THE CHANGLINGS
Spoil your children? Just wait!
(Blood Moon Rising)
The dreams haunted her day and night. Evil, twisted thoughts that no mother should have. She no longer knew her children. They had become unknown aliens who lived in her house, ate her food and demanded more and more of her energy.
When her son had turned fifteen the dreams began. At first, only occasionally and then more frequent as the next year went by. When her daughter turned fifteen, they came more rapidly, now to the point where they were an every night occurrence.
In those dreams, her precious children were no longer humans. Only demons hiding behind the masks of her children's faces. Abigail, Abbi to her friends, Anderson believed now she was losing her mind. Her interactions with her teens had become strained. Once a loving mother, she could hardly bare to speak to them now. When she did, she could hear the fear in her voice and it was obvious that they could too. The two children played on that fear.
Her son had quit school over six months earlier and now spent his days eating, listening to rock music and ordering his mother to do this or that for him. The evil emanating from his eyes made it impossible for Abbi to refuse.
Her daughter no longer thought of anything but good times and parties. She was still in school for the moment, but the last time Abbi had told her no, she had disappeared for five days. She came back home, yet held her mother hostage with the words "I'll just do it again" if anything happened to displease her.
Instead of love for her children, Abbi was now counting down the days until each one, in their turn, celebrated their eighteenth birthday and she would no longer be responsible for them. Abbi only hoped she could hold on to her sanity that long.
The week before Halloween, the children informed her that they were having a party.
"This is what we need, get it." Andrew said, handing her a long list.
"I can't afford all this stuff." Abbi had protested.
"That's not my problem. If you love us, you will find a way, Mother." Had been his response.
Two days later, her daughter had given her another list. On it were items Abbi had never allowed in her home.
"Shari, you know I don't allow alcohol here." She had said, reading over the list.
"My friends won't come unless we have it. And I am not losing friends over one of your silly rules." Sheri's tone said that no matter what; the booze would be at the party.
That night Abbi had the worse dream yet. In it she had been awakened from sleep by two demons standing over her bed, chanting. When she opened her eyes in the dream, she saw what her children were. Abbi had shrunk down in the bed with fear. The larger of the two creatures reached out and gripped her shoulders with scaly talon like hands. Holding her pinned to the bed, the other being spoke, "You will do as your children wish. You have no choice. If you do not, you will find that your life has been very easy up until now."
