The Uninvited Guest

The city was buzzing with an extra festive flare. The freshly fallen snow on all the holiday decorations created a filter of soft, holiday cheer. People were rushing about doing their last-minute shopping as the calendar ticked down the days until Christmas. Parties full of merriment and cheer were spilling out onto stoops and balconies. It was a magical time to be in the city. Which is why no one realized when she walked into one of those parties. The days that followed that party, the guests will wrack their brains trying to figure out when she arrived. Did she come alone or with someone? How did she slip so seamlessly into that party? 

The guests at the party never suspected a nefarious guest was among them. People were drinking, eating, and chatting. Oh my, the food offerings! The food was only second to the pleasure of celebrating the holidays with friends and family. Vegetable trays, charcuterie boards galore, hors d’oeuvres fit for a king, and Christmas sweets and delights for all ages. There was something there for every palate in attendance. Those not grazing the delicious offerings danced around the tree without a care in the world. Some were showing off their new holiday outfit while others discussed what Santa was bringing the kids. While the kids hatched their plans to finally catch Santa coming down the chimney. There was no ill-will in sight. All issues and worries were left at the door. Only the smells of evergreen, cinnamon, and mulled wine were allowed to slip into the party as an unofficial guest. Yes, it would be a night to remember, but not for the reason you would expect.

It was about halfway through the evening that the uninvited partygoer made her presence known. Something shifted in the air. There was an uneasiness that settled over the party. Some may say a queasiness. At first, she only met with a couple of the guests. A brief interaction but enough to cause those guests to step away from the merriment. Perhaps it was too much alcohol or overindulging in sweets. After all it was the holidays, and normal dietary self-control was on pause. Holiday indulgences didn’t count and weren’t held against you; at least that is what we tell ourselves. But perhaps it wasn’t the indulgence after all, perhaps it was her. With each guest she interacted with their demeanor changed after she moved on. No one could figure out why the party’s cheerful atmosphere was slowly eroding away. Nor did they realize she was the culprit. 

When the guests try to recollect seeing her at the party, no two accounts will match. Some will swear she was wearing a red, velvet dress. Others say she was in a sparkly, green jumpsuit. When asked what hair color she had, every color of the rainbow with every length and style was given. It was almost like she was a chameleon or even a shape shifter. Perhaps she was never even seen. Maybe she sauntered about that party completely silent and invisible. A mere figment of their imaginations. But that was never considered as a possibility because the impact she had on the party had to mean she was boisterous and the center of attention.

Nevertheless, she made her way to most of the guests. Each one struck with an unpleasant feeling. It was the kind of feeling that was nervous butterflies in the stomach mixed with the dread of being in trouble. Nothing joyful or merry about the feeling she left in her wake. Besides feeling uneasy in their stomachs, guests were becoming overheated. After all, there were a lot of people in a relatively small area. Clearly, too much mulled wine and dancing had been consumed by the roaring fire. Or perhaps it was her again. Did she leave each person she interacted with flustered and flushed? How could one person have such an effect on an entire group of people?

By this point in the evening, it was becoming clear that something was wrong. It was not too much mulled wine or too much dancing. No, it was not too much merriment or too many people together. No, it was not the delicious spread of food …. or perhaps … could it … no, no that is ridiculous. Why would it be the food? There was so much variety offered, how could almost everyone at the party eat the exact same thing? Then again, it was all from the same source. It was a catered party after all. Just then, the guests, one by one, became pale and sweaty. A look of horror was breaking across their faces. What followed would be something that would traumatize all who attended that party. So traumatic that none of the guests would speak of it ever again and many swore to never attend a holiday party again in their life. 

What would unfold over the next hour would be compared to natural disasters. Some described it as a volcano erupting. Others described it as a dam breaking, releasing all of its water at once. Some said it was both of those disasters but with an added tsunami where wave after wave hit with deadly force. The guests tried desperately to contain the fallout, but it was all in vain. The lucky ones made it to the bathrooms. But as wave after wave hit individuals, those bathrooms’ occupants never changed. They would be spending however much time it took to release the curse that thrashed around inside of them like a demon. Others found sinks and trashcans. But the poor souls that had their interaction with our mysterious guest of honor had no respectable place left for them to release their demon. That is where the trauma of the evening really started to unfold. If you were to walk into that party at that point, it would have looked like a scene from the Exorcist. All gathered in the living room, the kitchen, the hallways just releasing their curse in front of one another in a perfectly sequenced symphony performance. People prayed to not hit someone or be hit when the waves of release rolled through.

When all was said and done, some would wind up hospitalized, but all were left scarred for life. It would be weeks, months, and even years before some of them could look each other in the eye. Even when they did run into each other, no one spoke of that night. It had become clear who the mystery guest was and who she arrived with. Her name was Lis Teria and she came with the catering.