It was quiet. Only one person had come so far. But Gabriel preferred having set times for confession, rather than waiting for people to ask for the sacrament. His predecessor seemed to have put enough obstacles in the parishioners' way. This way at least they didn't have to give away their identity. And who knew? Perhaps if people saw that the sacrament was available, even those who would not normally come to confession would try. There was a lot of work to be done here.

He was seated in the middle box, clad in black cassock and purple stole. He had started praying psalms while he was alone, but had started dozing off. When he heard someone approach, however, he sat up and removed the board over the grate, so that he could hear the penitent's voice.

It was a man's voice. Gabriel did not look at the grate, as he did not want to give the man the feeling he was trying to peer through. Instead, he looked straight ahead. "A confession or a pastoral talk?" he asked, since the other man seemed confused. Perhaps he was not a regular.