Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Arrivals and Departures (Part 2)

View Part 1 of Arrivals and Departures.

The few people remaining in the airport turned their heads as the news reported on air crashes resulting from the Shift, which were apparently numerous. Frank suddenly became quickly thankful his flight was so late. Had he been in the air, he might not have survived. And the flight coming in? Well -- had it been any later or the Shift a moment sooner -- it could have been a tragic landing instead of a bad one.

He started to feel grateful to be alive, even if he was in the wrong body. He also knew all the codes to his penthouse apartment, so he could get in easily. But he would still need clothes soon enough. He had no idea what luggage belonged to this body -- either in the overhead bin or in checked luggage (and they were shuffling people out of the plane and airport too quickly to collect either, anyway). So he began to wonder if she lived nearby or if she was a visitor to the area. If he couldn’t get any of her clothes, would stores re-open soon?

He told himself these were all small concerns. For today, he’d just be glad to be alive.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

End the Cycle

Roland awoke in a strange, unfamiliar room. The most dramatic change was the fact that he was now in a woman’s body, but it soon became the least interesting thing about the whole experience. Among the dusty equipment was a pristine notebook, which outlined that all the electronic equipment was a tool for stealing someone else’s body. Presumably, this was why he was now this woman; though he questioned why anyone would steal his body of all people! The notebook further outlined how to use the mouse and keyboard as a click and point way to cycle through cameras and select a target to swap with -- which was an option now open to him. And that would explain why the keyboard, mouse, and main screen lacked the same dust as everything else. Of course, there was another option. He could simple leave. This woman’s body would then become his, and, sure, someone would likely find this room and start the cycle all over again, but it was still a very tempting option...

Roland awoke in a strange, unfamiliar room. The most dramatic change was the fact that he was now in a woman’s body, but it soon became the least interesting thing about the whole experience. Among the dusty equipment was a pristine notebook, which outlined that all the electronic equipment was a tool for stealing someone else’s body. Presumably, this was why he was now this woman; though he questioned why anyone would steal his body of all people! The notebook further outlined how to use the mouse and keyboard as a click and point way to cycle through cameras and select a target to swap with -- which was an option now open to him. And that would explain why the keyboard, mouse, and main screen lacked the same dust as everything else. Of course, there was another option. He could simple leave. This woman’s body would then become his, and, sure, someone would likely find this room and start the cycle all over again, but it was still a very tempting option...

Ronnie 1/2

“Anna!” Ronnie shouted, “I need your help!”

Anna squealed when she saw him. It had been months since she had seen Ronnie in his Ronald form instead of her Rhonda form. “Did you get splashed with warm water?” She asked, knowing full well his condition.

“Yes! It wasn’t even that much! A caterer got some hot tea on me! Luckily, it didn’t get on my dress! You need to get some cold water from inside to splash on me so I can transform back to being Rhonda! I can’t go, because everyone is in there! Especially Marvin! Please, you’re the only one here who even knows my secret!”

“You haven’t told him!? You’re getting married to him in an hour! I think the fact that you change genders when different tempurate water splashes on you is an important thing to share with your future spouse!”

“But I hoped to never be Ronald again! I wanted to stay as Rhonda forever! The tea was an accident. Please just help me!”

“Of course I will, but you HAVE to tell him! I guess just wait out here, and I will go inside and see what I can do!”

“Thank you.”

Monday, February 10, 2025

Sparks

There wasn’t a loud in the sky; there was no rain the forecast. When the lightning bolt pierced the sky and struck the pool, Daniel and Skye were truly surprised. As the remnant electrical bolts simmered on the surfaced, they were both happy they were not hurt. However, they were less happy to realize the fact that jolt had somehow swapped their bodies.

They both screamed in fear as they figured it out. Daniel wanted to get out immediately to try to find a way back to his own body, but Skye questioned that. If a random lightning bolt had swapped them once here; maybe another would soon do so again. Daniel argued back that lighting is well known for never striking the same place twice; Skye responded that lightning isn’t known for swapping people’s bodies either.

The fight continued for several minutes before they both calmed down. The fight was a proxy; an excuse for the horrible situation that they were now in that they had to deal with...

Cramps

Up until this point, Martin’s participation in the experiment had gone swimmingly. Swapping bodies with Lexi had been practically a non-issue for him. He had grown up with two sisters, so putting on makeup or choosing a fashionable outfit were just things he knew how to do.

But then about three weeks in on his way to work, the cramps started. Nothing could have prepared him for period pains. They were like nothing he had ever felt before. For about ten minutes, he couldn’t even move. He had known they were coming eventually, but no amount of warning could have prepared him for this. Were Lexi’s particularly bad? Or was this just something all women felt?

His hope was that he’d just get used to them. After all, he still had six more months left in this experiment!