Billy collapses to the ground and sobs, his shoulders shaking. The congregation waits with bated breath for the preachers next words. The preacher pulls him to his feet and embraces him tightly, rocking him back and forth like one would a baby. “You did well, my son. You did well.” The crowd nods and his parents both sigh out with relief, letting themselves finally breathe. “But to truly repent, you must accept a punishment. But do not worry. God would never give you a punishment you cant take on.” The preacher continues, still soothing Billy who simply nods at the idea of being punished. He deserves it after all. “For whom the Lord loves, He chastens.” He closes his eyes, voice wavering as a few members of the congregation repeat the quote with quiet reverence “But what is the appropriate punishment for your wandering eyes and hands? For that we must turn to the good book. It will show us the way to deal with this prodigal son of ours.” And for the briefest of seconds, his mouth twitches into a smile.  

“Let us turn our attention to Matthew 5:29: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee: for is it profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into Hell.” He quotes, turning his attention to the crowd that is hanging onto his every word. “So the question of course is, what is this so called member we must remove from dear Billy to save him from the burning inferno of eternal damnation?” The preacher looks over the crowd, but no one answers him. His gaze sweeps over the pews, eventually stopping on Billys parents. They hold each other silently, avoiding his gaze. “Come now, mister Williams. This your son here. Surely you know best of the sins of your son.” He chastises, tone patronizing. Mister Williams stands up shakily and clears his throat. “Well father... Perhaps it is his eyes that first drove him to sin, his gaze wondering away from the pages containing Gods good word and into unholy sights.” His wife stands up, choking out a sob but staying silent. She fights her motherly instincts of wanting to grab his son and take him away to protect him from all pain and her faith. But a few moments of pain would be nothing compared to eternal hellfire. So she bites her tongue and walks over to her son, holding him close.  

Billy melts into his mothers arms and she begins to whisper comforting words into his ears. The preacher coos at this, placing his hand on the mothers head. “How truly wonderful and godly a mothers love is.” She doesn't respond, keeping a tight hold on her son. The preacher walks over to the table containing the various dishes and grabs a knife next to one of the plates, whirling with his fingers as he walks back over to the mother and son. “This will hurt me just as much as it will hurt you.” He whispers, placing a hand on Billys shoulder. He flinches at the touch, burying his face into his mothers neck. “I'm with you.” She promises, unable to hold back her tears. Billy nods, looking up at the priest now, eyes shifting to the knife. “Keep those eyes open now, Billy boy. And remember: God loves you.” The preacher offers him a comforting smile that doesn't seem to bring him the slightest bit of comfort as he squeezes his mother tighter. Some of the crowd sits up and some of them shift their eyes as the knife inches tantalizingly slowly towards Billys left eye. No one dares to whisper or even breathe as the knife stops mere inches away and Billy struggles to keep his eyes open. “God loves you.” The preacher whispers one final time before thrusting the knife into his eye.