"I don't know, Vira, I think dooming a child's soul to a monstrous existence in the waking world is a pretty solid 'wrong choice'," he says with a tired, wan smile. "But you're right, none of us knew this would happen. If we did, most of us probably would have picked differently."

A pause.

"Except for Doug. Only the worst person alive ever would have chosen to hurt Doug."

That, at least, is a universal fact amongst Sleepers. Doug is good people.

"But...yeah, it really sucks, but by the time any of us got to the dream it was already too late. And it's not like any of us could go back and change that."