1. The Changeling Baby


    Date: 1/1/2016, Categories: Supernatural, Author: TamLin, Rating: 3, Source: LushStories

    his head. “This isn’t happening,” he said. Nissa came toward him but he circled the room, keeping distance between them. "Let me explain," she said. “We just want to help you." "I don’t want help," William said. He stopped. What did she mean "we"? He heard a floorboard creak behind him. He turned around. "William," said the troll father. “Please listen." William ran. Nissa was in his way, but she didn't stop him. He ran out the door, leapt the stairs in one go, and was at his apartment in less time than it took to exhale. He fumbled in his pockets for his keys. His fingers felt fat and clumsy all of a sudden, and the lock gave him trouble. Finally he pushed the door in and slammed it behind him, so hard it shook the wall. His mind reeled. He ran for the bathroom, thinking he was about to vomit. What was going on? He felt strange: His muscles ached and his bones throbbed. His vision blurred and he dropped to his knees. Did she do something to me, he thought? Am I poisoned? His clothes grew tight around his body. He was suffocating! William struggled to the bathroom door, and when he saw his own hand on the knob he finally realized what was happening. "No," he said, voice trembling. "No, no, no!" He opened the door. He went to the mirror. He looked. He screamed. *** It was an hour before his parents came home, and it was sundown before they started to worry about him. He wanted to say something to reassure them, but he didn't. He just watched them pace and cry and argue. He was ...
    three feet away, but they never realized he was there. He knew now how the trolls kept hidden: They could only be seen when they called attention to themselves. So long as William stayed very still and made little noise, no one even knew he was here. It seemed better that way. He watched them talk to the police. Finally they fell asleep on the couch, exhausted, his mother's head in his father's lap. When he was sure they were completely out he approached, quietly, and put a hand on his mother's pregnant belly. The baby stirred. There was noise behind him but he didn’t turn around. He felt the troll father put one hand on his shoulder, the troll mother’s hand on the other. "How are you feeling?" said the troll father. "I'm not sure," William said. It was hard to talk: His mouth felt too big, and his teeth stuck out. He’d get used to it eventually, he assumed. "Would you like to say goodbye to them?" said the troll mother. "We could make you look human again, for a few minutes…" William shook his head. “It wouldn’t matter.” The troll father sighed. "We tried to tell you," he said. "I know," said William. He paused. Then: "Tell me now." "We did the exchange years ago," said the troll father. “We took the human baby and left you in its place, the way it's always been done. But you were supposed to come back to us. For some reason, you didn't." "So many times we wanted to come and tell you the truth," said the troll mother. "But we couldn't find a way to break the charm that made ...