What I had decided was that alt-Victoria had had one idea right.

I knew I wouldn’t be living in Alaska forever. In fact, the company had said I would only be here for a few years unless I specifically asked to stay permanently, and I hadn’t done so in the two-plus years I’d been here. Most of the others living in the camp had cycled out and been replaced since I’d been here.

But the last month and a half changed things for me. When the women were just in my dreams, they could be flings or dating coaches or whatever and they complemented my real-life dates with women. Having my women be in the real world, the women I’ve grown up with, some of them since kindergarten, and having them so devoted to me, there’s no question. These are the women I want to spend the rest of my life with.

For Sunday, August 20, I kept the dream simple, just me and Nancy in my usual dream house. I’d had more than enough time in weird other worlds lately and I wanted to get back to some normalcy. And indeed I woke up in my usual home in the camp in Alaska on my usual bed. Not a bed in Mona’s castle. Not on the Sea Men beach. Not in the world of the portal people or Pasthrus. The regular human world.

In the morning, we discussed my ideas about what was really going on with my power and the other worlds.

“I think that all these other worlds started out purely as figments of my imagination, but using my power to summon people from there and to go there myself has made them become real in some sense. When I visited these places in my dreams, things were not consistent from one dream to the next. The dreams that took place in the real world, in other words in my and Victoria’s dream worlds, stayed consistent with developments in the real world, usually, apart from different unreal characters being present.”

“You’re going to have to elaborate, Jody, because I’m not in all your dreams and things are even more fragmented for me.”

“I had dreams where I was in the world of the Sea Men, as a Sea Man, with you sometimes accompanying me as a Sea Woman, though more often it was Aries. Sometimes I had an egg implanted into me, and at least once I gave birth to a child in the Sea Man way.”

“I don’t remember seeing you as a pregnant Sea Man, but I remember Sea Men giving birth like that. Sea Man birth isn’t anything like human birth. The baby grows basically on the outside of your body, so there’s no need to force it through a narrow birth canal. It just grows until it outgrows the sac and its head emerges. But I remember seeing the end of that once, when the baby separates, which is what they consider the birth.”

“Yes. And that took place in the little coastal village where Aries grew up. But when I went back there recently, even as a Sea Man, I found that they don’t have any record of the child. The record-keepers noted that the records seemed incomplete and that they should have more older records, but they believed they had records for all the people who had lived there during the lifetimes of the people still alive, even if they had died or left town. And the dream was only 10 years ago at the most; I was in high school. There should be a living child there or a record of one dying, but there’s not, because the dreams in that era weren’t consistent.”

“And now they are?”

“I’m not sure that every detail is consistent, but I’m pretty sure if I was to do that now, first I’d have to have an egg implanted, and then I’d have to wait the right amount of time, and then I’d have to go there on the right day to experience the baby separating and being born. It’s definitely true in Mona’s castle, and I’ve been leaving things behind or taking things I am allowed to take from the dream worlds and the presence or absence of the items persists.”

“Right. I’ve had two periods since you started having the power, and they’re documented here in the journal. July 11 and August 9, 29 days apart. Correct to lie within two consecutive periods of a normal woman.”

“And Victoria was in her period on August 8th, and wasn’t here near your other period so I missed it. You two are synchronized?”

Nancy went deep into thought, and I did too, trying to recall any time Victoria and Nancy had discussed their periods.

Nancy responded, “I can’t recall. I know Victoria had her first one before mine. I think in high school they weren’t synchronized, and more recently I can’t remember.”

“You know what, it doesn’t matter. If my theory is right, there isn’t enough continuity between then and when you first started being summoned for it to matter whether you were having them at the same time or not in high school. Your memories before the past couple months are only times I dreamed of you and what’s been backfilled when recent events forced a particular history to exist for you.”

“Huh. I think you’re right. I remember having periods, but they were too irregular. I’ve had...” Nancy paused for a second as if counting them in her head. “Maybe 15 or 20 periods since they started. But I’m 25. I’ve been having periods for almost 13 years. I should have had more than 150. Either there was no continuity until recently, or I simply can’t remember about 90% of my life.”

“Yeah, forget it. I have something much more important in mind for today, anyway.”

I drove into town, and among my stops was the one jewelry store there. Nancy is smart, so she figured out why I was there as soon as I parked, but pretended surprise when I bought the 1-carat diamond solitaire engagement ring. Very traditional, and well within my budget as we were getting paid heaps to work and live out here in the middle of nowhere. And it was going to get multiple use.

Back out in my truck, I explained to Nancy, “I’m going to ask you to marry me, but you have to realize it’s not exclusive. Victoria and the others are going to be here in your place some days, and just like alt-Victoria engaged herself to all three of her men, I’m going to treat all of you equally on the days you are here.

“And what if one of them refuses?” Nancy asked.

“I highly doubt that. Even Mona was eager for sex with me. The other-worlders will understand it only applies when they are here. But if someone does refuse, then I work on whatever she needs.”

“Well, I accept, even if I have to share you,” Nancy said, grabbing my head in both hands and pulling me to her for a kiss.

When she finally let me go, she added, “I hope you know how long I’ve wanted this.”

“How long is that?”

Nancy looked puzzled for a moment, and finally said, “As long as I can remember. Back before we had sex or even had seen each other naked, I knew you were the boy for me.”

“Back then I was the only boy you really got to do anything with. You didn’t really have a life outside of my dreams until less than two months ago.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter! I love you. I’ve always loved you!”

I kissed her again, and took care of other business in town and then drove us home.

At home, I called my parents, and set up a video call.

“Mom, Dad, I’m calling today to let you know I’ve asked Nancy to marry me.”

Nancy held up her ring.

Dad said, “I’m happy for you, son. But how’s that going to work for your other women?”

“It doesn’t matter. Remember when I explained that one of the other worlds I can visit is one where I grew up female and named Victoria, and used the power to summon men, male versions of some of the characters from my dreams?”

“Yes. I have trouble understanding how that can happen, but you told me.”

“That version, who Nancy named alt-Victoria, got engaged to all three of the men she regularly summons within the first week after she started summoning them.”

“Huh. Isn’t that confusing for her co-workers?”

“They don’t know, because each time she summons one, she changes the world to one where, for everybody else, she’s always been with that man. The same happens for me and the women, though it’s a bit more complicated. It’s only you two, because you have the power and because she’s summoned by the power, who aren’t affected by it.”

Before he could reply, Dad had a coughing fit, and Mom said, “This is wonderful, son, but I have to take care of him. Do call.” And she hung up the call.

“Is he going to be OK?” Nancy asked.

“Yeah. He has some health issues but nothing immediately life-threatening,” I told Nancy.

“You know, it’s going to be awkward if you and one of your other wives come through to visit me.”

“We’ll have to establish some ground rules.”

“Or rather, we will,” Nancy countered. “Me and your other wives.”

“When I’m in the real world, whoever I summoned on a particular day has priority, because everybody else will think that woman is my wife. When I’m in one of the other worlds, anything you all can agree on applies. If you can’t agree, then again the summoned woman has priority.”

“And when we’re in a dream, and nobody’s summoned?”

“Uhhhh. Crap! My dreams are real enough now that you all have free will within them, don’t you?”

When we tried to go through the doorways to set up a conference with the other women, we found Nancy’s ring wouldn’t come. A consequence of the rule against Mona creating wealth with her magic, no doubt. So she took it off and left it behind in my house. In Mona’s world we found Aries there with Bruno, but she came out of the water, followed by the little sea dragon, when she saw that we wanted to talk.

“Mona, Aries, I want you to know that I proposed to Nancy today.”

“Awwww, you picked her over me?” Aries said with a pout.

“And me?” Mona said, but she seemed less serious about it.

“No, it’s not like that. When one of you is summoned, the other people, apart from my parents, are going to think you’ve been there all the time. I’m proposing to all of you, and hope to marry each of you in a separate ceremony, and the people in the real world will think I’m married to whoever I’ve summoned every day.”

“So each of us will have you on the days you’ve summoned us?” Mona asked. “What about when we’re together like this?”

“Nancy pointed out we’ll all have to have some kind of agreement.”

Aries asked, “Would we all share you? Or would you just treat one of us as your wife in each place?”

“What I agreed with Nancy is this: In the real world, because the other people will remember me as being married to who I’ve summoned that day, whoever I’ve summoned gets precedence. Everywhere else, you all have to agree on something.”

Mona then asked, “Wait, you’re talking about marrying us in your real world, right? What about marrying me here, too?

“I suppose I could, if you want.”

“It would allow you to be married to me for the purposes of magical contracts and inheritance.”

“Uhhhh...”

“It means that if I have any magical possessions that grant abilities or privileges to their owners, or I’m subject to any heritable spells, the magic will recognize you as my heir, instead of one of my cousins.”

“OK, what magical possessions, heritable spells, and all that do you have?”

“I think only the castle and perpetual spells I’ve cast.”

“The castle itself is magical?”

“Castle Galbreath is the source of my power.”

“Oh, so that’s how you have this fabulous castle when your magic doesn’t let you use it to create wealth.”

“Well, no, not really. There’s a source of magical power on the grounds of the castle, and that magic is accessible to me and me only. The castle just comes with it because it’s built here, but it was built in the days before the covenant limited the use of magic.”

“So if we marry and you die, I’ll inherit your magical power?”

“Yes, if we do not have a child who reaches adulthood first. It’s not the only way for me to choose an heir, and I’m not expecting to die anytime soon, but I do need to choose one. There’s nobody else alive in my direct line, so the magic will find an heir, but it could be just some random commoner. They’d have to bring everybody in the realm here to test them for sensitivity to the magic. I’d rather choose you; you at least know some of what my magic is capable of.”

“No other obligations? Sounds like a good deal.”

Mona responded, “Well, if I marry you here, then I want first priority anytime we’re here, the same as in the real world when I’m summoned. That doesn’t mean I won’t let the rest of you have time with Jody, but when I want him I can kick you out. In the other worlds, I don’t care.”

Aries replied, “Then I should marry you in my world, too, and have first privilege there. It doesn’t mean the same thing in my world, though. I’ve learned about your marriage from time I spent in your world, but in my world, there is only a promise. It’s actually more like your engagement than marriage. There’s no exclusivity of sex implied; the promise is that the couple will try to have a child together and won’t have children with anybody else until they have that child or break it off. Inheritance goes to children, but not to spouses nor to anybody else who had children together.”

“Um, Aries, I’m not sure about whether I want my Sea Man version to carry your child. I definitely can’t do it while still working in the camp. And this version of me can’t, period.”

“We could pay someone else to carry it.”

“Oh, right, I remember entries like that in your birth records, where the sire is different from the father. And Sea Man Jody has money, presumably comparable to what I have. Then I guess that’s good, too. But why pay? I thought your people didn’t really use money in the village.”

“If you stay in the village, sure. But if you want to leave the village, you’ll have to have money or a way of earning money. Someone who wants to leave might do this to earn some money to get them started.”

I nodded.

Nancy, who had been silent for quite a while, said, “I’m not even sure if we could get someone to marry us in my world, a dream world. But I’d like to have priority there.”

Mona then asked, “What about Victoria’s dream world?”

“Wouldn’t Victoria have precedence there?” Nancy asked.

“I guess that makes sense, if you’re marrying her too,” Aries replied.

“Yeah, I summon her enough that I should. But she would only be here if I summoned her, or if we’re in a dream together. There’s also alt-Victoria, and when I’m her, we get her version of Victoria’s dream world. But I’m not planning weddings for her. She’s already planning those, to her version of Jody and to Nathan and Manuel, which will happen before I can even plan our weddings.”

Mona said, “You’ve got to summon me as Manuel one of these days. I don’t have any memories of being him.”

Aries interjected, “Do we need to have rules for when you’re her, too? Alt-Victoria, I mean. Even if we aren’t marrying her, you’re still you inside her.”

I replied, “Maybe. I know things I do as her seem independent from the version of her world described in her diary, so maybe we should treat that as me being dressed up as her. I think alt-Victoria’s summoned male partner gets precedence, but if alt-Victoria goes into one of the dream worlds, then the same rules apply there, and in alt-Victoria’s dream world, Nathan gets priority.”

“Wait, does Nathan live in alt-Victoria’s dream world?” Aries asked.

“Hmm, I don’t think we ever checked, but he should. His picture is on her wall in place of Nancy’s,” I responded.”

“And regular Victoria?”

“While I do experience being Victoria while she’s here, ever since I figured out how to direct her mind to control her body, I’ve been controlling her as little as possible. Especially so for sex, because she enjoys it much more if her mind controls how it’s happening. And she doesn’t like it when you come on too strongly, either, but enjoys being the one to initiate things. Let’s say I won’t force my Victoria to have sex with any person and if she chooses to do something that doesn’t violate the rules, she’s free to do it.”

Nancy summarized. “So Victoria gets complete precedence in her dream world. And in the real world, too, since she will only be there when summoned. If Victoria is not there, let’s say Victoria’s Nancy gets priority.”

“That seems fair,” I commented. “It’s more involved to summon her, so I will do it less often.”

“Any other situation where these rules don’t provide a resolution is neutral ground. All of us wives get priority over anyone else for sex with you, but if two of us want it, we work something out,” Mona added.

“What about the other women? Doris, Kimmy, Cleo, Jessica, ...” Nancy said. She continued to name other women who had appeared in my dreams or in Victoria’s, even though she knew I’d never summoned them with the power, even as I and others spoke over her.

I said, “I’m not marrying them explicitly. If I summon them, they get precedence in the real world only because others will see them as my partner, and since I’m almost always going to have sex with them at night in order to summon someone else. Otherwise, they get no such privileges.”

Aries objected loudly, “Wait, why do you get to have sex with whoever you want if you summon them?”

“So that I can bring somebody else the next day. But I plan on bringing one of my wives most days. Others are for experiments, or special tasks. They’ll happen even less often than I’ve done so far.”

“And how many times is that?”

“Um, the journal is in my house.”

Nancy stopped the whole party from going over there. “No need. I remember it all from all the time I spent helping assemble the greatest part of it. You summoned Doris three times, two of those times in order to reach the portal world, and Kimmy once. And as alt-Victoria you summoned Glen once, and my Nathan form three times, but those don’t count since alt-Victoria is not part of this marriage. So, really four out of 47 days.”

Aries was still upset. “One out of every 12 days? That’s barely less than you’ve summoned each of us.”

Mona made another suggestion to placate Aries. “If two of us wives are together without Jody, or when Jody is having sex with someone else, we can do whatever we can agree on.”

“Fair enough,” Aries replied. “So the summoned person gets priority with Jody and vice versa in the real world, and each of us and Victoria with him in the world of ours connected by these doorways. Any other situation is neutral ground. Agreed.”

“Agreed,” Nancy added.

“Agreed,” Mona and I said together.

All three of the women came together to kiss me and one another. I think everybody kissed everybody. I’m not sure any of these women had ever actually done anything sexual with either of the other women here, but they’d just opened the door to doing so, and so the kisses made sense.

“Now I’m going to formally propose to each of you, with the same ring, on upcoming days.”

Mona commented, “You mean in the real world? If we’re getting married here, I want to have a ring here and not only when you’ve summoned me.”

Aries said, “We don’t actually have that ring tradition among my people. But I’ll enjoy it if you give me one.”

“OK, if I’m marrying you all I guess I can get each one of you a ring in your respective worlds. Nancy, since I’ve already given you your real ring, let’s go into your dream world and get you one there.”

“You should wait until after you propose to me to see what my ring turns into and get me one to match,” Mona commented.

“The ring’s going to change? Oh, of course it would. Fine. But it’s time for me to be with just Nancy. You’ll get your turns soon.”

The others accepted this. Mona led us to the door into my dream world, and closed it behind me and Nancy, but Aries was so close behind Mona I wondered if she was going to jump her as soon as the door closed. I’m sure I’ll find out later.

“OK, Nancy, let’s see how I can buy you a ring here,” I said, picking up my dream-world wallet that contained the only way I could buy her anything here. I wasn’t sure it would work and we’d get someone to serve us to buy it, but Nancy led me to a jewelry store where Arturo, one of my friends from high school, was working. We had no problem talking with him.

I asked, “So, Nancy, what kind of ring would you like? I’m not sure how far my dream-world money goes, but at the same time, I’m not sure if there even is a limit.”

“Oh, nothing too fancy. Most of the people aren’t even going to notice, after all. Just something like the one you got me in the real world.”

So we picked one out and because it was the dream world, it fit perfectly with no resizing needed. We walked back to Nancy’s house, which felt a little weird to her since I’d summoned her and she was the real-world version of Nancy, but I proposed to her again and gave her the ring, which she then left behind there as we returned to the real world.