The full moon shone brightly over the giant oak tree that guarded the house on Pinewood Road. The three creatures lurked in its shadow, setting their gaze on the large bay window. A family of four sat in their living room, facing each other laughing. They were playing a game of some sorts, and the laughter and happiness of the humans made them cringe. The two younger creatures held up their elder in between them. The journey from the hollow had been too much for the Great One who was getting more feeble and faint with each passing breath.
“Are you sure that’s the child?” the younger, shorter one hissed. The elder tried to stand on her toes to get better look, but was too weak.
“The one with the golden locks is my choice.” The child she spoke of sat nestled in her mother’s lap, approaching sleep.
“It looks like she will be going to bed soon. We must go around to her bedroom window. You’ll have to find the strength to climb up. We will help you.” The elder creature sighed. This was a matter of life and death. If she did not change places with a child soon, she would die.
The three slowly crept around the perimeter of the yard, moving in and out of shadows as quickly as the elder could muster. The noise of their movement was not a problem as they could move as silently as an ant, but they could not risk being seen. Their world was a secret one, betwixt, between, and not quite here. It could only be found through the eyes of a child, and those beings existed everywhere outside the woods. Luckily, the hollow in which they lived was far from humans, and as the humans were protective of their young, they were never allowed in the forest that surrounded it. But alas, as their elders became sick and weak, they had to change places with children, and leaving the hollow was necessary.
Only two humans in the town they insisted on naming “Mount Pleasant” knew about the hollow. One dedicated his life to protecting it, the other to destroying it. The creatures found nothing pleasant about this human settlement, and thought the name pathetic.
At last they made it around the side of the house. They stood in the small strip of shadow cast by the picket fence, waiting for the the mother to kiss her little one goodnight. At last she did, and the three scurried their way up the wall.
CHAPTER ONE
Mount Pleasant was a small Massachusetts town that had a privately owned forest right smack in the middle of it. The forest was acres and acres of pine trees, fresh ponds, and vibrant wildlife. Many a developer tried to buy it, hoping to build houses nestled in the quiet calm of the wilderness. Each time, they were struck down. At the very least, the people of the town wanted to enjoy its hiking trails, or perhaps canoe on the pond. The owner, a curmudgeonly old man named Mr. Lowell would not sell his land, nor would he let anyone trespass on it. Mr. Ross, who owned the cheese shop in Mount Pleasant center, had a big scar on his arm, and rumor had it that it was caused by Mr. Lowell himself. Everyone in town knew the one big rule: stay out of the forest. So, the town went on with its business, doing the many things a small town does- picnics, parades, bake sales, soccer games, and dance lessons. No on went into the forest.
Violet Brownlee stood at the barre during one of those dance lessons, and looked over at her sister Lucy. Violet and Lucy were as different as two sisters could be. Violet, age 10, had straight black hair, bright blue eyes, and freckles across her nose . Lucy, age 8, on the other hand, had curly blond hair, brown eyes, and zero freckles. They were the perfect mix of their parents. Lucy had her mother’s hair, and her father’s eyes, while Violet had her mother’s eyes, and her father’s dark hair.
The differences between them were not just physical. Violet was an extremely well behaved child. In school, she was the star pupil. Her homework was always finished, she was extremely well organized, and most importantly, she listened to her teacher, Ms. Duffy. It was a great shock each year for the teacher who expected the younger Brownlee child to be as wonderful as the eldest. But Lucy did not like school, she thought homework was a bother, and as for listening to her teacher, she just did not do it.
Mrs. Brownlee thought that may be Lucy wasn’t challenged in school. Despite the constant letters home, and the parent teacher meetings, she could read quite well. And when you could actually get her to settle down and do her homework, she needed little help. But Mr. Brownlee wouldn’t accept that excuse. If Violet could be a star pupil, so could Lucy. What Lucy needed was structure and discipline. He signed both girls up for ballet.
As Violet concentrated on her plies and tendus, very basic but important ballet steps, Lucy climbed onto the pile of mats in the corner of the room, and laid down, tired from the first 10 minutes to class. The teacher, Miss Abigail, reminded her in a voice as polite as she could muster, that it was a class rule not to climb on the mats. Lucy rolled her eyes and slinked down the pile, taking her time to resume her place at the barre. Ballet was possibly the most boring thing she could imagine. Who really wanted to stand at a barre for 30 minutes and practice bending your knees and pointing your toes? Violet, on the other hand, took to it like a mouse to cheese, mimicking the teacher’s every graceful movement.
When class was over, the girls headed to the waiting area and found Mrs. Brownlee standing patiently in the waiting area as the girls gathered their stuff.
“Mom, could we bake cookies when we get home? I’d like to bring some to the neighbors,” asked Violet as she ran up to her mother to give her a big embrace.
“Sure honey, but I thought we would go to the park first. It is a beautiful day.”
“What?!” Lucy came out into the waiting area, and overheard this conversation. “But I don’t want to go to the park! Dad said I could play on the computer if I LIVED through ballet class!” She stomped around in a circle, pouting, and turning red.
“But Lucy, it is so nice out!” pleaded Violet.
“I won’t go! I’m going home and playing on the computer!” Lucy began to scream and wail, and that was Mrs. Brownlee’s cue to shoo the girls outside before Lucy’s tantrum got any worse.
“We are going to the park for a little while, and then you can play on the computer when we get home, but only if you calm down,” said Mrs. Brownlee as they got into their silver Volvo.
“Fine!” huffed Lucy, crossing her arms and remaining in that angry pose until they pulled into the park.
The park was recently renovated with three new giant slides, a bridge that rattled when you walked across it, and a boat that swayed. Even though Violet was almost in middle school, she loved it. The playground was next to soccer fields, and on the other end of the soccer fields lay Mr. Lowell’s forbidden forest. The trees were just beginning to change color on this cool autumn day, and the reds and yellows of the leaves created a stunning view from the playground.
Violet was excited to see her friends were already there. As she ran over to them, Lucy stood in the corner of the playground kicking the sand with her left foot, continuing to pout. Mrs. Brownlee hoped and prayed that one day she would grow out of this phase and be as pleasant as Violet.
“Mom, can I go play on the soccer fields? I see some kids from my class,” asked Lucy after a long bit of kicking up sand. Mrs. Brownlee was quite relieved that she wanted to go play with other kids.
“Sure, honey. I’ll be right here if you need me.” Lucy sped off to meet with her classmates.
As Violet sat and talked to her friends, she noticed Marielle, a strange little girl from her class playing by herself. She decided to go over and say ‘hello.’ She couldn’t bear the thought of someone having to play alone.
“Hi, Marielle. Whatcha doing? Do you want to come over to the tire swing with us?” asked Violet.
“Shhh,” whispered Marielle. “I think there are fairies over there. I can hear them when the noise stops.” Violet looked over at her friends playing on the tire swing. They were almost in middle school and were done with imaginary play, but here was Marielle pretending that fairies were living in the woods behind their school.
“How do you know there are fairies there? No one is allowed in those woods,” asked Violet.
“Of course there are, Violet. Fairies are everywhere! Haven’t you seen Peter Pan?!” Marielle’s voice went high.
“Oh, I guess you are right.” Violet regretted her decision to invite Marielle to hang out with her friends, but she soon realized that Marielle wasn’t moving from her spot anyhow. She said goodbye to her, and resumed her place with her friends at the tire swing.
After a while, Violet tired of playing and was ready to go home to bake cookies. She looked around for Lucy, hoping she was ready to go too. She spotted her all the way across the soccer fields, standing on the edge of the forest.
“Mom!” yelled Violet. “I’m going to go get Lucy. She’s gone too far across the field.” Violet ran the whole length of two soccer fields over to where Lucy was. She stood transfixed by something in the woods. As she got closer, she could see another little girl a little ways into the woods. She and Lucy were staring at each other. As she got even closer, she could see the girl looked a lot like Lucy. She had the same curly blond hair, and the same big brown eyes. No wonder Lucy was staring at her.
“C’mon Lucy, it’s time to go.” Lucy said nothing and turned to walk with her sister. “Do you know her?” inquired Violet as they headed back to the playground.
“I’ve never seen her in my life.” said Lucy in a quiet voice.
“She looked an awful lot like you. That was weird,” agreed Violet. “I wonder what she was doing in the forest?” Violet mused. By the time they made it back across the two soccer fields, the girls had forgotten all about it, and were excited to go home, bake cookies and play on the computer.
CHAPTER TWO
Violet put the finishing touches on the boxes of cookies she prepared, wrapping each one with a purple ribbon. She was going to deliver them to everyone on the street, hoping to bring some cheer to the neighborhood. Violet loved giving people presents when they least expected it. She gathered the boxes and put them into a canvas bag, careful not to weigh down the bag so she could still carry it. She grabbed her jacket from the hook on the wall, and yelled to her mother, “Mom, I’m going to deliver the cookies, I’ll be back soon!”
“Why don’t you bring Lucy with you, Violet?” asked her mother. But before she could respond a loud “NO!” rang from the living room. And that was that.
Violet stood on the porch and thought about which way to go first. The houses that lined their cul de sac all looked pretty similar. Each had a porch, a two door garage, and a white picket fence in front. People tried to make their homes look different by painting them different colors and planting different flowers. But, for most part, it was obvious the developer had built their street, Pinewood Road, with the intent of all the houses blending together. All the houses were the same except for the one at the very end. That house also had a porch and a picket fence, but the house itself was very old, as was the lady who lived in it, Mrs. Whipple.
Instead of your typical chrysanthemums and pumpkins that adorned porches this time of year, Mrs. Whipple had some very odd plants that were neither cheerful nor colorful. Some were downright ugly. Like Mr. Lowell, there were many rumors about Mrs. Whipple, but as Violet tried to find the good in everyone, she refused to believe them. Mrs. Whipple was a little old lady who needed to be liked and loved just like anyone else, Violet thought. But still, there was something odd about her, and Violet decided to go to her house first to get it over with.
Violet opened the gate to the fence that begged to be painted. The stone path leading to the house was overrun with weeds, and she hoped there was no poison ivy growing in the wild array of plants. The steps leading up to the front door creaked as she tip-toed up each one. Violet thought to herself that perhaps it would be a nice thing for the neighbors to get together and repair the steps, paint the fence, and weed the front yard.
She rang the doorbell which produced a loud chime. As she waited patiently for Mrs. Whipple to come to the door, the wind began to pick up. She looked at the wild array of plants on the porch. The dead leaves were falling off in the sudden blistery air. Each one was labeled, and Violet squinted her eyes to catch a glimpse of some of the names. The closest one was the “mandrake,” which looked very similar to the flower that was her namesake. She also spotted “belladonna,” a plant with shiny black berries.
The door swung open, and Mrs. Whipple stood before Violet. Her long gray hair was pulled back in a low bun. She was hunched over slightly, and upon her shoulders she wore a light blue crocheted shawl. Her dress was long and dark gray, and tattered at the bottom.
“Well hello, Violet. It’s so nice to see you again. Come in, please.” said Mrs. Whipple meakly as she shuffled to the side to let Violet through. She leftthe door open and the late afternoon sun shone into the front hall of her house. The interior of the house was dim and shabby, much like the outside. A musty smell lingered in the air.
“I made you some cookies, Mrs. Whipple. I hope you like them.” Violet handed the box to the little old lady, and tried very hard to look at her face instead of looking around at the odd objects in the house. It was, after all, impolite to look away as someone is talking to you.
“Aren’t you a doll.” Mrs. Whipple opened the box to uncover the molasses ginger cookies inside. “You know, I saw your sister in the forest this morning. You really ought to keep her out of there. Mr. Lowell is well.......you know,” stated Mrs. Whipple as she sat in back down in her recliner.
“But that’s impossible. Lucy was at dance class with me this morning, but we did see someone who looked just like her at the edge of the forest,” replied Violet. “Perhaps Mr. Lowell has a grandchild who looks a little like her?”
“I suppose it is possible. Do you know I graduated high school with him?”
“I did not,” responded Violet with a note of interest in her voice. She hoped that Mrs. Whipple would elaborate, but she did not. They stood in silence for a moment, and then Violet motioned to leave. “Well, I best be going. I hope you enjoy the cookies. I will let myself out.”
“Okay, dear. Thank you, again. Tell your mother I said ‘hello.’”
“Will do.” Violet let herself out of the house, and continued on her cookie delivery mission.
As she walked by her own house, she saw Lucy running out the front door covered in soap suds, her mother chasing her.
“I don’t even want to know,” thought Violet as she continued on her way to deliver the rest of the cookies.
CHAPTER THREE
“This time Lucy, you really went too far! Do you know how much this is going to cost to fix?!”
Violet walked into the house to find her father red in the face, and her mom almost in tears.
“I was just playing a joke, I saw someone do it on t.v.” explained Lucy, who was now starting to cry as well.
“A joke?! Well, we now have to pay for the damages! That means no summer vacation this year!” Violet gasped.
“What did she do? I really wanted to go to Disney World!” Violet began to panic.
“Your sister here thought it was a good idea to fill the entire bathroom with soap suds! There is water damage every where! We have to get a brand new floor, a new carpet in the hallway, and paint the ceiling downstairs which now has a giant yellow stain and....I don’t even know what else.” He turned to Lucy. “You are grounded for at least a month, possibly the rest of your life.” Mr. Brownlee plumped down onto the couch.
Violet wanted to comfort him, and tell him that she would help raise money to fix the bathroom, but she remained silent. She glanced at Lucy, who was pretending to cry, but flashed a devious smile at Violet. Violet’s jaw almost hit the ground. How could Lucy have any sense of satisfaction knowing that they were going to be without a bathroom for a while, and have no summer family vacation. She wanted to explode!
“You’ve done some really terrible things, Lucy, but this is the worst,” said Violet, very quietly. Lucy’s smile disappeared. “I put up with a lot of your mischief, but I’m done with it. I deserve to go to Disney World. I work really hard in school, and I’ve been looking forward to this my whole life. How could you be so inconsiderate?! Sometimes I wish you had never been born!” That was the most hurtful thing Violet had ever said to anyone, never mind her own sister.
* * * * *
After a full day of dance, baking, and Lucy’s antics, Violet was exhausted. She kissed her parents goodnight, and looked over at Lucy who had been ignoring her since the afternoon, and headed upstairs to her room. As she passed Lucy’s room, she noticed the window was wide open, even though it was a blustery fall night. She went into the room and shut the window, and continued on her way to get ready for bed.
As she lay her head on her pillow, she quickly fell asleep. She soon found herself in a strange dream- she was in trouble, not Lucy. She sat in a chair in the kitchen while her parents lectured her. She could not understand why she was in trouble, and the longer the dream went on, the more frustrated she became. She tried to talk, but words wouldn’t come out of her mouth. The dream ended when she heard a loud bang. She awoke with a start, out of breath, and covered in sweat. As she caught her bearings, she sensed something was not right. She wanted her mother. She got out of bed and headed down the hall, stopping short at Lucy’s door. Violet felt the cold air as the door suddenly swung open. She gasped. She peered around the wall into Lucy’s room and found Lucy standing by the open window, staring out into the night, her blond curls flying around her head.
“Lucy!” cried Violet. “What are you doing? You’ll freeze to death!” Violet ran to the window, and shut it, and then turned to Lucy. “Why aren’t you in bed?!”
“I’m sorry to wake you, Violet. I just heard a cat crying, and I was looking outside to make sure it’s ok.” Lucy gave her sister a hug. “I’ll go back to sleep now.” Lucy turned and climbed back into her bed.
“Would you mind closing the door behind you? Thanks.” Violet stared at her sister. Did she really just hug her, and speak in a polite way? Violet thought she must simply be sleepwalking, there was no other explanation for it. She went back to her room, climbed into bed, and drifted into a peaceful slumber.
CHAPTER FOUR
The next morning, Violet walked downstairs to the kitchen to find Lucy already up and sitting at the table reading a book. Violet did a double take. Her sister always watched morning cartoons while she ate breakfast. But today she sat in between them reading what looked to be something from school.
“What are you doing?” asked Violet before her usual ‘good morning’ to her family.
“My homework. I’m supposed to read 20 minutes a day,” replied Lucy calmly.
“Yeah, but you never do.” Violet looked at the clock. “Isn’t Spongebob on right now? Why aren’t you watching it?” Lucy looked up from her book, and took a bite out of her whole wheat toast. Whole wheat toast! Lucy always ate Lucky Charms. “And what are you eating?”
“Too much television is bad for you, but whole grains are good for you,” replied Lucy, as she returned to reading.
“I’m going back to bed, I think I am dreaming.” Violet turned to walk back upstairs.
“Violet don’t be silly,” said Mrs. Brownlee. “Lucy is growing up, and being responsible, just like we talked about.” Violet pondered this for a minute. Maybe she was behaving herself to get out of being grounded. It was all a ploy. As soon as her month was up, she would go right back to her old ways. And plus, she probably wouldn’t even make it through the day behaving, never mind a whole month! Violet sat at the table, and took a piece of toast from the plate in the middle of the table. She might as well enjoy well-behaved Lucy while it lasted.
Violet watched Lucy as she read. She took another piece or toast, and then another, and then another. She did this so quietly that when Mr. Brownlee put his newspaper down, he did a double take.
As the girls walked to school, Lucy walked by her side, remarking at how lovely the leaves were when they changed color.
“You don’t need to keep up this act when you’re with me, Lucy. I know what you’re doing.”
“Whatever do you mean, Violet?”
“You’re behaving yourself so you can get out of being grounded.”
“I don’t understand. I’m not doing anything different. We walk to school every morning, don’t we?” asked Lucy, innocently.
“Yeah, but you’re usually a block behind me, and I have to keep looking back to make sure you’re not climbing into a stranger’s car, or running off into the woods to avoid going to school,” huffed Violet.
“Why would I do that? We have to go to school, and besides, I love it!” exclaimed Lucy.
“Now you’re just making fun of me. I am so telling mom when we get home!” yelled Violet.
“I’m sorry, Violet, I’ll walk further back if that makes you feel better,” said Lucy, still calmly.
“Whatever,” replied Violet.
Violet did not hold onto anger usually, but she was pretty miffed at her sister for ruining their summer vacation. She still wanted to help make it better, and maybe have a lemonade stand to raise money to fix the bathroom. But, for the first time in her life, she didn’t want to help Lucy out of her mess. Violet could wait another whole year to go to Disney World. She had, after all, been waiting her whole life.
She spent the whole day trying to focus on her school work, but she couldn’t get the incident off her mind. Her teacher gave her a few puzzling looks when she didn’t raise her hand to answer questions. When she asked Violet if she was feeling okay, Violet told her that she was just feeling a little tired today.
At the end of the day, Violet went to pick up Lucy, taking her time to get downstairs as usual, but today Lucy was already packed up and waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs, ready to go. She did not have to speak to her teacher after class.
“What took you so long Violet? I want to get home! I have an idea. We can still go to Disney! We can have a lemonade stand and raise the money to fix the bathroom!”
“Huh? That was my idea!”
“Not all good ideas are yours, Violet. I can have them, too.”
“Yeah, but you never do,” huffed Violet.
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today,” sighed Lucy. “Maybe we can do the lemonade stand together?”
Violet thought about this for a moment. This was what she had always wanted- Lucy to behave and be a good sister. She needed to adjust her attitude, and try to make things right.
“Ok, we can do that,” replied Violet. “Let’s hurry!”
“Sounds good!”
The two girls skipped and ran the whole way home, ecstatic about the prospect of raising money for the bathroom. When they got home, they asked Mrs. Brownlee to hurry and mix the lemonade as they rushed to put some signs together.
“I think we should do it at the end of the street, in front of Mrs. Whipple’s house. That way we can get more cars going by,” said Violet as they lugged the stuff down the driveway.
“Oh,” replied Lucy. I don’t think we should. We’re better off here.”
“But, why? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I just think that it might confuse her if we are standing in front of her house.”
Violet scrunched her eye brows together, not really understanding her reasoning.
“I just saw her yesterday, and she doesn’t seem confused, but if you insist,” Violet agreed.
The girls sat for a while, a few of the neighbors coming over, but there were not enough cars coming down the street. Without saying anything to Lucy, Violet grabbed one of the signs and walked down to the corner near Mrs. Whipple’s house. She stood at the corner and successfully rerouted some cars down their street.
There was a lull in the traffic when she heard the creaky front door of Mrs. Whipple’s house. Violet turned to wave at her, but Mrs. Whipple was not looking at her. Rather, she was staring in the distance at Lucy, and she stood there for quite sometime. Violet decided to take a break from waving cars in, and walked up to Mrs. Whipple’s gate.
“Hello again, Mrs. Whipple!” shouted Violet, sure that she needed to raise her voice more than normal for the elderly lady to hear.
“Violet, come up here, please. If you will.” Violet opened to broken gate and headed up to her.
“Can I help you with something?” asked Violet as she approached the steps.
“Are you sure Lucy hasn’t been in the forest lately?” Violet felt a nervous twinge in her stomach. Why was she so insistent that Lucy was in the forest yesterday?
“I’m positive. She’s grounded right now anyhow, so there is no way she could have gone anywhere on her own since yesterday.” Violet hoped this was enough to drop the subject.
“Has she seemed different lately?’
“Yeah, but.....” Violet stopped. She heard Lucy calling her. “I’m so sorry, but my sister is calling me. I have to go.” Violet turned and started to walk away quickly, hoping to not give the appearance that she was running away.
“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” called Mrs. Whipple as Violet headed back towards her house.
CHAPTER FIVE
Violet was quite relieved to go to school the next day and get her mind off Lucy and Mrs. Whipple. When it was time for Literacy, her absolute most favorite subject, she was excited to be handed a new reading packet. The title was “Folklore and Fairy Tales.” Violet just loved to read fairy tales. Their first assignment was to read “The Princess and the Frog,” by the Brothers Grimm. She glanced ahead at the other stories as her teacher finished passing out the rest. She was intrigued to see fairy tales she had never heard of.
Violet heard a loud commotion coming from the other side of the room, and jumped with a start. Kyle Privetera, a boy in her class who was normally shy and quiet, was running around the room. The whole class was suddenly on their feet, some girls standing on their chairs. Through all the craziness, Violet realized he was chasing a frog he had brought to class with him. She couldn’t believe the normally shy, well-behaved boy would do such a thing, but weird things like this continued all day.
At lunch time, Kyle stood on his chair and made faces at the principal behind her back. At recess, he got in trouble for fighting with another boy. But it wasn’t just Kyle who was acting weird. Grace Slattery, another fifth grader in a different class, ran through the hallways screaming at the top of her lungs as they came back from recess. It was strictly forbidden to run, never mind scream, in the hallways. “It must be a full moon,” her teacher remarked.
When the day was finally over, the girls rushed home. Huge storm clouds lay off in the distance, and the wind was picking up speed. Lucy was terrified of thunderstorms, and Violet was anxious to get her home. But strangely, Lucy remained relaxed, barely noticing the wind or the darkening sky.
When they arrived home, Lucy immediately sat down at the kitchen table, the place where Violet always sat. Violet didn’t mind, she wanted to do her reading in the study where it was cozy. She grabbed some milk and cookies and headed to the study, plopping herself down in the big comfy chair that sat in the corner. The sky was dark and rumbling, and Violet turned on the lamp next to the chair to see better.
She started to read “The Princess and the Frog,” but it soon bored her. She knew the story already; she could read it later. She flipped through the book, and felt something fall out. She scanned the floor and discovered a folded up piece of yellowed paper.
“What the?” Violet unfolded the paper carefully to find a handwritten script.
The Changeling
by
Padraig Kavanaugh Ross
There are fairy tales, folklores, and legends. Do not be fooled my friends. Changelings are neither a fairy tale nor folk lore. Fairy tales begin with “Once Upon a Time.” All stories of changelings have a precisely set time and location.
In Wroclaw, Poland, a woman left her baby in a small clump of grass while she gathered hay. When she returned a new baby, a very ill-behaved one, lay in its place. The child was was greedy with milk, and it howled in such an inhumane manner that it was nothing like the child she knew.
In Athenry, County Galway, Ireland, a man was thatching his roof, while his wife went out to the fields. Their baby was left in a woven basket where the man could keep an eye on his golden locked, even-tempered daughter, until the wife returned. On the second day of thatching, the man heard the sound of a flute. He looked down on the ground to find fairies dancing in a circle around the child. The man came down from the roof and stood over the basket, but the fairies continued playing and dancing, until they tired of it and disappeared. When the wife returned, he made no mention of it.
The next day, as the man was on the roof, the fairies returned. This time they gave the man a flute and he danced and played with them until they once again tired and disappeared. When the wife returned, he made no mention of it.
On the third day, the fairies once again returned, but before the man could get down from the roof to join them, they disappeared. He climbed back up and worked until his wife returned from the fields. When at last she did, she let out a wail like a banshee. Their beautiful daughter had been replaced by an ill-tempered elf.
more...............eat alot
Violet dropped the paper and thought for a second. She remembered how insistent Marielle that fairies were living in Mount Pleasant. Could fairies be living right under their very noses, and was it possible that Lucy was a “changeling?” And why was this paper in her reading packet. Did Ms. Duffy give it to her on purpose? She didn’t have time to think about who gave her the letter. She needed to research changelings. Violet normally asked permission to use the computer first, but the doors to the study were shut, and she didn’t think she needed to bother. She anxiously waited for the computer to boot. When it finally did, she entered the word “Changeling” into the search engine. Links to some movie popped up. She changed her search to “Changeling folklore.”
The first website to pop up said the following: “A changeling is a creature found in Western European folklore. It is typically described as being the offspring of a fairy, elf, or troll left in the place of a human child. While often replaced during infancy, the creature might also spy on the child for years at at time, learning its ways and history. A human child might be taken due to many factors. In rare cases, the very elderly of the fairy people would exchange places with a human child, specifically a blond child, taking its form while the human child is left to grow up in the fairy settlement, never to be seen again. Fairy settlements are often found in DEEP, UNSETTLED, WOODED AREAS ARE FROM HUMAN DWELLINGS.”
Violet stifled her scream. Lucy, Kyle, Grace AND the girl in the woods all had blonde hair! She and Lucy had seen that girl in the woods. She looked just like Lucy. Is it possible she was an old fairy looking to change places with her sister? If Lucy was indeed taken by a changeling, then there had to be things about the past that the fairy did not know about. Even if the fairy was spying on them, surely she did not go on vacation or go on long car rides with them. Given the events of the past few days, Violet thought it wouldn’t hurt to test out this theory.
“Violet! Dinner is ready!”
Violet panicked as she tried to exit out of the website and shut the computer down. She could not do it fast enough, and her mom caught her in the act.
“What are you doing, Violet? You know you are supposed to ask before you use the computer,” said her mother .
“I’m sorry, Mom. I just wanted to look something up really fast.”
“Ok, honey.” Violet followed her mother out of the study and into the kitchen.
CHAPTER SIX
Violet’s heart was still racing as she sat down at the dinner table. Lucy sat with her hands folded as she waited patiently for her food. In days past, it was a miracle to even get Lucy to come to the dinner table, but here she sat with good manners.
“Lucy, I am writing a story for school. Do you remember that time we went to Toscano for dinner, and mom put her foot through the leftovers on the car ride home? What was the leftover dinner? I can’t seem to remember.”
This was Lucy’s favorite story to tell people. The family went to the little Italian restaurant in their town, and on the way home, Mrs. Brownlee was in a panic that Mr. Brownlee was driving too fast. He got too close to the car in front of them for Mrs. Brownlee’s comfort, and thinking there was a break on the passenger’s side of the car, Mrs. Brownlee stuck her foot right through the container of chicken parmesan, getting tomato sauce all over her foot.
Lucy thought for a minute. “I can’t seem to remember. Do you, Mom?”
Before Mrs. Brownlee could answer, Violet interrupted. “But, you must remember. You tell this story whenever we are at a family party. How could you possibly forget?”
“It was chicken parmesan, Violet. I certainly remember it well,” answered her mother.
“Oh, right. Thanks. My story is about funny family memories. How about the time we went to zoo and you were looking at some animals, and, well you know the rest of the story. Tell it to me so I can write it from your perspective,” said Violet, trying to convey enthusiasm in her voice.
“Violet, I have no idea what you are talking about. We’ve been to the zoo hundreds of times,” replied Lucy.
“Oh Lucy, I wish we had been hundreds of times! But, we’ve only gone three or four. It is a three hour drive, after all. But, you definitely know what I am talking about. You were just telling it to someone the other day.” That was a lie. Violet could not remember the last time she heard Lucy tell someone about the time they went to the zoo and a goat ate her dad’s hat. But, she knew Lucy loved that story, and there was no way she would forget it.
“Violet, Lucy is having trouble remembering these things, but you are not. I think you can write these stories on your own without her help,” Mr. Brownlee interjected.
“I guess so,” replied Violet. “Could I use the computer after dinner? My paper is due tomorrow, and we get bonus points if our story is typed.” That was a lie too.
“Well that’s new. I thought you always wrote it out first to practice you penmanship. Isn’t that what your teacher normally tells you to do?” asked Mrs. Brownlee.
“Um, this time she said we can type it. I think it would be good practice.”
“Ok, you can use the computer after dinner.”
For the rest of the dinner, Violet sat quietly and listened the the conversation between the other three. Lucy recounted her day at school, speaking with enthusiasm about their math lesson. Violet listened and watched her very closely, looking for any clue that she might really be a fairy. As soon as she could, Violet put her dishes in the sink, and headed back to the study to turn on the computer. While the computer booted, she made a list of things to look up: fairy changelings, how to get a child back from the fairies, detecting fairies, etc.
She first entered “detecting fairies” into the search engine. A page called “Cornelia’s Fairy Folklore” came up. On it was a list of ideas:
1. Boil egg shells in front of the child. If it cackles with laughter, it is a fairy.
2. Place a flute in the child’s crib. A fairy cannot resist playing this instrument. If it begins to play a song unlike any you have ever heard, it is a fairy.
3. Changelings have ravenous appetites. If your child is suddenly eating a lot more than normal, they are probably a fairy.
6. If you cut a changelings hair, it will grow back the next day.
Violet frantically wrote down these ideas on a piece of paper. She would have try at least one of these. The easiest would be boiling eggs. This would be a double test really. Lucy hated eggs, and someone cooking them certainly would not make her laugh. It would make her have a fit! Plus, if she really was a fairy, and had the ravenous appetite of one, she would want to eat them all!
“Violet, how is you paper coming?” Violet jumped at the sound of her mother’s voice. Mrs. Brownlee poked her head in through the study door.
“Um, good.......I’m just writing down some notes first,” replied Violet.
“Ok, well 20 more minutes and then no more screen time. I can’t wait to read the story!”
“I’ll print it out for you.” Violet realized she was actually going to have to write a story about her family vacations, even though it was never her homework assignment. But, she really needed to do more research on fairies.
She spent what she thought was another 5 minutes searching for facts online, but when she looked up at the clock, she realized it had been 15! Violet opened the word processor on the computer and frantically wrote a story about funny family memories. She didn’t have time to proof read it, and she prayed that her mother would forget and not ask to read it.
But Violet had no such luck. She stepped out of the study, and tried to sneak around the corner and head up to her bedroom where she planned on reading until bedtime. But, her mom caught her just as she took the first step onto the stairs.
“Can I read it now?” asked her mom with a big smile.
“Um sure, I really didn’t get a chance to proof read it.”
It looked something like this:
“one time ,my family and I went out to inner to a italian redtauarnt called toscanos and we had some pasta and some chicken and some salaf and ton the care tide home my mom suck her foot through the left over chiekcn prmsen. it wad really funny.
Another time we wrnt t the zoo and a goat ante my fad;s hat. my sister slucy rel;ly likes to tell that stry to people. the end.”
“Violet, you can’t pass this in! It’s a mess! Did you even look at this before you printed it?”
“Um, well. Not really. I got caught up in something else. But it’s ok, I have plenty of time to retype it tomorrow night. It’s not due for another three days,” answered Violet.
“I thought you said it’s due tomorrow. Were you surfing the Internet? This is so unlike you,” questioned Mrs. Brownlee.
“Well, the truth is, yes, I was.” Violet had to tell the truth. She had already lied to her parents once today.
“I’m disappointed in you, Violet. That is twice today you did not ask permission.”
Violet looked up at her mom, expecting her to ground her, but she said nothing. Telling her she was disappointed and the silence that followed was way worse than being grounded. She headed up to her room and read until it was time for lights out. Mrs. Brownlee went on the computer, and was quite puzzled to see “how to get a child back from the fairies” in the search history.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Violet had a plan for the morning. She would get up early, wake up Lucy, and convince her that they needed to make breakfast for their parents. It would be a surprise. The real Lucy was normally very cranky in the morning, and did not like to get up at all. But Violet was certain that the new Lucy would be willing to surprise their parents.
Violet quietly got out of bed and tip-toed over to Lucy’s room. She slowly opened the door, cringing as it made a loud squeaking noise. She shocked to find that Lucy was not there! Violet began to panic, but decided to look around the house before she alerted her parents. She was relieved to find her in the kitchen, but also very confused.
“Lucy, what are you doing?”
“I woke up starving so I’m having a snack before breakfast.” A ravenous appetite!
“Oh, I was going to wake you and see if you wanted to make breakfast for Mom and Dad,” said Violet.
“What a great idea! What should we make?” Lucy’s eyes were as wide as saucers with excitement.
“I would like some eggs. I’m sure mom won’t mind if we boil water, as long as we are careful.” This was a lie. Violet is pretty sure her mom would freak out if she caught them using the oven without her supervision, but her plan was that she could do her eggshell test before her parents woke up, and then they could get rid of the evidence. “Why don’t you get out the cereal and toast? Oh! I have an idea! We have lots of oranges. We can make freshly squeezed orange juice! Why don’t you be in charge of that!” Violet wanted to keep Lucy as occupied as possible while she performed her experiment.
She pulled out a sauce pan and filled it with water, peeking over shoulder to make sure Lucy was occupied with the oranges. She was, but as a watched pot never boils, Violet went over to help her, carefully glancing back at the pot to see if it was boiling yet.
“Why are boiling water?” asked Lucy.
“Oh, I’m just making some oatmeal,” lied Violet.
“But mom usually makes oatmeal in the microwave.” How did she know that? But, Violet remembered, fairies often spy on families before they switch places with children.
“Oh, right. Well, it’s almost boiled all the way.” Violet made a quick dash for the eggs on the counter and then one by one cracked them open and put the shells in the boiling water.
“Violet! What are you doing?” Lucy laughed hysterically. “That’s not how you make oatmeal. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.” She was laughing! Laughing so loudly that she woke up Mr. and Mrs. Brownlee.
“What in the world?” cried Mr. Brownlee as he entered the kitchen. Violet jumped about 3 feet in the air.
“We’re making you breakfast! Surprise!” Violet flinched behind a smile as she hoped her parents would not notice she was using the stove. Her plan was foiled.
“Are you boiling water on the stove? You know better! You could have really burnt yourself!” cried Mrs. Brownlee. “And what is this?” Violet’s mother walked over to the stove to examine the egg shells floating in the boiling water.
“Isn’t that how you make eggs?” replied Violet, as innocently as she could muster.
“Violet Margaret Brownlee, you are almost in middle school. You should know by now that that is NOT how you make eggs.” Violet was speechless. She did not know how to get herself out of this one.
“I’m sorry, mom.”
“I just don’t know what is going on with you this week, Violet. Can we start our day over, and be the Violet we all know and love?” Violet was surprised at how calm her mother was.
“Yes, mother.”
“Now, how about some breakfast?”
Violet slumped at the table as she watched her mother take over the making of breakfast. Her plan somewhat worked. For one, Lucy did laugh really hard, just like Cornelia’s webpage said she would. But then again, how could you not laugh at what she did? It’s not like boiling cracked eggshells was a normal way to make oatmeal.
She would have to do another test. The Brownlee’s had no fireplace, so she would have to test out the “flute in the bed” theory. But where in the world would she get a flute?
At school later that day, Violet could barely keep her eyes open in class. If she was going to test another theory, it could not be at the crack of dawn again. Sitting at her desk, her eyes got heavy, and she decided to ask her teacher permission to use the bathroom so she could go for a walk and wake up.
As she walked the corridor of the school, she heard a noise coming from the music room. It was the recorder. Of course! You learn to play recorder in the third grade! But Violet rented hers for the year, so she did not currently own one. She would have to borrow one from a third grader. At recess she asked around, but no one was willing to part with theirs. They had to practice for homework, after all.
For the rest of the day, Violet could concentrate on nothing else. When the teacher called on her, she had to reply with “I’m sorry. I missed the question.” Her teacher was disappointed, and Violet was disappointed in herself. But when it came down to it, saving her sister was more important than anything else right now.
At the end of the day, Violet made a decision. She would simply have to borrow one from the music room with the intent of putting it back tomorrow. It wasn’t stealing if she returned it within 24 hours. Before she walked downstairs to meet Lucy, she made a detour to the music room. Violet looked around to make sure the coast was clear. She walked over to the closet where Mr. Turner, the music teacher, kept the recorders, and put one in her back pack. As she started back across the room, Ms. Duffy walked in. Violet jumped.
“What are you doing in here, Violet?” asked Ms. Duffy.
“Oh, ah, I’m just looking for Lucy. I think she’s hiding from me. You know how she can be!” Violet thought her teacher believed her fib, but what she didn’t know was that her teacher had seen her steal the recorder.
That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Violet snuck the recorder under Lucy’s pillow. She left the room, and waited for Lucy to finish brushing her teeth so she could take her turn. Lucy headed back to her room, and Violet listened intently for the sounds of the recorder. As she spit out the toothpaste and rinsed her mouth, she heard screeching come from across the hall. Violet ran into Lucy’s room and sure enough there she sat on the bed playing the recorder. It certainly was unlike any song she had ever heard. It wasn’t even a song at all!
“What is that noise?!” Mr. Brownlee barreled up the stairs and into Lucy’s room. “Lucy, where did you get that?”
“I don’t know, it was under my pillow! Do you know where I got it from Violet?” Lucy and Mr. Brownlee turned to face Violet. She couldn’t get in trouble again today!
“That is the type of recorder we play in the third grade. Did you borrow it from someone at school?” asked Violet.
“No, I just found it under my pillow.”
“Well, unless the tooth fairy left it there, someone better tell me where you got this instrument,” demanded Mr. Brownlee.
“Well, Lucy got it at school somewhere,” lied Violet.
“But I didn’t. I’m not lying, dad, it was really under my pillow when I came in here. I have no idea where it came from.” Mr. Brownlee sighed, gave up the battle, and headed back downstairs.
“Did you put this under my pillow, Violet?” asked Lucy after Mr. Brownlee left.
“Maybe.” Violet shrugged her shoulders.
“Why are you trying to get me in trouble?”
“I’m not. Well, listen, I am exhausted. I am going to go to bed. Goodnight!” Violet made a quick escape out of the room, and sat on her bed to think. Lucy had played a song unlike any she had ever heard, but then again, if anyone picked up a musical instrument and didn’t know how to play it, it was going to sound pretty bad. She had to do one more test. She would have to cut a piece of Lucy’s hair while she was sleeping. She looked around her room for a pair of scissors. When she found them, she slid them under her pillow. She would have to try with all her might to stay awake until Lucy was sound asleep.
She listened for her parents to come up stairs and turn off all the lights. She waited for what she thought was a significant amount of time, and then snuck out of her room. She tip toed across Lucy’s room to where she lay sleeping, and very carefully she cut off a chunk of Lucy’s curly blond hair right in the front. If this didn’t grow back by the morning, she was going to have a lot of explaining to do.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The hair grew back. It grew back dead straight. Violet could not believe her eyes as she sat across from her sister at the breakfast table. She was exhausted again, and she questioned whether or not she was delirious from a lack of sleep, but she was certain this is where she had cut the hair. And there it was, as straight as a bone.
“Why are you staring at me, Violet?” asked Lucy as she buttered her toast.
“Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to. I’m just really tired.”
“One of your curls has lost its curl. It must have been the way you slept,” interjected Mr. Brownlee. Lucy rubbed her hands through her hair until she found it. She looked cross-eyed at it in awe.
“Or maybe fairies were messing with my hair in my sleep,” Lucy said curtly, giving a sharp look at Violet. Violet jumped. There was no question. This girl sitting in front of her was not Lucy. All three of her tests had proved it. She was a changeling! Violet now had to focus her efforts on getting her real sister back.
“Violet, are you ok? You’re as pale as a ghost!” exclaimed Mrs. Brownlee. Violet did not know what to do. There was no way her parents would ever believe her! But perhaps she could try to convince them.
“Um, well. I just don’t think Lucy has been herself lately, and I’m really worried about her.” Violet was on the verge of tears.
“Violet, why are you getting so upset? Lucy has been doing a really great job since she got grounded. You should be proud of your sister!”
“Mom, can I talk to you for a second? Alone?” asked Violet.
“Sure, honey.” Violet led her mom to the study and shut the door.
“Mom, I know you aren’t going to believe me, but I think a fairy has taken Lucy’s place. That’s not the real Lucy!” Mrs. Brownlee stood speechless for a moment. Her first reaction was to tell Violet she was much to old to believe such nonsense, but she wanted to hear her out.
“Why do you think that, Violet?”
“Well, it all started when I read a story about changelings. They are fairies that take places with children. They especially like children with blond hair. I think they’ve changed places with Gracie and Kyle at school too. Lucy has been acting so different! I researched it online, and did some tests and I am 100% sure she is a changeling. We have to get the real Lucy back!”
Mrs. Brownlee sat down in the leather chair, and rubbed her temples.
“Violet, I’m really concerned about you right now. You’ve been disobedient, and then I get an email from your teacher saying you stole a recorder from the music room.” Violet’s stomach fell.
“I didn’t steal it. I was just borrowing it. I’m going to return it today.”
“Why did you take it?”
“Because one of the tests was putting a flute in the changelings bed. If they played it, they are a fairy.” Violet realized she sounded crazy, but her mom had to believe her.
“Violet, I’m asking you very nicely. You need to drop this idea that your sister is a fairy, or a changeling, or whatever you think she is. She is growing and maturing. That is all there is to it.” Violet knew that if she said anymore, she was just going to sound crazier. So she stopped. She would have to get Lucy back on her own, without the help of her parents.
When she got to school, she immediately talked to her teacher.
“I know it was wrong to take this, and I am very sorry,” said Violet, handing the recorder back to Ms. Duffy.
“Ok, Violet. I think you should go return this to the music room and tell Mr. Turner what happened. You can go right now before we get settled for the day,” replied Ms. Duffy.
Violet was a nervous wreck walking up to the music room. She never got in trouble, and this week she’d already been in trouble 4 times! She did not know how the real Lucy did it on a daily basis. Violet, head down, stood outside his classroom and thought about what she was going to say to Mr. Turner when she was interrupted by a girl’s voice.
“Hi, Violet. Whatcha doing?” asked Marielle. Violet looked up to see the strange girl standing right in front of her.
“Oh, hey, Marielle. I’m just returning this recorder I …......” Violet stopped and stared at Marielle. She knew all about fairies! Maybe she could help! “I actually need your help. Could you meet me at recess. I have some questions about......fairies. But don’t tell anyone!” The last thing she needed was her teacher hearing about this. Who knows how often she talked to her parents.
“I would love to talk to you about fairies, Violet!” Marielle was ecstatic.
“Great!” Violet was so relieved she had someone who would believe her. She went into the music room, handed Mr. Turner the recorder, and apologized to him. Mr. Turner was so taken aback that Violet had taken it in the first place, that he just said “ok, thanks.” Violet left the room and skipped all the way back to her classroom.
CHAPTER NINE
Violet met Marielle at recess and the two headed towards the far corner where no one would overhear them. Violet hoped her friends wouldn’t come looking for her. She looked over at them, she could see they were busy playing a game.
“What do you need my help with, Violet?” asked Marielle.
“What do you know about changelings?”
“Oh, changelings are very interesting. They are a type of fairy that changes places with children,” replied Marielle.
“I know, and I think my sister has been replaced with one. Last week, I went into her room in the middle of the night, and her window was wide open. She has been a completely different person since then. I researched online to see how to prove it, and I’ve done all the tests.” Violet stopped to make sure Marielle was following. Marielle stood quietly for a moment.
“Well, which ones did you do?” she asked finally.
“I boiled egg shells, and she started laughing, just like some lady named Cornelia said she would. And then I put a flute, well actually a recorder, under her pillow, and she started playing it almost immediately. But, the biggest proof I have is her hair. It said that if you cut a changelings hair, it will grow back by the next day. I cut Lucy’s hair when she was sleeping, and the next morning, it had grown back, but completely straight! Lucy has the curliest hair of anyone I know!” Violet was out of breath trying to get all this info out at once. She hoped that Marielle would believe her. Someone had to!
“Ok, Violet. I think you do have a changeling living in your house. But first, I’m going to observe her. I’ll do it after school today.”
“Great. One more thing. I think Kyle Privetera and Gracie Slattery are also changelings. They’ve been acting really strangely lately too. Oh, and I got a weird letter in my reading packet. It was handwritten, and was all about changelings.”
“Ok, I’ll see what I can find out. And I’ll need to see that letter.”
“Thanks so much, Marielle!” Violet hugged her new friend, and then ran off to find the rest of her playmates.
When Violet got back to class after recess, she tried really hard to concentrate, but she just couldn’t. How could she possibly think about math when her real sister was living with fairies somewhere out in the world. She was so happy to have Marielle’s help that she could hardly sit still in her desk. Her teacher called on her, and once again she was not listening. She reminded herself that she would really have to try and behave herself so no one would suspect what she was up to.
When the final bell of the school day rang, Violet headed down to Lucy’s room, but found she was not there.
“Lucy already headed out to the playground, Violet,” said Lucy’s teacher.
“Ok, thanks.” Violet headed to the playground. She looked around and found Lucy standing with Kyle and Gracie. They were very close together with their heads down whispering. Violet scanned the playground for Marielle hoping she was witnessing this too, and alas she was. She was standing only a few feet away from the group. She spotted Violet and headed towards her.
“Violet, we have a very serious situation on our hands. The three of them are DEFINITELY changelings. I heard them say ‘Fairy Hollow.’”
“What does that mean?”
“A fairy hollow is a place in the woods where fairies live! Why would three kids who never hang out be standing in a circle talking about a fairy hollow if they weren’t really fairies? This is so exciting!” exclaimed Marielle.
“It is exciting, Marielle, but I’m really worried about my sister. The real Lucy is somewhere, and where don’t know where. She could could be hurt or sick.” For the first time since this all began, tears began to well up in Violet’s eyes.
“Oh, don’t cry , Violet. If she is hurt or sick, fairies have magical powers to heal her. I can assure you that she is just fine. But we do need to get her back. Your parents will be really upset when they realize the Lucy living in their house is an imposter.”
“I tried telling my mom, but she didn’t believe me, and she asked me to never bring it up again. She is going to realize it sooner or later, but I don’t think we can wait ‘til then. We have to get Lucy back as soon as possible.”
“Ok, it’s possible to get her back without having to search for the fairy hollow. I’m going to give you a list of things to do. Do you think we can have a play date this weekend?”
CHAPTER TEN
Saturday arrived and Violet waited anxiously for Marielle to get to her house. Her mother had asked to stop thinking that Lucy was really a fairy, so she and Marielle would have to go over everything without her mother seeing what they were doing. Their only option was to go up in the tree house in the back yard.
Marielle finally arrived, and after a brief introduction to her family, Violet grabbed Marielle by the hand and led her around the house to the backyard. Marielle carried a backpack full of books, and and between the weight of the bag and unsteadiness of the steps, the girls struggled to hoist it up into the tree house. Luckily, Lucy was at a birthday party, and Violet would not have to worry about her becoming suspicious.
“Ok, Violet. I marked a bunch of pages in my books that explain how to get a child back from the fairies. They sound a little silly, but people have been doing this for thousands of years.” Marielle lugged a huge leather bound book out of her backpack. The book was a dark blue with gold Celtic artwork adorning the cover. It was beautiful.
“Where did you get that?” asked Violet, green with envy.
“I got it for my birthday. Isn’t it great?” squealed Marielle, who opened it to a page she had marked with a sticky note. “Ok, right here. They have some ideas. #1: Put the child in a fireplace. It will jump up the chimney and return the human child.
#2: Put the child’s head in an oven. If it cries out “The heat of day, the chill of night, the darkness here gives me quite a fright,” it will return the human child. Please note, this may not be in English.
#3.........more”
Violet pondered these things. “We don’t have a fireplace, but we do have an oven. I could try that one first.”
“What time does Lucy get back from her play date?” asked Marielle.
“Probably soon. She went to a birthday party right after ballet class, and that was early this morning. Parties don’t usually last more than a few hours.”
“Can I see the letter?” asked Marielle.
“What lett...oh yeah! I totally forgot! It’s in my room. Let’s go get it.” The two girls put the book back in the back pack, carefully climbed down the tree trunk, and ran into the house. They rushed through the living room and up the stairs so quickly that Violet didn’t notice Lucy enter through the front door. The girls were out of breath by the time they made it to Violet’s room.
Violet rummaged through her desk drawer, and found it just where she had left it. “Here it is,” she said, handing the letter over to Marielle. Marielle carefully and slowly read through the letter.
“Where did you say you got this again?”
“It fell out of my reading packet when I got home from school on Monday. I have no idea how it got there.” Violet looked over Marielle’s shoulder as she returned to carefully examining it.
“We have to find out who Padriag Kavanaugh Ross is,” Marielle finally said.
“Who?” asked Violet.
“The author. Look, right here.” Marielle pointed to the name on the sheet of paper. Violet sat and thought about who this person could possibly be, and how he infiltrated her reading packet.
“I don’t know anyone with that last name.....wait a minute. Yes I do! Mr. Ross! The guy at the cheese shop!”
“I can’t believe I didn’t think of it!” exclaimed Marielle. “I go in there with my mom all the time. I love their Gouda!”
“Whatcha doing?” Violet jumped at the sound of her sister’s voice. She stood frozen for a minute, while Marielle gazed at Lucy up and down.
“Nothing, we’re just having a play date,” said Violet after a while. “How was your birthday party?”
“It was really fun. Can I play with you guys?”
“I’m sorry, Lucy, but not today. We are working in a very serious project for school. You wouldn’t understand it,” lied Violet.
“I thought you said you were having a play date,” replied Lucy.
“We are, but we are also doing a...a....an experiment for school. Actually, you can help.” Violet gave Marielle a look. “Can you come down to the kitchen with us?”
“Ok.” Lucy followed the girls down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Violet grabbed a notebook from her backpack on the table and a pencil.
“Ok, we are testing....actually, wait a minute. We need to set up this experiment. Can you come back in 5 minutes?” Violet asked. She needed more time to think about this.
“Alright.” Lucy headed out the sliding door to the back yard.
“How are we going to get her to stick her head in the oven?” pleaded Violet to Marielle.
“I know. We can tell her we are doing a science project on cleaning. We can have her clean the back of the oven. Do you have any baking soda?”
“Yes.” Violet knew exactly where it was since she had just baked the cookies last week. “Oooh, I have an idea. We can test baking powder versus baking soda as cleaning agents. You know, we should remember this for the science fair,” laughed Violet. “Ok, let’s get Lucy back.” Violet went to the sliding door, and did not see Lucy anywhere in the yard. She walked out onto the grass and spotted her coming out of the tree house. Violet panicked for a second, but then remembered that they had put the book back in Marielle’s bag. Violet was certain that Lucy wouldn’t have had time to look through the book.
“Ok, we are testing cleaning using baking soda vs. baking powder. We need you to clean the back of the oven with both of those things,” explained Violet as Lucy made her way back inside. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows.
“Why the oven?” asked Lucy.
“Because, it’s really dirty. Ok, here is a sponge with baking soda on it. Clean the left side.” Lucy grabbed the sponge and stuck her body in the oven. As she scrubbed, she began to talk. Violet could not understand what she was saying.
“What did you say, Lucy?” Lucy came out of the oven.
“I didn’t say anything,” she replied.
“Marielle, you heard her, didn’t you?” Marielle walked over to Lucy and examined her up and down.
“I definitely heard her chanting, Violet. But I can’t tell if it’s really her.”
“Seriously, what are you talking about? I cleaned the oven, just like you told me to. Look.” Lucy pointed at the clean spot in the oven, then she started laughing, and walked out of the kitchen.
“She definitely chanted something, but we how do we know if the real Lucy is back?” asked Marielle after a moment’s pause.
“Well, there is only one way to find out.” Violet walked out of the kitchen and went to find Lucy, who was sitting on the couch reading a book, and eating an apple.
“Nope, that’s definitely not my sister.”
* * * * *
That evening, after Marielle left and the Brownlee’s all gathered in the living room to watch tv, Violet could not relax. She and Marielle had spent the rest of the day in the tree house looking through Marielle’s book looking for answers on how to get Lucy back. They were certain that they heard Lucy chant, but the girl that came out of the oven was the exact same well-behaved new Lucy who sat quietly on the couch, still reading a book.
“Can we watch the news for a minute?” asked Mr. Brownlee.
“Sure,” said Violet, who didn’t care what they watched at this point. They found the local news, and Violet started to get up to go find a book to read, when she heard the news anchor mention Mount Pleasant
The Lowell Forest in Mount Pleasant is finally being sold after years of developers trying to purchase it. Jebediah Lowell, the man who owns this property, has decided to sell it to Moriarty Development who will turn the land into new houses and a shopping center.
Lucy jumped up and cried, “WHAT?!” The Brownlee family all stared at her, stunned. “They can’t do that!” Mrs. Brownlee was concerned to see tears in Lucy’s eyes.
“Why are you getting so upset, Lucy?” Lucy was speechless for a moment.
“Um, well.......I just think it is......a shame to..to..to tear down trees to build stupid houses!” Lucy paced around the living room with her hands on her head. She was getting more and more upset. The Brownlee’s sat stunned. “Mom, we have to do something!” she said after a moment.
“Um, well if it means that much to you, we can attend the zoning board meeting,” replied her mother.
“A zoning board regulates the use of land in a town. The development company might have some trouble going forward with this project, especially since it is a forest. If people put up enough of a fight, the town won’t approve it.”
“Really?!” asked Lucy, hopefully.
“Honestly Lucy, this would be a really good lesson for you in local politics. I’d be happy to help you if it really means this much to you,” added Mr. Brownlee.
“And I’ll help too!” exclaimed Violet. This might be the key to getting her sister back. There was something in those woods that Lucy was protecting- perhaps a fairy hollow like Marielle mentioned before.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
For the next three weeks, Lucy focused on nothing but stopping the developers from taking over the forest. She made posters to put up around school and the town, and she stood outside the grocery store after school asking residents to sign a petition, which she learned she needed when she went to the zoning board meeting. She even got a small write up in the Mount Pleasant News. She got Kyle and Grace to help as well, which Violet found very interesting. They were the other two kids Marielle suspected were also changelings. Violet kept a very close eye on Lucy during all of this, helping her with the posters, and bringing her hot chocolate if it was chilly out.
At last the day of the zoning board meeting arrived. The town hall was packed. As it turned out, many people felt the same way that Lucy did. They simply didn’t want to see the forest torn down to make way for a shopping mall and more houses. People liked Mount Pleasant as it was, and they wanted the town to buy the land and protect it. There were calls to turn it into a recreation area with hiking trails, camping, and canoeing. Others wanted to leave it as it was and protect the wildlife that lived there.
