The Greatest Illusion
That fooled everyone
“Johnson! Get in here, now!” bellowed God’s deputy, his voice echoing through the celestial office.
Moments later, a nervous-looking assistant entered. “Yes, sir?”
“God is visiting us next week. He wants a live demo of the universe we created.”
“But sir, the universe isn’t scheduled for creation until this Thursday.”
The deputy’s face turned an alarming shade of red. “What do you mean, ‘scheduled for Thursday’? I told God we created it 13.7 billion years ago!”
“Well, sir, if you recollect…” Johnson hesitated. “I sent you regular status updates about the delays in the Big Bang project.”
“I guess… I mixed up projects…” the deputy sighed. “Are you telling me there’s nothing to show to God next week?”
“I’m afraid so, sir. The universe will be brand new next week, barely formed.”
“Is there any way we can show something?” The deputy almost pleaded.
The assistant thought for a moment. “What if… what if we create a mature universe on Thursday?”
“Huh?”
“Instead of starting from scratch, we could create a mature universe pre-loaded with everything: galaxies, stars, planets, even living beings. It would appear billions of years old.”
“You can do that?”
“Oh, yes. It’s all software that’s creating the universe. I just have to change a few config parameters.”
The deputy stroked his chin. “Hmm. That could work. But what about the humans? Won’t they act like they just popped into existence? God would notice it immediately.”
Johnson shook his head. “Not if I give them past memories. They’ll believe they’ve been living on their planet for years. And I would create all the evidence to make them think the universe is 13.7 billion years old.”
“Clever,” the deputy nodded. “Let’s do it. But make sure everything is perfect. God has a keen eye for detail.”
“Of course, sir. We’ll make it indistinguishable from a 13.7-billion-year-old universe.”
“Excellent. And Johnson?”
“Yes, sir?”
“Make sure to include some mysteries. God loves a good puzzle.”
Johnson grinned. “Dark matter and energy it is, then.”
“Perfect. Now get to work.”
As Johnson turned to leave, the deputy called out, “Oh, and one more thing.”
“Sir?”
“Let’s keep this between us, shall we? No need to bother God with the… technical details.”
Johnson nodded solemnly. “Understood, sir.”
As the door closed behind his assistant, the deputy leaned back in his chair, a mixture of relief and anticipation washing over him. In just a few days, they would pull off the greatest illusion in the history of… well, history itself.
P.S. This story is based on the idea called Last Thursdayism.
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