➹BEEPER

[intheblanks]

"It had better be an emergency."
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Comments

[eggsac]

I don't do anything bad.

[She says it with all the innocence of someone who makes a lot of mischief.]

[intheblanks]

[He doesn't think mischief should hang too heavily on a pre-teen's soul.]

Well, then I don't think nightmares are a punishment.

[eggsac]

[She reaches for another piece of toast]

Does that mean yours are?

[intheblanks]

[He shakes his head.]

No. I think it would be too neat if we could do something we were ashamed of and get all our guilt out in dreams. People are messier than that. But if something's playing on your mind during the day, even right at the back of it, it might pull the same trick while you're sleeping.

[eggsac]

[She considers it]

I dream about spiders. They eat me.

[intheblanks]

[Ouch. There are easy reassurances, here. He doesn't reach for one, yet.]

Are you scared of spiders? There are a few local ones it's not smart to get too close to, right?

[eggsac]

I'm not really afraid. They're neat and funny to watch.

[But quiet]

I don't want them to eat me, though.

[intheblanks]

Know what I think? I'm pretty sure you'd be more than a match for them if they tried.

[Which, he thinks, is the truth told by degrees.]

And I don't think any of the locals are likely to. Definitely not American spiders.

[eggsac]

[She finishes her second piece of toast]

Can we do something fun?

[intheblanks]

[He takes a look in the jam jar and decides there's not enough left to warrant putting it back in the cupboard.]

We can do anything you like. [Wait.] Within reason.

[eggsac]

Let's go to a park!