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. 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, sparking interest in mysterious forest tales among the residents.
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 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 woods.
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 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 this Marvin and Sherry story is just beginning, as he has been scheming and spying on her during his delivery runs.
Unlike all the others who have been curious about Sherry, Marvin is unafraid of the mysterious forest. He finds himself lurking in the forest's shadows, watching her as she gracefully plants her seeds. In this Marvin and Sherry story, 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 quietly observes her movements, but something brushes against him and startles him. He crouches to hide his whereabouts. Sherry looks around her, glancing towards Marvin’s direction. She doesn’t see him and continues her forest feast, planting with determination.
As Sherry continues to trek the forest ground, Marvin quietly follows behind her. With each step that she takes, she finds herself wanting to pause, 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.
As the evening unfolds in the Marvin and Sherry story, Sherry begins to prepare a meal in her kitchen. Unbeknownst to her, Marvin had never truly left; he emerges from the mysterious forest and approaches her home with quiet determination. As he canvases the area, he meticulously scans the surroundings until he catches a glimpse of her through an open window. Pausing, Marvin can't help but admire Sherry as she glides effortlessly in her kitchen, lost in her culinary world. Softly, he murmurs, 'I’ll be making a feast for you very soon,' hinting at the Sherry forest feast that awaits. From the shadows, Marvin watches her intently, captivated by the moment.
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, reminiscing about their adventures in the mysterious forest tales they shared. "Don’t worry. I’ll keep you company and take care of you, just like during our Sherry forest feast."
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, contemplating the mysteries of the Marvin and Sherry story, and finds the door to Sherry’s bedroom, where he can hear whispers of the mysterious forest tales that have long intrigued him. As he approaches, he wonders if this is where Sherry's forest feast might take place.
Slowly turning the knob, Marvin enters the room, stepping into the world of the Marvin and Sherry story. Sherry appears to be sleeping peacefully as he inches closer to her. Standing near the foot of her bed, he watches her chest rise and fall, momentarily lost in the tranquility of the moment. Marvin closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, filling his lungs with her essence, reminiscent of the sweet scents from the Sherry forest feast they had shared days earlier.
He begins tapping his foot against the edge of the bed. "Wakey, wakey," he says. Sherry slowly emerges from her deep slumber, gasping at the sight of Marvin. Too shocked to speak, she sits up in bed, and as he moves closer, she hurriedly distances herself from him. "Don’t be afraid," he reassures her. A timid and frightened Sherry remains silent. "Please, you don’t have to be afraid," Marvin says, extending his arm as if asking for her hand. Sherry swats it away and quickly rushes off the bed, but he catches her and manages to subdue her, as if caught in one of the mysterious forest tales that were often told in their adventures.
Over the next few days in the mysterious forest, Marvin keeps Sherry locked up in her basement. He tries to converse with her, but she refuses to engage. In an effort to win her over, he even starts to prepare a Sherry forest feast with fancy meals, but each dish is met with contempt. She pushes the plates away and refuses to eat them. Marvin warns her that 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 continues to ignore him and refuses his meals. Finally, a fed-up Marvin brings a kitchen knife down to the basement, threatening 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 in shock at hearing her speak. He moves the knife away from her and, taking a few steps back, he takes a deep breath 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, her thoughts racing through the mysterious forest tales that had brought her here. With the knife still in hand, he crouches down next to her. "Now that we’re on speaking terms," he says, waving 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, feeling the weight of her situation in the Marvin and Sherry story unfolding around them.
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 line reminiscent of the mysterious forest tales that surround this area. 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, part of what could be called the Sherry forest feast, 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, a scene straight from the Marvin and Sherry story. Marvin takes a tumble as the branches wrap themselves around him. He screams in horror and pain. Sherry, trying to protect him, 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, a moment that feels like something out of a mysterious forest tale. This strange encounter only adds to the legends of their Sherry forest feast, where nature and magic intertwine.
Suddenly, a few little creatures emerge from hiding in the mysterious forest. One of these creatures starts to gesture aggressively at Marvin, making odd foreign sounds. Sherry laughs as she picks it up, saying, “No, he isn’t a troll.” Then, the little tree creature whispers something into her ear. “I know, he shouldn’t have hurt me, but I’m okay now,” she replies. The little tree creature then turns towards Marvin and snickers at him. “It’s okay; he won’t be able to hurt me anymore.” Just then, another creature tugs at Sherry’s dress. She leans down to see what it wants, and it, too, whispers something in her ear. “You think so?” she asks. Walking over to Marvin, Sherry taps the branch covering his mouth, and 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. Stunned, Marvin responds, “Please forgive me; I never meant to hurt you.” All the little creatures around her begin to snarl and snicker in disagreement, adding a twist to the Marvin and Sherry story.
