an actual bird

imagine a statue that collects offerings not because the trinkets are worth anything themselves, but because the act of making an offering is symbolic of a sacrifice, a weak imitation of the idea of giving anything meaningful up. and it snares a scrap of your soul whenever you give something to it. it subsists off of these small bites. waiting.
the real prize is the one who believes in it and comes determined to make a trade, power for sacrifice. and it feasts on them, because they arent offering it a scrap, their offering the entirety of their being.