Not down on any map

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“Actually”, Chris speaks up, but Daniel has to look twice to recognize the detective in his new role, “…this isn’t Dorothy Reed’s red hair gene, but whoever this guy’s mother was.”

The couple has changed from their first, desperate kiss to a relaxing backrub now.

“This guy’s…?” Daniel asks. “Someone other than Gavin, you mean?”

Chris nods. “It took a while to sink in”, he admits, “because at first I was wrapped up by the idea of re-living a previous life. But then I learned that we can trade roles when suddenly Connor took over my role and I got kicked into this one instead.
My hypothesis now is that we time-traveled to the previous age of magic, only not in person. Instead we swapped bodies with real people from the past. As a result what we’re seeing is a mix of the bodies that are really there and our awareness of who inhabits those forms. It’s probably how time travel works in real life, to minimize the risk of messing up the timeline.”

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Chris is definitely onto something here. Daniel’s hands feel different on Gavin’s shoulders, as if the android were using a Wellness app instead of his own experience. At the same time to Daniel it feels as if Gavin had substituted his shoulders and muscles for artificial ones. The familiarity they have with the other’s body is gone.

“I think Chris solved the riddle”, Gavin states. “His explanation makes sense, but I can also feel it. It does feel as if we’re borrowing some other blokes’ bodies. And they aren’t lovers.”

“Well, in this case they’ll be in for quite a surprise if we have to stay here longer.”

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„The problem with this approach is that “body” includes “brain””, Chris speaks on. “Our memories are stored in our original bodies, just like much of our expertise is the result of muscle memory. That’s why feel our selves slipping, to get replaced by a different set of experiences.”

“Our hosts seem to be sailors”, Tina says. A member of the Detroit sailing club she normally would have cherished the experience. Unfortunately she cannot access her real life knowledge, and the person she is impersonating isn’t well versed in seamanship. Whatever his role on a sailing ship is, it doesn’t involve navigation or piloting. It’s vexing, especially in the light of what is going to happen: “And at one point in the near future we are going to drown”, Tina finishes her sentence.

“Yeah”, Gavin agrees. “What exactly happened, Chris?”

“I have no idea. Can’t access memories this brain hasn’t formed yet. But, yes, going by what we’ve seen from all the other victims, their ship probably sank. And now they’re pulling people into this time to re-live the incident over and over.”

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“I’ll never again complain that Halloween has become boring”, Hank comments. “In fact, this is a bit too close to the original idea of the walls between our world and the Beyond thinning!”

Sigstein has mulled something over and over in his head for some time now. Finally ready to give voice to it, he exclaims: “But why did the idiots sink? All you have to do is tie the skull of a Cachalot to your ship’s starboard side, and an Eubalaena skull to the port side, thus ensuring that the ship can never keel over!”

Tina frowns. “Wait, you mean the Right Whale goes to the left? That’s counter-intuitive.”

“It’s magic, you oaf of a werewolf! A sophisticated science.”

“So what are waiting for?” Gavin cries. “Let’s head out and get us some whalefishies! Should be as easy as hitting the broad side of a barn!”

To his borrowed brain it sounds like the sanest thing spoken at this table this morning.