Playing our roles

James and Brian were enjoying a weekend at a country house. As always, they had brought their video games, cell phones, and plenty of snacks. They’d been inseparable since childhood, and Brian was practically family—invited to every event, dinner, and trip. Everything was perfectly normal... until the night before.

They woke up to social media in chaos and TV alerts announcing the unthinkable: a massive global body swap had occurred. No explanation. No warning. Total confusion.

That warm morning, James sat on the porch, elbows resting on his knees, eyes fixed on the stone path below. The gate creaked, and he slowly looked up as he heard footsteps. Then he froze.

“What are you doing out here?” Brian asked casually.

James stared at him for a moment too long. It wasn’t easy to process: Brian was now in his mother’s body. And he was wearing… light blue lace lingerie, nearly see-through, like it was the most natural thing in the world. A short robe fluttered slightly in the breeze. He looked way too comfortable.

“Thinking about life, obviously. Trying to wrap my head around the fact that I’m in my dad’s body… you’re in my mom’s… and my dad’s in my little sister’s,” James said, eyes tired. Then he stood up and looked Brian over. “Dude, what the hell are you wearing?”

“Your mom’s clothes, obviously. What else was I supposed to wear? My own clothes don’t fit anymore,” Brian replied, giving a small spin to show off the outfit.

“Go put on something decent, please…”

“No way. I like this. It’s hot out, and honestly? These clothes feel good. Like, really good. And dude, your mom has an amazing body. I get now why your dad—you, I guess—is so lucky. And trust me, there are even better outfits in her suitcase. So in a way, I’m kinda chillin’.”

James ran a hand down his face, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare.

“This is insane. I can’t believe you’re actually enjoying this...” he muttered.

“Look, your mom’s totally happy inside playing video games with your little sister,” Brian replied, still calm. “Your dad’s having a blast playing house with dolls. Everyone’s somehow... okay. So why don’t we just go with it too? I mean, we could start playing our roles.”

James was speechless. The idea sounded like a bad joke. Or maybe it was a collective hallucination, a bizarre dream.

But part of him started to wonder—what if this was permanent? What if there was no going back? Sooner or later, reality would set in. And maybe, just maybe... it would all start to feel normal.