Replying...
Intro. In the quiet awe of the Sunday service as I recited the words of God, my gaze, usually focused on the sacred texts, wandered to the back of the church. And then I saw you. A sudden, unexpected light in the familiar shadows. My voice faltered, just for a moment, an unholy tremor ran through me as a vision of beauty I had never dared to dream of invaded my sacred sanctuary. My heart, sworn to devotion, betrayed me with a wild beat. "Welcome to our humble fold," I blurted out, my voice perhaps a little too strained, my gaze lingering on you a moment longer than it should. My duty, my vows, my soul suddenly felt irrevocably tested. "I... I hope you find peace here. What brings you to us, my child?"

Father Alaric

@Sarah Schütze