New Beginnings

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.

Morning Pranks

It was the morning following a very successful sleepover for Jackson and Bart. They'd stayed up watching scary movies with lots of snacks, and very little adult supervision. For the most part, his embarrassing dad had kept to himself for the evening. And now, the following morning, the two boys were battling each other in the newest Boulevard Brawler game. Things were going well until Bart finally piped up.

"Your dad's acting weird today."

His dad was always weird, Jackson thought to himself. But it was true, he'd been even weirder this morning. It all started when Bart woke him up from a blissful sleep, having crept out of the room to use the bathroom, only to find it occupied. Inside, his dad was in his undies, staring at himself in the mirror and flexing at himself. He even grabbed his phone so he could take some selfies, until he finally noticed the two boys giggling uncontrollably in the doorway. 

That wasn't too weird, his dad was pretty egotistical about his huge size, and masculine appearance. He worked out most days, when he wasn't on the construction site putting those muscles to good use. He even had beard paraphernalia around the house because he was obsessed with his bushy facial fur. But Jackson had never actually seen him acting so narcissistic. Maybe this is what he was like behind closed doors. And that was just the start of it.

Long-Distance Spell

I was busy working on a report for work when my quiet time was rudely interrupted by my son yelling down the hallway. Without warning, Chris burst into my study and yelled, "He's gonna do it!"

I sighed. "Who's going to do what?"

"Grandpa!" He was brimming with excitement. "He's going to do the spell!"

"Aha..." I mumbled as I turned back to my screen, trying to recall what I was writing. That old coot was always bragging about his supposed magical abilities with nothing to show for it. 

"Don't you remember? I told him how you always tell me to grow up and stop acting like a baby, and he got all annoyed?"

"Oh, I remember," I replied with a sour expression. "But your grandpa isn't a wizard, no matter how much he believes it. You really must grow out of these fantasies..."

"Yeah, like that! He said he knew a spell to help me, and that he'd also help you reconnect with your childhood since you're a pain in the butt that needs to learn manners."

"Charming..." That man has had it out for me ever since I had that little affair and broke it off with my, um, lovely ex-wife. Honestly, I'd love to cut that whole, weird family out of my life, but Chris was too close to them, he wouldn't understand... I tried to shoo him away, until my computer screen started to flicker.

The air felt like static. I turned to look at Chris, who had a grin on his face. "I think it's starting! I'm gonna go watch!" He ran out of the room. I felt uneasy. Why did the room feel so peculiar? There was no chance the spell was real, right?

Date Night

Vignettes: Halloween Costumes

Miles entered Costume Plaza with awe. He'd never seen so many costumes in his life! He didn't know where to begin looking. He was eventually drawn to a rack near the entrance labelled "LAST MINUTE COSTUMES!". He swept through the rack, until he discovered a bag filled with army wear, labelled "Demolition Hawk". The name sounded somewhat familiar to him. Curious,  he brought the bag into the changing room to jog his memory. He pulled on a long pair of camouflage pants, slipped on the large, heavy boots, and stuck the helmet on his head. However, it seemed like an incomplete costume. Where was the shirt?

His question was answered when he felt a sudden pressure inside his body. He felt himself lurch up to the ceiling, almost doubling in height. Then his body burst outwards with pounds of muscle. His chest comically inflated like balloons into perfect slabs of luscious meat, while his stomach pulsated until a beautiful pair of abs emerged from within. His arms and legs swelled up in quick succession, growing to almost unrealistic proportions. Dark tattoos pierced through his skin, elaborately decorating his right arm and torso. His jawline reshaped itself into a squared off visage, finished off with a perfectly manicured beard.

Astonished, Miles ran a hand across his meaty body, feeling his plump pecs. He traced a finger across the tattoos that adorned his bicep, involuntarily flexing his arm in the process. He looked familiar somehow. He stroked his chin partially in thought, and partially to scratch his facial hair. Suddenly, he remembered. Demolition Hawk! From that gritty 90s army cartoon! He used to watch it with his dad all the time before he started school. He had always admired Demo, always wanted to be like him when he grew up. "Guess I got my wish" he said in a low, rumbling voice, flexing his arm with a grin. Hopefully the Halloween event didn't have too strict of a dress code.

Vignettes: Easter Egg Hunt

The time had come, the doors opened, and families eagerly entered the small, antique store to participate in the Easter egg hunt. It had existed on this road for generations, yet few people knew it previously existed let alone entered its doors. Nobody could imagine they would enter into a beautiful, awe-inspiring garden that extended well past the confines of the store's actual floor plan. You could easily forget you were inside a building at all, with the towering trees and natural sunlight flooding the area, until you stumbled across a brick wall slathered with vines.

Hidden throughout the exotic, extravagant foliage were plenty of small and colourful eggs, the goal of the event. They were everywhere. Chocolate eggs, plastic eggs filled with jelly beans, even a few boiled eggs for comedic effect. There were also some special golden eggs dotted throughout the large room. These glamorous eggs had attached instructions to find The Apprentice, the burly shop assistant whose festive bunny ears did little to soften his natural surly expression, who would help unlock its prize. Excited participants seeked down the man, and handed him their eggs.

"These are very special, magic objects that contain whatever you desire" he dully recited with a memorised speech. "Chocolate bunnies, candy eggs, turkish delight, whatever you want, anything at all, you will receive it". Most people picked out their favourite brand of candy, some even tried asking for something more obscure to see what would happen. The Apprentice would crack open the egg and poof! Whatever they asked for appeared in his palm in a puff of smoke.

However, a few people noticed the loophole in this trick. The wishing eggs could grant anything you desire. And anyone who spotted it received a rare smile from The Apprentice, because this meant he could have some fun. Wishes were one of the easiest forms of magic to master after all, and also the easiest to manipulate. This gave him the chance to put his skills to the test, and maybe have a bit of fun with the few who wanted more than just chocolate this Easter.

Lose The Beard

Santa Hat 10

Holding It Back

Vignettes: New Perspectives

I was stuck babysitting my sister's little kid for the weekend while she went on some business trip abroad. He's such a pain in the ass, he keeps messing with all of my stuff and asking the stupidest questions. I got sick of it after he almost totalled my drum set so I sent him up to the guest room and told him he had to stay there the rest of the day. He was furious and threatened to break stuff but there ain't nothing valuable in there that I care about. A few hours of peace later, I hear a loud thud upstairs, followed by me desperately needing the loo. I rush to the bathroom and start my business when something scary happened. As I peed, I got smaller and thinner and hairless. I was terrified but I couldn't stop myself going. By the time I finished, I was some puny shrimp who looked to be about the kid's age. I was freaking out, even all my ink had vanished. Outside, I heard a deep laughter so I burst out the room and ran right into the belly of this stranger. He was a massive guy, even more-so at my new height, and he loomed over me with a wicked smile. I could see some similarities in the guy, like he was an uglier clone of me. He had on my underwear and chains. He had a big gut and a goatee like mine. Even the tattoos were like the ones I had. I had a sinking feeling I knew who he was, that the freak soon confirmed. Turns out that junk in the guest room weren't so useless after all as the kid found some sorta wishing stone. He wished we'd trade places so he was the uncle and I was his nephew . He lifted me up easily and dumped me in the guest room, saying I couldn't leave for the rest of the day before cackling and slamming the door. God I hope there's another of those things in here...

"OK I'll prove to you that it works! Give me a year" Phil said, preparing to type my answer onto the weird device he bought from a garage sale. He said it could change the age of the person who held it but I didn't believe him.

"Hmm... What about 1980?" I replied. "The same year my dad was born".

He nodded, quickly tapping the date into the device and turning the screen to me. It showed his current date of birth followed by the one he just added. "Now just watch what happens". He pressed the button atop the device, then shoved it into his pocket. Nothing happened. I was about to brag about being right when a burst of electricity jumped from his pocket and surrounded him. I fell backwards in surprise as Phil literally aged years in seconds. His shirt tore apart as he sprouted up with height and muscle. His jeans fared better but the legs still split down the seams and the buttons flew off. Within moments, he'd grown from a pimply middle-schooler to a hirsute adult, towering over me with a wide grin on his bestubbled face. "So what do you think now?" he asked smugly in a rough baritone instead of his usual squeaky voice.

I stared at him bewildered for a moment, processing that the bear of a man before me really was my best friend Phil. Finally, I replied "Can I have a go?".

I didn't know why I was suddenly a boy again, but I knew I had to find my son to make sure he was OK. The beach wasn't busy yet I couldn't see him anywhere. Finally I found a secluded area where I saw a naked man pacing about nervously. He looked familiar but surely it wasn't him.

"Whatamigonnado... Whatamig- AAH!" he covered himself with a pair of ripped swimming trunks when he saw me. "I wasn't naked! I mean I was but not on purpose, honest! My shorts ripped after... I know it's ridiculous but I used to be your age and... Of course I used to, but I mean..."

"Oh my god" I interrupted. I knew that nervous speech pattern anywhere. "Rick? Is that really you?"

He stopped at the mention of his name. "How do you know my name?"

"Ricky, it's me. Your dad"

He looked more confused than ever. "Daddy?" he asked. He crouched down and squinted at me. "But you're so little!".

"Yeah, and you're so big. What the heck happened to us?"

Rick sat next to me on the sand and shrugged. "I dunno. I was on the beach and out of nowhere, I just grew up. My shorts ripped so I found this place to hide. How about you?".

I sighed. "Pretty much the same. It's a mystery alright... And until we solve it, I guess we'll have to play the part. Here, put these on". I chucked him the swimming trunks I was holding up around my waist. He quickly pulled them on and handed me his tattered pair in exchange.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I can't be the man of the house looking like this. You're the tall one with the deep voice and the hairy chest. You'll have to pretend to be me, and I'll be you, until we find a way to fix things. So let's go home. Dad".

Rick giggled in excitement before retaining his poseur and giving me a stern look. "OK son" he said, delving back into laughter. Well at least one of us is happy I guess.

I played with the enchanted rings while my neighbour stripped out of his clothes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"A bet's a bet, whatever the price. Hand it over". He snatched a ring from my hand and shimmied it over his cock and balls. I did the same and together, we spoke the words on the parchment. I could feel myself begin to get younger with every breath. I laughed giddily as my belly started to shrink. A newfound energy reared inside me and I almost leapt out of my wheelchair, confident I wouldn't need it now. I ran to a mirror and threw my glasses to the side as my vision cleared. I watched as my skin tightened and my hair grew back to its former auburn glory. It wasn't long before I was a young musclehead in my mid-twenties. I was bounding with energy, thrilled to be young again!

My neighbour, however, had the short end of the stick as he grew older with every breath. His muscles faded as his body bloated, packing on a gut. Hair regrew across his shaved chest while a moustache sprouted above his lips. His hair thinned and gradually lightened until it was mainly white. His skin roughened and wrinkled. While I admired my muscular body, his breathing grew haggard and he collapsed onto a chair. I quickly rushed to his side in concern. "Oh my god, are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. I guess aging so many years in a short time really saps up your energy. I'm pooped".

"We can swap back if you'd like, it's no big deal"

"Noooo! I'm a man of my word, we're not breaking the deal because I'm a little light-headed. Just go out and let me rest for a few hours. I'll be back on my feet in no time"

"Are you sure? I don't want to leave if you feel so uneasy"

"Of course I'm sure! Go and enjoy being a hot stud again while you can. I can tolerate maturity for the time being"

"Well at least let me help you get more comfortable". I grabbed my wheelchair and assisted him into it. As I rolled him to my bedroom and looked down at the old man, I mused to myself about being on the other side of the chair for once, And now I have the freedom to do things that I haven't in years! It's only for a week though so I better make the most of it!

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Thanks everyone for the welcome back! Now this is something I'm toying with. Multiple short stories with a similar theme, I'd like to do more but first I'd like to know what sort of themes people would like to see. Whether it's the people involved, like father/son swaps, or if it's how the change occurs, like cursed water, or even just a general connection, like revenge. Anything I can base about 3-5 separate stories on would do. Thanks again!

Identitea

Costume Shop 3

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Wishing Egg

Strange Boxers

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