The Swap Hotel

 

“Why are you looking at me like that? It’s the only hotel in town with vacancies!” said Matthew, trying to sound confident.

His stepmom, Alice, folded her arms and sighed. “Fine. But if we’re doing this swap weekend experiment, there will be rules. You respect my body at all times. And if you need to use the bathroom, the door stays open — I need to know you’re not doing anything ridiculous.”

Matthew rolled his eyes. “Relax, it’s not like I want to be you anyway.”

They sat on the edge of the bed as the hotel manager—a cheerful woman with a strange pendant—handed them each a glowing bracelet. “Put these on,” she said. “They’ll activate when the clock strikes ten.”

A flash of light filled the room. When it faded, both Alice and Matthew gasped.

Matthew looked down at himself, wide-eyed. “Whoa—”

“Don’t even think about it,” Alice warned, glaring at him from inside his body.

She turned toward the mirror and groaned. “Oh, your skin is so dry! Do you even use moisturizer?” She rubbed her chin, frowning at the scratchy feeling of stubble. “Ugh. I just want to get this night over with.”

Alice shuffled awkwardly into Matthew’s oversized pajamas, bumping into furniture as she went. “Eyes closed!” she muttered, determined not to see too much of his body. Matthew, meanwhile, tried to pull on her nightgown and grumbled about how “complicated” everything was.

When the lights finally went out, both were miserable. Alice hated feeling clumsy and heavy; Matthew hated how fragile and uncomfortable her body seemed to be. 

Morning came with a scream. Alice—now waking in Matthew’s body—sat up in panic, clutching a pillow to her chest. “No one told me this would feel so weird!” she shouted.

They hurried to dress and leave the hotel, eager to end the nightmare. As soon as they stepped through the lobby doors, a second flash returned them to normal.

Alice immediately turned to him. “Matthew, you didn’t even bother to put everything on properly!”

He shrugged sheepishly. “Hey, your clothes are complicated.”

Alice just sighed, rubbing her temples. “Let’s never speak of this again.”

But as they drove away, Matthew glanced back at the glowing sign of the Swap Hotel and smirked.

“Maybe I’ll bring my girlfriend next time…”