The God Experiment

Chapter No.4. Miracles

Chapter No.4. Miracles

Robert and Janet decided it was time to go back to church. She hadn't been there for a few weeks because of the disruption of her husband's sudden revival. Saint Peter and Paul's main Sunday mass starts at 11:00 A.M, but Janet decided that it would be better to show up early so that she could plough through everyone's questions about her husband's miracle.

What she found was chaos. People were gathered in groups and standing around a car that appeared to have struck something not too far from the main entrance. Father Johns, the pastor, and Father Albert, his assistant, were standing near what appeared to be a blanket covering something on the ground,

Robert decided to see what was under the blanket, much to his wife's dismay. He peeled it back to see that it hid the body of a young women. Blood had stained the blanket and pavement where she was lying, and it was obvious that she had been killed by the out-of-control car.

Father Johns came over to him. "What are you doing?" he asked, his face twisted with concern.

Robert remained squatted near the body and turned to look up with him, smiling. "Something wonderful!"

He stood up while pulling the women to her feet.

Both Fathers Johns and Albert were astounded. The dead woman was now alive and obviously unhurt.

Janet pulled her husband out of the crowd that had gathered. Women were crying out and screeching. Men were staring at what was obviously a miracle.

Someone yelled. "Did you do this, father?"

Father Johns was taken aback. "She must have been only stunned." His statement had no effect on the excitement that was escalating.

The ambulance arrived and went over to the woman standing with the two priests and an excited crowd.

"Who was injured?" a burly ambulance driver asked.

"She was struck by the car over there," Father Johns said, pointing. "She appears to be uninjured."

The amount of blood on the ground, the blanket and her clothing were not consistent with that conclusion.

As Janet drove home, she glanced at her husband with a stern expression. "I don't think it was a good idea to pull something like that."

He stared at her with surprise and then assumed a stoic expression. "I have the power to resurrect, and it seemed the proper thing to do."

"You must realize that something like this could draw the attention of this evil person you talk about."

"Maybe that's the way I'll find him."

She wasn't happy with that. It meant that she and her son could be consumed in a conflict she wasn't prepared to deal with.

They didn't try to attend mass again until two weeks had passed. When they arrived in the vestibule of the church, both Fathers Johns and Albert came over to them. Nancy, an eucharistic minister, tagged along.

"That woman was dead," Father Johns said to Robert. "And yet you made her stand up unhurt."

He stared back at him for a moment before replying. "I was in coma for ten years and I had contact with some guy who I assumed was connected to God."

"Was he a saint or an angel?"

"I don't know. He might have been Jesus for all I know, however he didn't resemble at all the paintings and images I see in here. He looked like a Palistinian from the West Bank."

"Did he give you the power to resurrect?"

Robert hesitated for a moment before replying. "Yes. He told me that I had the ability to do a lot of things because I'm supposed to find some evil person who is going to spawn an Armageddon."

"That's a reference to an end time battle between the forces of good and evil. Did he say how that would apply to modern times?"

"He didn't give me that much information. I feel as if I actually died, and I'm just living on borrowed time."

Nancy came forward. "You have the power to resurrect and yet my husband died a week ago and you weren't here to save him."

"I'm not a psychic. I didn't realize that your husband died, but I might be able to change that."

"How?" Father Johns asked. "He was embalmed and buried."

"Ah, maybe I could fix that."

Suddenly, the hub bub of the people gathering for mass became unearthly silent. Nancy looked around. "What happened? Everyone looks frozen."

"Yeah, I've stopped time for everyone except us," Robert said.

They stared at him with confused looks.

"Look, I can reverse time to just before your husband died. However, there's a catch."

"What?" Nancy asked, her excitement growing with the size of her eyes.

"All of us will have to relive the week realizing that we are reliving it. You'll have to keep from changing anything because it could upset the timeline."

"I'm ready!" Nancy declared.

The priests nodded their approval.

In a blink of the eye Robert and Janet were standing on Nancy's driveway to her modest two story a week back in time. The day was partly sunny and mild with a slight breeze.

Nancy ran out of the front door and came to them. "Oh my God! You're here!"

Robert gave her a serious look. "Yeah, let's get this done."

Nancy escorted them into her house and to a bedroom where her husband was lying on a bed in obvious stress.

Robert sensed that he was having trouble breathing because of a terminal case of lung cancer. He placed his hand on the man's chest and withing a few minutes, his breathing returned to normal.

Jacob, Nancy's husband, looked at her and then at Robert. "I can breathe."

Nancy went to Robert and kissed his cheek. "I really appreciate this."

"I'm happy to be of assistance," Robert replied.

"Do you two need a ride home?" Nancy asked.

"It's a nice day," Robert said. "We'll walk."

Nancy helped her husband stand and then walk to the kitchen. She was so enthralled with her cured husband she failed to notice that Robert and his wife had left.

The walk back home was silent for a while, but Janet felt the need to make a comment. "This is going to cause a stir. People will be all over you to heal their loved ones."

"Yeah, I realize that, but I can't just refuse them."

Janet realized that she was dealing with a life turned upside down by what appeared to be a religious experience. She had conflicting feelings about it. She was happy to see people healed but she realized it would upset everything.