Technical Slip by John Wyndham

Author:John Wyndham [Wyndham, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2024-08-20T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

The first pressure of Leila Mortridge’s flood of tears subsided. She dabbed at her eyes, giving little sniffs.

With the air of one accepting the necessity of somebody being practical, Jane said:

“It seems to me it’s quite clear that one of two things has happened: either there is some kind of telepathy between us—and I don’t see that that fits very well—or we are both having the same dream.”

Mrs. Mortridge sniffed again.

“That’s impossible,” she said, decidedly.

“The whole situation’s impossible,” Jane told her shortly, “but it’s happened—and we have to find the least impossible explanation. Anyway, is two people having the same dream so much more unlikely than anybody having a dream which goes on and on, like a serial?”

Mrs. Mortridge dabbed again, and regarded her thoughtfully.

“I don’t see,” she said, a trifle primly, “how an unmarried girl like you could be having a dream like that at all.”

Jane stared.

“Come off it,” she advised, briefly. “Besides,” she added, after a moment’s reflection, “it seems to me every bit as unsuitable for a respectably married woman.”

Mrs. Mortridge looked forlorn.

“It’s ruined my marriage,” she said, a little plaintively.

Jane nodded understandingly.

“I was engaged—and it wrecked that,” she told her. “How could one? I mean, after——” She let the sentence trail away.

“Quite,” said Mrs. Mortridge.

They fell into abstract contemplation for some moments. Mrs. Mortridge broke the silence to say:

“And now you’re spoiling it, too.”

“Spoiling your marriage?” said Jane amazedly.

“No, spoiling the dream.”

Jane said, firmly:

“Now, don’t let’s be silly about this. We’re both in the same boat. Do you think I want you muscling in on my dream?”

“My dream.”

Jane disregarded that, and thought for a while. At last:

“Perhaps it won’t make any difference,” she suggested. “After all, if we were both dreaming we were her, and didn’t know anything about one another then, why shouldn’t we go on without knowing anything about one another?”

“But we do.”

“No, when we are there, I mean. If that’s so, it won’t really matter, will it? At least, perhaps it won’t.”

Mrs. Mortridge looked unconsoled.

“It’ll m-matter when I wake up and know you’ve b-been sharing——” she mumbled, tearfully.

“Do you think I like the idea of that any more than you do?” Jane said, coldly.

It took her a further twenty minutes to get rid of her visitor. Only then did she feel at liberty to sit down and have a good cry about it all.

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