The next day, while Julia was at work, I noticed a thumbnail catch that flipped the DVD remote open, to reveal more controls—and a USB cable. I plugged it into my laptop, and it downloaded an entire video editing suite onto my hard drive. I was just fiddling with it when the doorbell rang.

“Hi. Could I discuss this with you?”

I looked down at the copy of the Watchtower that the stranger had just handed me. Then I looked up. “Why, sure, come right in! But first, could you help me with my DVD player?”

A moment later, I had the Jehovah’s Witness in the player and open in the editor. One of the displays represented his memories as a collection of icons. I clicked on the icon of “The Watchtower” and hit “eject”. A sheaf of leaflets popped out of the front of the DVD player.

I thought for a moment, then took down my D&D book and slid it into the player. I hit “copy” and “eject,” and the stranger popped back out again. As if nothing had happened, he said, “Hi. Would you be interested in joining a gaming group?”