The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Tunnel Under The World, by Frederik Pohl

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Title: The Tunnel Under The World

Author: Frederik Pohl

Illustrator: Emsh

Release Date: April 14, 2010 [EBook #31979]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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Transcriber's Note:

This etext was produced from Galaxy Science Fiction January 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

The Tunnel

Under

The World

By FREDERIK POHL

Pinching yourself is no way to see if you are dreaming.
Surgical instruments? Well, yes--but a mechanic's kit is
best of all!

Illustrated by EMSH

* * * * *

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.

[Illustration]

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.

"Guy?" His wife was calling him querulously from the foot of the
stairs. "Guy, dear, are you all right?"

He called weakly, "Sure."

There was a pause. Then Mary said doubtfully, "Break