We seemed to run out of things to say to each other. Brian went back to playing his video game. I just sat
on the couch and thought about things. Maybe Brian was right and my wish made things a little too complex.
It was something to consider. But I was not convinced. How could he make such a determination after one
experience anyway? I felt that the matter needed more…investigation, so to speak.
It took me a little while of just sitting with my thoughts, but I came up with an idea. “Brian, how much are
you making right now?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he replied.
“Ballpark it, will ya?” I requested.
“I think it’s supposed to be about $35,000 a year,” he said.
“Gross or net?” I asked.
“Gross,” he said.
“Hmm,” I said. “That’s about the same for me.”
“Well what do you expect?” said Brian. “We’re just out of college, entry level. We’re going to be on the low
end.”
“Naturally,” I said. “I’ll bet there’s a way we could make a lot more.”
“Phfft,” he scoffed. “Sure there is. Crystal meth lab?”
“No,” I answered. “Sex.”
Brian paused his game and looked at me. “Just how would we get paid for sex?” he asked with irritation clear
in his voice. I responded by smiling out of one side of my mouth. Suddenly it dawned on Brian what I meant.
“Are you out of your mind?” he yelled.
“Not at all,” I said. “I think I’ve got a good plan. Why don’t you listen to it before you fly off the
handle?”
He sighed in disgust. “Fine, fine, let’s hear the dumbest, craziest, most ridiculous thing that’s ever
entered your mind,” he said.
“Here’s what I figure. We both liked what we just did. I want to feel that again, and I think you do, too,”
I said. He looked about to protest but I didn’t give him the chance. “Deny it all you want, but you
practically admitted it,” I said. “So if we want to do that again, I say why not get paid for it? Obviously
there could be a lot of problems. But that’s what this ring is for. From what I’ve seen so far, I can’t
think of a scenario where the ring can’t help us or protect us. Go ahead, name a problem and I’ll have the
solution,” I challenged him.
“Easy,” Brian answered. “Cops.”
“I can wish for any cops to ignore us,” I said.
Brian pondered for a moment. “OK, I guess,” he said. “How about diseases, pregnancy? Other prostitutes?
Worse, how about pimps?”
“Again, I can wish for other prostitutes and pimps to ignore us, just like cops,” I explained. “I can wish
that we can’t get pregnant. I can wish that we can’t get diseases, either.”
“Starting to sound a little too convenient,” he complained.
“Hey,” I said. “It’s not my fault that the ring can do what it can do. Any other objections?”
“Yea, how ‘bout our real jobs?” he asked. “I’d still like to have a real job.”
“Me too,” I said. “I think there’s a couple of options we have. We can wish it so that we’re on vacation or
leave of absence or something. We could probably make it so that we’d still get paid, too. Or if you
honestly still want to go to it either day, we can wish it so that we wouldn’t feel fatigued or tired at our
real jobs no matter how much sleep we may or may not get.”
“I think I like the latter idea better, to be honest,” he said. “Sounds like less complications.”
“Not worried about sensory overload or anything?” I asked.
“I suppose we’d find out,” he answered. “When do you propose to start this little endeavor?”
“Why not tonight?” I said. “Do you have something else better to do?”
“No,” answered Brian. “But I’m still a little worried about being…dumb like that. Are we sure that our alter
egos can handle themselves properly and how we want them to?”
“I have already wished that I won’t forget how to use the ring as a woman,” I said.
“But it’s not that,” said Brian. “What if something completely unexpected, that you haven’t thought of, that
requires quick thinking happens and you’re slow to react?”
“I guess I’ll need to make another wish to cover that,” I said.
“Such as?” he asked.
“To wish that if an unexpected situation that required a quick, snap decision arose, I would know exactly what
to do,” I said.
“Who is going to make these wishes?” asked Brian. “You or Barbie?”
I thought for a second. “I suppose Barbie will have to,” I said. “Since if I do it, the ring might interpret
it as you and me, not Barbie and Briana.”
“Better write it all down for her,” he muttered.
“Yea, good idea,” I said. I got off the couch and went back into the kitchen. We kept a small pad on the
refrigerator. I took it down and began to write down everything that we needed to be wished.
“Make it legible,” said Brian as he walked into the kitchen.
It took me a few minutes but I finally got down everything I needed. At the top of the paper I wrote, “Barbie
– make these wishes. OR DON”T GO OUT!” I showed it to Brian and asked, “Think she’ll get it?”
“She’d better,” he answered. “Notice how we’re referring to her in the third person.”
“Yea,” I said. “I think that’s what we’d better do. We’ll share bodies and memories and know what the other
has done, but otherwise we’ll be separate.”
“Hey, here’s a wish you’d better make yourself,” said Brian. “Make sure that no one in this building notices
different people going in and out.”
“You mean make sure that nobody notices Barbie and Briana?” I asked.
“Well…while we’re…they’re in the building at least,” he answered.
“OK,” I said. “I wish that no one in our apartment building will notice Barbie and Briana ever going in and
out of our apartment.”
Brian picked up the glass. “Where’s the water?” he asked.
I retrieved it from the refrigerator. “Why do you want it?” I asked him back.
“Barbie seems to think it’s what changes us,” he said. “Might as well keep it that way.”
“OK,” I said. “I wish that whenever we drink water from this glass and this glass only, that we’ll turn into
Barbie and Briana. And I wish that when Barbie and Briana drink water from this glass and this glass only,
they will turn back into us.”
I poured the water into the glass. As I did so Brian quickly stripped off his clothes. “Don’t feel like
having to repair the shirt again,” he said. “And frankly I don’t care if you see my dick.”
I decided to follow suit and removed my clothing as well. “Back at ya, pal,” I joked. “Mine’s bigger
anyway.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Brian said as he snatched the glass away from me. “Let’s do this before I come to my
senses.” He quickly downed the glass and slid it back to me. I filled and emptied it as quickly as I could.
The changes began just as quickly as they had before, but they were different this time. “Look, our hair is
changing first,” I said.
“Yea, our faces, too,” added Brian. He was right as I felt my face alter back into a female shape. The
changes continued in almost exactly the reverse order as before. Our genitals changed sexes, our legs and
arms thinned, and our feet and hands grew smaller. Our fingernails lengthened. Our stomachs flattened,
waists narrowed, hips grew wider and asses grew larger. Our voices changed just as our breasts blossomed out
again.
The last change was the mental change again. I felt my normal thoughts, feelings and likes going away. Then
everything grew hazy for a minute and finally…