She was lost. She’d only stepped out of her body for a moment, but somehow that was all it took to lose it. Now she was untethered in an astral way and had no way to get back to her own body.
So she decided to borrow someone else’s. She found a lady nearby who was sitting on a bench feeding the birds. She settled onto the bench next to her — and then just kind of slid into her body. It took a moment to adjust. This body was entirely new to her, and it didn’t fit quite right. But she gave it a moment for everything to settle in.
She could feel the previous occupant still there in the back of her mind, suppressed. Don’t worry, she thought. I won’t be staying long.
And she certainly wouldn’t. The body didn’t fit her soul quite right, but she needed a physical form to go look for her own body, something that could actually move objects. She couldn’t do that as an astral projection.
So, she got up off the bench and went in search of her body. She knew where she left it, but it wasn’t there now. She’d left her body lying on its back on a blanket in the park. The blanket itself was still there, but her body had been moved.
“Jared,” she muttered to herself. She’d call him — this body she’d taken over had a cell phone in its pocket — but she didn’t remember Jared’s number. Who remembers actual phone numbers in this day and age?! She couldn’t call him, but she knew where he’d be. And that was where she was sure she’d find her body.
Of all her friends, only Jared knew she could body-walk and astral project. So of course, when he saw her body on the ground in the park, he knew the body was currently vacant and decided to play a trick on her by “kidnapping” her body.
She just wanted her body back. Admittedly, projecting while in a public space was probably a ludicrous thing to have done. She wouldn’t make that mistake again. But she was going to heap hell on Jared’s head when she found him.
She found him right where she thought she would, in his shop.
“Give it back,” she said without preamble.
“Claire?” he asked. “You look… different.” Then he laughed.
“Give it back,” she said again, anger creeping into her voice.
“Alright, alright, relax. It was just a joke. I didn’t think you’d miss it so soon,” he replied. He walked over to the cot in the corner of his shop and pulled back the blanket. There, lying with arms across her chest (Like a corpse, she thought), was her body. She relaxed then and shot Jared a wan smile, which quickly showed some steel.
“Never do that again,” she said. “Do you have any idea how disorienting it is to come back from an astral walk and find your body gone?! Do you?”
Jared shrugged. “I can’t astral project, Claire, so no, I don’t.”
“Well, it is very disorienting,” she shot back. “Now I’m going back outside to release this body, and mine better still be here when I reconnect with it.”
“As you say, Claire,” was all Jared said.
Moments later she was back in her own body. She sat up, rubbed her hands across her face, and looked at Jared, who was working on something at his workbench, his back turned to her.
“You know,” she said, “someday I’m going to body-walk you, just so you’ll have some idea of what it’s like to find your body somewhere else.”
“You do you,” Jared said, not looking at her. He seemed completely unfazed by her statement. Claire just glowered at his back. Finally she got up, walked over to where Jared was sitting on his stool, and lightly slugged him on the shoulder.
“That’s for taking my body,” she said.
“I expected more,” he said, and now he did look at her. “Look, I’m sorry to pranking you like that. It was impulsive, and I promise I won’t do it again.”
She searched his eyes for a moment before replying. He seemed genuine in his apology.
“Okay,” she said. “We’re square. For now.” She turned toward the door then. “I’m going to find something to eat. Body-walking is hungry work.”
She didn’t wait for Jared to reply. She slipped out the door, back into the sunlight, and headed for her favorite taco joint.
That was a mean joke, Jared! I’m not convinced he’s done with ranking her either.
*pranking (autocorrect got me)
He may or may not be. Just not necessarily this particular prank again.