After a wave of customers passes through, work dramatically slows down, and the staff at the Dallergut Dream Department Store enjoys some precious downtime. Weather hosts a tea for everyone in the first floor lounge.
“If only Dallergut spent more money on the staff lounge and his office,” Speedo grumbles, taking up all the space on the sofa for himself. He’s reading today’s newspaper, while inhaling at the speed of light the cake Penny bought from the dessert shop across the street. The leather sofa is patched and worn, the old-fashioned chandelier missing half its crystals. The broken light accentuates Speedo’s custard-yellow jumpsuit.
“I feel like I can finally breathe again,” says Mogberry. “My hands were shaking. My body was screaming for sugar.” She’s smiling as she enjoys the last bite of her marron cake. Speedo licks his plate clean and even scrapes the last bit of buttercream out of the cake box. When there’s nothing left to eat, he spreads open the newspaper and obliviously sprawls across the sofa.
Penny sips her coffee next to him, determined not to clean up after him again. Every time they have these snack breaks, Speedo always eats the most but never bothers to clean up. On the other hand, Vigo Myers sits with his hands tented, ready to fold down the boxes and toss them away at any moment.
“By the way, is Dallergut still with his customers?” Weather asks. Her straw is too slim for her smoothie, which frustrates her.
“Yes, he refused the marron cake, which is his favorite,” Penny responds. “Apparently, he has a VIP customer; someone I’ve never seen.”
“Ah, it must be for a delivery service,” Weather says, as she takes out the straw and starts using a spoon.
“A delivery service? Do we offer that?”
“Oh my, you still have a lot to learn!” Speedo chimes in. “It’s a service for patrons who schedule a custom-made dream for another customer, and Dallergut delivers it for them at a particular time.”
“I had no idea we offered that kind of service.”
“And when these dreams are complete, Dallergut carefully piles them up in his office like a shrine,” Speedo responds, his eyes still fixed on the newspaper.
Penny recalls the pile of boxes she almost threw away one time. “Oh—you mean that tower of boxes in his office? But there must be some misunderstanding. The production dates on some of those boxes are from more than a decade ago.”
“No, they’re the correct ones. They’re supposed to... Oh my! I must buy this!” Speedo jumps up from the sofa, still holding the newspaper in his hands. “This is a perfect one-piece! And not too tight, it seems... I was starting to get bored with my jumpsuits, but this one’s perfect.”
“What is it? Do they sell clothes in newspapers now?” Myers asks.
“Look at this guy’s clothes.” Speedo spreads out the newspaper on the table for everyone to see.
In the newspaper’s black-and-white photograph, a man, pictured from afar, sits on a rock in a navy robe. His hair is tied up in a bun.
“Look at this outfit. It would make going to the restroom so much easier. I’m going to buy a similar outfit right now. Weather, let me use the computer at the front desk for just a minute!”
“Wait, that’s Doje. He’s wearing a robe, but there’s a hanbok underneath, Speedo. You’ll get yourself in trouble if you just wear a robe!” Weather shouts, but Speedo’s already gone.
Penny finishes reading the article in the newspaper that Speedo left behind.
Celebrity Spotlight—Doje
According to the polls conducted by More Interpretations Than Dreams, the most popular among the Legendary Big Five is Kick Slumber. Over 32.9 percent of the responders voted for Kick Slumber, partly due to his romantic acceptance speech at last year’s year-end awards.
Yasnoozz Otra, Wawa Sleepland and Babynap Rockabye take third, fourth and last place respectively, separated by a narrow margin. Most unexpected is Doje’s second place ranking. He hasn’t been active in the dream scene in the last decade, but his presence remains strong. What’s his secret? This author set out to feature Doje, secluded deep in the mountains.
Doje adamantly refused to be interviewed. At our request for a message to give his fans, he said, “Stay as far away from me as possible.” And with that, he disappeared beyond the waterfall.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him around during my time here. And I’ve been here for about a year now,” says Penny.
“Even I only saw him just once,” says Myers.
“Doesn’t Dallergut do business with Doje?”
“Of course he does! He always stops by to see Doje whenever he goes out for off-site business.”
“Wait, really?”
Just then, an internal phone in the lounge rings. Penny quickly picks it up.
“Hello, this is Penny from the first floor.”
“Oh, it’s you, Penny. I’ve been looking for you since you weren’t at the front desk. Is teatime over?”
“Hi, Dallergut. Yes, we just finished. The cake was so good... You would’ve loved it. Anyway, did you need something?”
“I need some help in my office. Would you mind coming over here?”
“Sure, I’m on my way!” Penny hangs up.
“Dallergut must trust you a lot. He doesn’t ask anyone for that kind of help. Go ahead and lend a hand,” Weather says, quickly adding, “Oh, and please refrain from having unnecessary chitchat with the customer. You have to make her feel at ease as much as possible.”
Penny arrives at the office to find Dallergut waiting for her with a middle-aged, hollow-cheeked woman. The woman is wearing a set of wide-legged pure white pajamas. Usually, pajamas give off a warm and cozy vibe, but there’s something eerie about hers.
“Thanks for coming, Penny. Please, have a seat.”
Penny sits next to the customer. What’s he going to ask me to do? As the customer sips her tea, Penny notices her scrawny knuckles clutching the mug. The woman, Penny realizes, is wearing a hospital gown, not pajamas.
“Penny, could you please write down everything the customer says? I could use an extra hand, so I don’t miss anything.” Dallergut passes her a pen and a notepad. “Now, to whom should this dream be delivered? I did some research and found that all your family members are our customers. We’ll have no issues getting the dream to them at the right time.”
“I’d like to send it to my husband and my daughter.”
“Okay. Any others you wish to send it to?”
“My parents... Yes, I should send it to them, too.”
The customer takes another sip, then her lips contort as she shifts her gaze toward the wall. Penny realizes she’s holding back tears. But Dallergut doesn’t make any move to comfort her, so Penny also decides to leave her be. There must be a reason Dallergut isn’t reacting. Penny focuses on taking notes.
“What would you like the story to be? You can choose the setting and situation. Here’s our brochure for your reference.” Dallergut hands her an instruction catalog designed to help people customize their dreams. The customer browses through it for quite some time.
“I guess home would be good for the setting. Wait, no, that would be too...unbearable.”
The customer seems to have trouble choosing the setting. Penny doesn’t understand why her home would be unbearable, but she doesn’t interrupt her. She recalls Weather’s advice—no unnecessary chitchat.
“If you would allow me, may I offer some recommendations?”
“Yes, please. This is my first time having to do something like this, so it’s hard, ha ha. That does sound awkward, right? There’s only a first time for this kind of thing.”
With the customer’s approval, Dallergut flips the catalog to the last page. It has a list of background photos: a tall, dense forest, the terrace of a castle right beneath the star-studded sky, a view of Earth from outer space. Most are scenes from nature. Penny instantly knows who the creator of these backgrounds must be.
“These are from Wawa Sleepland’s dreams!” she blurts out with admiration, forgetting her determination to keep quiet just seconds ago.
“Sleepland is a famous dreammaker, as you can see from our employee’s reaction. You can rest assured of the quality.”
Dallergut’s clearly giving this customer the best possible service, letting her choose from Wawa Sleepland’s backgrounds and even allowing her to pick the story. At first glance, it doesn’t seem like this dream could be profitable.
“I see. It’ll set us at ease if we meet at a beautiful place. I’ll take this.” The customer chooses the lush forest. “But would it be possible for you to add some white zinnias to this forest? It’s my favorite flower.”
“Of course, you’ve got it. We can add much more than ‘some.’”
Penny notes the customer’s requests, picturing a forest full of zinnias. “It’ll be a truly magical dream!” she says, excited.
“Thank you,” says the customer, who seems to feel much better.
“Now, on to the story then. Let me know if there’s a particular situation you wish to have or certain words you wish to say. We’ve already gathered enough data for your mannerisms, how you speak and act, and so on, so there’s no need to worry on that front.”
“Well... I’d like it to be as natural as possible. Asking how things are, or having casual daily conversations.”
“Such as...?”
“Such as...asking my daughter if she’s dating someone, or if she still takes out all the cucumbers from kimbap like a baby. You know, the usual motherly nagging you’d see in daily life. And to my husband, I used to tell him to label the wool detergent and the liquid fabric softener, so they don’t get mixed up. I think these kinds of daily chats would be enough, but are they too bland? Maybe I should take out the nagging, especially since we’ll be seeing each other for the first time after all these years, right?”
“No, I actually love it. Should we also add some greetings to your parents’ dreams?”
“To my parents... I would just like to say I’m sorry, and that’s it.”
Dallergut’s busy hand comes to a halt over his notepad. “If there’s nothing you wish to say in particular, a lot of our customers say things that will comfort the recipient. At the end of the day, it’s your call, of course, but I’m afraid an apology may not necessarily put them at ease. Would that be all right with you?”
The customer agrees. “I see—that’s a good point. Yes, let’s just tell them not to worry about me, and that I’m doing well.”
Penny diligently revises her notes. There’s something sorrowful about the calm conversation between Dallergut and the customer.
“Great. I think we’re about done. I just have one last question. When would you like for us to deliver it?”
“I’m not quite sure. I’d defer to you to watch them carefully and find a good time. Not too soon, though, you know. Give them enough time to settle. But not too late, either, so they don’t hold it against me.”
“That’s perfect timing. Ma’am, you can leave it to us now.”
“I’ll trust you guys. And... Thank you so much.”
“Thank you for choosing us. Have a safe trip back and sleep well.” Dallergut respectfully sees her out.
After the customer leaves, Dallergut rolls up his sleeves and starts cross-checking his notes with Penny’s. Penny has a mountain of questions, but decides to wait for him to sort out the notes first.
“You seem quiet today, Penny. I thought you would ask questions. That’s why I called for you,” Dallergut says, peering at her over the notepads he’s holding.
“May I?” Penny asks. She’s been waiting for the chance.
“Of course you may.”
“There’s something odd about all this...including the dream the customer just ordered. I’ve never heard that we deliver dreams for other customers, much less create them. On top of that—”
“On top of that?”
“She seemed unwell. I could tell she was almost crying when she talked about her parents. Like... Yes, like this will be her last time seeing them.”
“I knew it when I first interviewed you, but you do have keen insight. I do have a good eye for recognizing potential!” Dallergut stands up. “I need to deliver two of these dreams today. Can I entrust them to you?”
He picks out two boxes from the piles strewn across the floor. Both are old and are covered in dust.
“Are you sure they haven’t gone bad?”
“They’re fine. Doje specifically formulates his dreams so they don’t expire.”
“Doje?” The name catches Penny by surprise.
Doje. The least active of the Legendary Big Five. Secluded and rarely seen in public. He is the creator behind “Meeting with the Dead” dreams.
A weeknight at a café. One of the man’s favorite things to do was to stop by the café on his way home from work and finish any remaining tasks on his laptop. He liked to feel fully relaxed when he was home. The café was filled with a diverse range of people, from kids, to young adults to people his parents’ age.
The man generally ordered an Americano, but with an unusually long line ahead of him today, he felt like reading over the menu. His eyes got stuck on the phrase “caramel macchiato.” He’d never liked caramel macchiatos. In fact, he hated them because the name was hard to pronounce and they tasted too sweet.
But it reminded him of his late grandmother.
“What do you want, Grandma?”
He remembered bringing his grandmother to the café for the first and only time. She’d said she was thirsty. He handed her a menu, which she struggled to read.
“A-me-ri... What is this drink?”
“A very bitter coffee, Grandma, as bitter as gall.”
“Why do people spend money on a drink like this? I hate bitter. I like sweet.”
“How about a caramel macchiato? It’s the sweetest.”
“What does it look like?”
“Here, there’s a picture. It’s right in front of you.”
“Where? Ra-mel...ma? Is this the one? You need to understand that your grandma only learned the alphabet halfway through.”
“Look, I’ll order our drinks. Why don’t you go find us a seat?”
The man grabbed their drinks and saw his grandmother awkwardly occupying the one-customer seat at the window.
He broke into a smile. “Grandma, why take that seat when there’re plenty of comfortable seats here? Come on, let’s sit on the couch.” The man took her to a wide sofa.
“Wouldn’t people hate for an old lady like me to take this couch? Aren’t seats like this for people who order more expensive, fancier things?” His grandmother looked around reluctantly.
“We paid plenty, Grandma. Don’t worry. And if there’s anyone who gripes at you for sitting here, they’re the ones with the issue.”
“Is that so? I feel safe having you with me.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.” The man felt a bit shy.
“I’m the eldest around here, aren’t I?”
“I guess so, but you’re the coolest grandma here. Enjoying some coffee time with her grandson at this fancy café.”
“You know how to talk like a charmer. Always been so sweet, ever since you were little. It’s an inherent gift of yours.” The grandmother looked at her grandson affectionately.
He got shy again and changed the topic. “By the way, why’d you learn only half of the alphabet? You might as well learn it all. Only a few more letters left.”
“Your great-grandfather wouldn’t let me. I just needed three more days of school, but I couldn’t go. I was always busy helping him on the farm. Then I got married, raised your father and then raised you. Life kept me too busy. That’s why I can’t pronounce that caramel ma-thing. How funny, right?” The grandmother grinned innocently.
“No, it’s not funny. Grandma, I can teach you. You’re very smart; you’ll learn them in no time. I’m busy with work this weekend... So maybe we can start next weekend.”
“That sounds wonderful. My grandson is the best!” The grandmother took a sip of caramel macchiato with her straw. “What is this? It’s too sweet, my tongue is numb.”
“Then try mine, Grandma,” the man said, handing her his iced Americano.
“My God, this is too bitter.” She frowned, and the man burst into laughter.
“It gets better once you’re used to the taste. You just have to come here with me more often.”
That had been their only time at the café. She died at age eighty-two. She’d lived a rather long life, but it still left him with regrets. The anniversary of her passing was in a few days.
The man ordered a drink and sat at a single-seater table by the window. He thought of his grandmother much more often around her anniversary. Her life growing up had been all for her family, and when she got older, she’d relied on her young grandson. Despite her limited education, she was a wise and virtuous woman who always looked out for him when he was growing up. If he told her how good the soy sauce–braised potato tasted at his friend’s house, she’d steam a whole pot of potatoes the next day. If he whined about how his mosquito bite was itching, she’d stay up late to catch the mosquito. The man thought back on all his fond memories of her.
The man looked around the café, taking in the good music, the comfortable chairs, the relaxing mood. He kept thinking back to how his grandmother had looked around this comfortable place, how she alone had felt uncomfortable.
I’m the eldest around here, aren’t I?
His grandmother’s face, embarrassed but a little thrilled as she peered around. It lingered in his mind. He felt heat in the middle of his forehead, even though he was drinking cold coffee.
He remembered how she’d make him change his clothes if they had the slightest stain. Or how she’d buy him expensive body lotion with long descriptions she couldn’t read, when she wouldn’t even buy herself a cheap face cream. Every little thing she did was an act of love.
That night, the man lay in his bed, deep in his thoughts. What was Grandma’s life for, when she couldn’t enjoy all these things the world now offered, just because she was born too early? What meaning was there in her life?
A world with suffering and no luxury whatsoever: that was the world she had lived in. Perhaps she was happier now. Maybe that was why she never came to visit him in his dreams.
“I miss you, Grandma.”
The man crawled into a fetal position and fell asleep.
The couple had a five-year-old daughter who was slow to speak. When other kids were stringing together complete sentences, she could barely utter a few words. As the couple went from one clinic to another, their concerns mounted, but then the child suddenly started talking, articulating what she liked and disliked in full sentences.
When their daughter said, “I love my family,” the couple felt like they had just conquered the whole world.
One day, their daughter said, “My head hurts. Can you make it stop?” and that was when their happiness stopped. The daughter was hospitalized soon afterward, and didn’t make it past that year.
Some time passed after the daughter left. The couple was still young, each busy with their own career. Any trace of their daughter had been removed from their home.
When she was alive, the two often joked, “Will we ever see a clean floor again without all these toys everywhere?”
But now, their house was always neat and clean.
They’d gone from being a two-person household to a three-person household, and then back to two. Life moved along. The idiom “Time heals all wounds” seemed to work for them. But every once in a while, they’d bring up their daughter, and end up talking the night away. First with tears, then with more laughter.
The couple no longer shied away from talking about their daughter. At first, they’d avoided the topic, trying with all their might to forget everything, because they thought forgetting was the only way to live, but they soon realized they would never be able to forget her. Whenever they came across toy ads, a yellow bus, a school zone sign, a story about a child actor who was all grown up, or even a new semester or graduation season, they would fall apart.
The wife said she missed their daughter’s sleeping face. The husband said he missed the smell of their daughter’s soft skin when she hugged him tightly after a bath. Her giggles sprinkled in between their voices, and they reminisced about the funny habits she’d picked up from each of them in equal parts.
Their daughter was forever stuck at five, but they continued to age, and sometimes their lives seemed to pass too slowly. There were moments when both of them secretly thought they would rather join their daughter, before she felt too lonely. But they couldn’t bear to share that thought with each other.
At night, they lay in bed, their backs to one another. Out of habit, they saved just enough space for a child to lie down between them. But the gap wasn’t big enough to conceal the other’s sobbing. They each pretended not to hear.
Penny starts shimmying as she spots the customers that fit Dallergut’s description. She takes out their carefully repackaged dreams.
“Thank you for making it on time.”
“I’m sorry? Me?” the man asks. Next to him stands a couple, their eyes puffy from crying. The three of them look at Penny, confused.
“Packages arrived today for each of you. We’ve been reminding you throughout the day. And you came in at the perfect time.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a dream. A very precious one. Someone custom-made it for you.”
“Who? We don’t know anyone who’d send us such a thing,” the husband says.
“The sender is anonymous. You’ll find out who once you’re in the dream.”
The man sees his grandmother in his dream that night.
The café she takes him to looks similar to the one they visited together, only much fancier. It smells like the house he used to live in with her.
The grandmother confidently orders two caramel macchiatos and casually banters with the cashier. It is like she’s a regular.
“Grandma, look at you. Ordering difficult drinks is now a piece of cake for you!” The grandson looks at his grandmother affectionately.
“All thanks to my grandson, who taught me well!”
“I don’t remember teaching you.”
“You did teach me. Don’t you remember? What’s wrong with you? You’re too young to forget things already!”
“Did I really?” The man looks out the window. He thinks the view looks a lot like the front yard in the old house they once lived in together, but it doesn’t strike him as odd. He just thinks about how much he loves this café. The two share old memories and laughter over coffee, losing track of time.
A café employee offers them a slice of cake. “It’s my treat! You two look so happy together.”
“Oh, that’s so thoughtful of you. Thank you, sweetie.” The grandmother gives her a wide smile.
“Lucky me, getting perks just because I’m with you! Guess we should come here together more often.”
“No, you should come with your friends. Not with your wrinkly old grandma.”
“Now that hurts.” The man surveys his grandmother’s face and then blurts out the one question that has been brewing in his mind. “Grandma, how would you describe your life, looking back?”
He knows this is probably not the time, but for some reason, he feels like this will be the only chance he’ll ever get to ask the question.
“It was a good life,” she answers without hesitation.
“It was good? Really? Which part?” He pulls up his chair closer to her.
“When I was a child, I was grateful to have lived with just my family. I didn’t have to worry about working for other families.”
“How about when you were an adult? I know you went through a lot.”
“As an adult, I was grateful to have raised your dad myself.”
“...”
“As a grandmother, I loved seeing my grandchild grow up. I prayed so hard that I could live long enough to see you mature and take care of yourself, and thankfully some good god listened to me and answered my prayer! Your granny had such a wonderful life.”
She strokes her grandson’s cheeks. He remembers her hands being rough whenever she had done that to him growing up, but this time, they are as soft as a baby’s.
“At one time the idea of seeing you walk on both feet seemed like something far off in the future. But look at you now: all grown up and ready to lead the way, holding my hand and patiently waiting for me to catch up. My old soul feels refreshed like spring!”
The man suddenly comes to his senses. “Grandma, I think this is a dream, because you’re already gone. Is this a dream?” A feeling of dread rises in the pit of his stomach.
“What do you mean, I’m gone? I’m with you, here and now. It all depends on how you see things, isn’t that right?”
Tears well up in the man’s eyes.
“Oh, Jae-ho, don’t cry. Maybe I should’ve come much later. I can’t believe you’re still like this after all this time!”
“No, you should’ve come sooner,” the man snaps at her, as he tries to hold back his tears.
“Your granny is doing just fine here. My knees no longer hurt, and I’m also growing my favorite herbs. So, no more crying, okay? I was lucky to have you as my grandson.”
“Grandma, don’t say that like you’re leaving me. Please stay longer, would you? Is your coffee done? I’ll go get another one.”
The grandmother shakes her head. “It was so nice seeing you, my puppy. You take good care of yourself, okay? Be healthy, achieve as many dreams as possible, and live your life. I know I’ve achieved mine because I saw you today.”
The man senses he’s waking from his dream. And he feels remorseful at the thought that asking if he was dreaming might have sped up their farewell.
And then he snaps back to his senses.
The man was wide awake, but couldn’t get himself to open his eyes. If he did, he feared all the afterimages inside his eyelids would disappear.
He rose from his bed, eyes brimming with tears. He rarely cried, but this time he crouched down and bawled for hours.
The young couple are also deep in a dream. They’ve met their daughter, who has been gone for so long.
The daughter in the dream speaks fluently. “There was sooo much I wanted to tell you guys when I was a baby, but I knew too few words to make up all the sentences.”
“Did you? But look at you, you speak so well now. And you’re even prettier!”
“You’re pretty too, Mommy.” The daughter holds her mom’s face in her hands and makes an adorable smile.
The couple hug her tight. “We’re so sorry you had to suffer your whole life.”
“No, I was ninety-nine percent happy and only one percent hurting. And now, it doesn’t even hurt one bit!”
“But your life was so short. You didn’t get to enjoy anything.” Her dad gives her a guilt-ridden, pitiful look.
“No, I’m serious! I only have good memories. And you know, I have a lot of friends and teachers and grandmas and grandpas here, but no one has said they had just good things in their lives. But I only had good things! Isn’t that amazing?”
“Yes, it is! You’re amazing, sweetie. Daddy has only good memories with you, too! My sweet little baby, weren’t you sad to be alone, though? Did you miss Daddy and Mommy?”
“I’m fine, because I have a really good memory. So even though I can’t see you, I have you all in my heart!” The child wiggles herself out of their embrace. “So we can see each other again much later. We can take it slow. Don’t you ever think sad thoughts!” she says to her parents, speaking shrewdly while pulling an adorably silly face.
The couple is on the verge of tears, but their daughter’s goofy expression makes them laugh. “Okay, we’ll take it slow. But we’ll definitely meet again.”
“Uh-huh. I’ll be a good girl until we meet again. I promise!”
The parents know this is all a dream, but they are overwhelmed with joy, as if they really are meeting their daughter. It is rare for them to dream while being aware that they are dreaming.
The couple woke up from the dream at the same time. It was one o’clock in the morning. Barely two hours had passed since they’d gone to bed. They were clutching the tangled blanket between them.
When they fully came to their senses, they lay in bed, silent, interlocking their fingers. They stayed that way for a long while.
“Dallergut, how many people preorder dreams on their deathbeds for their loved ones?”
“Many people try to leave dreams behind. So many that there are even stores dedicated to creating just those kinds of dreams!”
“I have to say, every day has been a surprise here, ever since my first day of work. The moment I think I’ve seen everything, there’s always something more surprising to top it!”
“Is that so? What a fun job you have!” Dallergut laughs. “Yes, it is fascinating. Whether they’ve been involved in a sudden accident or are bedridden from a chronic disease, people who are asleep seem to know by some instinct when their life is coming to an end. Perhaps in that state, without any external stimulation, their primitive instincts become more sensitive.”
“Er... Sorry, I’m struggling to follow.” Penny picks out the old boxes from Dallergut’s office and piles them up alongside the new, clean boxes. “What I do know is that these dreams should be handled with great care. Although I could never fully grasp what it must be like to leave something like this behind for a loved one.”
“People always try to leave messages in any way they can for those who’ll be left behind.”
“I know this is too early, but it makes me want to plan ahead what kind of message I should leave when I’m gone.”
“What a wonderful idea. My message would be to remember me—or to not hand over my store to a random goose,” Dallergut says jokingly. “But when you meet these customers, no one cares about their own self-interest. They only wish for the happiness of their loved ones. I guess that’s what it’s like to leave your loved ones behind. Although I too cannot grasp it entirely.”
Penny looks at the old boxes, damp with time, feeling a bit choked up. She wipes every last speck of dust from them.
“Hey, Dallergut.”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say, I really love my job.”
“Me too,” Dallergut says frankly.
Just then, the door flings wide open. It’s Vigo Myers and Weather, both in latex gloves, along with Mogberry, holding a new marron cake, and Speedo, who seems to have been dragged along.
“You should’ve asked for me if you had things to clean!” Myers looks a bit hurt, but he can’t hide his excitement at the prospect of cleaning the boxes.
“I bought you another cake since you missed our party and couldn’t have any. Looks like everyone’s just about wrapping up with work. How about we finish cleaning up and have some sweets?” Mogberry says, holding up the cake box. Her hair has now grown long enough that there are no more baby hairs sticking out from her ponytail.
“Let’s hurry up then,” says fleet-footed Speedo, already moving the boxes.
Later that day, toward the end of her shift, Penny is looking for a space on the shelf to put the new Eyelid Scale that has just come in. It’s been two whole months since they ordered this customized version. There’s one opening way up on the shelf; Penny can hardly reach it, even with a ladder. She carefully puts the scale up there and gently strokes the eyelid-shaped weight with her fingers. The dial trembles and stops between Conscious and Sleepy. After that, Sleepy slowly turns to Asleep.
Penny climbs down the ladder and looks outside to see if her customer is coming. Assam is walking by and waves at her. Finally, her customer walks toward the store from afar. The door opens.
“Welcome!” says Penny. “We have amazing dreams in stock today!”