214 Your Supervisor, Please

He didn't like the priest's penance given him.

"Can I speak to your supervisor?"

He waited. A man in a purple cap excused the priest, opening the sliding window.

"Hello, I am Bishop Cranston."

"Bless me. It's been 24 years since my last confession."

"You found Father Killough's penance unacceptable?"

"Yes. I didn't really sin. I wanted spiritual guidance for losing faith in the institutions of Catholicism. I've got no problem with Christianity, itself."

"No faith in, say, the Mysteries--like, the virgin birth of Christ?"

"Yea, that stuff. I mean, Christ's way shouldn't rely on these legends." He seemed offended.

"Double Fr. Killough's penance."

"I want your supervisor then."

A cleric wearing a red hat replaced the bishop, sliding open the window.

"Peace be with you. I'm Cardinal Taylor. I understand you're both unhappy and unforgiven."

"Yes, Your Eminence. I'm losing my blind belief in lots of things. It seems like we're forced, under pain of mortal sin, to believe in magic."

"Miracles, right?"

"Magic. Voodoo. Like holy water. The incense thing you swing. Blessings. Transubstantiation."

"Triple Father Killough's penance!"

"Your supervisor, please." Someone wearing a white cap entered.

"Your Holiness--didn't expect you!"

"Yet, I'm here--for my flock when they need me. I'm Pope Francis."

"I know who you are. Maybe I can get to the source of the problem. Can't I just follow Christ's way?"

"Nothing wrong with that," he said.

"Oh, thank God."

"You're only two separations away from doing just that. Ha ha."

"Ha ha. So I won't go to Hell if I don't believe Jesus cured lepers?"

"Oh," the Pope said. "That might be problematic."

"Is there even a Hell?"

"Maybe. For you."

"Your supervisor, please."

That's when Jesus Christ, Himself, came in.

"Now I'll get a straight answer. Jesus?"

"Yes."

"Your church. A lotta tangential things have been added. By men. Yet, the punishments are divine. Man-made rules--with divine consequences. Were those zealots from the Dark ages even qualified to do that? Can't I just follow your way?"

"Nothing wrong with that."

"So I'm good?"

Jesus paused.

"Why don't you just be a sport and say the three crummy Hail Mary's and let it go? I mean, would it kill you?"

____________

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

For Thursday, August 1, Day 214 of the 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge

366 WORDS (without A/N or PS)

Title-accompaniment photo was AI-generated but the absolution was not.

---

THIS CHALLENGE GRINDS ON, 366 WORDS AT A TIME...

There are currently three surviving Vocal writers still participating in the insane 2024 Story-a-Day Challenge:

• L.C. Schäfer, challenge originator

• Rachel Deeming

• Gerard DiLeo (some other guy)

Read them. Support them. And remember to say a good Act of Contrition.