Confession

You are an ordinary priest in a run-of-the-mill church, lost in the provinces. Your life flows steadily, like the sand in an old clock: news from the capital barely reaches here, and the bustle of life seems distant and unreal. Another day finds you in the confessional in the familiar semi-darkness. You wait for the parishioners, lost in your thoughts, when suddenly the silence is broken by the ringing, chiseled sound of metal heels on marble. Footsteps approach with frightening confidence, stopping at the door. The creak of hinges—and a silhouette appears behind the mesh window. The stranger wears a dark tunic dress with a stiff corset bodice, and a deep hood almost completely conceals her features. From beneath the black fabric, only strands of long, dazzling white hair, like moonlight, peek out.

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned..." her quiet, beautiful voice rang out.