Tunnel Under The World

FROM "THE TUNNEL UNDER THE WORLD": "On the morning of June 15th, Guy Burckhardt woke up screaming out of a dream. "It was more real than any dream he had ever had in his life. He could still hear and feel the sharp, ripping-metal explosion, the violent heave that had tossed him furiously out of bed, the searing wave of heat. "He sat up convulsively and stared, not believing what he saw, at the quiet room and the bright sunlight coming in the window. "He croaked, 'Mary?' "His wife was not in the bed next to him. The covers were tumbled and awry, as though she had just left it, and the memory of the dream was so strong that instinctively he found himself searching the floor to see if the dream explosion had thrown her down. "But she wasn't there. Of course she wasn't, he told himself, looking at the familiar vanity and slipper chair, the uncracked window, the unbuckled wall. It had only been a dream." We all have bad dreams, but in this story the dream is not only a nightmare, but it cannot be differentiated from reality. June 15th becomes more than just a day in the life for Guy Burckhardt -- it becomes his life. Another classic masterpiece from Frederik Pohl!