Mothering A Changeling

20250419

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

“Genny, what did you do?”
The young changeling pouted, her cheeks puffing up. “Nothing!”
Rebecca swallowed a sigh. Patience, she reminded herself. Patience and love, that’s what’s required. More so than most children.
Pointing out school didn’t end for another three hours would just cause Genny to run into the wood or the fields. Her instinct was to bolt from trouble. That’d be why she was here; something happened at school, probably something which would result in a phone call (and who knows what else) and she’d compounded the problem by skipping out.
So. How to get her to calm down?
“Fine. Since you’re home early you can help me with the garden.”
“Uggggh.” Genny pouted harder, as if she didn’t love gardening - and shot straight out back towards the potting shed.
This time it was a giggle Rebecca had to suppress. Did all changelings insist on complaining whenever they were asked to do something, even something they wanted to do? A question for the Ring. It was almost-
Ah.
Rebecca slowly nodded to herself as she followed Genny to the shed.
For a while they simply worked. Not in silence; Genny filled the space with meandering chatter. But Rebecca didn’t try to steer the conversation.
When they stopped for refreshments Rebecca tried again. “So. What happened at school?”
At once Genny’s wide grin pulled into a tight frown. “Nothing.”
“Mm?” Rebecca served up the flapjacks reserved for after-school snacks. It was getting on for that time. And there was naught to be gained by imposing deprivation on the flighty, determined child. “I should have been keeping track of the calendar, shouldn’t I? The months fly by.”
Genny fidgeted with her glass of milk, darting glances through her fringe.
“Are you worried about the Meet, daughter?”
Even after all these years, ‘daughter’ felt an awkward thing to address your child by. But for Genny it was the greatest reassurance imaginable.
“…No…”
Unlike the guarded denials, this murmur was reflective. Not a lie, though also not a certain truth. Just a confused child trying to make sense of things.
Rebecca knew the feeling. Sympathy crinkled her eyes. “Well, you get stressed this time of year. As… we get towards Gabby’s birthday.”
“Mm.” Genny gnawed on the flapjack. She did insist on eating it such that crumbs went everywhere. “…Mum?”
“Yes, daughter?”
Genny’s dreamy, smoky eyes were wide and plaintive. “Promise you won’t be mad?”
It wasn’t a genuine request, exactly; it was asking for The Reassurance. A mundane spell.
So Rebecca swore “I will try very hard not to be mad. And even if I get mad, I still love you.”
The swirling in Genny’s eyes slowed as she relaxed.
“Now. Genny, daughter, what happened at school?”
This time the response was a tearful torrent “Mikey’s glasses broke and I tried to fix them I promise I was trying to help but when he put them back on he started screaming and I, I…”
“Oh, poppet!”
Hugs now. Phone calls later.

Prompt was “Write a story which incorporates the question ‘What did you do?’ three times.”