Find Out

Stanley didn’t think much of the people he often encountered for much of the day, whether that be a waiter or a cashier. As a high-powered executive, he assumed these people to be “below” him. Useful cogs, he supposed, but he barely even said “thanks” to them. He certainly didn’t want to engage in conversation or listen to them talk about any part of their day.

When he noticed the cashier at the convenience store was crying, he was more annoyed with any possible delays it might cause as opposed to being sympathetic to her feelings. And yet something truly strange happened at check out when Stanley somehow swapped bodies with her.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled to be one of the “low-level” people he looked down on all the time, but the question finally came up.

“Why were you crying?” He asked as he looked his own body in the eyes.

“I guess you’ll find out soon enough,” She replied.

Unmotivated

Before the Great Shift, Al had been very motivated to work out and get in shape. He visited the gym every day and considered himself quite fit. He tried to keep up the routine after the Shift, but it was hard. Being in someone else’s body was such a demotivator. Sure, he still went once and a while, but when he did, he didn’t really push himself.

Why should he? It wasn’t his body reaping the rewards or the work anymore; it was the body of the woman he swapped into that would get the gains he put in. She’d probably appreciate it; she was certainly in good enough shape and likely wanted to continue that. But why should he have to be the one to do it?

Even when they announced there was no way people would ever swap back, he still felt a certain sense of detachment from his new form. It always felt like he was improving someone else’s life...

Kindness Costs Us Nothing

Obsession

Another box arrived in the mail today. It was another pair of shoes. Pretty much every day since he swapped bodies with Evelyn, Robert had ordered a new pair. He wasn’t quite sure why he seemed to get this obsession along with her body. He couldn’t do much with them except try them on for the time being, as he still wasn’t able to walk succssfully in heels. It didn’t make any sense.

He tried talking to Evelyn about it, but she didn’t have any good answers. She certainly enjoyed shoe shopping when this body had been hers, but not to the level of obsession Robert seemed to have. She didn’t think she could recall having any addictive tendencies either.

Robert may have played a few too many video games back in his old body, but he could still stop himself from purchasing a new game every day. It was weird to think where this obsession may be coming from.

Awkward Times

“Okay, relax,” James said quietly to himself as he held his hands to his temples, “When was the last time I remember being in my own body?”

It would an absolutely absurd question for most people, but for James it was a fairly regular occurrence. He had an ability to swap bodies with people, and it often triggered without him even realizing it. And he was usually able to deal with it before anyone else noticed as well.

But still there were those awkward times when the person he swapped with noticed first. He certainly hoped this wasn’t going to be one of those awkward times, but he needed to find his body quickly!