Hello, my child. Welcome to the Hall of the Father.
If you were asked to imagine a stereotypical priest, Anderson would not be far from the result. After all, what could say "priest" more than a middle-aged collie who says so much without really saying anything at all? Although, as the prison's chaplain, perhaps this stereotypical image is just what is needed to project the authority of the Father of the Forest to the inmates.
However, when you ask him about the meaning of prayer, he surprises you by selling you church merchandise. Of course, he makes sure to explain that the money doesn't go to him.
But as the saying goes, "The Father of the Forest often forgets to look down at His feet." The original meaning of this saying is that the poor and lowly pray to the Father of the Forest but don't receive what they hope for, but in Anderson's case, there's another interpretation: he who dwells in the house of the Father is the most faithless of all.
Growing up in a church orphanage, Anderson was quiet and introverted, indifferent even to the bullying he received from the other children. He also lacked any aspirations or expectations for his future. Despite living in the "garden of the Father of the Forest", it was as if he was a flower on which the sun would never shine. However, this all changed the day he met Malena.
Malena was a new teacher who had been transferred to Anderson's orphanage. She was kind and beautiful, and although not much older than the teenage Anderson, she had a strong maternal air about her. Her presence was like sweet spring water that nourished the dry hearts of the children, including Anderson. A smile gradually came to his once gloomy face, and just thinking about her made his heart race. In a flurry of complex emotions, Anderson came to see her as both the mother he never had and his first love.
But as in all stories, the rough inevitably follows the smooth. Just as the Father of the Forest created spring, so did he create winter. A few years later, Malena was diagnosed with a terrible illness, and although she still healed the children with her gentle smile in her last days, no one was able to heal her.
"That's when I started to question the Father of the Forest. If he really exists, how could he bear to let such a kind and devout believer as Malena suffer such hardship? I just can't understand."
A few years went by, and Anderson, now on the brink of adulthood, applied to the seminary. He did not actually want to become a chaplain, but the circumstances of his life led him to choose this path. The alternative would be to leave the orphanage, go out on his own, and try to make a living. After more than a decade in the orphanage, it had become his whole life, and as long as he stayed here, it was as if he could still smell the scent of Malena in the spring pollen.
And so it came to be that a chaplain who did not truly believe in the Father of the Forest spent more than 10 years going through the motions. Boredom and self-loathing had long been the overarching themes of Anderson's life, and it seemed that the monotony would never end.
"I was giving yet another ordinary sermon, when Mephis recognized me. I hadn't seen him for more than a decade, since he was kicked out of the orphanage."
The Mephis to which Anderson referred was his playmate in the orphanage. Although "playmate" may not be the most accurate word, as none of the other children ever wanted to play with the aloof Anderson. The two were acquaintances at best. Mephis had always been an unruly child, falling in with a bad crowd outside the orphanage and sneaking in cigarettes, alcohol, and even pills to sell to the other kids. When the chaplain found out, he accepted the punishment of being kicked out of the orphanage. After that, he lived on the streets, where he endured much hardship at a young age. However, with his courage, determination, and luck, he eventually made it out, becoming a mid-level leader in a gang and controlling considerable territory, including the Fallen Angels club.
Mephis was surprised to see that Anderson had become a chaplain, as Anderson had once told him that the business with Malena had made him question the Father of the Forest's existence. Seeing his chance, Mephis persuaded Anderson to stop living a dull life of self-imposed celibacy. Instead, he would show Anderson the true meaning of life.
Before long, Anderson began using his power and connections in the church to outsource the charity activities of the Cypress Diocese to a foundation controlled by Mephis. In addition, the contracts for the renovation of church buildings and the purchase of books and other items also skipped the usual bidding process, and were awarded directly to companies owned by Mephis. Understandably, Mephis greatly valued this sacred money tree; he made sure that Anderson received generous financial reward, and used his gang connections to create an alias, Mr. Stevens, by which Anderson could avoid the church's scrutiny over the ownership of assets.
"Maybe it's because I've been in the church too long, I'm not really comfortable with that kind of place, mentally or physically. But Mephis said there's a new girl today that I just have to meet, and that she'll surprise me."
The new girl of which Mephis spoke was Iris, a dancer at Fallen Angels. The moment Anderson first laid eyes on her, it was as if time stood still. Iris was identical to Malena in every way. Her appearance, her voice, her mannerisms. Anderson was absolutely dumbfounded.
"This must be the Father of the Forest's way of making amends and bringing Malena back to me."
From that day on, Anderson considered Fallen Angels to be a church in which he could truly put his faith. He spent almost every cent he received from Mephis at the club, and even rented a house in the suburbs for Iris on her birthday. He said that he imagined himself and Malena living there in happiness, no longer separated by cruel reality.
However, an illusion is like a bubble that bursts when you try to touch it. Iris did not respond to his advances. After all, as far as she was concerned, Anderson was just another weird middle-aged customer. Every time Iris's show was over, Anderson felt nothing but emptiness. There was no Malena. There was nothing.
You can guess the rest. Iris soon found a boyfriend, who happened to be the mayor's driver. So that his girlfriend no longer had to put up with that weird customer, he warned Anderson to stay away. Perhaps Anderson understood deep down that Iris was not Malena, and stopped going to Fallen Angels.
"This is the way faith forces people in submission. First it takes everything from you, then gives you a glimmer of hope. But when you reach out for it, it takes it away again. Eventually, you'll come to believe that everything is down to fate. Like a fallen leaf, you are at the mercy of the wind."
After Anderson resigned as chaplain, you reported his crimes to his replacement, Father Enrique. You informed him of everything, from using a false identity to conceal private property to using his position to embezzle money from the church's charitable activities.
Although Enrique does not want to believe that Father Anderson could have committed such wrongdoing, he promises that he will report it to the Central Diocesan Supervisory Subcommittee. When everything comes to light, Anderson will inevitably face excommunication and prosecution, just as a wilted, yellow leaf cannot escape its fate of falling to the ground and turning to mulch.
