Dont call me a fairy. e dont like to be called fairies anymore. Once upon a time, fairy ly acceptable catcy of creatures, but no aken on too many associations. Etymologically speaking, a fairy is somete particular, related in kind to ter nympself comes from tin Fata, te. thly realms.

    t in ts t carminibus coelo possunt deducere lunam, and t times into six kinds: fiery, aerial, terrestrial, ery, subterranean, and tes of fire, er, and air, I kno to not terrestrial and underground devils I knooo e variety and attendant myt tom, and culture. Kno names—Lares, genii, fauns, satyrs, foliots, Robin Goodfello remain live ered by  give me a name, call me hobgob-lin.

    Or better yet, I am a c describes s oended to do. e kidnap a  any boy or girl  only ttuned to troubles of t carefully, for sucunities mig of our soci-ety migo  a century before urn in ter the human world.

    Preparation is tedious, involving close surveillance of t be done unobserved, of course, and its best to select t becomes more compli-cated by to memorize and process a great deal of information beyond timate family, and being able to mimic y and ory as clearly as mirroring ures. Infants are t, but caring for t. Anyone muco ter  is to deceive ts into t tually t people imagine.

    No, ty lies not in assuming a cory but in t of tself. First, start retcil one so t size and body sor. t tilage, as if t affy, and teetedious re-ire process occurs  a gram of painkiller, alted masy undertaking, but , alt ted rearrangement of tals. In t copy of a cy years ago, in 1949, I was a changeling who became a human again.

    I cside of town.

    On a late summers afternoon,  tree. Our cransformed myself into  facsimile. e grabbed o to scy found me t nig angry, as I ed. quot;; a red- said to me as I pretended to sleep in t smile. t and carried me out of to a paved road, ood ing, its red ligbeat. took me o s, to my ne nig t if t first test could be passed, the world would once again be mine.

    It is a commonly , among ts, tranger t into t. t so. In fact, ts eggs in ots, and despite its extraordinary size and voracious appetite, ternal care, often to t of driving ty imes tarves  de-mands. My first task o create tion t I unately, olerant of intruders in t.

    t t in te. After all, tent. As truck lurco ted against t red door, a vivid mess of acorn masercress, and tons of a number of small insects. tted me on t and all, as if I ten or an abandoned baby.  from to gatrong embrace and warm kisses reeking of smoke and alcoo fool.

    rayed ion: blotcy tears, ted and dis for me rembling ted a small s makes sleeve and  deep coloratura.

    quot;; So my s arms lengt;Let me look at you. Is it really you?quot;

    quot;Im sorry, Mom.quot;

    S .  beat against t  and un-comfortable.

    quot;You neednt tle treasure. Youre s all t matters. Youve come back to me.quot;

    Dad cupped t tableau mig t, crumbs spilling to the floor.

    quot;Im sorry I stole t, Mom.quot;

    So t point if I ion-ing t did trick. olen one from table ole and pock-eted it. t I was hers.

    ell after midnig me to bed, and suc may be test invention of mankind. In any case, it tops sleeping in a  skin for your pillos and sigretc like a stick be-ts and pondered my good fortune. Many tales exist of failed cive families. One cia fisened s t torm and er found frozen and bobbing in ts , tened, t o eacs, upon learning t turn o cata-tonia,  attacks, or sudden deat, t ture t, abandonment, murder. Seventy years ago, I lost a good friend after  to make s tied ed kitten in a gunnysack and t of time, ts are confounded by ter, or one spouse blames tune. It is a risky endeavor and not for ted.

    t I ected caused me no small satisfaction, but I  completely at ease. A er I o bed, to my room s t, Mr. and Mrs. Day stuck t my eyes to mere slits and pretended to be sleeping. Softly, but persistently, serity as Rut;e o mend our ;

    quot;I kno; ;Look at  sleep t knits up t;

    t me in tours of my ne. side, tars sop of ts, and mot treat from ted enoug into to reveal ttern on torn from magazines and neacked along tt and ball rested on top of tand a pitce as p stack of books lay propped against tain my excitement at t of reading come morning.

    t t my nes room, follo t s of reason and speec;Youre not ; t I o t tots, eetences, and could not articulate teries of t attentiveness. I tried smiling, but no smiles urned. I tried making funny faces, tickling t c, and  tc as toads. Racking my brain to find a o get to tered somet as s motened animal let out suc I ed to be surrounded by every bear in tains. Despite my poo be done er t could . By croon-ing to t, I soot, and remembering ters. ted by t once to coo and clap trings of drool ran do;t; and quot;Bye, Baby Buntingquot; reassured or con-vinced t I o t s flitted terpoint, I alk to to believe—or abandon their sense of disbelief.

    Mrs. Day bustled into tra-la-la-ing. ude amazed me; I imes before, but not quite at sucers. From ty of t  in person, senderness, tly sour, a perfume of milk and yeast. Sains, dazzling tened by s of t oo. It o keep from bursting into joyous laug me as if I were her only son.

    quot;ers, would you, ;

    I picked up t girl and announced very pointedly to my ne;Ill take Elizabet; S is a curious feel-ing to  one is not planning to steal; t softness.

    topped and stared at me, and for a beat, sain. quot; o tell t.quot;

    quot;ts easy, Mom. Elizabet;

    quot;Arent you t; Sairs.

    Elizabet my scable groaned —cakes and bacon, a jug of cer a long life in t eating ic delicacies, riche promise of fullness.

    quot;Look, es.quot;

    I could  on t. If saking trouble to fix e foods, s remely gratified by ucked in and enjoyed breakfast. After four -cakes, eigrips of bacon, and all but tcoast from abolism  seemed. Rutite as a sign of love for  eleven years, until I left for college, sime, sed ies and began to eat like me. Decades as a cites and energies, but soo en wondered if sborn or wh food.

    t first day s me inside ter all t uck closer tudying intently, learning better o be ed and s, , but strange and alien. Small surprises lurked. Dayligained  its patterns across ts in an entirely different geometry ticular interest  t make trast to t outside, t , especially on tired sly after lunce in my ernoon.

    My motiptoed from to find me patiently ing in t s me, standing like a sentinel in tcrical outlet t screamed out to me to stick in my little finger. Alt trained myself not to listen. Mom took me by t grasp filled me ed a deep peace oucand and asked ory.

    e  to my room and clambered into bed toget century, adults otal strangers, and life among torted my perspective. More tout to be real, especially uation seemed fragile and capricious. If s ed a bunker against ter  me against all my foes. As t, so me from t;tory of t Forto Learn  Fear as,quot; quot;t; quot;el,quot; quot;t; quot;t ; and many otes ;Cinderellaquot; and quot;Little Red Riding ; wiful expression in imbre, a singsong mucoo ced by he decades dissolved.

    I ales before, long ago, but in German, from my real motoo, ime), o Astel and Rotk?ppced to forget, t I ting, but could e clearly her voice in my head.

    quot;Es iefen, tiefen ald.quot;

    Alt ty of true identity from ter trange events of t year, do I o tell tory. too long delayed, o my own son. e change. I have changed.