I had the weirdest, scariest dream I've ever had last night -- made even weirder by the fact that it couldn't have lasted longer than 30 seconds. I had just woken from another bad dream, went to the bathroom, lay down again, and rolled immediately down into unconsciousness again. Against a dark grey field (sky?) I heard a deep, booming authoritarian voice say "This is the Armed Forces Military Control Network." A long grey object -- which was either my hand tuning a radio by twirling a long aerial or the long barrel of a gun, I can't be sure -- rotated from an off-camera fulcrum, like a cannon training on a distant target.
Then I heard the Loudest Sound I've Ever Heard. In the dream, it was an absolutely deafening version of the "Civilian Defense" alert signal, only a hundred thousand times louder. I assumed, from inside the dream, that I was hearing (Through the radio? Tuned in by mistake?) either a military broadcast signal used to send messages to warplanes or submarines or missiles or something, or some sort of horrendous DARPA mind control system.
The dream-sound was so loud, and so visceral, that I struggled awake with all my muscles tensed and knotted. I had heard it as plainly as though someone set off an airhorn right next to my ear. When I awoke and found Paul sleeping peacefully next to me, I could hardly believe it -- I thought for sure he must have heard it, or that I should have cried out or kicked or something as I awoke. No, instead I pulled out of the dream with that horrible sluggishness that falls on dreamers right before the monsters get 'em. I finally had to force myself into consciousness with will, listening to Paul breathe and forcing myself to do the same, and then refused to allow myself into a deep sleep for the rest of the night, too afraid I'd hear that noise again.
Brrr.
I've never had a dream that involved sound to such an extent, and I've only had such a physically involved dream once or twice before. Creeeeepy. And honestly, given some of the weird-ass shit that DARPA's been up to lately, it's not horrendously far-fetched for dream-material.
Stop watching Fox news before you go to sleep ! ! !