Brain Scan

Jason had gone to the hospital for a routine procedure when his doctor asked if he’d like to participate in an experimental procedure to help a dying patient. He was a little skeptical, but his doctor explained all they needed was a healthy brain scan from him. They’d use his healthy scan to help fill in the gaps for another patient who had been struggling with severe brain damage. They had hopes the healthy scan could be used to copy pathways needed for breathing and other basic functions.

Jason didn’t seem the harm, so he agreed. However, as he was being scanned, it felt like the entire world was glitching. He wanted to scream, but he seemed unable. Everything went black for a moment, and then he woke up in a hospital bed. He looked down to discover a body that was not his own under the sheets -- it was a woman’s!

It was a few days later before he finally got an explanation. The doctors gave him some clothes to wear and brought him to a room in the psychology ward. He nervously bit his finger as they explained it all. His brain had been scanned without incident. His body had returned home to his family that day, safe and sound. And shortly thereafter that scan was used to help a brain damaged woman named Michelle Chang. However, her brain was a little too damaged. Instead of just copying pathways vital for a beating heart and taking breaths, most of Jason’s memories and personality were also copied -- the essence of what made Jason himself. The original Jason in his own body was still out there, normal, and unaware of the fact that there was now a second Jason with the exact same brain patterns inside Michelle’s body. Jason inside Michelle’s body didn’t even know how to take the news. He just sat there blankly, a little afraid and not knowing what to do. The doctors began to offer options...

Hidden in Plain Sight (Part 3)

Click here for Part 1.
Click here for Part 2.

Andrea was nearly ready to cry as she pleaded with John one last time to simply hear the words “I love you.” John paused before finally being able to form his thoughts.

“It’s not that you’re a guy now,” John confessed, “I mean, it is a factor, but it’s not just that. But you’ve been here this whole time lying to me, letting me worry about you; it’s hard to let that go. How can I trust you?”

“I was scared, John. I didn’t know how to tell you. I just...I don’t know...” It was now Andrea’s turn to be at a loss for how to explain her actions. She knew she had lied to him, but was it really too much to ask for forgiveness?

Hidden in Plain Sight (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

John couldn’t seem to find the words. He just stood there silently, but Andrea grabbed him by the shoulders.

“Please,” She said, “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, but I needed to feel sure that you could still love me like this.”

“Well...I...” John trailed off before saying much of anything.

“If our situations had been reversed by the Shift, it wouldn’t have mattered to me. If you became a woman, I would’ve still loved you. Please say you still love me.”

“Two women...kind of...hot...two guys...” John trailed off again.

“Please!”

Hidden in Plain Sight (Part 1)

It had been a week since the Great Shift and John was very worried about his girlfriend, Andrea. He hadn’t seen or heard from her since the massive body swapping. He tried calling her phone, but she didn’t pick up. John was worried that she simply might be afraid to see him due to whatever body she ended up with as a result of the Shift. He often confided his fears to his neighbor Tom, who like John hadn’t been shifted. Tom seemed always upbeat, telling John that he was sure Andrea was okay. Then one day in the hallway of their apartment building, Tom arrived out of the elevator wearing a dress.

“I have a confession to make, John,” He sighed, “It’s me. It’s Andrea. You were right. I didn’t want to tell you what body I swapped into because I was embarrassed. We’re both... we’re both guys now. I can’t imagine how weird that makes things for you. Actually, I sort of can...”

Blue

Steve sighed. He knew teleportation was a new technology, but he had used it three times for business now and three times something weird had happened. The first time, he had selected a body to swap with at his destination and there was a mixup resulting in him swapping with the wrong person. The next time they couldn’t find his body on the return trip, resulting in a multi-day delay. And now this! He had selected the woman to swap with at his destination due to her professional-looking photo. It turned out she had since dyed her hair, and he felt completely silly.

He did consider flying, of course, but it seemed like such a waste to take an eight hour flight for a day of meetings abroad. Instead, it seemed much more logical to use the teleportation service. Your mind would simply swap with someone at the destination of your choice. It was instant and easy. Then again, he was now going to have to go to important meetings with a body that had blue hair. He had also requested that she wear “professional attire,” which she clearly hadn’t. He knew it wasn’t too hard to go to a store and buy a skirt suit, but he also knew he didn’t have time to go to a salon for a dye job. He sighed again. Other people he had met with encountered situations that were similar with the teleportation service. Everyone seemed to overlook them, but they were growing increasingly frustrating. If the company couldn’t get this sort of thing worked out, he couldn’t imagine they’d succeed in the long run, even given the amazing convenience they brought to the world of travel.

Graduate

To describe Alvin as uptight would’ve made him seem much more at ease and relaxed than he actually was. But his neurotic attention to detail and dedication to hard work had earned him a scholarship at the graduate program at Harvard, and he was very excited about it. What he never would’ve expected was for the Great Shift to strike the week before he was scheduled to start. And he ended up finding himself in a body that was very, very different. His first reaction was to cover his eyes, pretend like it just wasn’t happening to him.

But he could only escape reality for so long before he peaked down to see his new body. The most obvious feature was that he was now female with long, blonde hair and a lot of exposed skin. To his horror, so much of that skin seemed to be covered with all sorts of tattoos. He couldn’t imagine anyone taking him seriously like this! How was he going to make it at Harvard? He could just imagine everyone would be judging him the moment he stepped on campus. All his hard work gone to waste, only to wind up in a body like this! He was mortified!

Self (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

A few of the lab techs noticed Victor’s body movements after the swap and approached him. They asked him how he felt.

“I feel fine,” He said, “But I’m not sure I want to swap anymore.”

The researchers looked puzzled.

“I like being me. I like being Shawna.” He said, “I see that Victor guy over there. He looks like a dork; I don’t want to swap with him anymore.”

The researchers were confused, but Victor wasn’t. In the short few moments he had been in Shawna’s body, he had convinced himself that since he looked like her, he must BE her. The swap was irrelevant, and since he was her, he concluded that the swap must not have happened. It made perfect sense, philosophically.

The researchers were more concerned. Now they wanted to coax Victor back a little closer, so they could jolt him again in order to swap him and Shawna back to their own bodies. But Victor wasn’t having any of it. There was no way he was going to be Victor ever again!

Self

As a graduate student in philosophy, Victor had many theories about the self. So when the science department was looking for volunteers to participate in a trial for their new body swapping machine, he jumped at the chance. After filling out a large stack of forms, he was set to swap with another participant, an undergrad by the name of Shawna. The actual swap was quite quick. He got jolted by a lab assistant, and the next thing he knew he found himself in Shawna’s body. He kept telling himself that despite his new body, he was still himself. Yet he had to admit that with this body, it was hard to feel like himself. When he stood up, everything just felt wrong. Maybe it was because he was teetering on heels he wasn’t used to wearing. Maybe it was because he kept pulling down on the bottom of his sweater that he expected to cover his belly instead of exposing it. Or maybe it was because his new booty was much bigger and way more curvy than he was used to. He quickly began to think he might prefer being Shawna to being Victor...

Try Again (Part 2)

Click here for Part 1.

After a few weeks, stores began to reopen and things started to get back to normal. Ron adjusted to Ming’s life, and even found some success as a model. She was behind him the whole time; telling him what to do and how to do it. After some amount of time, he was finally sick of it.

On a trip to the gym he turned back with a jolt and snapped, “You don’t need to follow me around all the time, you know? I think I am perfectly capable of exercising by myself. It’s been routine now for three weeks. I am not a child, and you need to get over the fact that this is MY body now and not yours.”

Ming was shocked. She was only trying to help at this point. It was weird hearing her own body so angry. She didn’t have any words to respond. She just watched her own body walk into the gym alone. It would be the first time since the Great Shift that she wouldn’t be within just a few feet of the body that had once been hers.

Try Again

“Do I really have to do this?” Groaned Ron as he tried walking with books balanced on his head.

They soon tumbled down. He picked them up and placed them back on his head before attempting to walk again.

“As long as you have my body,” Ming replied, “You need to hold yourself properly. I have my modeling career to consider.”

“But everything is canceled due to the Great Shift. Can’t we just hold off on this stuff? Maybe the whole body swapping thing will just reverse itself.” “And what if it doesn’t?” Ming said sternly, “And most things being canceled just gives you time to prepare. If I had a shoot and you showed up acting like you and slouching or whatever, I’d be ruined. Now, let’s try again...”

Cope

It was Jack’s first date with Theresa. He had met her on an online dating site, and it seemed promising as they talked and ate. But as they finished up the main course, a flash of light shone through the entire restaurant. The next thing Jack realized, he had Theresa’s body and she had his. Instead of freaking out, he shrugged and smiled.

“I’m not sure why this happened,” He said, “But I’m still having a good time. Do you just want to continue like this?”

Theresa smiled back, “Yeah, yeah, it’s okay. I think I can cope.”

Totem

Jeff sighed as he struggled to walk in the high heeled shoes on his feet. “I can’t believe I have to be a bridesmaid at your sister’s wedding,” He sighed.

“It’s your own fault,” Carrie replied, “You wanted to try out that weird magic totem that swapped our heads onto each other’s bodies. Then we just couldn’t seem to switch back! You know how my sister has been obsessing over these dresses for months, and you know I’d never be able to squeeze your body into that thing. That left one option. You were going to be the one to wear the dress and stand up there with her.”

Jeff sighed again, “I know. I know. And, honestly, when we couldn’t switch back. I thought I could handle it. Having a woman’s body didn’t seem so tough when we swapped while wearing jeans and sweatshirts. But I can’t begin to describe the feeling of discomfort I get wearing these clothes.”

“Welcome to being a woman,” Carrie smiled.

Immersed

Earl had only left his home town once or twice in his entire life, and, in all honesty, he was actually a bit of a xenophobe. But something inside him changed when the Great Shift struck. Part of it was undoubtedly due to finding himself in a different body -- with a different gender and a different ethnicity. He was also one of the few to swap bodies with someone thousands of miles away. As a result, he was not only exposed to a different culture for the first time in his life -- he was immersed in it. It didn’t take him long to embrace the culture he found himself in, and for him to embrace his new body as well.

Everyone

“So, you’re saying everyone swapped bodies, not just me?” Isaac asked his buddy Brian on the phone.

“Yep, yours truly included. I’ve got to say that it’s cool being 6 foot 5. That’s probably how you’ll recognize me, in fact. You’re at the corner of 8th and Elm, right?”

“Yeah, I’m looking around for you. I’m in the body of some chick in a blue dress...a little bit fat.”

“Okay, yeah, I see you. Just turn around. And I don’t think you’re fat...I think your pregnant.”

“Wait...what? Pregnant?”

And that’s when Isaac felt his belly move...like something was kicking him from the inside.

Closer

“What the heck did you do, Lisa?” James asked angrily.

“I’m -- I’m sorry,” Lisa apologized as she held her head, “It felt like we were drifting apart in our relationship, so I cast a spell that was supposed to bring us closer together. I didn’t expect that it would swap our bodies.”

“Well, it did. And now, you wanted us to be closer; well, we couldn’t possibly be any closer physically. But, honestly, the last thing I want to do right now is even look at your face. The only problem is that no matter how much distance I try to get or space I need away from you, I am going to end up just seeing you every time I look in the mirror! It’s only going to make me want to be further away from you emotionally.”

Scowl

Andrew and Luke scowled at their friend Kevin with sour looks on their faces.

“Dude, how did you talk us into Spring Break at this Exchange Island place?” Luke asked.

“You promised us hot chicks,” Andrew added, “But I didn’t expect those hot chicks would be us.”

“Yeah, it seems like the only one of us who swapped with a guy was you.”

Kevin smiled and paused for a moment before replying, “They told me at the desk that it was all random, but I can’t say I’m going to be complaining about sharing our room for the next week. You’ve just got to embrace it and enjoy it. God knows I will.”

Andrew and Luke just continued to scowl.

First Year

Jeremy was initially a little nervous about the program his university had announced for all incoming freshmen. In order to aid diversity and increase tolerance, the college required that all students in their first year swap bodies with another student for the entire year. Aside from body swapping being a new technology, Jeremy was also worried about who he would end up swapping with.

His fears were quickly quelled on the first day when he found out that he would be swapping with a very attractive Asian woman. In fact, after the swap, he couldn’t have been happier. He even wound up carrying a mirror around the quad with him just so he could look at his now gorgeous reflection any time he wanted.

Suddenly, he soon found himself feeling silly about worrying about the swap, but now found himself very worried about swapping back. He was already enjoying this new body so much, what if he returned back to his own body to a slew of disappointment?

Exchange Mountain

After spending his last vacation on Exchange Island, Nathan was eager for a return trip. However, due to the cost, he simply couldn’t afford it. However, the company that ran the resort had just opened up another, which they were calling “Exchange Mountain.” Nathan was intrigued. It was offering a similar body swapping experience for half the price.

Just as he had lucked out at Exchange Island by swapping with an attractive woman, the same happened at Exchange Mountain. Granted, he wouldn’t be spending any time outside in a skimpy bikini in weather like this, but there was a spa, and he could always spend some time in his room. But first, he didn’t mind covering up to hit the slopes for a bit of skiing.

Night Away

Jeff did his best to turn and look behind him to see a large booty encased in tight pink cloth. “What the heck is going on?” He asked in an unfamiliar, high pitched voice.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. “Relax,” He heard a woman’s voice say, “It’s me; it’s Walter. You told me you wanted a night away from your wife. You wanted a night free of consequences. So I cast this magic spell to give us these bodies. We can literally do anything we want until the sun rises, and we return to our own bodies.”

“But...I’m a woman...we’re women! This feels so weird.”

“I’ve cast this spell before. You have no idea how many different people I’ve been; how many different women! Trust me, it’s fun. Just enjoy it.”

And so the two friends enjoyed the night in their borrowed bodies. They went to the club, did some dancing, had some drinks. But when the sun finally started to come up, they expected to return to their own bodies. But something went wrong. Instead, they were now traped in the bodies of the two women...

Cheesy Line

David knew it was a cheesy line, and he hated to admit that he had used it at the club a few times. He hated even more to admit that it had worked. In fact, he wanted to hold his tongue when he saw her, but he just couldn’t stop himself when he saw her at the train station. She was literally wearing silver pants so shiny that he could see a reflection in them. And so without much hesitation, he walked up to her.

“Hey, are those mirror pants?” David asked with a sly grin, “Because I can see myself in them.”

“Oh, you want to see yourself in these pants?” She asked, “Be my guest.”

David’s grin grew wider, but before he could say another word, there was a strange poof. The next thing he knew, the woman was gone and he was alone on the platform. It took him another second to realize he now had the body of the woman he had just been hitting on, which meant that he was now literally in her pants -- though certainly not in the way had intended or implied!

Worth It

Emily had lived down the hall from Adam for at least a year now, but he had never had the courage to even talk to her, let alone invite himself in for some reason. However, he had seen her around enough that when the Great Shift struck, he immediately knew whose body he was in. When it happened, he thought about going and knocking on his own door. Instead, he began snooping around. He opened a closet to reveal more clothes and shoes than he could imagine. He opened up the medicine cabinet and found it stacked full of beauty products. He decided that it probably wasn’t effortless for Emily to look good all the time. Though he now realized that if he wanted to maintain her good looks, whatever her daily routine was would now be his responsibility. As he closed the cabinet, he caught a look at his reflection and he smiled. Whatever he needed to do, however long it would take him, it would well be worth it!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

David left the coffee shop and took a sip of his Pumpkin Spice Latte. He couldn’t help but stop and chuckle about it for a moment. The suburbs, the lattes, the yoga pants...he never pictured himself dating a woman who partook in those sorts of things. In fact, they seemed so cliché that if had met such a woman, he probably would’ve just laughed at her. But now, thanks to the Great Shift a little over a year ago, he was exactly that type of woman. When he swapped with Gina, he vowed to never engage in those sorts of stereotypes. However, it turned out that moving into her suburban home was a fairly reasonable way to adapt to his new body. It turned out that yoga pants were extremely comfortable. And, of course, it didn’t take him long to realize Pumpkin Spice Lattes tasted great. It was really a life very far removed from his own, but he had come to adapt to it and embrace it.