The Changeling

• Short story
• Fantasy

								
There was a chill in the air that autumn night. Julie sat on her front porch, enjoying the changing colors 
of the leaves and the crisp breeze that swept past her.
 It was her time to be alone after a busy day. She tucked her older boys into bed, John and Riley. John 
was six years old and Riley had just turned four a month earlier. Then, there was baby Sandra. The infant 
princess of the family.
 As far as Julie knew, Sandra was safe in her crib with the mobile twirling above her. Julie had the baby 
monitor close by her but she didn’t hear a peep. If Julie had known that something with a malefic intent 
was lurking, she would not have left her baby’s side for a moment.
 Nada was an elf. An Ethereal being, living on a slightly higher dimension than the human world. No one 
could deny that she was beautiful. Her dark features were indeed striking. But that was only outer 
beauty.
 Months earlier to this night in the fall, Nada visited a psychic elf.Unbelieveably; there were Elves that 
did psychic readings as their life’s work. While all elves possess some psychic ability, some had it more 
finely tuned than others. 
 During Her visit with the Psychic, Nada only wanted to know about herself. Her money, her career and 
her love interests. But during her reading, the madam only wanted to talk about Nada’s baby.
“Quite extraordinary…” she remarked.
“Thank you but…”
“Beautiful, splendid, and will grow to surpass our whole community with her talents.”
 That was all Nada needed to hear. She needed this baby as far away from her as possible.
 The leaves crunched under Nada’s feet. She planned this night very carefully in her head. She had been 
watching the human woman for weeks. This lady had the most mundane of routines.
7:30 AM Drive children to school
10:00 AM Water the garden with the baby right beside her in some sort of carrier seat.
12:00 PM clean the house... Manually
2:00 PM Pick children up from school
6:00 PM Cook dinner
9:00 PM Put children to bed
9:15 PM Sit on front porch drinking some human elixir
 What this poor woman didn’t know is that her nightly time sitting on the porch gave just the right 
window of time for Nada to fulfill her plan. She wanted that baby for her own. At least a human child she figured wouldn’t be any trouble.
 As silently as she could, she scaled the wall to the baby’s bedroom window. Her own baby in a baby 
carrier made out of tree vines, attached to her back. She was doing a good thing, she told herself. What an amazing experience for this human child to grow up among the elves. As for her own daughter, she 
  Felt she was giving a gift to the human world.
 With a nudge of her hand,the window popped open. Powder overwhelmed her strong sense of smell. 
She almost lost her grip and decided to hold her breath for the moment. With a graceful leap, Nada was inside the nursery. Her eyes were drawn to a tiny music box with the baby’s name engraved on it.
 “Sandra” Nada whispered to herself. She knew enough of human culture to know it was a sweet and innocent sounding name. 
Pulling the baby carrier around to face her, she gave one last look to the child she was giving up. She was doing this because of her vanity and selfishness but deep down, she knew it 
was wrong.
 Just a sprinkle of magic over her baby’s face and the human parents would be none the wiser. Nada 
could see the necessary changes she needed to make. She needed to turn her baby’s hair a light shade of strawberry and darken her baby’s skin just a few shades. And she almost forgot to round off the tips of her baby’s ears.
 
 She placed her next to the other in the crib. They were identical. 
Nada snatched up the other baby, disappearing out the window. And just like that, the change was 
complete.
 
 Sandra knew she was different. That much was certain. The kids at school would never let her forget it.
“Big ears”, a gangly blonde called after her.
 Apparently, Nada hadn’t done as good of a job as she thought rounding off her ears. Either that, or 
Sandra’s true spirit wanted to shine through so badly that she was imperious to her birth mother’s 
magic.
“Moon head!” snorted another girl.
 Along with her ears to make her stand out, a moon shaped mark had grown on her forehead.
Sandra was trying her best to ignore them. It was becoming increasingly difficult. This was the second 
time they had fallowed her home this week. She was beginning to feel as though she was still in 
kindergarten, rather than a senior in high school.
 The sunlight felt nice on Sandra’s face. She had been sure to apply her SPF50 to her delicate skin before walking home, as per usual.
 She heard their footsteps creeping up on her. Suddenly, the blond girl grabbed her.
“What are you doing?” Sandra’s voice was full of panic.
She had been teased mercilessly for as long as she could remember. But this was the first time anyone had physically grabbed her. She was at a loss for what to do next.
“Let me see those ears.”
 The pulling sensation on her ears was enough to make Sandra want to scream.
 In fact, she thought a she was screaming. It took her a moment to realize the high pitched cry wasn’t coming from her.
 Out of the distance, a goose came waddling as full speed ahead at the girls. Screeching the whole way.
 The other girls screamed and started to run, as if they were running for their lives.
 Sandra, on the other hand, had a way with animals and was baffled by their fear.
 “Thank you,” Sandra whispered.
“Sandra, honey? Is that you?” Julie asked from the kitchen.
 The sound of the front door opening was indeed her only daughter. Sandra was also currently her only child still living at home. Although the girl that Julie believed to be her daughter was not related to her by blood, she was her daughter in the truest sense of the word. Julie loved the girl that she watched grow into a young woman, and she would never in a million years have admitted this, but she did feel there was something missing in her heart.
 “Yes, Mom, it’s me.”
Sandra fallowed the clanking sound of the dishes into the kitchen. She pushed the swinging door an 
was met by the familiar aroma of tomato sauce.
 “Are you okay?” Julie asked.
“Well, hello to you too.”
“I’m sorry, it’s just you know I worry. Those girls at school aren’t giving you a hard time again are they?”
“No.”
“Are you sleeping okay?”
“Some nights.”
“Okay, well, go get washed up for dinner. Your father is bringing home a work college. 
“Okay, Mom.”
 Sandra climbed the stairs to her bedroom, all the while thinking of the girls who bullied her. Were they right? Was she a freak? Tears started to sting her eyes but she stopped them in their tracks.
 Once in her room, she collapsed on her bed and pulled her dream journal of her side table toward her.
 Some nights she was able to sleep, others she was woken by life like dreams and could not get back to sleep for the rest of the night.
Sandra grazed her hand past the pink velvet cover before opening to a random passage.

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