The Changeling - Chapter Five

The changeling

Chapter 5

John cringed as the sound of protesting wood filled the house.

A team of men wearing white coveralls had arrived early that morning, along with Detective Inspector Manning.

'What are you looking for, exactly,' asked John, feeling as though both him and his home where being violated. 'Why are your men pulling up floorboards?'

'Well Sir,' Replied Manning, 'It is our belief that we are looking for the remains of a child!'

'Surely you can't be accusing my parents of murder! They were the kindest, most loving people that you could imagine. There is no way that they would murder a child. It just doesn't make sense!' Exclaimed John.

'There have been some developments.' Replied the Detective Inspector. 'We have reason to believe that the child, named John Thompson, died at the hands of another.'

'Why would you even think that!' Shouted John. 'They protected me, they would never have harmed me! I don't believe you!'

'Sir,' the Inspector said gently. 'There was a report made to the police back then, John Thompson had been admitted to hospital on numerous occasions with unexplained injuries. It was suspected at the time that his parents were responsible. An investigation was ongoing, but the injuries stopped, and the child seemed well, so the investigation was halted.'

'We now have reason to believe that the child died at the hands of his parents and that you were abducted and raised in his place!'

'Why, why would they murder their own child! Why would they take me? It makes no sense at all!'

'We don't quite understand either Sir, which is why we need to do such a thorough investigation of the property now.'

John walked across to the window and gazed out at the garden. The garden that his Mother had loved so much.

More white coveralled men were scouring the flowerbeds and lawns. One was dragging a device across the garden, peering at a screen.

'What's that machine for?' Asked John.

'That is a ground penetrating radar, it looks for anomalies under the ground' replied the Inspector.

'Anomalies? What do you mean? Bodies? You think there's a body out there?' John asked in a surprised voice.

'As I said, we're just being thorough' replied the Inspector.

John sat down, wishing that he had never made the phone call, wishing that he had never found the box, wishing that his world could go back to the way it was just a few days ago.

'We've found something!' called one of the men from the garden. 'There's something under this apple tree! We're going to have to dig it up – its entangled in the roots of the tree!'

'NO!!' John screamed frantically. 'No, you are not digging up my Mother's tree! I don't care what it is that you think that you've found!'

Gentle arms held him back as he tried to stop the men. 'Now then Sir, this has to be done. Calm yourself.'

'My mother planted that tree when I was little, it grew with me, you can't destroy it, you just can't!'

But at that moment, the sound of a chain saw rent the air. Within minutes, the job was done and the tree lay in a tangled, broken heap on the lawn.

Men swarmed into the area, gently teasing and clearing the roots from the ground, digging down to find their 'anomaly'.

'Sir, we've found something!' The Inspector hurriedly made his way into the garden and across to where the apple tree had so recently stood proud and strong.

He looked down into the hole that the men had so carefully dug. Peeking out of the soil was a skull! A human skull. A skull the size of a 3 year old child!