***
I open my eyes and look around the room, not recognising the space. I am in a small living room with dark wood floors and old-fashioned paintings. In front of me there is an old, traditional fireplace. The fire keeps blasting out, consuming away the large wood blocks. The house smells of a spring meadow. It seems that no one has lived here for a while. I notice a man by the window.
Suddenly, the deadly silence is pierced with terrifying screams coming out of one of the other rooms and I shiver. I look at myself; there is no sign of blood or bruises and I have a white dress on. I can hear the sea nearby and the sound of waves hitting the rocks. The man isn't looking at me, but instead is staring out the window. He has long, straight red hair that hangs to his elbows and bright green eyes.
‘I’m sorry, I don't know what I’m doing here,’ I say, directing my words at him, but he doesn't respond or turn around.
He should be surprised that someone just spoke to him, but he doesn't seem to notice me at all. He is staring at the view outside the window and looks deeply lost in his thoughts. Someone screams again and I shiver at the pain in the scream. It's a woman's scream and I detect the noises are coming from the further parts of the cottage. The red-haired Sprite looks at me for a moment, but I know that he can’t see me. His eyes shine in the falling darkness. I think that I must be dreaming. I retrace the last memory I have and I remember I was out with Amy and we were attacked. This seems too realistic for a dream, though. The Sprite gets up and I follow him. He opens the heavy wooden door and walks into another room. It's a bedroom and I see why the woman was screaming. She’s in labour.
‘How long?’ the green-eyed man asks.
Two more Sprites are standing by the woman on the bed. She is holding her stomach, her tangled hair is stuck to her sweaty head and her face is ruby red. She looks worn out. Despite the exhaustion and sweat, I am amazed at her beauty. She must be in her mid-twenties, but then Sprites age differently, so she probably is much older.
‘A few minutes and it will all be over,’ says another fairy, giving the Sprite in labour a glass of water. The red-haired fae nods. No one notices that I’m in the room.
‘Come on, a couple more attempts and she will be here,’ the other dark-haired sprite says.
The woman in labour has a strong contraction and screams in agony. It sounds like her screams last forever, but in reality it's only a couple of minutes. Just when I can't stand the screaming any longer, I hear a baby’s cry and it’s all over. The dark-haired fairy takes the newborn and walks out of the room.
‘Isabelle, it's a girl,’ he says and there’s pride in his tone. He is glaring at the child with admiration and rare hunger.
I realise that he is speaking to the Sprite who just gave birth. She falls back on the pillow, looking completely exhausted. The red-haired Sprite looks at the baby and smiles.
‘She’s perfect.’
‘Something is wrong. I think it's not over yet,’ Isabelle says and her breathing speeds up. ‘I’m having more contractions.’
Both Sprites are looking at each other with confusion. ‘Are you sure, Isabelle?’
‘Another one?’ The red-haired Sprite looks disoriented. Isabelle screams again and the first baby starts crying at the same time.
‘Get ready for another push. I will count to three and then try as hard as you can,’ says the dark-haired Sprite as she stands by Isabelle's side, holding her hand.
‘I’m tired. Use your magic, I can’t go through this again,’ says Isabelle, looking in desperation at the dark-haired Sprite, but she shakes her head.
‘You know I can’t do that. It’s too dangerous for the baby, Isabelle. A couple more pushes and it will all be over.’
‘Maurice, please,’ says Isabelle to the Sprite who is holding the baby. Isabelle looks petrified.
I want to disappear and if it is my dream then I should be able to change it. However, something is telling me that it is not a typical dream. Isabelle looks as if she is going to faint; the bed is covered in blood but she keeps screaming. I close my eyes and try not to focus on everything that’s happening in front of me. It takes another ten minutes and another baby is born. When I open my eyes, I can see that Isabelle has lost consciousness.
‘It’s another girl,’ announces the dark-haired Sprite and hands her over to Maurice. I am certain that he is the father.
The dark-haired Sprite is whispering something quickly, but I don't follow. I look on amazed as the bloody sheets become pure white again. Isabelle starts to breathe more calmly and her face becomes radiant again. I am breathless at the sight before me; her skin is soft and despite just giving birth, I think she is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen.
I follow the Sprite called Maurice, who is holding both of the babies; they have been cleaned up and are no longer crying. Maurice looks at them lovingly, cradling them in his arms. Another Sprite enters the room; she has short brown hair and large brown eyes.
‘How is she?’ asks Maurice, asking after the blonde Sprite who has just given birth.
‘The magic is done; she is fine. Have you made the decision about the swap?’ She is talking with a really strange accent and I don't recognise where she is from.
‘The two girls are healthy, but there is no sign of any magic in them.’
He places his daughters on the bed and whispers something in their ears, and both girls suddenly fall into a deep sleep. I stand amazed at the sight before me and wonder what he whispered in their ears.
'The last changelings will make us very powerful,' he announces, looking directly at me, but I know that he can't see me. His eyes are incredible and in his profile there is something familiar, but I just can't put my finger on what it is. He gets up and goes to the room where Isabelle is. She’s conscious now and looks much better. All the Sprites in the room are staring at her and she smiles at Maurice as he walks into the room. It’s as though the room lights up when she smiles.
‘I want to see them,’ she says softly.
He approaches her closely, touching her cheek.
‘You can’t see them, my love. We have to do as we discussed.’ His voice is calm, but I can hear a hint of seriousness in his tone.
‘Maurice, you can’t do this. It's impossible,’ says the brown-haired Sprite, looking at him with fear in her eyes. ‘They will know.’
‘Not if the mother is partly human,’ explains Maurice.
Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changes. Isabelle starts crying and the other two women look at each other nervously.
‘I don't want to do it. We didn't know about the twins, I want to raise them myself!’ shouts Isabelle with determination in her voice, but Maurice isn't listening.
I begin to wonder why he’s so cruel; he’s just going to take the innocent children away from their mother. Suddenly, everything around me disappears and I find myself in a mist. I start walking, hoping to find a way out, but I can still hear the screams of Isabelle, who is cursing Maurice. I try to concentrate on something positive to make sure that I don’t die here alone.
Then I am somewhere else. This time it's a hospital, but everything looks different, as if I have travelled back in time. I am walking through the corridor following Maurice, who is still holding two babies. No one notices me again. The babies are crying but no one seems to notice the beautiful red-haired Sprite either. He looks around and stares at me for a little while. I don't think he is looking directly at me, but looks unconvinced about his decision. I want to scream to tell him that he can still change his mind, that he doesn’t have to do this, but he turns away.
The hospital is busy. I know where he is going and I know it's too late to change anything. He stops in front of the big window, staring at the newborn children along with the other happy parents. I want to close my eyes and not look when he places his daughters in one of the cots and begins searching for the children that he will take away. There is only one pair of twins in the room so his decision w
on’t be complicated. His daughters are crying when he places them in the two spots where, just a few seconds ago, two infants were sleeping. I am sure he will be upset, but his face is full of joy when he leaves the room. I want to scream and let someone know what’s happened, but I can't do anything. I feel helpless, dizzy and everything around me starts moving. I drift into the thick fog.
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