David age 16 POV
As we all sat at the table and started digging through our bowls of spaghetti, I knew something was wrong. My four year old brother Brad (short for Bradley) was enthusiastically eating and making a mess, and older siblings Mariah and Lucas were casually throwing insults at each other. Lucas was twenty and still living at home while attending community college. Mariah was eighteen and still in high school and often bumped heads with him on just about everything, so everything looked normal on that side. However, Mom and Dad were abnormally silent. Too silent. They had an announcement to make, and we probably wouldn't like it. As if on cue, Mom spoke up.
"Kids," she started. "We would like your attention. We have something important to say."
"Earlier today, I was contacted by my friend Larry," Dad continued.
"He's that scientist guy, right?" Lucas asked.
"Yes, that's him. He offered me a solution for our money problem. His company will completely pay for our mortgage, and throw in an extra fifty thousand dollars... on the condition that two of us become test subjects in an experiment."
"What kind of experiment?" I asked. This was getting interesting.
"Body swapping," Dad said. I was amazed that he managed to say that without laughing. "He has found a way to swap two people's bodies, and he needs to test it on someone."
"Sounds weird but let's just do it!" Mariah said. "Let's just have two of us swap bodies for a week, and then all our problems are solved, right?"
"Unfortunately, it's not that simple," Dad replied. "There's a flaw in the process he's using. He can swap two people, but he can't switch them back, or with anyone else. If we do it, it's permanent."
"We still think we should consider it, however," Mom said. "After all, we do need the money. That's why we're putting it to a vote. I think we should go ahead with it, and so does your father."
"I think... I think we should do it," I said. "I don't really want to be someone else, but you're right: we do need the money."
"I'm with David here," Mariah added. "Besides, being someone else can't be that bad, I guess."
"There is no way I'm doing this!" Lucas yelled. "I'm not giving away my life for you guys."
"I wanna do body thwapping!" Brad said excitedly. "Da mean I can be a gwowed up, wight?"
I am always impressed by this little boy’s perceptiveness. He’s clever, you've got to give him that. So that makes five against one, meaning...
"Then I suppose we're doing this," Dad said.
"We've thought about it a lot, and we decided that the best way to choose who swaps is to pick at random," Mom explained. "We'll put all of our names in a bowl, and pick two."
Since no one really wanted to be the one to swap, we all agreed that this was indeed the best way to proceed. Mom went into the kitchen, and came back two minutes later with a large bowl, several pieces of paper and a pen. She set the bowl on the table and handed the pen and paper to Dad, who started writing our names. It wasn't long before there was an interruption:
"Why are you putting my name in there?" Lucas whined. "I said I wasn't doing this."
"Yes you did," Mom said, "but, for the sake of being fair, we think your name should be in there too. And quite frankly, your attitude these days makes us think that maybe being someone else would do you some good."
"Ugh.. I don't believe this."
"Moving on," said Dad. "I think we're all set."
He dropped the papers into the bowl, and mixed them with his hand. He then handed the bowl to Mom, who picked a paper. After unfolding it, she announced the unlucky winner.
"David."
Wait, me? I was going to swap? I could hardly believe it, and yet it was true. Soon, I would be in someone else's body, for the rest of my life. Mom put the paper with my name on the table for everyone to see, sealing my fate. She then put her hand back in the bowl, took another piece of paper, and announced the name of the person I'd become.