear in their eyes.

“Everybody, keep your guns down,” Justin instructs everyone in a calm tone. “Master Mind, step in front of her.”

The three kids all point their guns at Justin.

“You’re not going to shoot me, are you going to shoot me?” he says in a very calm voice, his arms still raised, as Master Mind places himself between Joy and the children. “Do you understand English? Parlez vous Francais? Dreamers, prepare something that will protect us from bullets,” he says that last sentence in the same tone as if speaking to the children.

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S02E168 The Children in the Camp, Part 2: The Camp

Guy Hasson
Age: 7.5, Told by Grampa Walt

We take turns peeking out of the tunnel and looking down at this dream that Charlie had found.

When it’s my turn, I see that we are in the middle of the desert. The desert is rocky with sparse green bushes I’ve never seen before.

“I don’t recognize this place,” I tell them.

Fortunately, Madelyn is next. “This is Guban Desert,” she says. “I have been here once. We are in Somalia.”

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