“Mum, this is insanity!” you say.
Jessica's voice is a thin, high-pitched squeak coming from your panicked lips.
“What's wrong with her?” asks Jessica from within your body.
“Oh nothing, Austin,” laughs mum mysteriously. “It's just a small, side effect from an experiment I did on your little sister. It has nothing to do you with you, Austin. Why don't you run along and play video games or something.”
“Okay, whatever,” answers Jessica – the New Austin.
You watch in horror as your old body trudges off to live what used to be your life.
“Mum, why are you doing this to me?” you shriek.
“Pay attention, please!” snaps your mother. “I've told you once: it's part of a vital experiment of mine. And it kills two birds with one stone, as I believe this will teach you and your sister an important lesson. The both of you need to stop bickering constantly and start cooperating a little. Spending a little time inside the other person's skin ought to do the trick nicely.”
“How long?” you ask flatly.
“That all depends on your behavior, young lady,” says mom with a smile. “It could be a week … or a month … or even a few years.”
You gasp at the thought of spending years in your little sister's body. You'd have to go to school as her, grow up as her, actually BE her both day and night, month after month, celebrating birthdays as her.
“Mum, please, there's got to be some way I can change your mind!” you say pleadingly.
“This isn't a punishment, Austin … or should I say, Jessica,” Mum says with a playful smile. “My purpose in doing this is twofold: 1) to educate you about how it feels to be a five-year old sister with an unkind older brother who constantly teases her. And 2) to advance the cause of science by carefully observing the two of you for unusual side effects induced by the BSM.”
“I'd say you've already found one unusual side effect,” you mutter, gesturing upstairs to where Jessica had gone with your body.
“Actually, I anticipated a high probability of one or the other of you two undergoing a mental transposition,” says your mum.
“In English please?” you say.
“There was a good chance the BSM would give one or the other of you the other person's memories and personality,” answers your mother. “Jessica actually thinks she is you. She remembers everything you knew, she has all of your skills and abilities, and her mental disposition – the way she reacts to people and situations – is now identical to yours. For all intents and purposes, she is an exact copy of you mentally.”
“Is that going to happen to me?” you ask with a shudder. You hate the thought of losing your identity and becoming a five-year old girl mentally. It's bad enough you're stuck in your little sister's body!
“I don't think so,” your mother says gently. “If you were going to gain any significant degree of Jessica's mentality, I believe it would have already occurred. No, Austin, your situation is actually far more challenging. For the duration of this experiment, you will have to pretend to be Jessica … and do so without the benefit of her memories or personality.”
“You want me to act like a five-year old girl?” you gasp.
“Yes,” says mum with a smile. “It's all in the name of science … and of course in the interest of teaching you something about tolerance towards your sister.”
You look down glumly at your tiny body, and tug nervously at the hem of your dress.
“So, 'Jessica,' tell me please,” says your mother. “Do I have your cooperation? Will you play the role of five-year old Jessica for, say, the next week at minimum?”
You silently contemplate your situation: wearing your little sister's dresses and skirts, going to school as her, playing with her friends, sleeping in her bed, wearing her pajamas, playing with her dolls … and getting picked on and ridiculed by your big brother 'Austin.'
You hate it!
But do you really have a choice here?
“Or, if you refuse,” continues mum. “I do have some other inventions I would love to experiment with, seeing as I have a perfect test subject already down in the basement with me.”
She gestures to a shelf full of blinking, electronic devices of an unknown nature to you.
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