My coworker's gift - Part 1 (Patreon)

In the dimly lit office of the Body Swap Clinic, Kathie frantically shuffled through folders of files, her fingertips grazing the papers with a sense of urgency. “Come on,” she whispered. “It has to be here. Why can’t I find anything from last week? It’s like the folder’s gone.” The only illumination was the pale glow from a single desk lamp, casting long shadows that danced with her every movement as she searched for her answers. “Please … please…”

Every second counted, and the oppressive weight of the clock ticking seemed to intensify the sweat that formed on her brow. She was desperate to find just one document, one piece of evidence that would reveal Ada's whereabouts. “She can’t have gone far – I thought everything was documented. She couldn’t have left the city … they put trackers on us for a reason.” Yet here she was, struggling to find the paper trail for everything. She couldn’t even find the trackers on the computer in the hallway – they either never installed them, or they deactivated them somehow. “But why? Why would they do this?” She gritted her teeth. “Ada, why the fuck did you screw me over like this?”

Ada wasn't just anyone – she was somebody close. She was Kathie's coworker, and more than that, she was a friend. They had worked side by side at a busy supermarket. Their friendship was an odd pairing to outsiders, since Ada was a friendly 80-year-old woman while Kathie was 19-years-old. She always felt bad for the older woman. While most senior citizens were basking in the golden years of retirement, Ada still toiled in the day-to-day grind, which was the consequence of a pension that barely kept the lights on.

That was when Kathie decided to do the unthinkable – the nicest possible thing she could come up with. For Ada's landmark 80th birthday, Kathie, in a moment of heartfelt generosity, proposed a temporary body swap. It was a week-long agreement, a chance for Ada to revisit her younger self while Kathie would gain insight into the world of the elderly. It was a proposal that came from a place of compassion, and it was a gift that seemed more valuable than any material possession. They both booked time off and entered metal pods that physically transferred their minds into their new bodies.

However, as the week drew to a close, Ada was nowhere to be found. Days turned to weeks, and Kathie's worry grew exponentially. Ada had disappeared, leaving Kathie imprisoned in the fragile frame of an 80-year-old. Not only was her friend missing, but every piece of evidence pointing to their body swap had vanished. It was as if the swap never happened. The world saw her as Ada, the elderly woman, not as Kathie, the vibrant young soul trapped within. “Did she do something to the files? Did she make a deal to remove all proof?”

Lamenting her choice and feeling the despair of her situation, Kathie became desperate. If she could find the paper trail that documented their swap, she could prove the truth. But as minutes turned to hours in the darkened office, hope seemed to slip further and further away.

Unfortunately, the sound of a door creaking open interrupted her frantic search. Before she could react, the room was flooded with light. Two police officers and a staff member from the clinic stood in the doorway, their faces a mix of sternness and shock. The trio quickly closed in, their presence causing Kathie's heart to race even faster. The staff member spoke first. “She triggered the silent alarm a few hours ago. I was too scared to go in myself.”

Cornered and fearful, Kathie tried to gather her wits. She wanted to explain everything. Her voice quivered as she began, trying to tell them about the body swap, about the missing Ada, and how she was the real victim here. Her words, however, seemed to fall on deaf ears. “That’s impossible,” the staff member said. “Everything is documented. We don’t delete files.” Their expressions remained unchanged, and in the blink of an eye, cold metal handcuffs were clasped around her wrists.