Not necessarily

"The cheese is melted to a degree of perfection not common in ordinary times," Jacob was still appreciating the way the salt from the cheeses and butter combined with the crunch of the toast. He took a good sip from the amber bottle only after the last bite of sandwich made its way to his belly. "You make a great tea party, Larkin." Rabbit clambered from his side of reality knowing it was not a time to become solid ... the Golden Retriever could not be expected to be civil. Instead the hare simply kept his thoughts to himself, and hoped his friend would consider saving some of that crispy toast for later. When was it Jacob had been for tea before this present moment?

"I had a dream about you Jacob. But I was still surprised to see you and your van. That's kinda crazy. Why wouldn't you come for tea if we've just been together in dreams." Larkin was pouring a stream of coconut milk into her tea, leaving room for a drizzle of maple syrup. "My Gram and Aunt May used to begin every day with sorting out dreams. Over tea the night times and day would come together. I miss that, and it seems kinda backward to be sitting here just before dark to talk dreams."

"Oh I don't know that there's an only one good time for sorting dreams. There's not much difference between what we do in dreams and do in our daytime clothes." Jacob set his bottle down. Took another bite of his sandwich.

"That's funny how you put it "in our daytime clothes." Kaitlin nibbled at the almond cookie in her hand skillful at the dunk and nibble. "A lot of time my dreams are about the clothes I'm choosing. Moving an outfit over the racks, looking for the one I'm after. The right one. Trying one and then another on. Looking in the tall mirrors at what I'm like ..."

The Salmon Candy was a surprising combination with Wild Forest Black Tea. "I love this Jacob!" The sweet-salty brine sparked the sides of her mouth. Caffeine and sugar, probably more than she needed would have its effects later. But then a proper tea has never been a source of moderation. It can be addicting. Rabbit was talking to the dog again, knowing full well dogs have no built-in meters for moderation.

"In my dream last night I was painting. Painting the side of a paint can. I was taking a very long time with it making sure the coats were even. The paint kept sliding down not covering the sides. It was like I didn't realize I was painting a can! But then it dawned on me ... 'I don't paint. Can't be around paint.' In the dream I felt the headache. You watched me Jacob. You took the can and the paint from me. When I woke up I had to get outside to clear my head. It had rained all night. The wet dark air felt good. I asked myself, "Why would I do something like that in my dreams when I definitely DON'T do it for real."

"What did you come up with for an answer to your question?" Jacob took another sip from the amber bottle, reached for a chunk of Salmon Candy and took a bite.

"I'm thinking that dream was practice. Practice with trying things out. Like Caitlin's dream about trying clothes on. I never had dreams about trying clothes on ... But that paint dream was so real. My sensing brain was trying something out. Pushing the limits to see how far I could go."

"When I was ... about your age I dreamed a dream about being perfect. This is a dream I don't share with many people. In fact, it was your Gram that is the only other person whose heard this. You know I was born this way." Jacob swayed to define his meaning. "I was born with one leg shorter than the other. My left leg. Now there were many solutions to that even for a man as old as me." The Surveyor's uncommon smile filled the cottage with a feeling not necessarily magic but of course ... magic it was. "But I was born to a family that looked at oddity as a gift. Some of us were 'odd' on the outside: birthmarks and missing parts are common in our lineage. It's the inside oddities that are a little more difficult to spot though and that includes the special sensitivities that made many of us Surveyors most sought after."

Larkin was wishing her Gram was still here, in the flesh. She was twenty-two and nearing the time of the Long Travel. She would need to be comfortable with the discomfort of dreams that tested her. Instead of her grandmother, the Gatekeeper of the Water's Edge was here.  Drinking home brew and chewing on grilled cheese and Salmon Candy, Jacob the Surveyor was reminding her of the many ways to define life. "In this dream," Jacob continued "I had two legs exactly the same length. First thing I did when my legs were perfect was to run, run, run as fast as those two perfect legs could manage. And. In the dream time fast is very very fast. I ended up making myself sick to my stomach. Retched and puked myself, so's I could smell the awful stuff on me when I woke up."

Kaitlin handed Jacob another half of grilled cheese sandwich. The lesson of dreams is not necessarily magic, but it could be.