Greg Makes A Switch

Greg woke, and gave himself a mental high-five.

“I made it!”

“The switch worked! General Anderson’s life is mine!”

“But something’s wrong, why am I so unsteady on my feet, and what are these bars for?”

Before he could clear his eyes enough to try and figure out what had happened, a large man came into the room, and looked at him.

“But it cant be you! I took your life!”

General Anderson frowned and said, “No, you didnt. The monk who taught you how to astral project figured out what you wanted to do, and protected my soul so you couldnt make the switch. But even he couldnt guess that instead of going back to your own body - which was dying from the poison you took just before the switch - you somehow ended up in the nearest body whose soul was not protected. My baby daughter’s”

“I .... I’m a baby? A girl?” No! I’ll switch again ...”

“No, you wont. Your body is probably dead by now, and I wont allow you to take another life in your quest to get what you havent earned. The monk has placed a shield around this body. You cannot switch, this is your life, from now on. And he managed to save my baby’s soul, so that in a moment she will be back in her body as well.”

“But two souls, in one body? What will happen to me?”

“You’ll be buried in her subconscious, unable to control her body, not even able to influence her mind. A helpless passenger in her life. You get to experience her growing up into a woman, maybe even finding a man, having kids of her own, but you will never be able to do anything about any of it.”

Then the expression on the infant changed, and she said, “P...papa?”

“Yes, sweetie. Papa’s here. Papa is always here. Go back to sleep.”

The small child complied, laying back down and closing her eyes. The general gave her a pacifier, and watched her until she fell asleep.

‘i owe you, old man.” he whispered to the ghostly image in the corner of the room.

“My pleasure, old friend.” The spirit of the monk said, and faded out.

The general went back to his own room to get some sleep. Having a small child meant you took your rest whenever you could, and tomorrow would be another busy day, as the girl was incredibly active and curious.

He hoped that she wouldnt suffer from having her new “passenger” in her subconscious, but even if she did, he’d do whatever he could for her, for as long as his life lasted.

And thanks to the monk, it was going to last a little longer than it would have otherwise ....

“Helps to have friends in the right places, I guess.” He thought, and went to sleep.