Sense of foreboding

Sense Of Foreboding One of my online friends lived as my neighbour in a town I never saw before and I had no family and friends.
We only held contact via landline calls.
Then one day he invited me to come to his home and I found his door unclosed and stepped in.
As soon as I stepped in I was trapped and I realised that he was a non-human, kind of a computer, I can't explain it better.
I couldn't see him, only sensed in the air that there was something very wrong and I was in danger.
On the floor in a small room I found 8 flat apparatuses that worked, they looked similar to seismographs.
I was glad when I suddenly awoke from that dream, it was 6:30 am.

The next morning I asked how he was doing and he told me that he called the ambulance at night because he was so breathless, exhausted, couldn't breath and he told me that he was connected to several machines to monitor heart, blood pressure.
His neighbour came to collect him at 6:30 am…

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

Co-incidental but eerie.

Err, you've not been reading Robert Harris' The Second Sleep, have you?

(I won't explain, so I do not spoil the story for you or anyone else.)

Rickichickie · 56-60, F

@ArishMell No, would you recommend it?

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Rickichickie Yes! I do not read much fiction at all but did enjoy this.

It is a far-future dystopia but unlike most has nothing to do with science. Just the opposite in fact, set in a fictional but credible Devon village 800 years from now, after an unexplained collapse of our-times civilisation at an unknown time but perhaps not far ahead. England has recovered to roughly late-16C level under a Christian theocracy that forbids any attempt to learn about the past - or anything much at all.

The plot centres on a young priest sent to the village to investigate the disappearance of the local cleric.

A strking feature, helping its credibility, is that we see random relics from our (21C) time, as the puzzled 29C characters see them.

I first heard it read in daily serial form on BBC R4, but missed some episodes so bought a copy!

Robert Harris has alsoo written other historical novels I have not read but gather all very well thought of. One is Conclave, set in the Vatican and now in award-winning film form.

Rickichickie · 56-60, F

@ArishMell I watched Conclave two weeks ago with my friend and plan to read the book now too.
I set the second The Second Sleep on my book list.
Have you read The Thursday Murder Club books by Richard Osman? I've read all of them and just finished the first book of his new series We Solve Murders.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Rickichickie Ah, no, I've not come across them.

Rickichickie · 56-60, F

@ArishMell I'm member of two libraries, makes reading books cheaper.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Rickichickie I shoul;d use my local library. It's only a short walk away, too, but the one in town is just as accessible so I've no excuse!

Rickichickie · 56-60, F

@ArishMell the only excuse would be that you have more interesting things to do than reading.

ArishMell · 70-79, M

@Rickichickie Actually that is true, though unfortunately I can be lazy too. Then frustrated for not getting things done!

Rickichickie · 56-60, F

@ArishMell I’d call that enjoying life. 😀