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Congregation
(© Biswapriya Purkayastha)

Page 2

The robots were in the church, gathered in front of the pulpit, doing something. They turned at the Bishop’s entrance and one stepped forward.

"Good morning, sir," it said. "Perhaps you can help us."

"Help you with what?" the Bishop asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Have a look, sir." The robots courteously moved aside so that the Bishop could see the object they were gathered around. He stood, frozen to the spot, staring.

"We dismantled Father most carefully," the robot continued. "But though we tested and measured every component, we could not find his soul. Surely, it was because of a failure on our part, and by refining our parameters we can find it. We just need to try again. Don’t you think so, sir?"

The Bishop did not answer. When the robots began gathering around him, he opened his mouth and took a deep breath.

But by then it was already too late to scream.



- THE END -

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Genre:Science Fiction
Type:Short story
Rating:6.95 / 10
Rated By:28 users
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