The “leaders” quarrel over what has taken place and disperse, confidence punctured, weighed down by the pressure of having to be cool. Once again the Dream Dealer and Flake’s heads appear over the wall. The children sing, “Peer Pressure”. At the end the Dream Dealer makes a thumbs up. Scene 3. A Street next to the Playground. Parked in the street is a psychedelic ice cream van. The Dream Dealer, wearing black leather and dark glasses, leans nonchalantly against it. Flake, his stuttering sidekick, busies himself behind the counter, mixing dreams. The Dream Dealer sings “Dreams Are the Means”. He holds up a large jar. It is a quarter full of something coloured and glows faintly. Every time a child buys one of his dreams, part of their soul is captured in his Jar. When his Jar is full, he will breathe in the contents and become immortal. Having checked there are no adults around, Flake changes the sign from “Ice Creams” to “Ice Dreams”. Finn is first out of school. The Dream Dealer accosts him and tries to persuade him to buy a dream. It doesn’t take him long to discover that Finn wants a dog but that his real dream is to have his mother. Finn fiercely rejects the Dream Dealer. The other children discover the Van and are easily tempted into buying their dreams in the form of lollies. They all sing different parts of the song, “Try It”. Delphi is curious but hesitant. Finn tries to dissuade her, but she cannot resist the temptation. She accepts an Ice Dream from the Dealer. ACT TWO Scene 1 The Playground. A few weeks later. The children are in bad shape. They are like zombies singing, “Who Wants Reality?” Finn walks amongst them but cannot get any reaction. Tess physically attacks Delphi because she is eating the last Magical Sun. Finn comes to her defence. However, when he tries to talk, she ignores him. She won’t even look at a special photograph which he thinks could be of his mother. He is hurt and tells her she’s changed. She sings, MAGICAL SUN. Finn sings, “More Than Memories”. He hurries to his only ally, Hercules, but discovers he is missing. Finn is desperate until he discovers the mouse up Mr. Turpentine’s trouser leg. Mr. Turpentine confides in Finn his concern over the children but, characteristically myopic, fails to see the connection with the arrival of the Dream Dealer. Scene 2 The street outside the Playground. Flake has repainted the van with a pattern of a spider’s web. The Jar glows brightly. The Dream Dealer sings a verse of Immortality, explaining the moment he has been waiting for is about to arrive. Delphi approaches lost in her own thoughts. He forces her to take a lolly. She holds it absent-mindedly and sings, “I’ve Changed”. At the end of the song, she defiantly throws away the lolly. The Dream Dealer must wait for further prey. Flake warns the Dream Dealer that if one of the children loses much more of “himself ”, he will die. Scorcher enters in a miserable state and sings, “Who Am I?”. The Dream Dealer recommends a really special dream – one that will last – but it will cost £60. Scorcher is desperate and goes to find the money. Flake hears someone approaching and quickly turns the sign back to “Ice Creams”. Mr. Turpentine and Finn enter. Finn tries to expose what is going on but Mr. Turpentine is blind to the Dream Dealer’s ploys. However, something the Dream Dealer says reminds Mr. Turpentine of an experience he had when he was a boy –
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