Bill approached the heavy curtain and slowly moved it to one side. He took a deep breath and entered the large, rectangular room, which was lit only by flaming torches spaced along each wall. At the far end of the room, approximately fifty feet away, was the altar, which was lit by even more torches.

Quietly, with his head bowed, Bill made his way toward the altar. As he got closer, he could smell the incense burning. He felt nervous yet excited.

Once at the altar, Bill knelt quietly. After several minutes of silent reflection, he whispered, “I’ve come again today to thank you for all you’ve done for me. You have blessed me with so much. I want you to know I’m very grateful. I also know you require sacrifices, so today I’m giving you my marriage and my children. I hope you’re pleased with me.”

“Dude! Hey! Bill!” Jim said. “What in the world are you thinking about?”

“Huh, what?” Bill replied.

“Dude, I was asking you how your Christmas was, but you were like in a trance or something. What were you thinking about?”

“Oh sorry, man, actually I was thinking about the raise I got and how to spend my year-end bonus. I’m trying to decide whether to get a new TV or a bass boat. There’s this 50-inch plasma I’ve been wanting, but I really need a new boat.”

“Sounds like you made some good money last year.”

“Oh, yeah, I had a great year,” Bill said, then was quiet for a moment. “I’ve had to make some sacrifices, but it’s worth it.”