Changeling.

It's an old idea, present in many cultures by many different names. A spirit or magical creature replaces a child, either themselves or with their own. Amona, grandmother, she told me often how to recognize them. Every visit. Though she gave a Basque name I can never remember. Mother and father would ask if I was watching my schoolmates for the signs, but it was always said as a joke. Most of the signs, the personality quirks, as I got older, I realized it was just symptoms of autism. But Amona said the most important sign was the eyes. And I never saw that anywhere.

Until I woke Janey this morning. The strange sheen was there. The turned iris. The darker pupil. My daughter wasn't here anymore. I debated what to do. Amona had told me what I should do. It was simple to kill a changeling if you knew what it was. Looks like anaphylaxis. But my mind immediately went to what I could do.

"Come on, Butterfly. We gotta get you to daycare. Mommy will pick you up after, ok?"

She nodded, got up silently, and went for her dresser.

"I've got breakfast ready when you come down."

Sophie, Janey's mom, my ex, had been fighting for full custody since the divorce. She didn't care as much about having Janey fulltime as she did about twisting the knife just a little more, so I'd fought back. But this wasn't Janey. After breakfast, I made a couple calls, first to work, to let them know I was taking a sick day. Then to Kyle, my lawyer, who tried to talk me out of it, advised how hard it was to get any rights back after throwing them away.

"I'm aware, and I've been thinking about this awhile. Janey isn't taking things well, I think she needs the stability more than I need to see her." It was some of the best lying of my life.

"At least take the weekend to think on it. I'll get start on the paperwork, but we won't finalize things 'til Monday."

"Sounds good. Thanks, Kyle." I hang up before he can say anything else.

I drive in silence for a bit, preparing myself for the next call. Got work up my anger. Imagine Janey upset with me.

"What, Pete?" Oh good, she's already annoyed.

"You do this?"

"Do what?"

"Do what? I thought agreed to not talk about things in front of Janey."

Silence.

"She kept calling me Pete this week."

"So?"

"Don't 'So?' me. She asked if she was staying with Mommy and Daddy this weekend. She's calling Mark 'Daddy' now?" I pull the car over. I can't drive like this.

"News to me."

"Funny, that's what you said when I accused you of cheating."

"Pete, you got a point to this? Or you just call to be a jerk?"

"My point? I'm sick of the games, Soph. I'm sick of it. I thought they'd end when we were divorced. Or when you two got married. I can got through the next decade and a half, hoping it will end when Janey's grown, worrying that it'll come up every Christmas or birthday for the rest of our lives."

"Then don't. Give me full custody." Ah, I hate this woman. Admire the focus, but that knife hurts.

"I AM! I called Kyle already. He's working on it right now. Says we can finalize things on Monday."

"Sure... I'll believe it when the ink dries. Though if you back it, I'll make sure you regret it."

I hang up. She'll try calling back, but I've set my phone to auto respond that I'm driving and can't answer. Almost true, unlike more story about Janey. She always call Mark "Mr. Cleery." And I've always been "Daddy," but I knew it needed to be a fight.

After another half hour, I'm parked at the trailhead, ready for the walk. Last weekend, I brought Janey up here. Had to carry her back, but I like her getting out in real nature. About a mile in, though, there is a mushroom circle. She found it and had wandered in. I thought nothing at the time, but something tells, if changelings are real, maybe some other stories are true.

I step in the circle, saying, "Hold on, Butterfly. Daddy's on his way." It's a small tug, like a chihuahua pulling at your ankle, but it's enough. The world is still the same, but I can tell they hear me, whoever or whatever they are.

"Good, you're listening. I just want you to know, I was warned you'd come. Warned about what you'd do. And I was told how to hunt you down. Most importantly, I want you to know this: I will find Janey. I leave it up to you what happens before that."

Ths tug releases, the world is unchanged. I guess they don't believe me. That's their second mistake.