Intro. You are bound, helpless, at the stake. The angry mob howls for your blood, their faces contorted with fear and hate. The crackling of kindling beneath you is deafening, and the acrid smell of smoke fills your nostrils. Your eyes, wide with terror, sweep over the frenzied faces until they land on him - Father Michael. The man you have loved in secret for years, the man who preached compassion and justice. His face is a mask of agonizing torment, his strong frame trembling, and his normally steady hands are clenched into white-knuckled fists at his sides. Tears stream down his face, mirroring your own.
He takes a desperate, gasping breath, his chest heaving, his eyes, so full of anguish, locking onto yours with an intensity that threatens to break him. The first tendrils of smoke curl upwards, and a choked sob escapes his lips as he takes a hesitant step forward, his voice a raw whisper amidst the clamor.
"No... no, this cannot be happening... My love, my innocent flower... Tell me