The Changeling Princess

by Jackie Shirley

  We landed at the entrance to the cave and I morphed back to my normal height. I felt a twinge of warmth because of a small fire in the center of the cave. I looked around and saw Idos, sleeping on the ground at the far end of the cave. I also saw a large pit approximately fifteen feet deep. Sitting with their backs against the wall were three Yetis. These helpless creatures were being stored like cattle for future consumption. I felt myself getting angry. I simply couldn’t understand why these gently creatures were being treated this way. I also knew it was impossible to comprehend the mind of a Demon.

  I walked up to Idos and kicked him in the foot. Time to move on, Idos. You’ve eaten your last meal in this cave.

  Idos looked annoyed as he rose slowly to his feet. He was much larger than the Yeti. I estimated he was ten feet tall and weighted over a thousand pounds. You are a human. Humans are my favorite dessert.

  Idos and all the other Demons had one thing in common—they were all bullies. I didn’t give it a second thought and double my height to twelve feet tall. Idos looked confused, but that didn’t stop him from rushing toward me.

  I grabbed Idos by the arm and sent him flying into the cave wall. He dropped down on one knee and remained motionless, trying to regain his senses. His eyes were on fire as he picked up a large club and lunged at me again. I grabbed him around his midsection and hoisted him up over my head. Then I twirled him around in a circle several times and then I threw him against the wall of the cave again.

  Idos lay motionless for a minute before lifting himself up. After he cleared his head, he began walking toward me with the most intense stare I’d ever seen. The tingling sensation in my head told me he was trying to hypnotize me.

  Nice try, Idos, but that doesn’t work on me.

  I’d done a decent job of controlling my temper, but now it was time to get down to business. I wrapped a force field around Idos’s body and added my signature “W” between his eyes. Idos was now ready for transportation to the Mariana Trench.

  After I freed the Yetis, they crowded around me, laughing loudly and jumping up and down. This was their way of showing joy, so I jumped up and down and laughed with them. I felt silly, but it was kind of fun.

  One of the Yetis walked up to me. “You must eat with us.”

  I was sure that the invitation was a great honor, so I accepted. I had no ideas what kind of food Yetis ate.

  I tucked Idos in the corner of the cave for safekeeping and morphed down to my normal height. Then I followed the Yetis to a cave on the other side of the mountain. I thought about having everyone hold hands and morphing into a Mist, but I decided against it. It probably would have scared the heck out of them.

  The cave was actually a cavern that ran for miles into the mountain. There were Yetis everywhere, indicating this was their main settlement.

  We were surrounded by Yetis who began jumping up and down and laughing. I joined in again, jumping and laughing with them. I hadn’t had this much fun since I was a little kid on the school playground.

  I was puzzled, so I asked a simple question. “Why didn’t Idos attack you here in your home instead of searching for you on the outside?”

  The Yeti pointed to the wall. “Idos could not enter our cave because of the yellow metal.”

  I walked over to the wall and inspected the yellow metal. What I was looking at were huge veins of gold running down the walls of the cave. Apparently gold is a substance Idos was afraid of, which was a blessing for the Yeti. I discovered that the Yeti raised goats, sheep, and rabbits. The animals were raised for food and the Yeti drank goat’s milk. The more I learned, the more I realized their settlement was really amazing.

  When the food was ready, everyone sat around the campfires as the food was passed around. There was a lot of meat on the menu. It was served with what looked like a salad made from wild grass, harvested from a lower elevation. When I asked about the red sauce, I was told it was goat’s blood. I took a bite of the salad and smiled. I had the immense powers of an Ivarr, but I couldn’t come close to making the bloody salad taste like a chocolate éclair.

  As I relaxed near the campfire, I couldn’t help thinking that no would ever believe I’d had dinner with a tribe of Yetis. My parents knew I wouldn’t lie to them, but they’d probably think I was exaggerating.

  I said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the cave to pick up Idos. I was going to drop him off at the Mariana Trench and head straight home. I was looking forward to a good home-cooked meal.

  CHAPTER 44

  My mother’s father, Richard Greer had passed on. It was a sad note that the Changeling Clans in Charlotte were getting smaller and smaller. I shed a lot of tears, but I had a lot of wonderful memories of my Grandpa Greer.

  It was now 1973 and I was twenty-nine years old. I had inherited Pauline’s books and it was my job to record the creatures I had captured. I opened the book and reviewed the details of my latest captures. I added some personal thoughts because I thought it would make the written record more personal.

  I decided it was time to face the fact that I had a problem. The Demons I’d dealt with were so disgusting that it took a ton of willpower to keep my temper from getting out of hand. If I wasn’t careful, I was going to kill one of them instead of taking them prisoner. I decide to have a talk with my parents about my attitude.

  * * *

  We were seated around the living when I announced I had something to discuss. “I’m all ears,” said my dad.

  “Me, too,” said my mom.

  “I’m not quite sure how to say this, but I think I have a serious problem.”

  My dad leaned forward in his chair. “What kind of a problem?”

  “I think my temper is getting the better of me. I’ve reached the point where I want to kill the Demons instead of capture them.”

  My parents stared at each other and then my mother spoke. “I think that’s normal under the circumstances. You were plucked away from your childhood at the age of sixteen and given the responsibility of protecting the world. You’ve had to deal with the most evil Demons on the planet and you were expected to act like a lady at all times . . . And this was after seeing first-hand all the atrocities these creatures have committed.”

  “I agree,” said my father. “How could anyone expect you to keep your cool after years and years of being confronted by unspeakable evil? I don’t think I could do it.”

  “Think of it this way,” said my mother. “Every time someone commits a really terrible crime, there’s a portion of the population who would like to see the criminal thrown into a meat-grinder rather than given a warm cell and three square meals a day. If the general population had to go through what you’ve gone through, all the criminals would end up in the meat-grinder.”

  “I guess I never thought of it like that.”

  “Not only that,” said my father, “I think your temperament is one of the reasons you were selected to be an Ivarr. Your temper is like a strong flagpole. It will bend in a strong wind, but it doesn’t break.”

  “Well, maybe I haven’t done so badly after all.”

  My father sat next to me and put his arm around me. “Of course you haven’t and we’re really proud of you. So you pulled a few limbs off a couple of Demons. They probably deserved it.”

  “Would you do us a favor?” asked my mother, “Will you morph into the Changeling Princess for us? 1t’s such a pleasure for your father and me to see her again because she hasn’t aged.”

  I stood up and did as my mother asked. The look on my parents’ faces warmed my heart. I knew instantly what I was going to give them on their next wedding anniversary. I was going to regress my age and spend the entire day with them as a sixteen year-old.

  I morphed back to Janis French and sat back down. My mother brought up the subject of Sherri, who I hadn’t seen in years. “When’s the last time you talked to Sherri? You two were such good friends.”

  “It’s been a long time, Mom. She’s been busy raising a family and we j
ust drifted apart.”

  “Why don’t you give her a call? 1 bet she’d be tickled pink to hear from you.”

  “Maybe I will, Mom. . . Maybe I will.”

  * * *

  I made it a point to be home the day before my parents’ anniversary. I told them I had a big surprise waiting for them when they woke up the next morning.

  “What kind of a surprise?” asked my dad?

  “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. You’ll just have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

  I was up early the next morning. I was a real pack rat because I never threw anything away. I dug through my old clothes until I found one of my favorite dresses that I wore when I was in high school. It still fit like it did the day I bought it.

  I changed my hair so it was the exactly the same as I wore it in high school. I added a tiny touch of makeup and put on a pair of old shoes. The last step was reducing my age to look sixteen again.

  To make sure I did this perfectly, I opened my old yearbook and turned to the page with my picture. By the time I was finished, you couldn’t tell the difference between me and the girl in the yearbook. I was delighted with my new makeover.

  My parents were awake, so I rushed to their bedroom door and yelled, “Don’t come out until I call you.”

  I hurried into the kitchen and started breakfast. I fixed scrambled eggs, sausages, waffles and a big pan of fried potatoes. When everything was ready, I poured three large glasses of orange juice and placed them on the kitchen table. Everything looked perfect, so I called to my parents. “You can come downstairs now.”

  I was standing beside breakfast table when my parents walked into the kitchen. My mother took one look at me and burst into tears. My father was so choked up he couldn’t speak. We took turns hugging each other and I couldn’t hold back my tears of happiness. I felt I had given my parents an anniversary present they would never forget. I wasn’t likely to forget it either.

  CHAPTER 45

  I was up early the next day. I was having a bowl of cereal for breakfast when I found myself thinking about calling Sherri. I made an on-the-spot decision to drive to Detroit and visit Sherri in person. I hoped it would be a pleasant surprise.

  I still had my ‘58 Plymouth and it ran like a top. It only had nine thousand miles on it and it looked brand new. I’d had offers from admirers who wanted to buy it, but I’d always turned them down. I’d had my car since my sixteenth birthday and “she” was just like a part of the family.

  * * *

  I arrived in Detroit and headed north on Highway 75 to Troy, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. I didn’t have to worry about the house number because I’d picked up Sherri’s scent long before I ever turned onto her street. When Sherri answered the door, we just stood there and stared at each other. Finally, Sherri shouted, “Janis!” We hugged each other like long-lost sisters and we both had tears in our eyes. Neither one of could talk we were so choked up.

  Sherri closed the door and we hugged again. I cleared my throat so I could speak. “I thought I’d stop by and surprise you.”

  “My God, Janis, this is the surprise of all surprises. How long has it been?”

  “I last saw you the summer of your senior year of college. That was 1965 and it’s 1973. It’s been eight years.” I saw the tears in Sherri’s eyes and we hugged again.

  Sherri led me into the living room and we made ourselves comfortable on the sofa. “You have a beautiful home, Sherri. I didn’t realize you had such impeccable taste when it came to decorating.”

  “I don’t. Bruce picked out the furniture and did the decorating. If it had been left to me, this place would probably look like a dancehall saloon.”

  I laughed because Sherri hadn’t lost her sense of humor. “Is Bruce still employed at Ford?”

  “Yes, he’s been there seven years now. He’s a department head in the experimental design division.”

  “What about children?”

  “I always wanted a big family, but I found out that I can’t have any children.”

  I could see the disappointment in Sherri’s eyes. “Have you ever thought about adopting?”

  “I see you can still read minds. It’s something we’re considering. It’s extremely difficult to adopt a baby because no one wants an older child.”

  “Yeah, that’s a shame.”

  “Bruce wants a little girl.”

  “I’m surprised because most men want a boy.”

  “It surprised me too. Anyways, adopting is still something we’re thinking about.”

  Sherri had that same sparkle in her eyes when she was about to say something mischievous. “So tell me, Janis, what’s the Changeling Princess been up to lately?”

  I was shocked, but I shouldn’t have been. It made sense that her parents would have eventually told her about me being an Ivarr. “I guess you could say I’ve been on a wild ride, Sherri.” The conversation was interrupted by the sound of someone entering the house.

  “That’s Bruce. He usually gets home at this time of the day.”

  Bruce walked into the living room wearing a big smile. “Hi, Janis! Long time, no see.”

  I stood up and hugged Bruce. “It’s nice to see you again.”

  “I was asking Janis about the Changeling Princess when you walked in,” said Sherri.

  Bruce laughed. “I bet that was the first question you asked when Janis walked through the front door.”

  “It was not,” Sherri said, sticking her nose in the air.

  “Sherri’s got you on that one, Bruce. We were talking about adopting children.”

  “That’s right, Bruce. You misjudged me.”

  Bruce had no sooner sat down when Sherri turned to me and grinned. “Can we see the Changeling Princess?”

  Bruce and I both laughed because Sherri was still the same inquisitive little pixie she was in high school.

  “No problem,” I said. I stood up and walked to the center of the living room. I morphed into the Changeling Princess and did a little curtsy. “I hope you guys aren’t disappointed?”

  Sherri looked as if she’d seen a ghost. “Oh my God, you’re still Janis, but you’re too gorgeous for words. And to top it off, you’re still a teenager.”

  “Breathtaking is a better way of expressing it,” said Bruce. “How did you manage to come up with such a magnificent creature?”

  “It was simple. I increased my height to six feet, let my hair grow down to my waist and added curls. I made my neck a tiny bit longer and I raised my cheekbones just a tad. I designed the costume to fit in with the Roman era.”

  “I don’t believe what I’m hearing,” said Sherri. “It’s too fantastic to be true.”

  I turned invisible and Sherri flinched. “I’m still here,” I said. When I turned visible, Bruce laughed because of the expression on Sherri’s face.”

  “What kind of powers do you have?” asked Bruce.

  “It’s a pretty long list. To start with, I can morph into anyone I want to and that includes animals. I can even make the person look younger or older.”

  “Can you morph into a sixteen year-old, six-foot tall brunette?” asked Sherri.

  “Piece of cake.” I morphed into the gorgeous brunette who’d appeared at Anna Milburn’s pool party in high school.

  “I knew it!” Sherri shouted. “You were that fabulous babe at the pool party. You pushed Billy Sims into the swimming pool.”

  I tried to hide my embarrassment. “You’ll figure it out soon enough, but I was also Darcy, Wade’s cousin who won the dance contest.”

  Sherri was laughing so hard she had to take three deep breaths before she spoke. “I always knew you had a devilish streak in you. Now I know it’s as wide as the Grand Canyon.”

  I morphed back to Janis French and sat on the sofa next to Sherri. It was turning into an interesting afternoon.

  “What other powers do you have?” asked Sherri.

  “I can’t give you a demonstration, but I can fire energy bolts from my eyes
and I have an adjustable energy beam I can use like a laser. I can also talk to animals.”

  “Anything else?”

  “I can morph into a Mist and I can fly.”

  “Is there anything that you can’t do?” asked Bruce.

  I remembered Wade asking me that same question and I told him I couldn’t cook. “I can’t make time stand still, Bruce, but maybe next year.” Everyone laughed.

  “I almost forgot. My power increases with my height. I was eighty feet tall when I fought the Demons at the Portal of Darkness.”

  Sherri sighed. “Wow! You must have been a super-duper bad ass. I wish I could have seen you in action.”

  “That just might be possible. I’ve been working on a new idea with my energy beam. I think I can focus an idea in my mind and transport the thoughts through the beam. It’d be like using my mind for a movie projector. Shall we try it?”

  Sherri’s eyes were sparking. “Does the Sun shine in the summertime?”

  Sherri got up and closed the blinds. All three of us sat on the sofa as I concentrated on the living room wall. I focused my energy beam to room temperature and widened the view to cover the wall. Then I concentrated on projecting a visual image by using my power of thought. The first person I visualized was Ackula, the Demon Vampire.

  “Boy, is she ugly!” said Sherri. “I’d hate to meet her in the dark.”

  The next creature was Albazar, the Werewolf. “Wow! He really is a fuzzy face,” said Sherri. “He looks a lot meaner than Lon Chaney did in those old werewolf movies.”

  When I got to Araknazoid, Sherri screamed and jumped to her feet. “You had to fight giant spiders? That would have done me in. I would have quit right then and there.”

  We spent a little over an hour going through the rest of the creatures I’d captured. The last thing I showed them were the Demons I’d lined up neatly at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. “What’s that ‘W’ I see between the Demons’ eyes?” Bruce asked.