everything around her. Any angry thoughts she had before quickly cleared away, and she laughed with pure joy. This truly was an amazing world Logan was showing her. An astounding world! One that just brimmed with endless possibilities. She felt euphoric, and let her laughter sweep her away. She spun around happily, and Logan laughed even more.
Final y, with the laughter starting to subside, Logan looked at her somewhat seriously.
“You did a fantastic job back there,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said. “At first, I couldn’t believe that you were responsible for the explosion!”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. But you handled it by yourself like a pro. Your mind is a lot stronger than I would have thought.”
“What do you mean?” Laura asked, curious.
“For most people, the first time they come here, they panic so much in those flames that they seize up, and rip themselves out of this world. It’s just like when you wake up in the middle of a nightmare. Your mind can’t handle the pressure, and wants to escape. You, however, fought it al off very well . And especial y that water touch at the end. That was something.”
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“Hmm? About what?”
“About ‘most people.’ Are there others you’ve taken here?”
“…yes,” Logan answered slowly. “Never mind that. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“No, but you did,” Laura pressed on. “Who else have you brought here before?”
“Not many, personal y,” Logan answered. “But I’ve seen people come here. Sometimes, people stumble upon this place in their own dreams. Everybody has access to it, you see, but most people don’t realize it. In fact, I don’t think any people real y realize it. Every time you dream in your bed, you have a chance –
however smal it may be – of drifting into this place. That’s when you have your most memorable dreams, and the ones you’re sure mean something. Because this place stands out so much in your mind compared to your regular dreams.
“I’m not exactly sure about how it al works, but from what I’ve pieced together… I think that right here , right where we are right now, exists as a… paral el plane. To our regular lives. Maybe to our regular dreams, even. And like I said, everybody has the ability to enter this… plane.”
“Like a paral el universe?” Laura asked.
“Sort of. But it’s more like… two sheets of paper, held paral el to one another. If one sheet of paper has something drawn on it, and you shine a light through it onto the other sheet, the shadow of the drawing fal s onto the second piece of paper. I know it’s confusing
– it doesn’t even make much sense to me – but I think that’s sort of how this place works.”
“So our real world is the piece of paper with the drawing,” Laura said slowly, “… and this world is the second sheet, with the shadow fal ing onto it?”
“Yea, exactly. That’s the best way I can explain it. I know it’s not very elegant, but it’s been useful to me. A bit hard to grasp though, right?”
“No, no, I think I got it. I have another question, though.”
“Ask away.”
“How did we get here? How did you bring me here?”
“Ah.” Logan smiled. “That. That has to do with what I showed you at school.”
“With your mind-reading ability?”
“Hah. I wouldn’t cal it quite that, but yes, it has to do with my ability. When we touched hands in the real world, a sort of… wrinkle… occurred. It happened right before al the thoughts come flooding into your head. That wrinkle, I think, has to do with reality shifting slightly right before the thoughts come. But I learned that if I timed it right – if I let you experience that flood of thoughts just as you’re fal ing asleep – in that last split-second, your mind, and mine as wel , shifts into this realm. And you come here. The world of dreams.”
“That’s amazing,” Laura breathed.
“Yes, it’s
Final y, with the laughter starting to subside, Logan looked at her somewhat seriously.
“You did a fantastic job back there,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said. “At first, I couldn’t believe that you were responsible for the explosion!”
“Yes, but I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. But you handled it by yourself like a pro. Your mind is a lot stronger than I would have thought.”
“What do you mean?” Laura asked, curious.
“For most people, the first time they come here, they panic so much in those flames that they seize up, and rip themselves out of this world. It’s just like when you wake up in the middle of a nightmare. Your mind can’t handle the pressure, and wants to escape. You, however, fought it al off very well . And especial y that water touch at the end. That was something.”
“Wait, what did you just say?”
“Hmm? About what?”
“About ‘most people.’ Are there others you’ve taken here?”
“…yes,” Logan answered slowly. “Never mind that. I shouldn’t have mentioned it.”
“No, but you did,” Laura pressed on. “Who else have you brought here before?”
“Not many, personal y,” Logan answered. “But I’ve seen people come here. Sometimes, people stumble upon this place in their own dreams. Everybody has access to it, you see, but most people don’t realize it. In fact, I don’t think any people real y realize it. Every time you dream in your bed, you have a chance –
however smal it may be – of drifting into this place. That’s when you have your most memorable dreams, and the ones you’re sure mean something. Because this place stands out so much in your mind compared to your regular dreams.
“I’m not exactly sure about how it al works, but from what I’ve pieced together… I think that right here , right where we are right now, exists as a… paral el plane. To our regular lives. Maybe to our regular dreams, even. And like I said, everybody has the ability to enter this… plane.”
“Like a paral el universe?” Laura asked.
“Sort of. But it’s more like… two sheets of paper, held paral el to one another. If one sheet of paper has something drawn on it, and you shine a light through it onto the other sheet, the shadow of the drawing fal s onto the second piece of paper. I know it’s confusing
– it doesn’t even make much sense to me – but I think that’s sort of how this place works.”
“So our real world is the piece of paper with the drawing,” Laura said slowly, “… and this world is the second sheet, with the shadow fal ing onto it?”
“Yea, exactly. That’s the best way I can explain it. I know it’s not very elegant, but it’s been useful to me. A bit hard to grasp though, right?”
“No, no, I think I got it. I have another question, though.”
“Ask away.”
“How did we get here? How did you bring me here?”
“Ah.” Logan smiled. “That. That has to do with what I showed you at school.”
“With your mind-reading ability?”
“Hah. I wouldn’t cal it quite that, but yes, it has to do with my ability. When we touched hands in the real world, a sort of… wrinkle… occurred. It happened right before al the thoughts come flooding into your head. That wrinkle, I think, has to do with reality shifting slightly right before the thoughts come. But I learned that if I timed it right – if I let you experience that flood of thoughts just as you’re fal ing asleep – in that last split-second, your mind, and mine as wel , shifts into this realm. And you come here. The world of dreams.”
“That’s amazing,” Laura breathed.
“Yes, it’s
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