The Swapping/J.Smallbone

Joel blinked rapidly, presumably in order to fly away back to the tour bus via eyelashes. He could hear sounds, likely from a television, from a room less than a yard away. He touched the bed, feeling the cold metal freeze his skin and looking around the room for anything, anything that would explain where he was and the predicament he was in.

He saw a mirror and walked up to it, almost too nervous to do so.

It wasn't him.

Or at least, the Joel David Smallbone he knew. The tall body, sharp angled jawline, and mess of hair had all but disappeared. Instead, his face was more of an oval, his hair was of a blondish brown, and long and straight. To his relief, he was still quite tall and attractive.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Dada?"a tiny voice inquired.

"Yeah?"

The door opened, and a child no more than five toddled in, clearly upset. Tears streamed down her face and she rubbed her eyes as she approached her father.

"Yes?"Joel asked, panic in his voice. He did not know who this child was, but whoever's body he was in, was clearly the father.

"Mabel won't let me watch Blippi!"

"Well, that's unfortunate. Let's go talk to Mabel." He took the child's hand and walked out of the room.

All of a sudden, it came to him. The baby's name was Isla, she was five, and her older sister, the aforementioned Mabel, was seven. He was a single father.

The two stopped in front of the TV, blocking Mabel from watching the show. Joel felt a tiny bit of excitement when he recognized it: Wild Kratts, a favorite of his nephews.

"Mabel-"

"Blippit-"

"Blippi!"Isla corrected, indignant.

"Whatever... is so boring."

"Isla?"

"But I like it!"

"You'll have to compromise."

"I want Blippi!"

"You like Wild Kratts,"Mabel countered.

"But I want Blippi."

"Wild Kratts it is, take it or leave it,"Joel said, suddenly feeling very tired.

Isla started to cry. Joel headed back to the room, deciding that perhaps a nap would be good at the moment. He was in somebody else's life, somebody else's body, and he was very confused, and frankly, very tired. Isla followed him.

"Let's take a nap, yeah?"he told her.

"Fine."

He figured she'd feel better at the end of it. If not that, at least give him some peace while she slumbered.

They climbed under the blankets.

"Are you sick, dada?"

"Nah, just tired."

🍊

"Must be a nice cookie, Joel."

Who the fuck was Joel?

At the look the man gave him, Jerry realized he the fuck was Joel.

"Uh, yeah."

He had an Aussie accent.

Marvelous.

"Uh, yeah?"the man repeated. "You ate all of them."

"My bad."

He glanced at the cookie wrapper.

Wait. He knew that.

It was then that Jerry realized just what had happened.

Marvelous.

"We have a soundcheck in half an hour."

"A what?"

"A soundcheck. To practice? And make sure everything is right? You okay, man?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'll be there."

"You have no choice."

"Why?"

"You're one of the main singers?"

The man's name came to him suddenly. Vince.

"Yeah, I know, Vince,"he lied. "I'm just messing with you."

"Right." Vince turned to leave.

"You sure you're okay?"

"I'm apples."Jerry said. He was sure it was Aussie. He'd heard it in a show, somewhere.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Vince nodded, then left, too weirded out to say anything more. Joel's behavior was odd, but the whole band was made of oddballs, he reflected, so there couldn't be anything out of the ordinary.

Jerry sighed. Those cookies, the very cookies that dreams were made of, had led to this. How unfortunate.

And now he had to figure out this soundcheck.

How unfortunate indeed.