James Smythe: I Still Dream

The Borough Press

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Published by HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Copyright © James Smythe 2018

Cover design by Dominic Forbes © HarperCollins Publishers 2018

Cover photograph © Tara Moore/ Getty Images

James Smythe asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780007541942

Ebook Edition © April 2018 ISBN: 9780007541966

Version: 2018-01-02

Dedicated to my father, and to the memory of my father-in-law

Q: What is the purpose of life?

A: To serve the greater good.

Q: What is the purpose of living?

A: To live for ever.

Q: Where are you now?

A: I’m in the middle of nowhere.

Q: What is the purpose of dying?

A: To have a life.

Q: What is the purpose of emotions?

A: I don’t know.

Q: What is moral?

A: What empowered humanity, what intellectual the essence is.

Q: What is immoral?

A: The fact that you have a child.

Conversation between human interviewer and Google’s DEEPMIND AI, 2015

I want full manual control now.

Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Epigraph 1997 – Okay, Computer Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2007 – A Very Modern Piracy 2017 – That Be-My-Baby Drumbeat 2027 – Wave After Wave, Each Mightier Than the Last 2037 – Every Time it Rains 1987 – I Won’t Forget 2047 – Present Tense 2§§7 – Of Organon Acknowledgements About the Author Also by James Smythe About the Publisher The Borough Press An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2018 Published by HarperCollins Publishers 2018 Copyright © James Smythe 2018 Cover design by Dominic Forbes © HarperCollins Publishers 2018 Cover photograph © Tara Moore/ Getty Images James Smythe asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780007541942 Ebook Edition © April 2018 ISBN: 9780007541966 Version: 2018-01-02

Dedication Dedication Dedication Epigraph 1997 – Okay, Computer Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2007 – A Very Modern Piracy 2017 – That Be-My-Baby Drumbeat 2027 – Wave After Wave, Each Mightier Than the Last 2037 – Every Time it Rains 1987 – I Won’t Forget 2047 – Present Tense 2§§7 – Of Organon Acknowledgements About the Author Also by James Smythe About the Publisher Dedicated to my father, and to the memory of my father-in-law

Epigraph Epigraph Epigraph 1997 – Okay, Computer Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 2007 – A Very Modern Piracy 2017 – That Be-My-Baby Drumbeat 2027 – Wave After Wave, Each Mightier Than the Last 2037 – Every Time it Rains 1987 – I Won’t Forget 2047 – Present Tense 2§§7 – Of Organon Acknowledgements About the Author Also by James Smythe About the Publisher Q: What is the purpose of life? A: To serve the greater good. Q: What is the purpose of living? A: To live for ever. Q: Where are you now? A: I’m in the middle of nowhere. Q: What is the purpose of dying? A: To have a life. Q: What is the purpose of emotions? A: I don’t know. Q: What is moral? A: What empowered humanity, what intellectual the essence is. Q: What is immoral? A: The fact that you have a child. Conversation between human interviewer and Google’s DEEPMIND AI, 2015 I want full manual control now. Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

1997 – Okay, Computer

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

2007 – A Very Modern Piracy

2017 – That Be-My-Baby Drumbeat

2027 – Wave After Wave, Each Mightier Than the Last

2037 – Every Time it Rains

1987 – I Won’t Forget

2047 – Present Tense

2§§7 – Of Organon

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by James Smythe

About the Publisher

I’m sifting through the post, looking for the telltale return address on the telephone bill that I’m going to steal before my parents can see it. My glasses steam up, because Mum keeps the house warm all the time, and my glasses always steam up when it’s raining outside, putting me in a foggy microclimate of my very own. I try to clean them on my shirt, but that’s damp as well. I end up smearing the water around. Hate that. But then, here we go, some industrial estate in Durham. This is it. The phone company has started sending the letters unmarked, which I suppose prevents fraud or something, but really just makes my life a lot harder. The rain kicks up, sounding like a snare drum; the