Mother says I shouldn’t trust anyone, except her, of course, because mothers never lie ro their children. Well, the voice of mother in my head, because my real mother has been dead for over fifteen years.

I think she’s talking about Father Morrissey. He’s been dead for a while now too, but his voice has never left my head.

It’s funny how when someone dies, they don’t really die. At least not for me. They just become characters in my head, which means they’ll live forever. Or at least as long as I’m alive - and, at the end of the day, that’s all that really matters.

My therapist Sarah calls it a coping mechanism. She’s real you see, because she hasn’t died yet. I can tell the difference between real people and voices in my head. It’s not like I’m crazy or anything.

But wait, what if Mother was actually talking about Sarah and not Father Morrissey? I mean the man’s a priest, surely he wouldn’t lie to me. Priests only lie about molesting children, right? I asked Sarah this once, and she said I probably shouldn’t share that thought with anyone else, since it may come across as insensitive.

I think I was making quite a valid point. So maybe Sarah was trying to silence me for some reason … That’s what Mother’s warning must have been about. But Mother used to say always listen to your therapist - they’re the truest friend you’ll ever have in this world. Was that real mother or voice-in-my-head mother? They both sound so similar it’s hard to tell the two apart.

If that’s the case then it must be Father Morrissey who’s keeping a secret from me! And if priests only lie about molesting children, then that must mean … that I was molested as a child. I don’t really remember that happening, but it must be true, since Mother would never lie, and since Sarah’s the truest friend I’ll ever have, and since priests only lie about one thing.

I’ve solved the mystery, finally. The only thing to do now is to alert the diocese of this terrible crime that has been seemingly committed against me, well the younger me, who must remember what happened better than I do. And if there’s anyone I trust wholeheartedly in this world, it’s me.