Hello! Thank you for reading Dream Merchant Amelie – I appreciate you for sharing the journey with me.

I'd once heard of a story from my mother of someone she knew who was suffering from such grief that she would see hallucinations of her son. She had a son who was 23, and had been killed by an accident while performing his national service (military duty) in the army. His passing was so sudden and unexpected that she for years had trouble coming to terms with the physical reality of her son’s death. I began to write and unfold Dream Merchant Amelie as a way to explore how we tackle grief of such magnitudes, especially when there seems no answer for a way out of it, and how this grief intertwines with the lives of others - seen from the perspective of someone who cannot initially surmise that the character is driven by this grief and only sees its apparent effects. As I continued writing, I found the scope naturally expand to a larger topic which I was surprised – and devastated – to come across.

This larger topic has to do with the fact that, sadly, Minerva and René’s condition is not fictitious. It’s called ‘Munchausen syndrome by proxy’, or factitious disorder imposed on another; it is where one person, usually a caregiver, creates an impression of a disease in the person they care for, and presents them as being sick or injured. According to medical studies, this syndrome results in a mortality rate of anywhere between 6 – 10% for children who are subject to the caregiver, making it perhaps the most lethal form of abuse.

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There are several hypotheses as to why a person may have this mental health disorder which drives them to fabricate the disease in their children. Some suggest that the behavior may be motivated by the caretaker seeking sympathy; other literature suggests a desire for attention is a contributing factor. Dream Merchant Amelie and of Minerva’s story is an exploration of these different reasons, but I didn’t want to simplify those reasons to narrow interpretations of malicious desire or selfish attention; grief and survivor’s guilt come heavily into play in the story, and I wanted to explore the ways in which the characters could eventually overcome this together and survive. In this case, Dream Merchanting is a form of therapy, so to speak, one which Amelie seeks to accomplish.

This story was written during a particularly difficult period for me, and features lots of emotions which I believe bled through to the story. Thank you for staying by its many ups-and-downs, and if Dream Merchant Amelie surprised you or resonated with you – or you found it tugging on your heartstrings – thank you. I am glad I could write and share this story, and would appreciate your support in the voting block for the January 2024 Community Magazine Contest.

To a new future, Amelie, Manfred, and Minerva departs,

See you again,

Toshinori Heiichi