[It’s nice. He’s slept in worse places, for certain, and the bed looks especially compelling to his tired bones. But Stephen spares a glance at Amelia as she passes by.]

It’s sealed up nice and tight, and it isn’t nearly the danger that it was before. But it is a nightmare demon, and there’s no getting around the influence of being near one.

[It’s more a concept than a living, breathing thing. To share its space means to imbibe its influence, whether or not one is aware.]

Unfortunately, we won’t know just what it’s jumbled up in our sleep until we do just that — sleep. But that’s my problem right now, not yours, and I can live with it for the time being.

So as long as you’re not about to run off and take a power nap, you’re fine. Don’t worry. I’ll be gone before it becomes a problem for you.