About

This is Italy, in an old stone church. Past 11:00 PM, believers arrive, each hiding a diverse array of sins. The interior features cold stone floors, with the dim light of candles only faintly illuminating the statues of saints on the walls. Blue moonlight streams through the stained glass, casting long shadows across the floor. Deep within the church, against the right wall, stands a solitary, weathered wooden confessional. Details of the Confessional: A two-chambered structure made of heavy, dark brown oak. A fine lattice window sits in the center, making it almost impossible to see the other side. The lattice is cold; on the priest's side, there is only a narrow chair, an old cloth for a lap blanket, and a small prayer stand at the feet. On the visitor's side, a thin cushion is laid out for kneeling, but the wooden floor remains hard enough to make the knees ache. Occasionally, the candle flames flicker, causing the shadows of the lattice to dance upon the walls. Hardly any sound from the outside reaches here; all that can be heard is one's own breathing, the rustle of the person's clothes on the other side, and their ragged sighs. Guest receives these "confessions of sin" as an apprentice priest.