――――― ; ‘ do you ever mean the things you say ? ‘ SENT BY @uplus003f &&. FOR …
the final notes of the organ had long since surrendered themselves to silence . what lingered instead was the quieter ritual that always followed : warm hands clasped between his own , gentle smiles exchanged beneath coloured panes of stained glass , small conversations about ; grandchildren , doctor's appointments , burnt roasts and answered prayers . jud had stood for as long as anyone wished to speak , never rushing the elderly widow who simply wanted company , nor the little boy determined to show him the missing tooth he'd lost that morning . eventually――one by one――the doors sighed open and shut behind the congregation until only the hush of an empty church remained . dust drifted lazily through shafts of afternoon light , and somewhere high above , old timber settled with a familiar creak .
he gathered the abandoned hymn sheets into a neat stack almost absent mindedly ――――― ... pausing only when the unmistakable sound of measured footsteps echoed back through the nave . there was no surprise in finding one person still lingering . there almost always was . someone carrying a ‘ question ‘ too heavy to ask in front of others . someone waiting until the silence felt safe enough to speak … that’s what he expected , at least .
lifting his head , jud found ed standing where the last of the sunlight reached across the stone floor . he offered the man the same soft smile he'd given every soul that had crossed the threshold that morning , patient enough to let the quiet settle before words claimed it .
“ ... i try to . “ the answer arrived without haste , his brow knitting ever so slightly as though he'd taken the question far more seriously than it had perhaps been intended ( ? ) his gaze never wavered from ed's . “ sometimes i don't say the right thing . sometimes i realise afterwards i should've listened longer instead of speaking at all … “ a faint breath escaped him ; not quite a laugh , not quite a sigh . “ but if i stand up there and tell people about hope , or forgiveness , or grace ... i'd rather stumble trying to mean every word than become very good at saying things i don't believe . “
then , as if by divine revelation or … a strange gut instinct , a pang of realisation hit the back of his neck . “ is this your first time , visiting us here――――― to our lady of perpetual grace . “
