The Feast

Everyone at the feast is happy to see Gwen. Their smiles look fake.

A beautiful banquet table greets Gwen in the one area of the swamp bathed in sunlight. Four chairs line the table, each occupied by a child, and on either end of the table is a throne. Meri takes the less ornate of the two thrones, gesturing for Gwen to take the other. Wary, she accepts.

Roasted turkey, honey-glazed ham, and an array of candied vegetables stack up as part of the feast. Gwen's place has been set with perfect china and spotless silverware, and she slowly begins to pile her plate with sliced lamb, potato casserole, and marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes. She stabs her fork into a section of casserole and lifts it to her mouth, then stops.

The faces of the children, fixed on her with unsettling grins, make her nervous. Clearing her throat, Gwen asks, "Can you make them stop looking?"

"Hm? Oh, of course." Meri stands, bows to Gwen with a sweep of his hat, and begins to go around the table. He stops at each of the children and turns their heads away from Gwen, producing a loud crack. When finished, Meri settles back down across from Gwen and sweeps his hand across the table, indicating her turn to eat.

This settled, Gwen clamps her jaw around the mouthful of casserole. It seems to dissolve in her mouth, and tears leak from Gwen's blue eyes, splashing onto her perfect plate. The food is delicious--more delicious than anything she's ever tasted--and so welcome that Gwen cannot stop her sobs.

She piles bite after bite into her mouth, shoveling food onto her plate. Gwen can no longer remember why she rejected the feast for so long; something this delectable could never be bad.

    When Gwen has at last finished her meal, she places her utensils down and dabs at her lips with a napkin. Meri smiles at her, awaiting feedback.

    "The meal was delicious. Thank you," Gwen comments. "It was delicious, but oddly, it hasn't filled my stomach."

    She places her napkin in her lap, and across from her, Meri stands.