The Curious Case of Sam or Samantha

Officer

Crime didn’t take a break after the Great Shift, so the police couldn’t either. It didn’t matter whose body any of them had ended up in. A lot of them were lucky, just because they simply swapped bodies with their partner. Officer Roger O’Malley had been investigating a Gentleman’s Club, and had ended up swapping bodies with one of the dancers. It didn’t matter; he still had to be back to work the very next day.

So Roger reported to work in Misty’s body. He could hear some of the snickers from his fellow officers, but there was little he could do about it. He supposed the one fortunate thing was that he was scheduled for desk duty today; he’d hate to be out in the field like this. Though in the event of some sort of emergency, he could still be called out. Given the number of complaints since the Shift, he still considered that very likely.

Several Reasons

When the Great Shift happened, I was among a small group of people who ran. I don’t know why anyone else did so, but for me, it was a pure logical response. It was for several reasons.

For starters, finding myself in the body of a woman barely over five feet tall, I quickly decided a crowd was not the best place to be. A massive group of swapped people was also bound to be quite volatile. Again, given my new body’s stature, I don’t think I wanted to be involved in any fights or riots.

There was also the consideration of finding my own body, which wasn’t exactly close. The sooner I could get to it, the less likely it would move on itself.

And finally, well, this body did seem to be dressed for a good run, so why not?

Lungs

People often asked me what I noticed most about my new body. I was one of the few people in my neighborhood that was male before the Great Shift, and then found myself in a woman’s body afterward. I’m pretty sure they were expecting some sort of graphic details about my new gender -- but honestly? Gendered parts were among the smallest concerns with new body.

My lungs on the other hand were a huge issue. I’d get winded going up stairs. I couldn’t even figure out what caused it the first time it happened; it was just like I stopped breathing. When I found the inhaler in her purse, I was able to piece it all together.

When I tell people this, they always ask if I noticed what my chest felt like during the asthma attack. As if that would somehow be my primary concern! I tell them to shut up!

Video Message (Part 1)

Brian knew where he was supposed to be, and he also knew he wasn’t there right now. Instead he was enjoying himself on the beach, having probably one of the best days in recent memory.

But still, he knew he owed Krissie some answers, so he took out his phone so he could send a video message. He put on his best smile as he hit record.

“Hey, Krissie, I’m obviously not at the coffee shop. I’m not on the way. I know we were supposed to meet there this morning so we could swap our bodies back to normal, but I just wasn’t ready to do that yet. I want another day with your body...or maybe a week. Don’t make me feel too guilty about it, but I sort of loved being a woman...being you. Anyway, I’m sorry. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to swap back.”