It starts with an itch behind your ear. The skin gives way, peeling and flaking like a snake sloughing its dead skin. Cautiously, you trace along your hairline with your fingers. What used to be smooth skin is now covered in overlapping scales. Your heart beats a little faster. You must be dreaming.
It is quiet but for the sound of you father’s low nasal snores. He sleep heavily when he has been on Watch all night. You mother used to say, that ‘the trolls could come in and hang him upside down and he wouldn’t wake up’. Your Da would say, ‘trolls aren’t no laughing matter.’ He would smile though.
Since your mother passed, he doesn’t smile much anymore.
Your big, sister Erica's mat has already been rolled up. She will be feeding the chickens and picking eggs, you hope there's one for you today.
You sit up slowly, so not to disturb your father and feel for the scales that now frame your face.
You are definitely awake.
There is something else. There is a tingling sensation behind your ears and you tentatively touch the crescent-shaped openings. Bile rises up into your throat and you can feel your heart beating hard against your chest. No it can't be, you touch them again and you know what they are...Gills.
[[Do not waste anymore time, grab your coat and hunting pack and leave. -> RUN]]
[[Take a few minutes to gather some food and a flask of water before leaving.->CAUGHT]]Outside, there are only a few people around this early in the morning. The shrouded sun rises over the hills in the East. There is a small group by the Ovens, rekindling the flame and making the daily loaves of unleavened bread. You scurry by, keeping your hood up and eyes down. They must not see you.
You quicken your pace as you pass the Watch Tower but someone grabs your shoulder.
It’s your uncle, "Is that you?" He says cheerfully, pulling back your hood. You try and pull your hood back over your head, it’s too late.
"What!" He lets go of you and staggers backwards.
You turn and run, out of the confines of the township. Your only thought is to get as far away as possible and you head towards the forest. Your size will be an advantage as you are quicker in that terrain than most adults. You hear your uncle shouting behind you.
As you approach the trees, you see your sister. She has been feeding chicken. She drops her basket and eggs drop, bursting as they hit the ground. You switch direction and flee down towards the reservoir.
Your uncle is closing in on you.
There is a long stretch of cobble stone beach that slopes into the water. Although Spring has started to make it mark; crocuses and daffodils are scattered around the village, the lake is still mostly frozen and more dangerous as the weather warms than it is in the dead of winter.
You are trapped. You turn your back to the thawing lake. By now, your father has caught up, he slowly walks towards you. He looks at you with so much hatred, you feel your body grows cold. Your sister runs towards you screaming your name but your uncle stops her, both his hands gripped tightly on her shoulders. You know your sister well enough to know how much she will hate being stopped. Defiance runs in the family. She screams, "Da, please, they’re our kin!"
"No, it is not," he shouts back at her.
"Please, Ma wouldn't want this, you know she never believed..." She shouts.
"Don't you dare bring your Ma into this, I'm glad she's not alive to see this. You are not my child," he says again.
He turns to you and says, “You are nothing. I hope you're still alive when you reach the bottom of the valley and the dogs tear you limb from limb."
You tread cautiously onto the lake and feel the ice beneath your feet and glide forward. You get your balance as you walk further into the centre. Your father picks up a large rock and it lands behind you. You hear the ice crack beneath your feet. Another heavy rock is thrown, this one hits you and then a scatter of smaller stones pelt the ice around you and you feel the ice splitting.
[[There is no point in struggling, you are a Changeling. -> SURVIVE]]
[[You fight for your life as your body hits the water. -> SURVIVE]]The flask slips out of your fingers.
It falls to the floor and bounces as it ricochets off the table and next to your father. You back into the dark corner of the room, hoping that your father can't see you.
"What's all that racket, what are you doing in that corner, come here." He says firmly.
You don't move.
"Come here, I said." Your father gets up, he has slept in his outer clothes again. "And where do you think you're going, don't think you'll be sloping off fishing with Mo and Alex today, I'll need you to help me lug timber for the Move." Your father says walking towards you.
You have forgotten the Move. It's your favourite time of the year when finally the Flood Plains recede and the whole township moves down to the valley for arable land and better pastures for the deer He looks worried as he gets closer, "You're not sick are you?"
"No, Da." You shake your head. He places a hand is on your forehead and you watch his face turns from concern to repulsion. He shakes his head, "No, " and backs away from you. "No, no, no..."
"It's just me, just me Da." You say moving towards him.
Your father screams, the noise coming out of his mouth doesn’t sound like your father. It sounds like an angry boar.
You uncle appears in the entrance, the scream finds a word, “Changeling!”
You run towards your uncle, pushing past him as he tries to grab you.
There are few people around this time of the morning, the sun is rising in the East. There is a small group by the Ovens, rekindling the flame and making the daily unleavened bread. You scurry by, keeping your hood up and eyes down. They must not see you.
You run past the Watch Tower, nervously looking behind you. Your uncle and father are in pursuit, some townsmen join the chase. Your best chance is through the woods, you are small but quick and agile and you will be quicker in that terrain. As you approach, sister emerges through the trees and you head towards the reservoir and you are forced to head towards the reservoir.
There is a long stretch of cobble stone beach that slopes into the water. Although, Spring has started to make it mark; crocuses and daffodils are scattered around the village, the lake is still mostly frozen and more dangerous as the weather warms than it is in the dead of winter.
Before you can run round the lake, you recognise your father's friends, you are trapped. By now, your father has also caught up, he walks towards you. He looks at you with so much hatred, you feel your body grow cold. Your sister runs towards you screaming your name but your uncle stops her. His hands gripped tightly on her shoulders. You know your sister well enough to know how much she will hate being stopped. Defiance runs in the family.
She screams, "Please, Ma wouldn't want this, you know she never believed..." She shouts.
"Don't you dare bring your Ma into this, I'm glad she's not alive to see this. You are not my child," he says turning to you, "You are nothing. I hope you're still alive when you reach the bottom of the valley and the dogs tear you limb from limb."
You tread cautiously onto the lake and feel the ice beneath your feet and glide forward. You get your balance as you walk further into the centre. Your father picks up a large rock and it lands behind you. You hear the ice crack beneath your feet. Another heavy rock is thrown, this one hits you and then a scatter of smaller stones pelt the ice around you and you feel the ice splitting.
[[There is no point in struggling, you are a Changeling. -> SURVIVE]]
[[You fight for your life as your body hits the water. -> SURVIVE]]As you descend your instincts break through the shock and you start to swim. Your body plummets in through the icy slush water and you realise that you're not cold.
Not even a little bit.
You force your eyes as you swim, paddle your feet, and start to rise up to the surface of the water, glowing with morning light. When you reach the top, you hit thick ice. You pound it with your fist, trying to break through but it won’t give. You desperately look for a gap in the ice but there isn't one.
Meanwhile the current of the reservoir is pulling you away from the land and towards The Falls. Here, a drop in the reservoir where the water is funnelled down to the river. It is the only place on the lake that never freezes. You will be dragged over the waterfall before you even have time to drown.
And then you realise two things. 1. Despite the freezing water you are warm and 2. You have started to breathe...under water.
Still, you have come too close to The Fall to be able to swim against the current. As you are pulled down, in the wash of water pouring into the river, you feel the sensation of falling, butterflies take flight in your belly. Time stops as you fall through the air, encapsulated by the mass of water and plunge into the river below. For a moment, as strange as it seems, you feel safe. As safe as you were when your mother held you when you were still a child. You let the river carry you for a while.
But you are not a child, you're no longer even human. You are a Changeling.
[[Hunger calls, you get out of the water and dry off. ->FORAGE]]
[[Hunger can wait, you try and put as much distance between you and your township, carry on swimming downstream.->DOWNSTREAM]]You drag your dripping wet body out of the water and onto the bank. You strip out of your outer clothes and hang them on nearby bushes. You dig a pit into the ground and create a tunnel leading into it. In your hunting pack you have a flint which you build a fire within the pit. Even in the daytime, smoke from a ground level fire can be easily seen. You are thankful that for now the wind blows west, away from your township as fire can be smelt for miles.
Your new appearance has given you the ability to breathe under water and be resilient to cold. Having survived The Fall and escaped your township, you have no clue what to do next. You have never travelled outside the confines of your hillside township and the surrounding forest and your newfound gifts will not protect you from Marauders or Death Vans that roamed between the seven northern townships and picked up their dead and dying. They were always covered up from head to toe and wore masks to protect them from the corpse. You've always been told that there is nothing more toxic than a dead or dying body...nothing except for a Changeling. See either one or the Death vans will sort it.
Once you're dry, you bury your firepit and prepare to move deeper into the woods. You keep a sharp eye out for anything that will pass for dry kindling and for edible plants. Not much this time of year, but you find some nettles and rosemary and tuck them away for a tea when you find somewhere to set up camp. You finish off the dried fruit in your hunting pack and keep walking through the woods. They remind you of hunting with your father or foraging with your best friends Mo and Alex and you push down the lump that rises to your throat when you remember only yesterday fishing down the bottom of the river for mackerel.
The afternoon was fading and you hadn't caught anything yet.
Alex had ruffled your hair and said, "That white streak is probably scaring them off," You hate the way that Alex messes with your hair, she thinks she can because she's sixteen moons older than you. You didn’t catch any fish that day but your friends share out their fish so no one goes home empty handed.
You approach a narrow thorough way; it is mostly overgrown and doesn't look like anyone has used it for years.
[[Follow the road. -> THE ROAD]]
[[Stay clear of the road. -> The Forest of Graves]]You float along the river as it meanders down the valley and towards the forest of graves. During the winter months the rivers runs through it, deep but perilously fast due to its steep terrain and razor sharp rocks that lay in wait under the surface of the water.
In the summer, the river narrows into a calm, bubbling stream. You and your friends play on the river, fishing or using the rocks as stepping-stones to navigate the river looking for a good spot to fish.
[[You decide to swim to the edge of the river and continue your trek on land to avoid the rapids through the woods.-> The Forest of Graves]]
[[You feel confident with your new ability to breathe under water that you can ride the rapids successfully.->RAPIDS]]Valley Road is the trail that your township take in the Spring when the Floods recede. There is little chance of seeing anyone else on the trail this time of year. Although the flood has receded the ground is sodden and muddy. Each step you take, sinks you deeper into the quagmire. You are up to your knees in mud and it takes all your strength to pull your legs out of the mud for each single step. You are tired and thirsty. The stagnant pools that are dotted around you are tempting but the water is full of germs and there is no safe place to rest.
[[You don't give up, you take your shoes off and tie them to your pack and wade through the wetlands.->WETLANDS]]
[[There is no telling how deep and treacherous the Wetlands will be this time of year. You doubleback and go through the woods.-> The Forest of Graves]]The river flows gently at first.
You lie on your back and let the water carry you along and for a second, you imagine playing in the lake with your friends, splashing around until an adult finds some work for you to do.
As the terrain becomes steeper, you turn over to try and gain some control of your body as you begin to descend. You are adrift, being pulled rapidly into the shadow of the forest. You look up as you sail between the lofty ancient oaks and willow trees. Willowy, woody tendrils whip across your face as you float through the monstrous forest mouth.
You tumble a few times before you manage to get on your front and your whole body gets sucked under and it takes some getting used to…this whole breathing under water thing. You come up and are instantly jerked against a large stone protruding out of the water, you start to panic, this is a bad idea, you think. You are pulled under again, this time, there's a fraction of a second of doubt, you fear your bones being smashed against the rocks. You feel the gills behind your ears activate, you let your body take over. With your body breathing, you open your eyes and you are swimming swiftly through the water. Your legs have locked together, swishing up and down and back and forth. You twist and turn through the river, pulled along by the current and by the force of gravity weaving between the jagged rocks.
Ahead of you is a tree trunk stretched across the width of the river, you cannot stop in time. You wince, ready for the impact but in that same instance you feel your body rise, up into the air and over the broad trunk and down again on the other side.
The Forest of Graves is behind you. The river has taken you through the forest in a fraction of the time. But you are tired and hungry, you look for a bank low enough to climb up.
You dry off under a tree and eat the last of the dried fruit in your hunting pack. It will be dark soon and you need to find somewhere safe to sleep and build a small fire pit. You walk a little way, tracking back to make sure there are no wolf or wild cat prints or droppings. By the time you have gathered some dried kindling and wood for the night, it is twilight. A rare glimpse of blue sky, the setting sun streaks its colours across the sky like streaks of red paint. Fewer clouds mean it will be a colder night, you will need the fire. You recall your mother saying, 'Red sky at night, Shepherds delight.'
You miss her with every inch of your being, you put your head in your hands and let them catch your tears.
You have no family, no shelter and nowhere to go. If the wild cats don't get you, the marauders will. You remember something you father said about marauders. Marauders aren't born but made, forged from surviving the journey to the Old City. If you can make it there, on your own, you will be offered refuge.
[[Get some rest, tomorrow you have a long walk ahead of you to the Old City ->The Long Walk]]
[[You would rather die than become a filthy, thieving, murdering marauder->NEST]]
Eventually the thick mud starts to give way and you are moving faster. You are up to your waist in wet boggy ground. As you force your way through dense reeds and rush, you wish you had a machete. You would make light work of this. There is movement ahead of you in the tall grasses; you hope that it is an otter and not a wild cat.
The marsh is clearing, soon you will be on dryer land.
[[Make your way out of the marsh and dry off.-> The Forest of Graves]]
[[You are hungry. It is more likely to be an otter, and that would be meat to last you for days.->The Trader]]"Suit yourself," she starts the engine and leans towards you, "Here, don't like to leave you here alone, take this flask, it's my spare, you'll find the water's fresh."
You take the flask off her and as she rides away, you wonder if it was a mistake to refuse her offer of a lift.
Through the canopy you can see the sun disappearing in the West and in a couple of hours it will be dark. It won't be the first time you have camped out in the woods but the first time you're doing it alone. Before you settle into a good space, you make sure that there are no paw tracks or faeces from dogs. You wish you had your bow for protection, the long thick branch will do and later you can whittle the end into a spear.
An hour later you have enough dry wood to last the night, and cleaned out a tin can you've found to heat some water to make some nettle tea. You are exhausted and as you sit by the fire you have lit in the small pit in the ground, you remember The Trader's flask and bring it out and smell the top. It smells clean, like the water that came down the hills, pouring down the rocks. Remember the time you and your sister got shouted at by your father for not coming back home after collecting water. You both leaned your heads back and let the water flow from the rock face, into your mouths for what seemed like forever. You take a long swig from the flask. You struggle to keep your eyes open and as you finally drift off you think you see The Trader, in front of you, smiling. She takes the flask from your hands and says, "Sleep tight, kid."
When you wake up, the ground is swaying beneath you and you feel sick. You are no longer in the woods. There is a boy about your age next to you. He hands you a net. “About time sleepy head, you’d better get started, we’ve got fish to catch.” You notice that he has gills and scales too. There is a chain tied to your foot. “Come on, if we don’t go in ourselves they throw us in and that’s not pretty, I can tell you." As you stand up, you realise that you are on a large ship, the mast sillhouetted in the darkness, a slight shape of a half moon behind the clouds. And sea, sea in every direction.The marshes blur past you as The Trader careers through the dense reeds and brush. She knows every impenetrable clump, felled tree and rock scattered along the way. You grip the edge of the boat. The wind is harsh against your face but not cold, your newly grown scales seem to protect you from the icy cold air.
You are glad though that no one can see the tears running down your cheeks. If they did you could blame the wind in your eyes. As the sun glides down the sky. covering the West with streaks of orange and red, you recall what your mother would say on the rare occasion that the sky lit up like that.
"Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight." You mother would say as she added another blanket to the pile of fabric that she used to cover you and your sister with.
The trader brings the boat to a stop, leaned against a jetty and you get off. Your arms are numb from holding on so tightly.
She laughs, "Not lost anyone yet, let's rest for a bit, kid."
She reaches out and gives you a flask, "Here, drink this. You can have it, I've got plenty," she says taking out another flask and drinks.
You take the flask and open it and let the cool refreshing water flow down your throat.
"Thank you," you try to say with your mouth full.
You struggle to keep your eyes open and as you finally drift off you think you see The Trader, in front of you, smiling. She takes the flask from your hands and says, "Sleep tight, kid."
When you wake up, the ground is swaying beneath you and you feel sick. You are no longer in by the jetty and the trader is nowhere to be seen. There is a boy about your age next to you. He hands you a net.
“About time sleepy head, you’d better get started, we’ve got fish to catch.”
You notice that he has gills and scales too.
There is a chain tied to your foot.
“Come on, if we don’t go in ourselves, they throw us in and that’s not pretty, I can tell you." As you stand up, you realise that you are on a large ship, the mast silhouetted in the darkness, a slight shape of a half-moon behind the clouds. And sea, sea in every direction.When you finally stop to rest, your feet are aching and swollen. Your lips are cracked and your mouth dry. You need somewhere safe to rest; you crawl into the hollow of a dead oak.
When you wake, your feet are covered in fine mist. Surprised that you are still alive, you smile and slide out of the trunk. In the day light, you are surprised that you managed to fit into such a small space in the first place.
The first thing you need to do is find water, without that, you will not survive the next couple of days. You looks for signs of the river and soon, after following a line of willows you hear the trickle of water in the distance.
You resist rushing down the bank and instead take your time. You walk into the shallows and crouch down and drink from the river. It is cold, icy and the best drink you have ever tasted.
You hear a flock of bird scatter from the trees around you. You lift your head from the river slowly and turn to look behind you. Before you see it, you hear a low, rumbling growl. As you turn around the dog hunches down and you see the hair on its back stand up.
That is not a good sign.
[[Slowly you bend down and pick the largest stone you can find and throw it at the dog.->CATS]]
[[Reach into your backpack slowly and pull out a piece of dried fruit. You throw the fruit away from you as far as you can.->The Old City]]
As you enter the clearing you raise your arms above your head, taking each step slowly, waiting for someone to notice you. When someone does, she immediately calls out and before you can say anything you are thrown to the ground. Your face is pushed into the dirt and arms tied behind your back.
Someone pulls you up.
"Who are you?" A man about your father's age, his face is so close to yours that you can smell his breath. It smells like soured goat milk.
"Or should I say, what are you?" He rubs his thumb across the scales that frame your face, he digs his nail underneath one and pulls it away from your skin, you wince and clench your jaw to stop yourself from crying out.
"What is the right question, Douglas." A woman steps forward, she continues, "This here is a mutant," she takes your scale the man has torn from your flesh and holds it under a torch. "Hmm, ochre, I've only seen one other before, I heard they were different colours but this is almost gold, what an exquisite creature you are."
The woman moves the man aside to get a closer look at you and nods, “Very good, bring it to my tent.”
“Yes, Dr Bridgewater,” Douglas stands to attention and salutes.
You're thrown into a tent with such force that you fall and hit your head, you try and open your eyes and crawl up onto your knees but the tent spins around you and you pass out.
When you wake, Dr Bridgewater is looking down at you, "Ah, there you are."
She crouches so that she can look down at you, unlike the other man, her scent is subtle, it makes you think of the trail down to the valley in the Spring, acres of field awash with bluebells.
"You're the youngest one that I've seen, how old are you?" Dr Bridgewater asks, tilting her head, peering down on you. "Cat got your tongue?"
You try to speak but instead you start coughing, you still have dirt in your mouth.
"How very rude of me, you must be parched" she says. She lifts you up, "Now are you going to be good?"
You nod, looking up at her, like her guard, Douglas, she too has a gun resting in a holster at her waist. You notice that it is unlatched.
Dr Bridgewater helps you up, removes your tie and gets you a cup of water. The cup is made of glass. You drink it too quickly and start to cough.
"Easy there, Tiger," she says and smiles, her teeth are bright white and all but one are straight. You can't help but smile back, she looks straight through you and you realise that she is not smiling to you but at you.
You take smaller sips.
"Yes, I think you are going to be a very, very interesting….project. I can make sure you're fed and watered..." she says slowly.
"And what do you want in return?" You find yourself asking.
"Oh, nothing really, you see, I'm not really a soldier, just dressed like one, I'm what's called a scientist and I just need you to help me to find out what you are."
"I'm a Changeling," you say and Dr Bridgewater starts to laugh.
"Oh my dear, you poor ignorant thing. Do your people really believe that somehow Trolls crept into your homes (if that's what you call them) at night and switched your children for Changelings? And then your true form, triggered by puberty is revealed. Oh...I'm sorry, I shouldn't laugh I suppose and my people, well we've done what we can to encourage that myth...still." The woman pats her laughter tears in the corner of her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"What you are is, well, you are a mutant...I suppose one could call that a Changeling of sorts, except the switch has happened on a genetic level."
She continues to talk and you're listening but you have no idea what she is talking about. All you can think of is that your mother was right, there are no such things as Changelings and Trolls.
[[You've made a mistake surrendering to these people, you get up, you hold the glass cup, as though you're about to put it back on the table but instead you swing it as hard as you can and hits her on her jaw and smashes. She falls back and you run out of the tent as fast as you can.->FIGHT]]
[[This is the first time since you woke up with gills and scales that someone has offered you a lifeline. You know that the cost is probably too high but you take it anyway.->High Price]]As soon as the dog disappears you quickly fill your water flask. You run along the edge of the river, navigating the overgrown vines that weave through the piles of plastic waste that has washed up onto the bank over many years. It is an odd sight, faded shreds of plastic bags, containers and cones engulfed by thick branches of ivy.
You round a corner and you can see it, in the hazy light of late afternoon, the sun burning through the thick grey impenetrable clouds, The Old City.
You run towards it, hoping that in the city you will find a safer, more sheltered place to stay and perhaps even a source of water because it is said that all the rivers flow in and out of the Old City and that there is an old shipping canal that goes from the city to the coast.
When you see the figures coming from the trees and down the bank towards you, you think they are small dogs but as they begin to surround you, their bodies arched and mouth snarled and hissing, you know that they are cats.
Not the cats that you have used in the township to rid the barns and caverns of rats but feral, large cats, one would be big enough to fell a large man.
You step back into the river, feel your feet sink into the clay bottom, slowly you tighten the backpack strap around your waist and pray to the Universe that these cats can't swim.
At that moment, a large dog appears behind them. They turn to face the dog, the dog hunches, ready to attack. Even at that size the dog is no match for the cats.
[[You step forward and hold your arms out, trying to look as big as possible and start to shout.->The Long Way Around]]
[[While the cats are distracted, you dive into the water. ->SWIM]]Dr Bridgewater screams! You can hear her furious screeching as you charge through their camp. You are hiding behind a tent, waiting while soldiers run around the camp looking for you. You see a trail through the woodland and you take a deep breath and make a run for it. Dr Bridgewater appears in front of you. She is bleeding, her neatly tied back hair has unravelled and she is holding her gun. She stops, smooths a wayward grey hair from her face and frowns.
"Now, that wasn't very nice was it," she says.
In your peripheral vision there are two soldiers flanking you at each side.
[[You believe that she wants you alive, charge at her and run into the woods.->MORNING]]
[[You must survive at all costs. Surrender.->High Price]]Your aim is perfect, the rock hits the dogs head, it yelps and runs away.
You quickly fill your water flask and tuck it bac into your backpack. You run along the edge of the river, navigating the overgrown vines that weave through the piles of plastic waste that has washed up onto the bank over many years. It is an odd sight, faded shreds of plastic bags, containers and cones engulfed by thick branches of ivy.
You round a corner and you can see it, in the hazy light of late afternoon, the sun burning through the thick grey impenetrable clouds, The Old City.
You run towards it, hoping that in the city you will find a safer, more sheltered place to stay and perhaps even a source of water because it is said that all the rivers flow in and out of the Old City and that there is an old shipping canal that goes from the city to the coast.
When you see the figures coming from the trees and down the bank towards you, you think they are small dogs but as they begin to surround you, their bodies arched and mouth snarled and hissing, you know that they are cats.
Not the cats that you have used in the township to rid the barns and caverns of rats but feral, large cats, one would be big enough to fell a large man.
[[You start swinging your bag at them and shouting as loud as you can -> Feast for Cats]]
[[You step back into the river, feel your feet sink into the clay bottom, slowly you tighten the backpack strap around your waist and pray to the Universe that these cats can't swim->SWIM]]You’ve always been a confident swimmer but now, it's different.
Under the water, your body moves swiftly with the current and already you can't imagine a life without your scales and gills. A wave of sadness washes through you. You will never see your sister again. You remember her calling to you father, pleading him. Your sadness is replaced by something, like anger but much darker.
You come up to the surface of the river and shake the water off your body, hoping that you can rid yourself of this hate you feel. You see the skyline of the city.
[[What could the city possibly offer you, that you can't get from a river?->Like a Fish in the Sea]]
[[Make your way on foot into the city->CITY]]"Make it quick!"
Your final words are carried along by the wind. Heard only by the Red Kite, circling the air above you, waiting for the cats to take their share. You are laying on a table, strapped in by your ankles and wrists, bright lights above you. You overhear a couple of medics referring to Dr Bridgewater as Dr Cadaver as she prefers working with the dead.
She keeps her promise to you; each day you are fed and watered. Each day she knocks on the glass of the small box-like room you live in just before you are wheeled out and taken to the examination room.
At night, when all the dead are wheeled back into the refrigerated units, you wonder what it would be like to sleep.The moment before you open your eyes; you believe you are still in your cosy room in your township.
You open your eyes and your body sighs; you have no time to grieve the life that belonged to you.
The first thing you need to do is find water, without that, you will not survive the next couple of days. You looks for signs of the river and soon, after following a line of willows you hear the trickle of water in the distance.
You resist rushing down the bank and instead take your time. You walk into the shallows and crouch down and drink from the river. It is cold, icy and the best drink you have ever tasted.
You hear a flock of bird scatter from the trees around you. You lift your head from the river slowly and turn to look behind you. Before you see it, you hear a low, rumbling growl. As you turn around the dog hunches down and you see the hair on its back stand up. That is not a good sign.
[[Slowly you bend down and pick the largest stone you can find and throw it at the dog.->CATS]]
[[Reach into your backpack slowly and pull out a piece of dried fruit. You throw the fruit away from you as far as you can.->The Old City]]It is beginning to get dark as you emerge from the bunker. There is a rare red sky, flame-like streaks through the sky. There will be no rest for you tonight. It is too late to travel through the flood plains. You tear off a long, thin branch to use as a walk-stick along the way, tighten up the straps of you pack and button your coat up to your ears. You are grateful that the short time in the bunker was enough to dry out your clothes.
Wolves howl in the distance; and it sends shivers down your spine. You see a fire glowing in the distance. You creep around the edge of the camp and see that you have come across a troop of soldiers.
Soldiers haven't been seen in these parts for decades. There are stories of soldiers at the being of The Great Floods, saving people’s lives, bringing them to the hills, away from the floods. Heroes fighting marauders and looters.
[[You slowly stand up and walk towards the glow of the fire. Your hands in the air.->SOLDIERS]]
[[You can't trust anyone, especially now you're a Changeling. Stay low and creep around the camp and put as much distance between you and them as possible.->MORNING]]You race through the woods, jumping over vines and branches. You are more agile, it feels as though you are gliding through the trees, dashing between them with accuracy and speed.
As you run, tears flow down your cheeks. This is not happening, you say to yourself, over and over again.
It is only when, finally out of breath you stagger and trip, that you stop, crashing down on the ground.
You pick yourself up, there is no time to waste and brush the dirt from your clothing. There is a metal ring on the ground. Curious, you kneel down and begin to pull away the vines around it. There is a wooden hatch, with a thick metal latch, as you twist the ring anti-clockwise, you see the rust breaking off. You use your whole weight to pull the latch open. Inside it is dark and musty smelling. There is a ladder that disappears into the blackness.
[[Climb down the ladder ->The Bunker]]
[[Close the latch and continue through the woods.->The Trader]]As you descend down the metal railings, you feel a strange sensation in your eyes. They begin to tear up and you close your eyes and open them again. Just as you are able to tolerate freezing temperatures, you can now see in the dark.
When you reach the bottom there is a long, narrow corridor. You can’t help but touch the back untreated walls; the mudstone at the top, followed by limestone. It is damp and cold.
As you push the door open at the end, light hits your eyes. You cover them for protection. With your new ability to see in the dark, you realise that you are also extremely sensitive to sudden changes.
When you become accustomed to the fluorescent lights flickering on the ceiling, you are in a large rectangular room. There are chairs and tables dotted around the room, covered with dust. There are empty packages and plastic food wrappers scattered everywhere. There are cupboards lining the back wall, their doors left open or hanging from their hinges. There is nothing left except a sealed bag of popping corn and a jar of white granules. You unscrew the jar and dip your finger in, waiting for the familiar tingle of salt on your tongue but what you taste is sweet. As sweet as honey. With a smile you pack them both into your backpack; you never know when you will need it.
You have a little water in your flask and you eat the rest of the dried fruit, saving the jerky for another day. You will be out of food in a couple of days and you can’t live on popcorn and the sugar is too precious to eat.
You look through some files and papers that are strewn across the room, most of the ink has faded, only marks on paper. They wouldn't mean too much to you if they were because you don't read so well. You do find something you can read, an atlas of individual maps. These have been covered in plastic jackets and still in good condition. You take out one and stretch it out on the floor underneath a light.
As soon as you see the shape of the hills and the coastline, you recognise the map. It is old, showing towns along a coastline that has been claimed back by the sea. The towns that line the coast no longer exist. You recognise the flood plains and can identify where the seven townships have their Winter haven and the valley that stretches down the country to the South which is now completely flooded for hundreds of miles. The valley is where your people migrate in the Summer, bringing their deer to graze. You touch the place on the map where your own township is. You throat hurts and you swallow the pain threatening to engulf you. You are able to make out approximately where the coast lies now, on the edge the old city that no one ever goes. A city of ruin, dogs and marauders.
There is an old rumour that if you can make it into the city without being caught, there are settlers will accept you as one of their own. Your mother told you, that was where the Changeling ran away to and there are generations of Changelings living amongst them.
You decide to head to the old city, there's is no other choice, it's either that or die.
[[Find somewhere to lie down, you can leave for the city once you’re rested. ->The Long Walk]]
[[No time like the present, plenty of time to sleep when you get there. ->Dark Night]]
There is a woman, about the same age as your mum, suspended in the air. She has a grey streak of hair peeking through the hat she is wearing "Well, I think you are the last thing I was expecting to see, what's your name, kid?"
You shrug, you don't want to share your name to a stranger. You see that she is on a hover boat, it’s inflatable bottom still, the engine is off. It is filled plastic barrels and boxes; she is a trader. You wonder whether she has been waiting for you.
"Okay, not much of a talker, I see eh kid. So what are you doing out here? Lost? No, you're not lost, are you? Come a little closer, Oh I see." The Trader smiles.
"What?" You ask, pulling you hood in around your face.
"A Changeling. If I were a betting woman (I’m not by the way) I’d say you’ve been exiled. I see. Hmm, look at you, well aren’t you just brave and getting on with it." She says gently.
You nod and cross your arms over your chest.
"Yes, very courageous. Can I let you into a secret, just between me and you and this old bog? There aren’t any such things as a Changeling and no such thing as a Troll. I've been everywhere, kid and the only thing I see killing, stealing and burning are other folks. You hear me?” She says and starts the engine of her hover boat.
You shrug your shoulders.
The engine is droning and she picks up her rudder and says, "I'm sure you’ve got a plan and know where you’re headed but I’m heading to the coast, there's room on the back."
[[You recall your mother's mistrust of Traders and politely decline.-> DRINK]]
[[You take her up on her offer. Relieved you jump on the back of her hover boat. ->RIDE]]There is a reason that your people never come into these woods. They are favoured by Marauders, who use the dense trees and brush as cover for their attacks on inexperienced travellers who think they've found a quiet short cut.
It is worse in the Summer, when townships are on the move and brave traders take to the road to go between encampments The air is muggy and warm in the woods, you pick your way through the dense foliage, stopping now and again to make sure you are not being followed.
It is getting dark. There seems no end to the woods. In the distance you hear the howl of a wolf and you hope that it is too far to smell you. You see a flock of bird scatter from the top of the canopy of trees. Not a good sign. You press close to the trees, hiding as much as you can, when you hear the whirr of an engine coming from the river.
There is a woman riding a hover boat, she has a large camouflage rucksack on her back, boxes and barrels of merchandise fill most of her small boat.
[[She looks less frightening that the prospect of staying over night in the woods. Step out behind the trees so that she can see you. ->The Trader]]
[[Stay hidden and as soon as she is out of sight, run and try and get out of these woods by nightfall.->The Hatch]]The next day there is a light dusting of frost on the ground. You take a walk to mentally map your surroundings. There is a cluster of fruit trees ten minutes trek away from your makeshift camp and you've seen plenty of squirrels and wood pigeons.
The river you swam the day before will provide ample fresh water for you. The only thing you're worried about is the presence of small paw prints, cats. Wild cats aren't like their smaller cousins that your township feed to keep the vermin away. These are vicious and predatorial, with no fear of humans. You look up into the canopy of trees, speckled morning light bouncing on the evergreen pines and it is decided.
It takes you four days but you manage to make a human nest up in the trees. Weaving together vines and branches from the forest floor to make a floating tent. Safe from the wild cats and wolves. You have roasted vole to last you for a week and you look forward to when the Summer meets Autumn and you can eat all the apples and pears you can manage.
Mornings are spent hunting, this last bow you made has lasted months and the wood is smooth where it rests on your shoulder. In the afternoons, you dive into the river and swim, the furthest you've swam is to the coast.
Your nest stretches across the five largest trees. You have stitched together patches of fabric to make yourself a hammock. You live alone in your nest but when you're in the river, swimming among the fishes and otters, you don't feel alone.
Perhaps it's because you spend so much of your time in the water but your face is now completely covered in scales, your feet have become webbed, so too the skin underneath your arms.
You don't mind, they make you stronger and faster.By the time you reach the outskirts of the old city it is almost dark. Unlike the night before, there is too much cloud to see the sun, let alone a sunset.
The steel towers reach up into the clouds, crumbling structures of steel and concrete. You are close enough now to see broad shafts of wisteria twisting its way around the towers, crushing cement and plaster, piercing mortar between the bricks. Ivy pours like water down the structures, weaving up and round and along the buildings, until you start to wonder if its nature holding up the derelict skyscrapers. T
he path into the abandoned city is strewn with vines, moss filled potholes, trees growing out of the tarmac, you navigate around them to avoid falling. The path leads to a square, trees have grown through the paving, ivy winding its way from on structure to the next. Buildings surround the square but even the vines have managed to cover the brick, curling in and out of the cavities and pouring out through the cracks in the roofs. This city is dead, there is nothing here but rats. No sign that the city has been occupied for decades. You would have been better off in the forest.
[[Leave immediately and head for the Junkyard Forest, you are a skilled hunter and forager.->NEST]]
[[You're determined and refuse to give up. You use the rest of the day's light to find somewhere high to shelter away from the wind and any predators.->CITY]]Many of the city streets are underwater; rivers that were once driven underground have now reclaimed their thorough ways. Once you are high enough you can see there is one long, wide canal that meanders through the city. There are several rivers that wash along and around the ruined buildings. You chose to scale an ancient building, made of red brick and broad ledges to grip as you make your way up. There are heads leaping out of the top of the building, bat-winged creatures with crow claws for feet and bulging eyes and faces contorted into ghastly expressions. You crawl along the roof, careful to avoid any loose tiles and head to a large turret and crawl inside. It is small and tight but safe for tonight.
You can barely move when you wake up, as you try to step back onto the roof, a tile gives way and you slide on to the edge. You grab the stone gargoyles head and pull yourself up again.
You spend the day mapping the city, making mental notes of river outlets, potential fishing banks, where the river flows and isn't stagnant or filled with remnants of a careless world.
In the crevices of the city, piles of debris; plastic mainly, bottles, bags, buckets, cones, chairs, tables. On the other side of the city, there is a church. You've only ever seen churches on the way down the valley. This church is bigger than any you've ever seen. It is elevated and where there would have been a graveyard or garden, there is a river, that runs all the way around.
[[You throw your bag across the river and jump to the otherside and make your way into the Church->REFUGE]]
[[You've seen seen enough, time to leave this dark, dank city of death. You can't bear another night stuck in a turret.->NEST]]The inside is empty, you startle a colony of bats, you curl up as they take flight around you. There are no pews, benches, little ledges where the bibles used to stand. There is only half a roof and a horse-chestnut tree, only just budding. You press your palm on the smooth grey trunk of the young tree. You make your way to the back of the building and follow a staircase down, it's cooler as you descend, your eyes have adjusted to the darkness and you notice that the steps are made from stone and have curved inwards in the middle where they have been walked on over the centuries.
You can hear water and you move quickly down the stairs and enter a large cellar with more rooms on either side. The floor slopes downwards and there is water lapping up to the end of the room, you start to go towards it when a figure pops up out of the water. You freeze and then feel something sharp against your back. The figure continues to bob in the water, you dare not turn around for fear of the knife that is digging into through your coat. A voice bellows down from the top of the stairs
"Put that down, Tuesday, before you do harm. Can't you see they're one of us."You do come onto land sometimes; to walk barefooted on a sandy beach or sit under a tree next to a river.
Once you had found the estuary, where the river began to taste of salt and traced your way out into the open sea, there was no going back. There is a tiny islet off the coast that you sometimes stay, you have built a nest up in the trees. You like being high up, with the sea all around you.
You don't notice anymore that your body is almost completely covered in scales, your gills are wide and strong and the skin between your toes and under your arms have webbed.
Sometimes, on a still day, you peer at your reflection in the water, your golden hues sparkle on its surface.
You don't have words anymore but it pleases you.