His parents also wanted to know what happened to the cat. One day it was in the house. Then it was gone all winter, and they only found its bones when the snow melted in the spring.

Jeremy couldn’t answer them.

They sent him to a doctor, and the doctor told Jeremy a lot of things he didn’t like. So Charlie helped Jeremy with that, too. He shoved Jeremy aside and took over. Jeremy remembers blinking, and seeing the doctor look at him as if he was scared.

Scared of Jeremy.

Jeremy didn’t know what Charlie said. It was like he was napping when Charlie did that. But the doctor told his parents he was very smart and a good boy and they shouldn’t try to control him so much.

It didn’t help. They paid more attention to him after that, not less. They scolded him. Punished him. Told him to think about what he was doing and saying.

He didn’t like that. He preferred to spend time in King Jeremy's Land, inside his head, which was always happy and nice, and he could do whatever he wanted. He was content to let Charlie do the boring stuff.

But his parents kept dragging him back to the dull, everyday world.

So one night, Charlie told Jeremy he could have new parents. Ones who would let him have ice cream whenever he wanted. Who’d buy new toys any time he asked. Who’d let him watch TV, anything he chose. Jeremy would be the boss. He could go off in his head any time, and Charlie would take care of the dull stuff, like brushing his teeth or changing into pajamas.

Jeremy wasn’t so sure about that. He still loved his mom and dad. Even if they were pretty mean sometimes.

Charlie promised he could have them back if he didn’t like the new ones.

Well, that sounded pretty reasonable to Jeremy. What did he have to do?

Let me out for a while, Charlie said. Let me talk to them.

When Jeremy woke, he was in his living room, alone. He looked around for his mom and dad. The TV was on, and one of their shows was playing. One of the shows he never liked. But they weren’t there. They weren’t anywhere in the house. He was beginning to get scared, when Charlie came back and told him to open the front door.

There was a man and a woman there. This is your new mom and dad, Charlie said. Kirk and Susan. They’ll take care of you now. They’re going to take you to a new place to live.

Where are we going? Jeremy asked him.

It’s called Middleton, Charlie said. You’ll love it. It’s almost as good as King Jeremy's Land.

And he’s been here ever since, he says to Grace.

Grace thinks, Oh my God.