The Book

When Gene first found the book, he began writing his fantasies in it -- a story about waking up one morning to find that he had swapped bodies with one of his coworkers, Grace Adams. Of course, after writing that and waking up the next morning in her body, he began to wonder if the book was magic. What else could he manifest simply by writing it down?

A wicked smile grew on his face as he thought about the possibilities. For starters, he was going to make Grace forget everything about this -- he’d never get a chance to write more if she was pestering him about finding ways to swap back all the time. Then a few more paragraphs about becoming rich and quitting his job in an epic fashion.

If even a fraction of what he wrote down came true, he’d be in heaven. Heck, being in Grace’s body alone was really all that he needed.

Imposter Syndrome

Xiao had decided to skip most of New York fashion week this year. The runways, the parties, and everything else was often much too overwhelming. Given her buzz in previous years and her bookings in Milan and Paris in the weeks ahead, she figured a break was long overdue.

And yet about halfway through, she realized she missed the excitement. Sneaking into a party or two seemed reasonable enough. She took a taxi up from her Lower East Side apartment to head toward a club near Bryant Park where one of the big designers usually held an after party. She knew of a back entrance that she had been shuffled out of last year to avoid paparazzi; it’d be an easy way in. There was no way she was waiting in line. After all, she was a celebrity, and it was starting to rain.

Except just as she opened the door, a woman came out. It was like Xiao was looking in a mirror. It felt like a nightmare and Xiao wasn’t sure if she was dreaming. Her doppleganger talked about being a man, a medallion, and one her old dresses from last year’s runway.

Xiao didn’t really care about the details. She was far too terrified after seeing her doppelganger; she ran. She slipped a few times due to the rain causing slick, wet sidewalks. Though her imposter was having an even harder time thanks to the added difficulty of high heels.

Xiao wasn’t exactly sure how to deal with all this. Should she call the police? Tell her agent? The idea that there was a fake version of herself running around was unsettling.

Salon

“What do you think?” A heavily accented voice next to me said.

I turned to look at the Asian woman next to me with a face mask and gloves. She was holding a nail file in her hand. “What do I think of what?” I asked before coughing a few times due to the strange sound of my own voice.

“Your nails.”

I looked down to see two feminine hands with perfectly manicured nails, realizing I was alone in the center of a rather ornate nail salon. But the hands weren’t the only think feminine. My entire body was that of a woman! I was pretty sure I recognized the outfit; it was something my ex-girlfriend Carol used to wear. I didn’t want to panic in public, so I calmly asked how much I owed.

Even with a face mask covering her mouth, I could tell the Asian woman had an evil smile start to grow as she spoke. “You owe nothing, Brian,” She said using my real name, “Carol paid for this whole experience in advance, and I’m sure you will find it enlightening.”

Pop

Su Ji seemed rather chillaxed about the whole thing, despite swapping bodies with her stateside agent. “It’ll be fine,” She said with her distinctive accent despite her new body.

Doug wasn’t quite as optimistic about being stuck in Su Ji’s body. “We’re trapped in a place where some weirdo swapped our bodies. We’ll be lucky to figure out how any of these machines work in order to switch back to normal. You’re just lucky I know all the lyrics to your songs, so I can probably fake it.”

“You know the lyrics, but you need to loosen up. You still move like a stiff suit man.”

Doug hated to admit it, but Su Ji was right. He’d need to master her choreography and fluid movements if he was going to save her career. Even his stance would need to changed. No one would believe he was a 19 year old female pop star if he kept holding his body like a 30 year old man. But he still held out hope in swapping back before it came to that...

Green Juice

It was hard to believe that a year ago, I probably would’ve just grabbed a soda. Now I examined the drinks much more carefully. Even the juices had too much sugar for me; I wondered if they had some sort of vegetable-based green juice.

I honestly didn’t believe the Great Shift would affect me this much. When it first happened, I told myself that it was only my body that had changed; that was it. That was the sort of mantra that kept me going as I found my once male self now in a woman’s body. And the tastes were one of the first things I noticed. The sugary treats I once loved were now way too sweet to my taste buds. I actually craved healthier options and food that was now good for me!

At least I could rationalize that one due to the different taste buds in my new mouth. But there were other changes as well. For instance, video games were less interesting, and I found myself wanting to be physical activity instead. That one I couldn’t rationalize nearly as easily.

I had often assumed it was the mind that was in complete control of the body, but after the Great Shift, it was clear to me that the body had significantly more impact on the mind than I would’ve ever predicted. I often wondered if I was the only one.

As this all ran through my head, I realized how much my mind wandered these days. All I wanted was a damn green juice and I had zoned out for twenty minutes thinking of the Shift and its effects on my psychology.