For the past several months, Jonathan had been stuck in a rut. something didn't feel right, and he couldn't place a finger on it. He had a respectable, well-paying job at a regional publishing company, he was in the best of health for a man of his age, relatively trim with a winning smile, a youthful visage, and a full head of thick, blond-grey hair. Yet despite his enviable position in life, he just didn't feel satisfied at all. Every day was the same. Wake up, go to work, come home, bed. Perhaps his job was to blame. It had consumed his life, he hadn't even taken a vacation in nearly two years. But he'd always been a go-getter, right from his first day on the job, which was... how many years ago now? Unfortunately, an unassuming letter left on his desk would bare the terrible news.
30 YEARS AT PLACEHOLDER PUBLISHING - AND MANY MORE TO COME!
30 years working in publishing. 3 whole decades. Johnathan turned to the floor-to-ceiling windows in his office, staring out to space. Surely at one point, he had far bigger plans that didn't involve sitting behind a desk for more than half his life. Right? He had initially joined Placeholder as a temporary means to support his growing family. But he became comfortable. Sure, he'd made a name for himself, rose through the ranks until he had his own private office, with a secretary and a six-figure salary. But what had he really accomplished? Even the family plan backfired years ago, not a surprise given how he married the first woman he knocked up. One messy divorce, and a stressful custody battle later, he was alone in the two-bedroom family home he invested in so many years ago. His little boy was now a man himself, leading a very different life in a very different country, a life that no longer included him outside of the seldom birthday or holiday. If his past self could look at him now, he'd likely hate the man he had become.
It was this crushing realisation that had led Jonathan to wander downtown straight after work. He had to prove to himself that there was more to his life than his work. He could still be impulsive and spontaneous. Which is when he came across a mysterious shop. Inside was a menagerie of unique and curious items. All with ridiculous claims of magic and power. He'd only seen shops like this in the movies. As he browsed the shelves, he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He flinched and spun around, coming face to face with a stocky man around his own age, with thinning hair and a bushy mustache. The man tapped his foot impatiently, pointing to the tacky watch around his thick wrist.
"I'm closing in five. You looking for something specific?"
"Oh, well... I don't know really. I was just browsing..."
"Great, one'a these guys..." The man grumbled under his breath with a slump of the shoulders. "Look, the Boss-Man's got some intense magic training planned, and he does not like to be kept waiting. So if you don't mind, I'm just gonna..." He trailed off as he cracked his knuckles, and rubbed his palms together
"Magic training? What nonse-" Jonathan began to ask when the man suddenly snapped his hands up to his forehead, his rough fingers pressed firm against his temples. He mumbled something under his breath, and Johnathan felt a tightness in his chest, like he was holding his breath. A tightness that relieved once he opened his mouth and blurted out, "I need something to fix my life! I always dreamed of excitement and adventure and travelling the world! Instead, I'm stuck in a nowhere job, with an ex-wife, and a son who doesn't speak to me and lives in fucking Korea! How did this happen to me? I had plans... I just need a second chance..."
"Ah, classic mid-life crisis," the man chuckled as he released his grip on Jonathan's head, who felt faint as he tried to gather his breath once more. "Too easy." He strolled down the preceding aisle with determination, swiping a few products as if by random. Jonathan frowned, he wasn't having a midlife crisis. He had no desire for fast cars and trophy wives. This was a perfectly normal way to feel when things weren't going according to plan. Before he could complain, the man popped back with a glass tube containing a glittery block. "You're lucky I concocted a few of these last week for one of the Boss-Man's assignments; life trade tablets," he declared with gusto. "Crush it with the person whose life you want, and you'll trade places. You get a fancy new livelihood to spice things up, and they get whatever funky mess you've got going on. Simple."
Jonathan gazed into the tube with uneasy curiousity. Normally he'd consider such statements as foolish nonsense. But there was something about the shimmering tablet that called out to him. "We just crush it? There's no ritual or incantation or spooky voodoo shit?" He wiggled his fingers for dramatic effect, a motion the man rolled his eyes at. "Do I at least need consent from the other person beforehand?"
"Sure, if you want. Or don't. What do I care? Whatever gets your pitiable ass out of this store, so I can lock up." He was pretty blunt for a shopkeeper, and Jonathan wasn't sold on the concept. But this was exactly his problem, he wasn't spontaneous enough, stuck in his ways. So he shoved those thoughts aside and took the plunge. Now all he needed was someone he could swap with.
