This one started as an entry to the Feb 2016 Crush Mini-Competition. The name came from the game (a former, temporary addiction) but the game has nothing to do with the story. As happens on occasions, the story kept growing, and I was only half way through when the competition deadline went whistling past. I persevered though.

I actually thought I hadn’t finished it, so it was a little surprise, when I dug it out earlier today, to find that it was complete, albeit that most of it seemed to have been written on my phone, which meant that parts were all but unreadable, thanks to the Autokorrect Nazis in my former piece of junk. For that, and many other reasons, I will never be tempted to buy a Widows phone again.

Anyway, I’ve spent an enjoyable day reacquainting myself with this little piece, and fixing (I hope) most if not all of the buggerups. I hope you all find it just as enjoyable. Please share your thoughts and feelings at the end. Remember, it takes twenty-six muscles to frown, four to smile, and only one to click on that comment button (then maybe one or two more to add some text). I really love hearing from you. Private messages are good if you want to stay anonymous.

Hopefully this isn’t too soon after the Grenfell Tower disaster to seem disrespectful. I actually started writing it a year ago, and only picked it up to try and finish it a few months back. Then a lot of people died in London and I put it back on the shelf with all the many unfinished stories I seem to have generated recently. I feel I need to get something published again though, and I hate having all these loose ends floating about in my life. I have one story that’s just topped 200,000 words with a couple of chapters to go, which I’m hoping to finish this summer. Haven’t decided what I’m going to do with that yet, but in the meantime, I’d love to hear what you think of this one.

Where does one person end and another begin? Usually not a difficult question to answer as each mind is confined to the brain it inhabits, but as our ingenuity enables us to overcome the barriers nature would impose on us, so we discover there are unforeseen consequences.

Nietzsche famously said that when you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you. I'm not sure this is what he meant by it, but it fits. Physics predicts that you can't observe something without changing it, and as you exert an influence on it, so it responds by exerting one on you.

Not in any way a Valentines story, but it's finished, so it might as well go up.

Copyright © 2015 Maeryn Lamonte - All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2014 Maeryn Lamonte - All Rights Reserved.

September already.

That means less than a week to go before we start back.

I hate this sinking feeling.

Copyright © 2014 Maeryn Lamonte - All Rights Reserved.

Sixteen comments and pms this time, bringing the delay down to three and a bit days. Come on you lovely people, I know you can do better.

Anyway, for those of you who’re new to Lifeswap, chapter one can be found here. For the rest of you, the story so far:-

Jerry Goodman, a banker, having been invited to a party held by Tony Ward, his antiques dealer, is invited to participate in a party game. What he doesn’t know is that the bowl in which he has just placed his keys is magical. Fortunately for him, Laura Townsend, another antiques dealer and the rightful owner of the bowl, comes along at that stage and adds her keys to the bowl.

The magic of the bowl causes Jerry and Laura’s consciousnesses to be switched, and in the ensuing confusion, the bowl is broken, Laura (now in Jerry’s body) picks Jerry (in Laura’s) up and escapes with him (her?) and the pieces of bowl.

Copyright © 2014 Maeryn Lamonte - All Rights Reserved.

So I prefer not to start publishing serials unless I'm pretty sure I can get them finished in a reasonable time, and life's been getting in the way of my writing quite a bit lately so I've waited till now to put this out there. Since I'm on the tenth and final part, I think it's a fairly safe bet that I'll finish this one before I'm ready to post the last chapter. Oh yeah, on that subject. I live for your comments, especially the thoughtful ones. The more comments I get, the quicker I'll post the next chapter (mwa ha ha ha ha ha - or something).

Additional information - I've put together a website for my stories at metamorph.org.uk. Lifeswap's not up there yet as BCTS is still the first home to my TG writing. It's still a work in progress, so please don't be too harsh with your comments. Also I'm thinking of self-publishing a few of my past stories, maybe on Lulu, unless someone can suggest somewhere better. I want the option for paper copies, not just ebooks. In that regard, I was wondering if anyone would care to proof some of my old stories, plus I wouldn't mind picking the brains of someone who's had some experience with self-publishing. PM me if you'd like to help.

Anyway - Jerry Goodman is a banker, but more of a George Bailey than some of the selfish shits in the world today. An acquaintance of his persuades him to play the sort of party game you only think is fun after you've had a few, and a little magic later, things get rather complicated. A word of caution, I've been a little uncontrolled in my use of language in this, and there is some violence and sexual abuse later in the story, in case that might put you off starting.

The Way You See Me - Part 5 of 5
by Maeryn Lamonte

“Fucking queer,” he muttered as I passed. I held my tongue in an effort to regain some of my lost dignity.

“Jenny!” Sally yanked the door open and wrapped her arms around me. “Wow, you look amazing.”

The Way You See Me - Part 3 of 5
by Maeryn Lamonte

I made a mental note to drop in later in the week as I made my slightly meandering way down the road towards Sally and Siobhan's.

The Way You See Me - Part 1 of 5
by Maeryn Lamonte

Sometimes things are that dark you don't even know there's a way out. Sometimes you need a friend to show you.