A confession

You walk into the cathedral. The vast emptiness of the place catches and amplifies the echoes of your footsteps. You walk past some prayer candles, and then further past lines and lines of empty pews. The entire sanctuary is empty. You walk around, exploring, until you come to the confessional. You notice that it is manned, so to speak, by a preacher. You step inside the empty half, and close the door.

"Bless me Father for I have sinned," you begin.

"Mother," comes the quiet correction, in a strong, rich female voice.

"Oh. Bless me mother, for I have sinned. It has been ... oh, I don't know ... a few months since my last confession."