Robbie picked his way nervously along a narrow, muddy trail, his sneakers squelching with each hesitant step.
"This place smells like a sewer… Why did I let them talk me into camping?"
His heart thudded in his chest as unseen creatures rustled in the underbrush, and the oppressive humidity clung to his skin like a damp blanket.
From the gloom emerged Louis, his wide, toothy maw curving into what he hoped was a friendly grin. His scaly body glistened with swamp muck, and his belly dragged through the mud, stirring up a nauseating stench.
Robbie froze, eyes wide with terror and disgust as he took in the sight of the hulking alligator.
"N-no, please stay away!"
"Wait! Don't go! I just want to talk—and maybe play you a song!"
But Robbie had already begun to turn, desperate to escape.
As the energy crackled between them, Robbie and Louis were yanked off their feet, tumbling into the mud. The world spun, senses warping—then, abruptly, everything went still. Each opened their eyes to find the world changed, and themselves…changed.
Robbie stared down in horror at the thick, scaly limbs and swollen belly he now possessed.
"No, no, no! This can't be happening!"
Louis, inside a human body for the first time, flexed his fingers and grinned with newfound excitement.
Robbie[/@ch_2], now in an alligator’s body, slogs miserably through muddy pools, his senses overwhelmed by the foul odors and slimy textures. The sticky sensation of swamp-muck clinging to his scales is unbearable.]
"Why does everything itch? And smell so…horrible?"
He tries to wipe his face with a clawed foot, only to gag at the sensation. The darkness feels more confining than ever, and every rustle makes him flinch, wishing desperately for the safety and comfort of home.
Louis[/@ch_1], now in Robbie’s human body, sits at a battered old piano left behind by campers, his fingers dancing across the keys.]
"This is it! My big moment!"
He belts out a jazzy tune, voice ringing clear and sweet in the night air. The nearby campers, drawn by the unexpected music, gather to listen, clapping and cheering for the “talented boy” among them.
Robbie[/@ch_2] stares into the still water, his reflection monstrous and unfamiliar. Loneliness and despair settle over him, heavier than the night air. In the distance, the faint sound of applause reaches his ears.]
"That was my life…my friends…my chance to go home,"
Tears well in his reptilian eyes, mixing with the mud. As the moon climbs higher, Robbie wonders if he’ll ever find a way back—or if he’ll be lost in the swamp, forever trapped in another’s skin.
