A sharp object connected with the back of her head, and her arm got caught in some branches from a fallen tree. Ellen hearda snap and felt sharp pain. Her heart raced as the pain radiated through her body, and she continued to fall.
As she rolled, she stopped focusing on the tether. She trusted it to still be there and focused instead on protecting her head and staying awake.
She landed at the bottom of the gorge with a thud. Her body was a broken mess. Fear gripped her as she could feel that she most certainly had several broken bones. The wind was knocked from her lungs as she gasped to refill her air supply.
Panicked, she tested her tether. If she lost the connection, then she was doomed down here. Her magical tether still felt strong, her hold ready for her to do her part. It beckoned her in a way, calling her to make the switch, and she happily obliged the call.
In a flash, she was out of the woods and sitting in Richard’s dining room across from Margaret, no broken bones, no tangled mess of a body.
Ellen was now Richard. For the first time, she was a man.
Margaret locked eyes with him. Her piercing blues flashed a look of bewilderment across her face. Ellen—now Richard—worried that the switch was evident. He stared back at her, waiting to see if she would start to scream and panic. Margaret did neither of those.
As a man, Richard felt even more unnatural in the new body. In his previous switches, it had only taken a few moments to adjust. Now, he felt like a parasite forcing its way into an uncooperative host.
The pants wrapped around his legs felt like a new kind of prison.Hot.He felt hot and sticky and wanted nothing more than to get all of the clothing off his body and cool down.
The chair’s legs scraped against the solid wood floor, and his calves pressed against them as he stood. Margaret jumped in her seat, her gaze still transfixed on her husband.
“Excuse me.” He darted from the room, avoiding Margaret’s wide eyes and slack jaw.
Upstairs, he opened doors quickly until a top hat and a pair of men’s dress gloves assured him he had found the correct room. The door slammed shut behind him, and his pulse pounded. The suit felt like a creature clinging to his hot, moist skin, like it threatened to suffocate him.
His fingers worked to remove every article of clothing until he stood naked in the middle of the room. The cool air produced chill bumps that formed against the warm sweat that beaded on his skin.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. And whatever you do, don’t look down.
A timid knock rapped against the door. Richard whipped his head in its direction.
“Go away! I am not feeling well.” His voice was surprisingly steady as the truth spilled out from him.
“Richard, please talk to me. What’s happened? Let me in.” The doorknob rattled as Margaret attempted to enter the room.
“I said go away!” He projected more than he intended. Anger bubbled just under the surface of his emotions. It was going to take practice to keep them in check.
Richard stood still, naked and chilled. He waited until he finally heard the retreat of Margaret’s footsteps down the hallway.
He pulled back the covers of the bed, and the top hat and gloves tumbled off, joining the pile of discarded clothing on the floor.
The silk felt watery against his rough, hairy skin. He fisted the sheets up against his chin and stared up at the ceiling.
This is going to take some getting used to.He gulped.Just get it over with. You’ve been married to a man; it’s not like youhaven’t seen a naked man before.He gulped again. Anger came easily, but bravery seemed to be in short supply.Typical.
He released a grip on the sheets and slowly slid his hands across his body, his mind aligned with the physical, and after a few minutes, his heart rate slowed. His breathing evened out, and soon a yawn escaped without warning. His eyes grew heavy as the weight of the switch overcame him.
I’m Richard. Theresa’s gone. Abigail’s gone. Jane’s gone. I can’t look back. I need to look ahead. I’m Richard. I’m Richard.
A fist poundedagainst the door, and Richard shot up straight in bed. Disoriented, he took a moment to take in his surroundings. The red silk sheets, drenched in sweat, were stuck to his body. He peeled the sheets from his skin as he stood.
Richard took a deep breath and turned to face the mirror.
Open your eyes, you wantwit!He stood upright.Wantwit? Where did that word come from?He shook his head and returned back to the task at hand and looked at his new body in the reflection.
The suspense was worse than the results. Richard realized that he looked like a normal man, nothing out of the ordinary, just like Samuel when he was Jane.
He shook his head at the ridiculousness of the situation.Why didn’t I just switch with Margaret?A robe hung on the back of a nearby door, and he shrugged it on as a new round of knocks shook the door.
“Richard, it’s Kyle and Margaret. Please open the door. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”
