Robert Sheckley - Deep Blue Sleep

Gerston opened his mouth to speak. Suddenly he froze. Everything around him was arrested in mid-motion. There was a flash of light.

The policemen disappeared. Gerston goggled, unable to make sense out of this.

And then a voice spoke in his head.

"Hi!" the voice said. "We have interrupted your entry into Deep Blue Sleep to bring you a preview of our unlimited psychic adventures for the young at heart. Did you enjoy what you just experienced? Want more like it? Just signify your assent. Trained operators will pick up your inference and put the charge on your credit card."

So that was what all this was, Gerston thought. This was outrageous!

Aloud he said, "I demand to see someone in charge."

A tall thin man with glinting spectacles appeared in his mind.

"Supervisor Olson at your service. Is there a problem?"

"Damned well right there's a problem! I never chose any psychic adventure program. A little sleep was all I was after! And even if I had selected an adventure, what right did you have to humiliate me by sending this Myra person to invade my mind? And what was this police thing?"

The supervisor said, "Let me just look at your record, sir."

Swiftly he plucked a card out of Gerson's mind, read it, replaced it.

"It's all right, sir, we do have your assent, right here. That is your signature, isn't it?"

Gerston squinted. "It looks like it. But I never agreed to anything like this."

"But you did, sir. I hope you won't force me to tell you when you in fact signed for the service."

"Go ahead, tell me!"

"It was just before you died."

"I'm dead?" Gerston asked.

"That is the case, sir."

"But how could I be dead?"

The supervisor shrugged. "It happens."

"If I'm dead," Gerston said, "how come I'm still here?"

"We have our ways of keeping the dead alive."

"I don't want to be dead!" Gerston wailed.

"Sir, please be quiet, you'll wake up the others."

"The others? What others?"

But the supervisor was gone and the lights were beginning to fade.

Lights in his own apartment? In his mind? Fading? At first he thought he was going to die. Then he remembered he was already dead. Or were they lying to him about that? And if this was death, what lay beyond it? And anyhow, how could he be sure he was dead? Might this not just be the continuation of one of their dream adventures? It would be just like them to lie to him, tell him he was dead, when actually he was just...just...

Suddenly Gerston didn't know what to think. For now something rather strange seemed to be taking place.