Changeling

Chapter 3

After the panic had died down, and a whiskey had been shoved down Sorrel's gullet, there was finally time to tell the ladies just what had gone on in the forest.

Sorrel had begun with thoughts of reason, that she needed to be admitted, that her medication needed to be renewed and her imaginings from childhood had turned into something far more sinister in her advanced age. But once she'd described the man to the women, they'd confirmed that this was her supposed "fiancee" that they'd seen earlier.

"There's been sightings of his kind since my grandmother's grandmother lost her daughter to one in this very village." Lillian paled, pouring herself a whiskey. "Sure, and those Russian tourists wound up missing the other day... The forest is restless about something..."

"Had I known that was not your fiancée, I would never have told him your address, pet..." Darla winced, refilling Sorrel's cup.

"Wasn't there something I could have done? I just ran! What else is there now that I know magic is real? Could I have expelled him with a bible verse? Some silver? Wait- that's vampires. He was going to eat me though, so they can't be too different..."

"Their kind don't murder in cold blood, neither do they live off of humans." Lillian said very matter of factly.

"They only whisk you off to Tír na nÓg I mean. The fairy realm."

"What would he want with me?" Sorrel frowned.

"Well... All the usual reasons a man sees a pretty girl he fancies." Darla said wryly. "Though there is the rare exception that they come upon a changeling and... I'm sure you're not one though dear, your eyes are quite brown in this light actually..."

Sorrel knew Darla was lying to spare her fears. She'd begun to see it herself even. At first, she thought it was the ever-present reflection of green from the grass, but it was only so long one could lie to oneself.

"What would they need a changeling for? Don't they have everything?" Sorrel rubbed at her eyes tiredly. This conversation was not real, it couldn't be, her mind battled.

"No pet... Not by a long shot." Lillian smiled sadly. "They have Tír na nÓg, but we have the kingdom of Heaven. Changelings have both, that makes them powerful."

"So you mean they can't go to heaven when they die?" Sorrel frowned, feeling sympathy for the creature in the forest.

"It's not impossible." Lillian continued, taking the reins of the conversation. "They must be forgiven by mortals if they want to pass into the next realm."

"Forgiven? What did they do?" 

"They challenged the old man upstairs." Lillian's mouth quirked up at the side. "When man was made, they thought they ought to have dominion over us, still do at times. Only God has the ability to forgive though, or those of his blood. That's us."

"Wow, so are they... demons?" Sorrel paled.

"No, pet. Something more... In the middle as we are."

"So maybe that guy in the woods just wanted me to help him move on." Sorrel brightened.

"It's unlikely, pet." Lillian said dubiously, "And it wouldn't be so simple and clean as all the yes I forgive you's and the like. But it's rare to be sure that a fairy wants to move along. They like it here. The dying isn't exactly man's wish either, as well you know."

"That's fair." Sorrel nodded thoughtfully.

"Well." Darla said, slapping her hands on her ancient knees, and stood as I had earlier that day. "I'd better pop up and on me so. You're welcome to stay in our guest bedroom until the storm passes, pet. For now, you'll have to listen to us old biddies, squawking at all hours of the morning about this memory, and that one." She sent me a reassuring smile.