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[Lee]

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The Changeling sat in a tree in the shape of a squirrel looking down at the zookeeper, Daz. It watched as Daz fed the animals. It thought of its life within the walls of the zoo and then thought of its unimpeded life in the wild. It thought of the red-headed beauty that had been feeding it for the last few days, “Rhiannon…” it said to itself, stretching the name out as if studying the pronunciation. “Where do these other creatures come up with these names,” it thought practically.

Rhiannon had been talking about the injustice of being locked up in a zoo. She had been talking about this to the Changeling for the past several weeks. She had told the Changeling that Daz and his Lady Lee had hurt Rhiannon - that she, too, had been wounded by Daz. She had explained her plan to the changeling. “I will stage a public argument between Lee and myself. Some time later, when Daz is in town but Lee is far away, you will turn into Lee and slay that oppressive zookeeper. The militia will then take care of Lee.” The Changeling had gazed into the emerald eyes of the beautiful woman, and then set its sights on the town.

That afternoon, the changeling watched from the woods as Rhiannon caused a terrible scene at the bank. Rhiannon raved on and on about how Daz was in love with her and not Lee. Lee had been annoyed. She obviously did not believe what Rhiannon was saying, but she was irritated none-the-less. Rhiannon had finally stormed away from the town as Lee rubbed her temples, exhaustively.

In this moment the Changeling seized its opportunity. It turned into Rhiannon and attacked Lee from behind! The changeling pulled a knife and stabbed Lee strategically in the back giving a benign wound. The militia that had been called to tend to the argument between Rhiannon and Lee had just arrived. They pulled their weapons on the Changeling but the changeling quickly ran into the woods. It ran in the direction that Rhiannon had just taken. The militia followed, angrily raising their weapons into the air and shouting something about their friend, Lee. The true Rhainnon heard the commotion, turned around, and was shocked to see herself running towards her. As the Changeling reached Rhiannon it abruptly tuned into a bunny and skittered away just as the militia topped a hill.

Rhiannon looked around confused, frightened and panicked. The militia members were yelling something about Rhiannon stabbing Lee. Rhiannon looked over to the bunny hopping away and her heart suddenly filled with anger. The Changeling had deceived her! Just as Rhiannon had arrived to the island in the wind, she now left with the wind. The militia nearly caught her as she evaporated into the air.

When the militia returned to the town, they saw Lee tending to her wound. Her friend, Sparrowhawk, knelt beside her and inspected her wound . “Tis just a scratch my friend.” The militia began apologizing to Lee for not catching the assailant. “No, no,” Lee whispered exhaustedly as she tended to her wound. “You have nothing to be sorry about. T’is I whom owes an apology.”

Daz placed his hand on Lee’s shoulder and said, “I think Rhiannon has left. I do not feel her presence anymore,” he stated calmly. “Yes,” Lee agreed. “She has left.” Then, Lee explained the history between herself and Rhiannon to her friends.


“I did not say anything before as I just wanted the past to stay buried. The mayor’s emphasis on Honesty has caused me to reflect. I have meditated on the subject and in finding the strength to be Honest with myself - I now know that to truly leave the past behind, I must forgive Rhiannon. Holding anger towards her only allows the past to continue infecting my heart. This anger has adversely affected me in every way possible. My concentration is poor, my patience is thin, and my temper is short. These are not characteristics that I wish to keep.”

Sparrowhawk offered Lee his thoughts, “Lee, perhaps you should consider following the path of compassion. This is the path that will bring you to forgiveness. If you like, we can talk about this path now.” Lee accepted humbly and nodded to Daz.

Daz returned her nod cordially, kissed her hand, and walked toward the woods leaving Lee and Sparrowhawk to their discourse. As he stepped past a few trees that outlined the forest he saw the elusive changeling that had escaped from the zoo some time ago. The changeling flittered gaily over head, its gestures more excited than usual. Daz searched through his bag for a treat that he hoped would entice the creature to rejoin the zoo. After he found one he looked up and saw the Changeling had shifted slightly. It now had emerald eyes and crimson hair. It gave Daz a crafty wink and shifted back to its usual form.

Daz moved his eyes from the changeling back to the town where Lee and Sparrowhawk stood. He returned his eyes from the town back to the changeling and began to grin. He chuckled softly as the Changeling began circling his head, playfully. He tossed the treat into the air with no attempt to lure the changeling back to the zoo. The Changeling caught the treat and began to munch happily. “Full of surprises, these animals are,” he affirmed to himself. “I wonder why it decided to scare Rhiannon away…” He shrugged dismissively. He doubted that he would ever know.

The changeling flittered away happily and thought to itself, “Hurt the loving, silly elf that cares so tenderly for the creatures? Oh, no.” The Changeling would have no part of any plan that would involve hurting its beloved friend, and it would certainly not stand by and allow it to happen.