Sheri Yutzy - Speculative Fiction Author

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You are here: Home / All Posts / #FallintoFF / The Making of an Ent

The Making of an Ent

November 1, 2019 by Sheri

“I can see you,” the mask on the wall said.

Lillian convulsed in surprise, sending her full mug of coffee spewing across the coffee table and onto the white carpet.

“No, no, no…” She rushed into the kitchen and opened the towel drawer before she remembered all her kitchen towels were in the laundry, two floors down. She grabbed the paper towels and dashed back to the spilled coffee. One giant wad of paper towels later, she knelt beside the stain, glaring at the mask.

“Did you wait this long to talk on purpose?”

The clay mask vibrated a little and blinked its eyes. Or the holes where the eyes would be. “Of course not. It just takes me a few hours to wake up once someone finds me.”

Lillian didn’t know how she’d missed it. The mask had been hanging in the thrift store for years, and she’d only noticed it this morning when she was organizing the purses.

“So you can’t talk when no one owns you?”

“Someone needs to believe I can. My previous owner died without telling anyone what I was.”

Lillian’s knees cracked as she got up. “Well, are you feeling up to a walk in the woods?”

The carpet was a loss until she could get some stronger cleaner, so she might as well go now.

“What’s in the woods?” The mask narrowed its eye holes.

She grinned. “A body.”

<<<

An hour later, Lillian was deep within Hedgeford Park, the mask tucked into her knapsack. The first snow had just begun to fall, and she couldn’t stop smiling. Finally, the day was here. The woods were empty and silent. She neared the center of the park, and the massive giant oak came into view.

“Hello, Hedgeford!”

A breeze stirred the tree’s leaves.

“I’ve brought something for you. I think you’ll like it.”

She pulled out the mask, and its complaints grew louder.

“You have no idea what you’re doing, little girl!”

She smiled at it. “Oh, you’d be surprised. I’m a professional.” She lifted the mask and pressed it against the tree. The bark began to grow around the edges like glue, and the mask sank into the tree until they became one. Now it was a face with mossy eyebrows and bark lips.

The face squinted. “Hmmm….hrmmm…hoom…” It smiled, showing teeth made of acorns. “I suppose you knew what you were doing after all, little girl.”

Filed Under: #FallintoFF

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About Sheri

Here Goes Something New!

Hi, I'm Sheri Yutzy. I love forests under the night sky, trying new foods, and drinking Irish tea.
I'm married to a musician who looks good in black, mama to two toddlers who love to eat, and happy resident of a Cape Cod cottage in Ohio.
I write YA fantasy and am acquisitions editor at sparkflashfiction.com.
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sheriyutzyauthor

It’s a quiet sort of day. The clouds were mistin It’s a quiet sort of day.
The clouds were misting this morning while the sun was shining. I love weather like that.♥️ I love weather in general.😊If I bring it up when I’m talking to you, I’m not really making small talk—I want to know how you feel about a dark bank of clouds, or wind in your hair, that lovely sunny heat when you step outside after being in the air conditioning for too long.
I also love weather in books, when it’s almost it’s own character. @isabelwriter09 does so well with making you feel the jungle in this duology.
What’s your favorite nuance of weather?

#yafantasy #woveninmoonlight #writteninstarlight #slowliving #booksandcandles #isabelibañez #yafantasyduology #yafantasyauthor
A night of supreme excitement.😅 thanks for lett A night of supreme excitement.😅 thanks for letting Jasper “find” all those balloons from your yard, @ro.robinson.writes! 
#hotairballoonfestival #ohiohotairballoonfestival
This is me after filming this reel five times whil This is me after filming this reel five times while trying to be normal. I finally decided to do whatever I wanted and this came out.😅

I do really love these books—they’re all culturally diverse fantasy, and they’re each lovely in their own way.

The Jade Bones - @laniforbes
☀️Sun gods, Aztec temples, the underworld☀️ 

Splinters of Scarlet - @emilybainmurphy 
❄️Danish pastries, ice skating, Hygge in a novel❄️

Woven in Moonlight - @isabelwriter09 
🌿Bolivian politics, magical weaving, gorgeous jungle🌿

Bone Crier’s Moon - @kathrynpurdie 
🍃French mythology, siren songs, dazzling romance🍃

And…not pictured is my own novel in progress:
The Secret Seller
🎭Medici legends, magical market, Italian festivals 🎭

Have you read any of these? Let me know what you think!

#amreading #yafantasy #thejadebones #laniforbes #splintersofscarlet #emilybainmurphy #writteninmoonlight #isabelibañez #bonecriersmoon #kathrynpurdie 
#thesecretseller #sheriyutzy
📚📚📚 The light through the clouds was mood 📚📚📚
The light through the clouds was moody yesterday, and I could hardly stop taking pictures. Photo shoots with poetry books are lovely because they leave me wanting to read more poetry.😏This volume of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s Sonnets from the Portuguese has been my companion since my husband bought it for me while we were dating. Back then I always bought a book or two when I went to my favorite used bookstores. Okay, I still do, I just don’t get to the bookstores as often so it feels like I don’t buy as many used books.😢 I’ve also gotten more strict with how many unread classics I can have at one time—still a lot, but I don’t have any under my bed anymore.😅
I’m delighted that my daughter asks me to read her poetry while we drink tea. It keeps me from forgetting about it in the busyness of summer.
Do you ever leave a bookstore empty handed? (If so, teach me your secret power😅)
📚📚📚

#poetry #elizabethbarrettbrowning #sonnetsfromtheportuguese #classicpoetry #moodyphotoshoot #slowliving #cottagecore #darkacademia
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