Changelings

by Anne McCaffrey

  She sang, her voice clear and strong:

  “When I was young I ran my traps. My brother Sean he swam

  As a selkie he could swim much more than human men

  Now he has two children and as selkies they too swim

  But now Sean’s moored to desk work. No more seal swimming

  for him.

  Without their Da to roam with them, these children swam away

  To roam the fields of river ice with otters they did play

  But wolves find otters tasty and the children almost died

  Still our Murel she digs a hole, ‘Dive, otters, now!’ she cried.

  My dogs and I we heard them cry, the big cats made all speed

  The children now were crying, the wolves poised to do the deed

  That would have broken my poor heart, Petaybee’s heart as well

  And Sean and his brave wife would find a private bit of hell.

  The cats they leapt, and me I swept the children to my sled

  But had we not been looking, our twins would now be dead.

  So I ask you, my neighbors, what will happen when again

  The selkie twins go swimming with no one to shepherd them?”

  “It was only the once,” Ronan said when she’d finished and everyone was making appreciative noises. “We were trying out the warm suits Marmie sent us.”

  “We didn’t mean to be gone so long,” Murel said, looking into the faces of her neighbors, who were regarding them as if they were the tracks of some strange animals they had never seen before.

  Sing them my song, Otter said from somewhere nearby.

  Otters make songs? the twins asked together.

  Of course otters make songs. Otters like fun, and music is fun. The waters are music to otters, and otters sing songs to its melody. But I cannot speak to the other two-leggeds and make myself understood. I will sing to you and you sing to them.

  Okay, fine. Sing.

  Announce us first! the otter said.

  Ronan told the other people, “Our otter friend has a song to share he wants to sing through us.”

  “You wouldn’t be pullin’ our legs now, would you, young Shongili?” Kaiaitok Carnahan asked. Kaiaitok had the short stocky build and tilted eyes of his Inuit ancestors, but his sparse beard and mustache were bright red and his eyes green. His hair was red too, but nobody saw it anymore since he always wore a stocking cap in winter, a billed cap in summer. He had taken over the com shed after Uncle Adak retired. Adak said that what with all the new machines Petaybee had now, communications was getting way too complicated for his liking. Kaiaitok had gone offplanet to train when he was only a bit older than the twins were now.

  If you were going to leave Petaybee, you had to do it when you were a kid. As you got older, your body was so adapted to Petaybee’s extreme temperatures and other special properties that you could die if you were offplanet very long. Kaiaitok had left plenty young enough to survive, but he had returned much changed, folk said. He thought the rest of them backward when he first came home, and himself full of learning. All of his learning still didn’t keep the machinery and electronic gizmos working when it was minus 150 degrees Fahrenheit. He had to take a snocle or a sled to give people their messages, just like Adak had done before him, only now there were more messages and people on the offworld end expected faster results. Kaiaitok got over himself pretty fast after the first couple of winters and a few latchkays. But however much he communicated with humans, he was not on social terms with four-legged, winged, or finned creatures. Ronan was hazy on whether Kaiaitok had communed with animals before he left the planet. His skepticism about Otter’s song didn’t seem to trouble the rest of the villagers.

  Da relieved any doubts they might have had by saying, “Good. I’m glad the otter could compose on such short notice. I’ve not been able to do as much myself. Go on, you kids.”

  Otter’s song did not rhyme like an Irish song and did not go with a drumbeat like the songs in the more traditional Inuit style. It had to be danced as well as sung. So the twins acted out their meeting with the otters, and the slide and the wolves and then the coming of the men and the taking of the otters. The words were sung very fast and the dance had to be done fluidly to go with the way the otter was singing it. There were some otter concepts that were difficult to put into human words, and these the twins tried to act out or skip over.

  When they finished, Ronan said, “The otter who made this song is staying in the river near the village now, so he can guide us to the men who took his family. So nobody bother him, okay? He’s got enough on his mind right now.”

  Da, Auntie Sinead, Mum, and Clodagh all exchanged looks. The twins couldn’t read them, and wondered what it was all about. But they could tell the adults were impressed.

  “Anyone else got any songs?” Clodagh asked. When no one spoke, she rose and walked deeper into the cavern. The rest of the village followed her until they reached the central communion room. Behind them, Ronan and Murel slapped hands and practically skipped forward.

  We really showed them. We are the first people ever to sing for otters. Or any other four-legged, I’ll bet, Ronan said.

  Murel could hardly disagree. Life was looking up. Ever since the suits arrived, it had been much more interesting around here. And tomorrow there would be another adventure with Da when he went to get back the otter’s family.

  Nobody seemed to be mad at them after all, or inclined to scold, and it was past the time when they would.

  The singing and talking were over. Now Petaybee would respond. Ronan and Murel always liked this part. It was a little like dreaming, except that the dream wasn’t yours exactly, it was Petaybee’s. It was also a bit like the way it felt when they became seals and seemed to be part of the water.

  But when they got to the entrance of the larger cavern, they were stopped.

  As if giant hands were pushing them back from the communion cave, they could not go forward. Murel put a foot out and brought it back right away.

  Mum and Da sat down beside Clodagh without noticing the twins weren’t with them until Da looked up and called softly to them, “Aren’t you coming, kids?”

  “Can’t,” Murel said. “Something’s wrong.”

  Ronan had big tears in his eyes already. “It’s like there’s a big invisible door, Da.”

  Clodagh was the one who answered. “There is a purpose in this that you will learn soon. Go to the outer cave but don’t go into the water. We will speak again when the planet has spoken.”

  Bewildered, the twins retraced their steps.

  It’s not fair. We did good. Is it Petaybee that’s mad at us and doesn’t want to talk to us?

  No, can’t be. I mean, it can’t be mad at us. We’re not offworlders. We’re part of the planet just like the rocks are. It can’t get mad at itself, can it? Can it?

  They fell silent and sat in the outer cave looking longingly at the waterfall. They had never before realized how long the communions took, but it seemed like hours passed. Any moment they expected to hear the footsteps and the very low conversation that sometimes followed communions, but there was nothing.

  They’re sure taking their time, Ronan said. I wish Clodagh hadn’t said we’re not to swim. I would like to go down to the water and talk to Otter a little more. I think we forgot to thank him for his song.

  We don’t have to swim to do that. Remember, otters are not afraid of seals who turn into humans. Clodagh didn’t say we couldn’t go to the water’s edge. Just that we shouldn’t swim.

  They started calling as they took the path out of the cave and down the hill, enveloped in the sulfury and spicy mist from the springs.

  But although their new friend had seemed very near when he sang them his song, when he finally answered, it was from far away, with a muffled, Sleeping. Otters need to sleep.

  Ronan sat down and felt through the snow for rocks to skip across the water, but found nothing. The longer they waited, the more worried and miserable Mu
rel became. Something was really wrong. She knew it but she couldn’t think what it was.

  Hush, younglings, Nanook’s voice, purring and kind, said, as she insinuated her soft furry self between them and lay down with her head cradled on her paws. No harm will come to you while we’re here. We may not be the best swimmers but we are your guardians.

  Sleep. One prefers you when you sleep, Coaxtl said, plopping down behind them to make a plush backrest.

  These sometimes grumpy friends had been with the twins since they were babies. Their familiar presence was so comforting that the children fell asleep almost at once, Ronan leaning back against Coaxtl while Murel snuggled with Nanook, her arms around the cat’s body and her hands buried in the dense fur.

  They awoke to the murmur of voices and looked up from sleepy eyes to see the villagers appear from the mist. The murmurs were not the kind that normally followed a Night Chant. Clodagh’s face, and their parents’ faces were very grave indeed. Only Marmion seemed to be smiling.

  “Slainté,” Ronan said in greeting, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

  Murel stood up and tucked her hands into Clodagh’s and Marmie’s. Her parents still looked grim.

  “So, Clodagh, why couldn’t we come into the communion cave this time? Is Petaybee mad at us?”

  “I don’t know, pet,” Clodagh told her. “I don’t think so. Perhaps it just wanted to talk to grown-ups tonight.”

  “Oh.” Murel thought that over. “But it’s always let us come before. And it is our birthday.”

  Over her head, Marmie exchanged glances with Mum and Da. “I have something I’d like to talk to you about, Murel, Ronan.”

  Ronan arose, giving Coaxtl a pat as he did, and stretched. “What, Marmie?”

  “We’ve been discussing this for some time, your parents and I, and of course, this is only if you’d like to, but I was hoping now that you’re old enough to go offworld, you might come and visit me for a while on my space station.”

  “You mean now?” Ronan asked. His eyes were wide open. She had his full attention.

  “Yes, well, since you’ve got your things with you already I don’t see why not. I’m sure, as you know from your biology lessons, that the older you get, the harder it will be for you to leave Petaybee for any length of time. And I just had that lovely waterway built at home, so I was so hoping you’d come. I know some other children your age I think you’d enjoy very much, and we have rather a nice school on the station.”

  “School!” Murel said. “How long a visit are we talking about, Marmie?”

  “Well—”

  “The thing is, kids, it may be your only chance to see other places,” Mum said. “And frankly, your Da and I would like you to get some exposure to human culture on a more sophisticated level than we can provide here.”

  “Our schools are okay,” Murel said.

  “Yes, but Marmie’s are excellent.” Her mother squatted down so that her face was on a level with theirs. “And one day we’re going to need your help with managing things here. I don’t know how aware of it you are, but your father has been keeping tabs on some midsea volcanoes. They’re building up under the sea floor, preparing a new landmass, a warm island, islands, a continent. Lots of people from offworld will want to move here, and perhaps there’ll be room for a great many of them. We may need—Petaybee may need—your help sorting through them. You need to know something about the offworld universe to be able to cope.”

  “Right,” Ronan said. That sounded good, but if Petaybee needed them to help with something, you’d think it would have let them into the communion cave one last time at least. Mum was just trying to make them feel better. He looked his father full in the face. “This is really about keeping us away from the otter rustlers, isn’t it?”

  “Among other things, yes, but your mother’s reasons are very great concerns as well.”

  “But we’re still going with you tomorrow to get the otters back, right?”

  “Son, it’s just too dangerous. I think I told you that I’m afraid it was really you those men were interested in when they took the otters. I don’t want to give them any more chances to get any closer than they’ve been to you two already. By the time you’re back from Marmie’s, we’ll have them sorted out and galaxies away, possibly in prison. But I promise you, we will get the otters back if at all possible, and I will send word to you when we do.”

  Marmie wasn’t really asking us, she was telling us, Murel told her twin.

  It might be fun except I really wanted to stay here and get to know the otters better, her brother replied.

  I don’t think we’re supposed to. If those men went after the otters because of us, then we just brought them trouble. Besides, Petaybee doesn’t want us here anymore. That’s why we couldn’t get into the communion room. Not just because we’re kids.

  If Petaybee doesn’t want you, it makes you feel worse than that! Ronan argued. It drives the offworlders crazy and turns their hair white and stuff.

  But they’re offworlders. And maybe it’s not mad at us, it just wants us to do this now, like Mum and Da and Marmie and Clodagh said.

  That’s weird. Planets don’t take sides, do they?

  Petaybee does. I don’t think we get to pick this time, Ronan.

  “Okay,” Ronan said, “we’ll go. But as soon as those men are gone, you’ll send for us, right? Right?”

  Nobody answered, and then Da laid his hands on his son’s shoulders and said, “I can’t promise anything right now, but we will send for you as soon as it’s time for you to return. Meanwhile, you’ll probably be having so much fun with Marmie, you’ll be mad at us for making you come home.”

  CHAPTER 9

  A FEW HOURS LATER, the twins watched Petaybee diminish into a blue and white ball and then just another distant dot in the cosmos.

  This must be what it’s like to swim in the sea, Murel said. Through the fantastic transparent hull of the view deck, they watched as the ship wove through a beaded curtain of star systems, suns with their planets, planets with their moons, all against the deepest blackness.

  Yeah, the ship is kind of like a star seal. It’s the only thing out here that moves wherever it wants to. Everything else is anchored to an orbit—well, except meteors, I guess. They’re kind of wild.

  Marmion stood behind them, a hand on each small shoulder. For the time being, the children seemed to have forgotten to be sad at what they saw as their banishment from Petaybee and abandonment by their parents.

  Ronan turned suddenly and looked up into her face. “Marmie, do meteors decide where they want to go, do you think, or are they just falling all the time?”

  “I don’t know that they have a plan exactly—I don’t think every random bit of rock is as aware as Petaybee—but they do seem to wander about randomly, getting bits knocked off them here and there.”

  “But asteroids have orbits, right?” he asked. “And belts. They have belts.”

  “They travel in belts with lots of other asteroids.”

  “So the belts are like flocks of asteroids or herds,” Murel said.

  “Only in the sense that a belt is composed of many asteroids. They aren’t animals.”

  “I know that,” Murel said.

  The trip was not a long one. Marmie’s ship was very powerful and very fast. Meanwhile, when she wasn’t on the com unit conducting business, she did her best to entertain them.

  When they grew a little dizzy on the view deck, she took them to a large quiet room with a lot of cabinets and a big screen. “This is the ship’s library,” she told them. “My crew and I pick from the main library on the space station the various media we wish to take on our travels. I pulled some things I thought you two might be interested in before I left.”

  “Marmie?”

  “Yes, Murel?”

  “You sent our suits with Johnny and we were gone for a night, but the next day when we came home after swimming with Father, you were there. We’ve already been on this ship two
nights and we aren’t at your house yet. When did you leave?”

  “About a week ago. I had business to conduct along the way. I think I understand what you’re getting at. You think I came to take you away because you got into trouble, don’t you?”

  The twins exchanged knowing looks, then nodded.

  “That’s not correct. I have, as I said, been hoping you would come and visit me for some time. As we explained at the hot spring, if you are going to travel, now is the time you must do it. Later you will be so completely adapted to Petaybee that you won’t be able to leave safely. Your parents have been worried since you were born that people such as the men who took your otter friend’s family might try to kidnap you for study to see what makes you able to change into seals and back again. When your mother contacted me about the suits, I sent them on the next ship, but both she and I realized that the time was coming when your natural wish to explore your environment might lead you into harm.”

  “You could have come with Johnny, couldn’t you?”

  “Captain Green’s ship was conducting other business for me in other places along the way than what I needed to do myself. Besides, his is a transport vessel and mine is a luxury liner. Much nicer, don’t you think?”

  They shrugged. “I guess so,” Ronan said. The ship had less people and was more spacious while not being much bigger, but he felt like they all sort of rattled around in it. “Any word from Da about the otters?”

  “No, but when there is, I’ll let you know right away,” she promised. She showed them how to use the vid screen, earphones, and other apparatus. “I have a bit more business to conduct and then I’ll be back to tuck you in. Enjoy yourselves.”

  SEAN SHONGILI WAVED good-bye as his children marched sleepily onto Marmion’s luxury spaceship, the Piaf. Yana turned away as he did and marched straight back to the snocle. He knew she didn’t want him to see her crying—again—which was fine with him. She wouldn’t see his tears either that way, which would help them both keep control of their emotions in the days to come. Sinead had brought the team up to collect Sean, and the red dogs were straining against their harnesses, ready to be off for a good run.