The girl and the man sat down in the feathery field, and she told him all about her recent troubles.

“…It’s like it takes all my strength just to be aware of the world around me,” she explained. “Sewing helps, but I have to do it all the time. I feel so useless and lifeless…like I’m not really a person anymore…”

“So you came to me hoping I could fix you,” said the man. “But only as a last resort…then again, what do I expect? I’m only the person who trained you and risked his life alongside you; why should you want to see me again unless you absolutely had to…”

The girl smiled slightly. “It’s not that I didn’t want to see you, Mr. Jack…it’s just that normal people don’t know you, and I wanted to be a normal person again…! That’s all I wanted…”

Jack sighed. “…You know, before you left, I told you you weren’t a normal person anymore,” he said. “I couldn’t have known this would happen, but…well, it’s not exactly a surprise, either.”

“But what should I do??”

“Well…I think you should write.”

“What you need is an outlet,” Jack continued. “I think you have a lot of…’author energy’ pent up in your brain, and you’re not gonna feel any better unless you use some of it. Stop trying to be ‘normal’ and start trying to be…yourself.”

The girl looked down at her hands. “…I can’t do that,” she said. “I can’t write…last time I tried, I…”

“You saved the world…??”

“I’m not talking about that time; I mean the time before that. When there were other people around…characters…”

“…I don’t think anything like that is going to happen again.”

“How do you know?? You said yourself that the Odsplut likes to do things like that, just for fun! Even if I do everything right, it could come back…and destroy everything…”

“Well, if it does, then we’ll fix it.”

“That’s not the point!!”

“It doesn’t matter if we can fix it— I don’t want to see anyone get hurt!” the girl cried, gripping her skirt. “Maybe you’re used to it, but I’m not! It’s just too dangerous…I’m too dangerous…”

Feathers began to fall from the luminous sky, alighting on the girl’s trembling hands.

“…If you really think the only way for me to get better is to write,” she said, “Then I’ll go to the moon. I’ll get Mr. Uriel to take me…I’ll write a goodbye letter to my family, and then I’ll leave LaConte forever.”

Jack plucked a feather from the brim of his hat. He gazed sympathetically at his young protégée, then closed his eyes.

“…There may be another way,” he said. “You could stay here.”

“Here??”

“In dreams.”

The girl blinked. “But…last time was a dream, too,” she said.

“Yes, but that was your dream. Why don’t you try visiting other people’s dreams?”

“You don’t have to try to create anything,” he explained. “Just being there counts as influencing the narrative and characters— in essence, writing. It’s not a lot, but it might help you find some clarity…at least until you’re confident enough to try the real thing.”

The girl furrowed her brows. “Are you…sure that would be alright…?” she asked.

“Nothing is certain,” said Jack. “But I do think it’s the ‘safest’ option.”

The girl thought for a moment, then stood up, shaking the feathers out of her locs. “…So how do I do it?” she asked. “Where do I go?”

“Just…anywhere. Why don’t you try visiting some of your old friends? See what they’re dreaming about; maybe lend a hand if they need it.”

“Is that allowed…?”

“Hey, you’re the author. Besides, a little meddling never hurts.”

Jack rose to his feet. “Like I said, just be yourself. Try not to worry about anything,” he said. “You’re not dangerous…you’re marvelous. You can bring so many good things to these people under your care…and I think you’ll start to appreciate your power once you give it a try.”

The girl smiled. “…Thank you, Mr. Jack,” she said.

She gave him a quick hug, then ran off into the distance, sending feathers flying with every step. Jack watched silently.

“…So it begins,” he said to himself. “Good luck, Dreadlilocks.”