The Family Wish

Felix was still getting used to the strange sensation of having long, heavy hair falling down his back when the headache returned, throbbing behind his eyes.

He opened the front door, the afternoon sun hitting the face that was no longer his, and called back into the house without even bothering to turn around completely.

“I'm dying of a headache. I need to get some fresh air and clear my head. I promise I'll help look for that stupid coin when I get back. I still don't understand why the hell Josh threw the thing out the window after wishing for everyone in this house to get along better... What an idiot. He should've wished for money.”

The words came out in a high, sweet voice that sounded completely wrong to his ears.

Felix grimaced—or at least tried to.

It was surprisingly difficult to look properly annoyed when he was wearing his niece's face.

Inside, Felix was still furious.

That damn old coin was something Josh had supposedly “found” at a flea market. According to him, it was some kind of lucky charm. After another miserable family argument, Josh had apparently decided to test it.

His wish had been simple.

I wish this messed-up family would finally understand each other.

Apparently, the universe had a very strange sense of humor.

Instead of making the family more understanding, the mysterious magic behind the coin had decided that the best way for everyone to “understand each other” was to literally put them in one another's bodies.

And now Felix was stuck in his niece's body.

His niece.

The same girl he had spent years complaining about.

“That girl has no sense of decency. Walking around the house dressed like that! What would her father think?”

Well...

Now Felix knew exactly what it felt like.

He looked down at himself and groaned.

He was wearing the exact same outfit his niece had been wearing earlier: a silky white blouse with an outrageously low neckline and a small opening across the stomach, paired with a ridiculously short miniskirt that swayed with every movement.

The fabric felt completely different against his skin. Every step reminded him that this wasn't his body anymore. Even the slightest breeze in the backyard made the skirt flutter around his legs, which only made him more self-conscious.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered.

He reached up and ran a hand through the long, dark hair spilling over his shoulders. A strand immediately fell across his face.

He pushed it away with an irritated sigh.

Then he caught his reflection in the glass of the front door.

For a moment, he just stared.

That face stared back at him.

His niece's face.

Felix quickly looked away.

“Nope. Not thinking about that.”

He took a deep breath and stepped outside.

The warm afternoon air touched his skin, and the headache seemed to ease slightly. At least that was something.

He walked a few steps down the path, the unfamiliar skirt moving around his legs with every stride.

“Stupid Josh...” he grumbled under his breath, hearing that strange feminine voice again. “When I find that stupid coin, I'm going to—”

He stopped.

There was no point finishing the threat. Josh was probably hiding somewhere, and everyone else was just as confused as he was.

Besides, finding the coin was the only thing that mattered.

If the coin had caused all of this, then maybe destroying it—or making another wish—would put everything back the way it was.

Felix glanced toward the overgrown yard where the coin had supposedly landed.

Great.

A tiny magical coin.

Somewhere in that mess.

He stared at the weeds for several seconds.

“Of course.”

He sighed and continued walking toward the street, hoping the fresh air would help with his headache.

The warm sunlight felt pleasant against his skin, and the sound of leaves rustling in the breeze almost managed to calm him down.

Almost.

With every step, though, the movement of the miniskirt reminded him of the same uncomfortable truth.

For now, he wasn't Felix.

He was his niece.

And until they found that stupid coin, he was apparently going to have to live with it.

Because, honestly...

Finding one tiny coin in all that overgrown grass was probably going to be the easiest part of this whole family disaster.

What would YOU wish for if you found a mysterious magical coin?
Hopefully, it wouldn't involve swapping bodies with a member of your family!

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