"ok, come with me. Both you and that donkey will need some serious therapy. Right now, you cannot be around him. You're too emotional, and we need the donkey parts of his brain to make serious connections with the human parts of his brain. It will take much longer to do, the more you treat him and talk to him like a human."
"But. He is a human. At least, his brain is."
"Correction," said Dr. Stevens. "He WAS a human. His brain is now only half human. And his body is entirely donkey. We need the donkey brains to make serious connections and inroads into his human brains."
"Why? Why do you-"
"Because," sighed the therapist. "In order to survive with that body, he needs to be able to walk and life about how his kind is meant to. He also needs to eat like the donkey he now is. The donkey parts of his brain is supposed to take over his body's movements in order to survive. Right now, his human intellect is mostly in control. And the more you treat him like a human, the longer hell maintain control over the body."
"Does that....does that mean that he would end "going for a ride" in that body? And have no way whatsoever?"
"No. It shouldn't be that way. It should be more like, he becomes more comfortable with what he is."
"'shouldn't?' 'should'?"
"We are not entirely certain."
"Oh God. So he will be doomed to live the life of a snelly old beast of burden?"
"Yes. That is what will happen."
"What's his life span exactly? That Spud wasn't exactly a young donkey."
"We have given him an experimental anti-aging serum. There's no reason his life span couldn't span less than several human generations."
"But. You can't just-"
"Oh yes we can. He's a donkey. He has no rights. Animal testing has been approved at this facility "
I didn't know what to think. That disgusting, obnoxious, 500 lb animal contains the brain of my 16 year old son. And his body contains my brain. I look down at my thin body. Flat chest and all. Wearing his clothes, as him. I shudder.
"Right this way, 'DAVID'."
There's a long table with a couple of chairs, and done papers.
"Sit right here," said Dr. Stevens.
I sit. In front of me, is a bunch of old homework papers and tests. With David's name written on each one.
"This here is now YOUR old school work," said the therapist.
"This is what you'll be studying and getting to know."
"But. I already graduated from-'
The Dr. Interrupts me again. "You signed an NDA. A Non Disclosure Agreement."
"Yes, I know what can NDA is."
"Good. Very well. You must learn to act like David. To BE David. Nobody is to know that you switched bodies with him, and he with a donkey. At least. For now."
I looked at him in consternation.
"We'll also be going over his schedule, his teachers, and his classmates. And his relationship with each one."
Over the next several hours, that is exactly what we did.