Temptation's Playground
"They say he's handsome. Too handsome for the clothes."
I feel a flush creep up my neck, hidden beneath my veil. "Sister, such talk is idle. We should pray for him instead."
She bites her lip, nodding, but the seed is planted. Handsome. Too handsome. I shake it off, focusing on the rhythm of scrubbing. The metal gleams under my efforts, a small act of devotion. But my mind wanders, unbidden, to the crucifix in the chapel the carved figure of Christ, his body twisted in agony and grace. I've stared at it during vespers, wondering at the humanity beneath the divine. Flesh and blood, suffering. Tempted.