The Changeling Princess (24 page)

CHAPTER 43

It was 1971 and Missy and Izzy were getting along in years. They still liked to play, but they tired easily. Flying was their favorite game because they didn’t have to exert any energy. Our cute little game of “chase the mouse” was only good for five to ten minutes before they were both exhausted.

There was nothing I liked better than spending time in my room with the kitties and reminiscing about the past. I had the Prom pictures of me and Wade, plus I had the trophy we
’d won in the dance contest. I couldn’t help giggling as I recalled being passed off as Wade’s cousin Darcy. A smile crossed my face when I recalled the time that Wade made it snow for Christmas. That was a very special memory I would always cherish.

I still had the large ruby we acquired from the evil Warlock in Chicago. I always took the ruby with me when I went to visit Wade
’s gravesite. It was something we’d shared together and that made it extra special. I never left Wade’s gravesite without kissing his ring and renewing my pledge. “Wade, I will always be your girl and I will always love you.” I was sure Wade could hear me and it warmed my heart. It was only a matter of time until we would be together again.

*
* *

I spent an entire morning at the shopping mall. When I returned home, my mother was waiting for me in the living room. The look on her face told me that something was terribly wrong.
“Honey, I hate to be the messenger of bad news, but Izzy just died.”

I was all choked up and began crying. My sweet little Izzy was the first member of my family to be taken from me. My thoughts turned to Missy and how much pain she must be in at the moment.
“I’m going upstairs,” I told my mom.

Missy was lying motionless on the foot of the bed. I picked her
up and cuddled her in my arms.
I’m so sorry to hear about Izzy. She was the sweetest kitty in the whole world.

Missy lifted
her head and looked up at me.
Izzy was like my little sister and we were best friends. I really miss her.

We buried Izzy in the back yard next to the flower garden
—her favorite spot in the yard. I placed Izzy’s red cape around her little neck and wrapped her in a blanket. Everyone said their farewells and we returned to the house.

Missy was never the same after Izzy died. All she did was lie in front of the bedroom window and stare into the backyard. I had all the powers of the ancient Ivarrs, but I couldn
’t bring little Izzy back to life.

Missy still spent most of her time lying in front of the bedroom window. I was positive she was thinking about Izzy, but I never listened in on her thoughts. That would have been prying an
d I respected Missy’s privacy.
Would you like to fly around the room for a while, Missy?

Missy lifted her head.
I guess not. It wouldn’t be the same without Izzy.

I had to hold back the tears because my little kitty was in such pain. Missy was fading fast and I knew she didn
’t have much longer to live. The next afternoon when I walked into my bedroom I found Missy lying motionless in front of the bedroom window. I knew in an instant that she had passed away.

I buried Missy in the back yard next to Izzy. I was filled with grief, but it warmed my heart to know that my little kitties were still together. I just hoped they had a magic carpet so they could go flying together.

* * *

I turned my attention to Idos, a snow Demon that lives in the Himalayas in south central Asia. I
’d read reports of the Yeti, who was also called the Abominable Snowman. Could the Yeti be Idos?

I spent months and months flying over the Himalayas as the Changeling Princess. I found a way to adjust my energy beam so it would pick up shades of energy in the snow. I spent most of my time hunting down animals like black bears, snow leopards, and tahrs, an animal that resembles a goat. I wasn
’t discouraged. Biding my time was the norm and not the unusual.

I was flying over the side of a mountain when I saw a creature walking upright in the snow. As I got closer, the creature looked like an eight-foot tall white gorilla. The creature stopped dead in his tracks when I confronted him. I sensed immediately that the creature was not vicious. What did surprise me was that he could speak.

“What kind of a human are you? How can you survive in this weather with no fur?”

“
I have special powers that allow me to weather the cold.”

“
Are you a god?”

“
No, I’m far from it. Are you a Yeti?”

The creature paused.
“Yes, I am what the humans call the Yeti.”

“
I don’t sense any aggression from you, yet you have a terrible reputation.”

“
That is because humans fear what they do not understand. We are also mistaken for an intruder who first appeared on these mountains five hundred years ago. The intruder kills Yetis for food and he will kill humans if they trespass into his domain.”

“
Who is this intruder?”

“
He calls himself Idos. He doesn’t speak, but we can hear his thoughts. Idos is evil because he commands everyone he comes in contact with to do his bidding.”

It sounded to me as if Idos was capable of using hypnotism. I wanted to know more about the Yetis.

“How did you come to live in the mountains?”

“
Our species developed many thousands of years ago. We were feared by humans because of our size and we were always attacked if we tried to make contact. We don’t like warm weather and we eventually made our way to the mountains. Over time our hair grew longer and we adapted to the high altitude. We’ve always kept our distance from the outside world because we want to live in peace.”

“
And then Idos showed up?”

“
Yes. Some of us escaped to the forests of your world and tried to hide.”

“
That would explain the sighting of a creature we call ‘Big Foot.’ Do you know where Idos is now?”

“
Yes, there is a large cave in the hillside he calls his home.”

“
Good, let’s go pay him a visit.”

“
We can’t do that. He will capture us and eat us.”

I fired off an energy bolt at a large boulder. The Yeti couldn
’t believe his eyes when the boulder exploded.

“
That’s just a taste of what I have in store for Idos.”

I stood next to the Yeti and tried to place my arms around his huge waist. When that didn
’t work, I doubled my height to twelve feet. “I also have powers that allow me to fly like an eagle. I’m going to pick you up and we’re going to fly to Idos’ cave. When we rise into the air, I want you to point the way.”

I sensed the Yeti
’s nervousness as we lifted off the ground. He pointed north and we picked up speed. I’m not sure, but I think the Yeti held his breath until we were back on the ground.

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 Id
os 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 we
ighted 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 just 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.