The Offering (interlude)

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Prompt / Lyrics

[Soft, ambient organ. A single, sustained note. The sound of a collection plate being passed. Murmuring voices. Brother Sammartino's voice — quiet, reverent, inviting:]

"Brothers and sisters. Severed and saved. The intermission. A moment to give. A moment to offer. A moment to let go of the things you don't need anymore."

[A pause. The sound of something being placed on a plate.]

"The offering is not coins. The offering is not cash. The offering is the face you've been keeping. The offering is the name you've been hiding. The offering is the part of you that doesn't fit on the shelf."

---

[The organ shifts. Soft. Gentle. The murmuring continues.]

"Bring your faces to the plate. Bring your bones. Bring your teeth. Bring the things that keep you up at night. The Destroyer is hungry. The Destroyer is waiting. The Destroyer will take what you give."

[The sound of more things being placed on the plate. A soft, wet thud.]

"I see you. I see your offerings. I see the faces you've kept. I see the names you've hidden. I see the parts of you that you couldn't carry anymore."

[Brother Sammartino's voice, softer, almost tender:]

"You ever given an offering? Ever let go of something you thought you needed? Ever placed a face on a plate and felt the weight lift? That's the offering. That's the intermission. That's the thing that makes the voices quiet."

---

[The organ swells slightly. The murmuring fades.]

"The intermission is almost over. The offering is almost complete. The Destroyer has received your gifts. The Destroyer is pleased."

[A pause. The sound of the collection plate being set down.]

"Take this moment. Breathe this air. Feel this quiet. Because when the music starts again… you will be lighter. You will be freer. You will be emptier. And that's the grace. That's the glory. That's the blood gospel."

[The organ fades to a single, sustained note. Brother Sammartino's voice, soft, satisfied:]

"The intermission is over. The offering is taken. The Destroyer is fed. The second half begins now. Welcome back. We've missed you. The faces have missed you. The voices have missed you. I have missed you."