“Have you seen my watch, Shaun?” Father Michael Bhutia’s voice trembled, a stark contrast to his usual authority as the principal of St. Jude’s Academy.
The sleek and expensive titanium watch, a gift from his sister on his fiftieth birthday that he was so fond of sporting proudly, was missing from his nightstand in his room. Shaun had been in his room that morning to help him reposition his study table.
Shaun Chatter, the captain of the school and the top student in his class, replied convincingly, “No, Father, I haven’t seen it. You must have misplaced it somewhere. It must be somewhere in your room itself.”
Despite their combined thorough search of his room, office, and every corner of the campus, the watch remained elusive, leaving Father Michael deeply disappointed throughout the week.
The following Sunday morning, Shaun’s voice barely rose above a whisper as he confessed to Father Michael in the church, “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. I stole your watch.” As Father Michael granted him absolution, Shaun posed a question, “By the way, a priest cannot act on a confessional secret, can he?”
Mary Aakriti Gurung
Student in the Department of English
St. Xavier's College, Kolkata
