NOVEL NEXT Those Charlatans!
"As angels from the heavens, they've bestowed spiritual gifts upon us. Such as my wife … behold."
The preacher's wife stood beside him, hugged him, and smiled.
The congregation unanimously gasped while some pretended to faint.
"Indeed, she's been resurrected!"
"Fools!" yelled a stranger in the audience. "You're all fools in believing those charlatans!" The stranger stepped up to the podium.
"Fools, you say?" asked the preacher. "My entire family has been brought back to life! They died in the church fire."
"Right …" The stranger folded their arms. "You mean restored."
"What?" The preacher stepped back.
"That's right, the aliens have it figured out. We're all bits of information."
"Nonsense!"
"It's true … We're all living in a simulation."
"If that's true ... " The preacher pointed upward. "They must be the creators."
"No." The stranger shook their head. "They discovered and exploited the fact, but they've never met the creators either."