Changeling's Tale, The
I was the only child they had,
Fair and pale and fey,
My mother always looked so sad
When I ran out to play,
And the other children called me names
And wouldn't ask me to their games—
They knew that I was not the same.
They never knew they knew.
I was the only one who seemed
To hear the voices call.
For years I thought I only dreamed
Those whispers sweet and small
That called to me the whole night long
Said I was right and they were wrong,
And how I ached to hear their song
And prayed that it was true...
"Fairy changeling, this is all a dream,
Oh come away with us tonight,
You know that you're not what you seem,
You hear our call and know we're right—
There's no eggshell on the fire,
But we're the truth of your desire,
And you can come away, come away...
You weren't meant to stay."
I grew up year by aching year
Fighting to remain,
Bound by some unspoken fear
I never could explain
And my parents loved me as they could,
The child they never understood,
And it's for their sake that I withstood
The years that hurt me so.
I grew up tall, and thin, and pale,
Another lily maid,
Like something from a fairy tale
And every day I stayed
Was like an arrow through my breast,
And every hour another test,
But I was bound to do my best
And knew someday I'd go...
"Fairy changeling, this is all a dream,
Oh come away with us tonight,
You know that you're not what you seem,
You hear our call and know we're right—
There's no eggshell on the fire,
But we're the truth of your desire,
And you can come away, come away...
You weren't meant to stay."
Then came the day my mother died;
My father took my hand.
Said, "Please believe your mother tried,
But didn't understand
Just what she did the day she stole
My pot of gold and hence my soul;
She cast me in the lover's role,
I never could have guessed
That we could make a child who was
Both hers and mine in one;
A girl not bound by fairy laws...
Forgive me what we've done."
And then my father kissed my cheek,
And tears said what we couldn't speak,
And I grew strong as he grew weak,
And I was doubly blessed...
"Fairy changeling, this is all a dream,
Oh come away with us tonight,
You know that you're not what you seem,
You hear our call and know we're right—
There's no eggshell on the fire,
But we're the truth of your desire,
And you can come away, come away...
You weren't meant to stay."
I was the only child they had,
A changeling girl so fair...
My life was hard, but not so bad,
And now I'm far from there.
And now I call outside the doors
Of children torn by inner wars,
My song is theirs. It could be yours...
Oh children, come away.
"Fairy changeling, this is all a dream,
Oh come away with us tonight,
You know that you're not what you seem,
You hear our call and know we're right—
There's no eggshell on the fire,
But we're the truth of your desire,
And you can come away, come away...
You weren't meant to stay."
You were never meant to stay.Written on: 2009-01-11. Seanan McGuire