With a gasp, William sat up straight, waking up suddenly. Looking around he discovered that he was in his own bed, in his bedroom, in his own apartment. Nathaniel and Horace were nowhere to be seen, nor was the Wizard or any Muppet-like people, to his relief.
He got out of bed slowly and carefully, looking out for anything that might indicate that he was still asleep. He crept to the bathroom door, examining it carefully. Everything appeared to be as it should be in the waking world.
Apparently the nightmare was over. Finally. He was back in his safe place at last.
After that dream, crowds didn't bother him quite as much as they used to. Anything was better than being mobbed by angry Muppets. And when he was really anxious, he sometimes felt Nathaniel coming out in him to help him handle whatever situation it was that had him upset.
On the other hand, groups of children tended to give him flashbacks to the Muppet mob and cause his anxiety to spike. He now hated mazes too. Imagine that.
But all things considered, things went pretty much back to normal for William. And that was just fine with him.
