Spellbound

Eric stared at Ben in disbelief, his eyes darting between his friend's face and the crumpled form on the floor. The bookcase loomed ominously overhead, its shelves askew and books scattered everywhere.

"This can't be happening," Ben muttered, running his hands through his hair, "We were just messing around with that stupid spell. It wasn't supposed to actually work!"

Eric knelt beside his unconscious wife, now in his friend, Ben’s body, "I can’t feel a pulse. We need to get her to a hospital."

“No…” Ben gasped, “But that means… If she...Could I be trapped in her body forever?"

Ben's voice came out higher-pitched, unfamiliar. He looked down at his hands—her hands—small and delicate, with painted nails. The reality of the situation hit him like a freight train.

As Eric frantically called an ambulance, Ben stumbled towards a mirror hanging on the wall. He gasped at the reflection staring back at him—Sarah's face, Sarah's body, but with his own panicked expression.

"Oh God, oh God," he whispered, touching the unfamiliar features, "This is impossible."

The sound of sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder with each passing second. Ben's heart—Sarah's heart—raced in his chest as he tried to process what had happened. He turned back to Eric, who was performing CPR on his own body, lying motionless on the floor.

"Eric, what are we going to tell them?" Ben asked, his voice shaking, "They'll never believe us!"

Eric paused his compressions, sweat beading on his forehead, "We'll figure it out later. Right now, we need to save her—you—whatever!"

The front door burst open, and paramedics rushed in with a stretcher. Ben stumbled backward, pressing himself against the wall as they swarmed around his body. He watched in horror as they attached electrodes and began shocking his chest.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" One of the paramedics approached Ben, mistaking him for Sarah. "You look pale. Please, sit down."

Ben nodded weakly, sinking into a nearby armchair. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the scene unfolding before him—his own body being worked on by the medical team, Eric hovering anxiously nearby.

"Clear!" A paramedic shouted, and Ben flinched as they shocked his body again. His mind reeled, trying to make sense of the situation. How had a simple spell from an old book led to this nightmare?

But Sarah wasn’t waking up. The paramedics quickly packed away their equipment and lifted her onto a stretcher.

“I’ll go with them. You can stay here,” Eric yelled.

Ben watched helplessly as the paramedics whisked his body away, Eric following close behind. As the sirens faded into the distance, he was left alone in the suddenly quiet house, trapped in Sarah's body.

What if she never woke up? What if he was truly trapped in Sarah's body forever?

Ben caught sight of his reflection in the mirror again, Sarah's wide, terrified eyes staring back at him. He stumbled closer, gripping the edge of the dresser for support. The unfamiliar weight of Sarah's body, the cascade of long hair falling over his shoulders—it was all too much.

"Pull yourself together," he whispered to his reflection, Sarah's voice sounding alien to his ears, "You need to think."

He forced himself to take deep breaths, Sarah's chest rising and falling beneath the unfamiliar weight of her breasts. He had to stay calm, had to figure out what to do next.

His gaze fell on the wedding ring on Sarah’s skinny finger. Ben's fingers trembled as he twisted the wedding ring, a symbol of Eric and Sarah's love.

If Sarah didn't wake up, he'd have to convince everyone he was her. The thought made him nauseous.