A Feast for the Forest
Beautiful and always serene, Sherry knew how to put on a feast in the forest, even on the gloomiest of days. But what makes this feast special is that no one is ever invited. Townspeople who have delivered packages and other necessities to Sherry have had the privilege of seeing her feast displayed, but she has never allowed them to partake. The oddity of her dinner spread in the forest was the talk of the town.
One day, during a town hall meeting, some townspeople asked about Sherry. One of the elders in the community took to the stand and quickly warned people not to interfere or to seek her out. Those who have lived in the town long enough take heed of the elders' warning. Some like to test those limits, only to get as far as their courage allows them. Those with strong curiosity have ventured into the forest to spy on Sherry but are often frightened off by something unseen in the forest.
Some people in the town believe Sherry to be a witch, while others rumble about her being an alien from outer space. Some have also speculated that she might be something sinister and not of this world. Living peacefully on her own and far away from the town, Sherry has kept to herself. On the rare occasions when deliveries are handed to her, she engages in small talk. But often gestures for the courier to drop off the packages.
Sometimes, the couriers are so curious about Sherry that she has had to ask a few of them to leave her premises. When she wasn’t looking, a few snapped photos of Sherry and her dinner spread, only to look back on them to find that they were blurry. Convinced that something strange was happening in the forest, the couriers decided not to press their luck. However, one particular courier was silently intrigued by Sherry. As one of the newest members of the delivery services, Marvin convinced his colleagues to allow him to be the lead courier for everything Sherry orders. Little do they know that Marvin has been scheming and spying on Sherry during his delivery runs.
Unlike all the others who have been curious about Sherry, Marvin is unafraid of the forest. He finds himself lurking in the forest's shadows, watching her as she gracefully plants her seeds. He examines the details of her face and imagines himself caressing it. A distant form of lust overcomes him as he catches himself from making his presence known.
He examines her movements quietly, but something brushes against him and startles him. He crouches to hide his whereabouts. Sherry looks around her and towards Marvin’s direction. She doesn’t see him and continues planting.
Sherry continues to trek the forest ground as Marvin quietly follows behind her. With each step that she takes, she finds herself wanting to pause. She is overcome by the feeling that she may not be alone. Sherry begins to quicken her pace, and as she gets home, she quickly shuts the door behind her. Peeking out the window to see if she is being followed, she sighs in relief that no one is there.
Sherry continues with her evening and starts to make herself a meal. However, Marvin had never left. He emerges from the forest and quietly walks towards Sherry’s home. Canvasing the grounds around her home, he meticulously walks around until he sees her through an open window. Marvin pauses and can’t help but admire her in her element. Lowly under his breath, he says, “I’ll be making a feast for you very soon.” Sherry continues to glide effortlessly in her kitchen as Marvin watches her intently from the shadows.
Walking up to a photo of Sherry, he runs his finger along the edges of her face. “Why are you out here all alone?” he whispers to the photo. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you company and take care of you.”
Marvin then slowly strolls down the long hallway but stops in his tracks as he begins to notice photos of other women on the wall. “And who might you all be?” he questions. Expecting no answer, he continues down the hall and finds the door to Sherry’s bedroom.
Slowly turning the knob, he makes his way into her bedroom. Sherry appears to be sleeping peacefully as Marvin inches closer to her. Standing near the foot of her bed, he watches as her chest rises and falls. Marvin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with her essence.
He then begins tapping his foot against the edge of the bed. “Wakey, wakey,” he says. Slowly emerging from her deep slumber, she has a moment of realization and gasp at the sight of Marvin. She is too shocked to say anything and sits up in the bed. Marvin moves closer to her as she hurries away from him. “Don’t be afraid,” he says. A timid and afraid Sherry doesn’t respond. “Please, you don’t have to be afraid.” Marvin extends his arm out as if to ask for her hand. Sherry swats it away and quickly rushes off the bed. But he catches her and manages to subdue her.
Over the next few days, Marvin keeps Sherry locked up in her basement. He tries to converse with her, but she refuses to engage. He even started to cook her fancy meals to entice her, but each meal was met with contempt. She would push the dishes away and refuse to eat them. Marvin tells her she’ll die if she doesn’t eat, but a stern Sherry ignores his pleas.
Then, one day, a frustrated Marvin goes to the basement and tells Sherry that he'll compromise her well-being if she doesn’t eat. Unsure of the true meaning behind his threat, Sherry ignores him and refuses his meals. Finally, a fed-up Marvin brings a kitchen knife down to the basement with him and threatens to harm her if she refuses to eat. He places the knife up to her chin and starts to pierce her skin slowly. Blood begins to trickle down the knife as Sherry holds her head high. “Unchain me, and I’ll eat,” she muffles. His eyes widen as he is shocked to hear her speak. He moves the knife away from her. Taking a few steps back, he takes a deep breath in and starts to undo her chains.
Finally, with the chains undone, Marvin pushes the dish forward and demands she eat. Still hesitant, but knowing that she’ll upset him, she begins to inch forward and picks up the plate of food. Slowly Sherry starts to eat as he watches intently. With the knife still in hand, he crouches down next to her. “Now that we’re on speaking terms,” as he waves the knife in front of her face, “Tell me, what brings you out here? And why are you out here alone?” Realizing that she was starving, Sherry shovels the food into her mouth.
Marvin waits for her to swallow and waves the knife again to warn her. “The forest brings me out here, and I am NOT alone,” she responds. A bit confused by her response, Marvin points the knife at her face. “Are you messing with me?” he asks. She shakes her head in response. She places the plate of food down and then touches her chin. She feels the wet blood. Then, she proceeds to lean down and touch the plate of food with her bloody hand. “What are you doing?” questions Marvin. She lifts her bloody finger to her lips as if to silence him.
Then suddenly, the ground beneath him opens up. Striking upwards is a massive tree. Marvin takes a tumble as the branches wrap themselves around him. He screams in horror and pain. Sherry places an arm out as if to ask the tree to stop. Breathing heavily and in complete shock, he stares blankly at Sherry. She walks up to him, and with her bloody finger, she swipes it across his forehead.
Suddenly, a few little creatures emerge from hiding. One of the creatures starts to gesture aggressively at Marvin and makes odd foreign sounds. Sherry laughs as she picks it up. “No, he isn’t a troll,” she said. Then, the little tree creature whispered something into her ear. “I know, he shouldn’t have hurt me, but I’m okay now,” she said. The little tree creature then turned towards Marvin and snickered at him. “It’s okay; he won’t be able to hurt me anymore.” Then, another creature tugs at Sherry’s dress. She leans down to see what it wants. It, too, whispers something in her ear, “You think so?” she said. Walking over to Marvin, Sherry taps the branch covering his mouth. As she does, it begins to uncoil. “My friends here said I should feed you to the forest. What do you think about that?” she inquires. A stunned Marvin replies, “Please forgive me; I never meant to hurt you.” All the little creatures around her begin to snarl and snicker in disagreement.
