Story: Lesson Unlearned
It was my turn to take care of Abuelita for the month, I honestly didnât mind it considering I hadn't seen her for more than a month now, but I went about it as normal as I possibly could. Though, it didn't take long for me to notice that something was different, she was staring at me, not like she hadnât before, but I could tell that she was expecting something. I couldnât ask because if I did, sheâd likely ask in Spanish, which was something my parents never bothered to teach me so there was this communication gap.Â
The day went on until she was the one who initiated the conversation, but she quickly frowned when she saw my confused expression. What she said was completely lost on me, I didnât have a clue what she asked at all, but she shook her head in disappointment before going silent for most of my stay at her home. I was traveling back to the apartment when my phone started ringing, it was my aunt.Â
âArthur, did something happen?â She immediately asks the second I picked up the call.
âNothing happened⌠Why?âÂ
She pauses for a moment. âWell, your Abuelitaâs been quieter compared to the last time you visited. In fact, she brought up the time when she tired out her throat was from talking to you back then. Have you been taking Spanish lessons lately?âÂ
âNoâŚâÂ
âAlright, I guess she was just having a moment. Thanks, Arthur.â She replied before dropping the call.Â
I stared out the window. âA month ago, huh?â
â
I was surprised the second I opened the door.Â
It was my roommate, Miguel, whoâs uncharacteristically holding up a glass of wine. He seemed to take in the taste before he notices me, by then, he quickly sets aside the wine glass before turning to me.Â
âArthur! Youâre back already!â He said in a nervous tone.Â
âYeah, I couldnât stay long since Iâm out of vacation days now.â I said and he seemed to frown at that response.
âSo⌠how was your Abuelita?â He asks awkwardly though I donât draw any attention to it.Â
âShe was fine, though she did seem to expect me to talk to her in Spanish. Did you really talk to her back then?â I ask and he doesnât look me in the eye.
âOf course, I did, I thought I was blending in so well until she told me how you never spoke a word of fluent Spanish to her before that.â He admitted.Â
I give him a lopsided grin. âDonât worry about it, everything worked out in the end, right? I mean, who would have thought that the one time I spend a vacation with you, would end up with us switching bodies?â
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The place Iâm staying at actually belonged to Miguel, so he was practically my roommate/landlord. We didnât really interact beyond when it was time to pay the bills but I noticed early on that he was fond of traveling and working out. So the point of me staying was to keep this place clean while he was out exploring.Â
It took about six months later when Miguel offered that I should travel with him for a few days to vacation at the beach. I couldnât say no, especially when he added that he was footing the expenses. It was nice when we finally made it to our destination, open skies, crystal clear waters, and the smell of seabreeze, it was a great vacation.Â
Though I did notice more of his habits, he was avoiding alcohol or anything âtoo heavyâ, clearly referring to foods with high calories. While he did insist that I try most of the stuff, I could feel like he was living vicariously through me during those moments. Even when I offered him a bite or two, he refused outright, telling me itâll be a pain to burn.Â
It was on our final day that he proposed to check out the seaside caves, since they were a well known attraction around these parts. I followed his lead as we entered the caves, fortunately the interior was well lit so we had no trouble moving around. That was when I noticed something shine in the distance, Miguel let me take the lead as we approached the source of the sparkle and found a white gemstone embedded in one of the caves stalagmites. Nothing happened when I tried to pull the gem out, neither when Miguel attempted as well, it was when we exert some force on it together that the gem sparkled and immediately felt lightheaded.Â
Miguel didnât oppose me when I suggested that we should walk out of the cave for a breather andâŚ
The second I stepped out of the caves, not only did the lightheadedness fade, but when I looked down, I suddenly found myself packing muscles, wearing different swim trunks, and a smartwatch. When I looked behind me, I found myself staring at my own body moving by its own volition. He seemed shocked to see me as well and thatâs when it clicked.Â
I was now Miguel and Miguel was now me.Â
We panicked obviously and didnât hesitate to rush back to find the gemstone to switch back. When we did find it, the gemstone had lost its luster, and nothing we did seemed to trigger what caused the switch in the first place. When we did some digging, we found out that it takes about two weeks for those gemstones to regain its shine, and nothing else could be done other than wait.Â
Miguel was VERY against the fact that I was now in control of all of his hard work, he made that clear. He stared at me like a hawk the moment food got served and he practically decided my plate for me, although, I think when the realization started to hit him, it hit him hard. He stared at all of the food and drinks that were basically sin for him to eat before the swap was now something he could do. It was⌠weird seeing my own body stuff itself but I know it was really Miguel in control⌠well he wasnât in control at that time since it looked like he was in heaven getting to eat things he forbade himself to eat prior to this.
He regained composure once he was done and he finally digested what seemed like a buffet to me. He assumed the role of my coach and quickly instructed me in the usual workouts he does without equipment, push ups, sit ups, pull ups, the list goes on. While he did stop me a bunch of times to fix my positioning, I never felt worn down, probably thanks to my newfound stamina. Eventually, I got the hang of doing home workouts without him keeping an eye on me.Â
While we did manage to find our footing, the two of us still had jobs along with our other obligations, meaning Miguel had to cover for me while I had to cover for him. It was honestly a mess since we basically had to lie our way through the two weeks we needed for the gemstone. We took a day off right when the gemstone was supposed to be recharged, we wasted no time getting there, and practically rushed into the cave to find the gemstone still there, and its shine had returned. We did exactly what we did the first time and⌠it worked. Miguel found himself in his own body and it was the same for me, although the sudden weight change was very noticeable, Miguel never really stopped eating even after we left. Either way, we immediately left the caves and traveled home to stabilize our lives again.Â
There were a lot of perks, for me, I could still do the workouts that Miguel taught me while we were swapped, not to mention, we talk more casually now, it was clear that we were practically friends after an experience like that. It really nails it now when Miguel offered me a gym membership so we could work out together, I couldnât say no, I felt like it was his way of apologizing for my weight gain. Beyond that, things were practically back to normal, although I do catch him staring whenever I bring food home.
â
â Present Time â
âActually, Arthur, not everything worked out in the end. Ever since I became you, I finally got to enjoy food again and not have to worry about the consequences. It felt so goodâŚâ He admitted to me although there was something unsettling about his tone that kinda scared me.Â
âC-Canât you just eat whatever you want and then burn the calories?â I suggested.
âIT DOESNâT WORK THAT WAY!â He snapped at me, the way he looked at me it was almost hungry, and whatever he had in mind⌠I was the prey. âI have a reputation to uphold and this body is part of that⌠I canât take it, I need that life back.âÂ
My eyes widened when he opened his travel suitcase, instead of the usual valuables, something rolled out of it. It was the gemstone from the caves.
âYou went back for the gemstone!? Have you lost your mind!?â
âThe only thing Iâm losing are these damn chains. Swap with me again, Arthur. GIVE ME YOUR LIFE!â I rushed for the door at that point, but in hindsight, there was no way I was ever outpacing Miguel considering his physique. He pinned me down on the floor with one hand while the other was prying one of my hands open, he shoves the gemstone into it the moment he gets the chance and the world goes darkâŚ
When I came to, I found my former body standing over me with the gemstone in his hands.
âEnjoy your life, Arthur-â Then he slams the gemstone against the floor, shattering it to countless pieces. âBecause youâre going to be Miguel Diaz from now on, foreverâŚâ
âMonths Laterâ
And⌠thatâs basically what happened, Miguel basically swapped our bodies again, and he really made sure to make it permanent. I still have the shards in Miguel, or to be more accurate, my room. None of the shards seem to shine no matter how much time has passed.Â
Could I return to the caves? I could, but then Iâd be arrested. Miguel got himself blacklisted from the area when he stole the gemstone that he used to make the switch. And as far as anyone else was concerned, I was Miguel now, so even if I wanted to go grab another gemstone, the people would definitely recognize me and have me arrested. There was no point asking Miguel since he wanted this in the first place.
Was I angry at him? I was, but there wasnât any point to confront him about it, even if I screamed at him or even beat him up, it wasnât going to switch us back. So I sorta just resigned myself to being Miguel in the end. It wasnât that hard now that it happened the second time, his routines were basically second nature to me at this point. Overtime, I did see what he meant by reputation. If I even buy myself some milk tea or something to treat myself, the people who know Miguel were quick to throw their remarks about how heâs ruining his body.Â
Meanwhile, Miguel finally had his fill of eating food that was basically banned from him, while he still eats very casually, way more than I did, heâs been going to the gym to make sure that the weight doesnât become a problem. Beyond that, he got into the role of being me rather quickly without any hiccups. While I did lose a lot of freedom in the food department, I still could eat and buy whatever I liked as long as I tuned out the comments and put some extra time into the gym to make up for it. Yes, he forcefully swapped our bodies, but it wasnât like I got the short end of the stick here.
Itâs an amazing body, and now that Iâve gotten a handle on how to be Miguel, I canât say I got a horrible deal as long as I keep doing what he used to do. Iâll need to confront him about the switch as soon as the honeymoon phase of me being in this body ends⌠which I doubt is coming since Iâve come to enjoy what he does.Â
⌠Yeah, I can definitely see myself enjoying this life better than he did. He can keep mine for all I care at this point. After all, I am Miguel Diaz.Â
















