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"The First Night"

The church was eerily quiet after dark.

Grandma Nelly had dropped me off with enough snacks to feed a small army and a Bible she made me promise to read every night. If only she knew what kind of “holy activities” I had planned.

Father Maxwell showed me to the small guest room behind the rectory. It was simple — a single bed, a wooden cross on the wall, and a tiny window overlooking the garden.

“Here,” he said stiffly, placing my suitcase down. “You’ll sleep here. The bathroom is down the hall. Lights out by 10 PM. We wake up at 5:30 for...