Life 2.0. Vol III: One More Collection Of Mostly Short Sweet Stories

Death of Dan

Sarah was lying on the beach, her long, sexy, tanned legs stretched out before her. The warm sand tickled her skin, exposed by her skimpy two piece swimsuit. She gazed up at the blue sky, feeling the gentle breeze ruffle her hair.

Dan, her boyfriend, was lying next to her, his head propped up on one elbow as he watched her. They'd been here for hours, just talking and enjoying the sun and the sea. It was the perfect day, Dan thought.

"Hey, Dan."

"Yeah, sweetheart?"

"Do you ever wish there was some way you could truly understand females, specifically me? I mean like, really, really know me."

Dan pondered the question for a moment,  then replied, "Yeah, I guess. Never really gave it too much thought though."

"You don't think if we truly knew each other completely,  it would mean we would be less prone to arguments brought on by simple misunderstandings?"

"Yeah, I could see that.  But how? I mean, for me to to truly know you, I'd have to walk a mile in your shoes. But that's not possible."

"But what if it were?"

"What do you mean?"

"Would you be willing to temporarily swap bodies with me if we actually could?"

Dan sat up, wrapped one arm around Sarah, and pulled her tight against him.

"Swap bodies?I don't think I'd really want to,  but if it were possible and you wanted to, I guess I'd do it for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, for you, babe."

Sarah smiled and turned her head to look him in the eyes. "I think it might be possible."

Dan shook his head. "Nah, that's not possible."

"Don't be so sure."

"What do you mean?"

"So, I was in this store, an old used book store, and I bought this book." She leaned over and retrieved a book from her straw beach bag and handed it to Dan. "See right here in chapter four," Sarah explained as she helped Dan turn to the page she was referring to. "It's a spell for body swapping, but both people have to be in agreement about the swap. Forced swaps don't work. And then on the next page is the spell to swap back. It says it really works and it sounds simple enough. I wanna try it."

"Oh really?" Dan raised an eyebrow, a small smile forming on his lips.  "And why would you want to do that?"

"So I can understand you better. Your inner workings, what makes you tick. Annnnnndddd......I've always wondered what it's like to be able to pee standing up. Maybe you'd learn a thing or two about me, too." She paused, looking into his eyes. "Maybe we could finally stop arguing about stupid stuff and... you wouldn't like to be able to experience making love from the opposite side? I know I would."

Dan thought for a moment. "Well, if you're sure it's safe... and if we can switch back whenever we want..." He trailed off, still a bit skeptical, but intrigued by the prospect of truly understanding her.

Dan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing on the feeling of the warm sun on his back. He opened his eyes again, staring at the book in his hands. He placed it into Sarah's hands and said, "Okay."

She did double take, "Wait. You're agreeing to this?"

"Yeah, let's do it."

She nodded eagerly, her heart racing with anticipation. They both read the words on the page silently, then closed their eyes and concentrated, repeating the words aloud,  in unison. After what felt like an eternity, they opened their eyes.