The Red Coat

by Dolley Carlson

When the priest appeared before Ruth Ann, she did as she had practiced for weeks—eyes closed, mouth open, tongue out, receive the Holy Host, mouth closed—and minded Sister Catherine Aloysius’s careful instruction. “Don’t chew. Let it melt a bit, then swallow. This is, after all, children, the Body of Christ. We don’t want to be biting the Body of Christ.”