Pauline was so apprehensive about what would be waiting for her in the depths of the dark ocean, she didn’t notice the strange sensation in her solar plexus. Marna gripped her hand tightly and she in turn gripped the wrist of the Viking merman, but when a mysterious, blue glow appeared above them, she found herself floating upwards; no longer in the mermaid’s body.

Once again in spirit form, she saw her Oversoul appear inside the dark bubble as a wisp of smoke. He soon shifted into human form and Pauline became unnerved by the look of alarm on his face.

“Doelanda, there is no time. Even though I am not supposed to assist you I must let you know that Joledo has infiltrated the portals.”

Pauline was still getting used to being called Doelanda, but this new name had her confused.

“Who?”

The Oversoul floated closer, after looking up in a mild panic.

“Your husband. I can help you get to him before his emanation succeeds in ending his life.”

Pauline’s mind was racing.

“Wait a minute. I’m still trying to figure out whether or not this whole scenario is one huge hallucination and you’re telling me that my husband is here too – and that he’s about to die?!”

She heard a strange trumpeting sound coming from far away, growing louder every minute. The Oversoul came even closer. She could see right through him but his essence was strong. He grabbed her by the shoulders. Even though she was in spirit form, she could feel some kind of etheric connection.

“Doelanda – pay attention. If something happens to an emanation’s body while being infiltrated, terrible shockwaves will be sent throughout the portals – like a domino effect. All of their emanations in all parallel portals will to cease to exist. The resulting ripples will be enormous – hence the reason infiltration is not allowed – or only reserved for the most seasoned of souls.”

The walls of the bubble reverberated as the trumpeting approached.

“Please – I want to go home. I can’t handle this. Tell me what’s happening!”

Before she knew it, she was once again dropped into the ocean. Screaming underwater, Pauline was furious that the Oversoul ignored her request, but she soon saw him – still in human form – under the surface of the warm ocean. When she looked down she realized that she was still in spirit form.

She looked over at the Oversoul and screamed in an ocular voice, which traveled through to him in blue bubbles.

“What happened?! Where are we?”

They floated upwards and hovered over the surface. He then pointed to the shore. A man was walking towards the water with an obviously purposeful stride. He continued charging through the waves as they crashed over him. Pauline felt something familiar about him, which was stronger this time.

“Quickly, Doelanda. The man on the shore – the one coming after him. Enter his body. Go now!”

Pauline looked over and saw a smaller, younger man racing towards the one in front of them.

“What? Why? I want to go home. I don’t understand!”

Her Oversoul turned to her and performed a strange series of movements with his hands while staring deep into her soul. She saw a collection of complex symbols like silver circles flying up from his hands and darting towards her in rapid succession. When they took over her etheric body she immediately felt the Oversoul’s urgency.

She instantly understood that Jon was in the body of the man who was now drowning under the choppy waves. Without further ado she zoomed over to the smaller man and took over his body. Even though she was horrified, she knew what she had to do. There was no time to think about how this body felt or what he was thinking, even though sorrow lurked deep in his gut.

She raced into the water and dove under. Swimming frantically, she soon located Jon’s emanation and grabbed him by the upper arms. He fought and struggled against her, which made the rescue difficult as he was a bigger, stronger man. She dug her fingers into the loops of his pants and surged upwards. When they broke the surface she heard the gruff, angry voice yelling and gurgling.

“Fuck off, Simon!”

He tried to push her away roughly, but she kept the fingers inside the loops as she hung on for dear life. She couldn’t help noticing the rush of love and sadness inside this masculine body.

“Joe – please – don’t do it! We can go somewhere else!”

The man wrenched himself around and turned to face her. The moment was frozen as they locked eyes. Pauline knew that it was Jon inside this suicidal man’s body and Jon was staring disbelievingly at the smaller man’s face. Pauline detected the hint of recognition and took the opportunity to enlighten him.

“Jon – it’s me – Pauline!”

He frowned and shook his head as the waves buffeted them about.

“No. What? I must be dreaming.”

“Let’s get back to shore. I can explain everything.”

It was obvious that the emanation was gaining control. Pauline could see Jon’s consciousness dropping back.

“You’re fucking with my mind, mate!”

He began to struggle as he dropped below the surface, but Pauline kept a hold of him, even though the fingers were growing numb. She was still shocked to hear the manly voice coming out of her mouth as she yelled in fear.

“JOE! STOP IT!”

She tried to pull him up but lost her grip. Diving underwater in a panic, she saw Jon’s emanation sinking with his limbs outstretched. The realization that he was fading out hit her, but she had to think quickly. She reached down and desperately grabbed him by the ankle. Remembering her mermaid moves, she lurched upwards and dragged his body behind her.

It seemed to take an eternity but she eventually managed to get back to the shore, still gripping his ankle. She spun him around and began to work on getting the water out of his lungs by thumping his mid-section wildly. When she saw that he was still unresponsive she pinched his nose and opened his mouth. Not knowing anything about CPR, she leaned over and started blowing into his mouth.

She was amazed by the foreign sensation of an erection happening between her legs, but was soon distracted by the gushing water coming out of his mouth. While he spluttered and coughed, Pauline leaned back and instinctively shielded the obvious bulge in the wet slacks. She looked down and grew dismayed at the fact that she was in a man’s body.

Even though it had been a while since she’d inhabited her own body, being a male was considerably more shocking – even more shocking than being a robot or a mermaid. While the erection died down, the man slowly came around and struggled to sit up. She hesitated to help him, seeing as she couldn’t be sure which consciousness she’d be dealing with.

When he looked over at her with a look on his face like a frightened child, she once again recognized her husband behind the steel eyes of this bedraggled stranger.

“Where am I?” He asked in a feeble voice.

“Jon?” She asked tentatively.

He nodded and cocked his head, still frowning and afraid.

“Who are you?” He asked as he started to shiver.

“Jon, you have to listen to me. I don’t know how you got here but you’re inside another body. You have to repress the thoughts, otherwise your consciousness will take a back seat while the motivations of this body take over.”

He blinked dumbly at her.

“What?”

“Jon, tell me – how did you get here? Focus on that and tell me.”

He looked down at his hands and turned them over.

“Where’s my scar?”

Jon had injured his left hand when trying to fix a lawnmower as a teenager. The scar was a white semi-circle between his thumb and index finger, but now he was in a different body. Pauline grew impatient.

“Jon, you must listen to me. We have to go somewhere safe. Where is the house where this body lives? Do you remember?”

He slowly looked up and shook his head; more of a gesture like disagreeing with nonsense.

“I’m confused. I burned the factory down. They’ll chew me up and spit me out, Simon!”

“Jon, listen to me! I’m Pauline. This isn’t my body – but I’m here – inside this body, just like you are inside that body. Squash the thoughts and maintain control. How did you get here? Think!”

He blinked his eyes tightly and looked back up at Pauline.

“I’m Jon.”

“Yes, yes – that’s right!”

“Oh my God. Am I dreaming?”

Pauline noticed that they were both shivering, even though the breeze was warm. She grabbed his hand and stood up, dragging him along with her. She was surprised at the strength, even though he was bigger.

“Come on, let’s get out of here. We have to find somewhere safe and get out of these wet clothes.”

He allowed her to lead him off the beach and up a narrow street. Pauline felt like a mother leading a dazed child. Craning her neck to try and figure out when and where they were, she squashed the occasional thoughts swirling up from the emanation’s subconscious. She had a strange understanding that this body wasn’t one of her emanations and that she had more control.

The knowledge that this body and Jon’s emanation were involved on a secretly homosexual level wafted around her consciousness like a used tissue blowing about in a draft in a vacant building. She was surprised when she heard the man gasp and call her name.

“Pauline, I can take you to Simon’s house. No one will think to look there!”

She turned to look at him and was comforted to see the smile forming on his face, which was eerily reminiscent of Jon’s.

“Okay, let’s go – and keep that frame of mind!”

He nodded and led the way as the morning finally opened to the day.

***

While they quickly raced along side streets, doing their best to stay in the melting shadows as the city began to swing into another work day, Pauline noticed the clothing of various people rushing this way and that. It soon became obvious that it was the 1940’s. Cars such as the Ford Ute, the Oldsmobile Roadster and the Hudson Terraplane sedan drove back and forth, but it was the fashion that solidified it.

Women in utility clothing with sharp shoulders, pleated skirts and hairstyles typical of the times were ushering children along the footpath or making their way to catch the trams to work. Men in wool suits and wearing hats were hurrying along the main roads while Pauline and Jon snuck along behind them.

Jon finally turned down a street after a few people gave them strange looks, seeing as they were dripping wet. When they came across a block of flats, Jon became excited.

“I think this is it.”

“Let me check my pockets for a key.” She advised, feeling a stirring in her nether regions.

She plunged the right hand into the right pocket and found a small key chain with three keys attached to it. Jon dragged her over to a stairwell and they began to climb. An old vagrant came down the stairs. He waved and smiled as he passed them.

“G’day Simon.”

Jon nervously glanced back at Pauline and she nodded, in order to convince him that it was okay.

“G’day mate.” She responded.

He continued down the stairs while they went up and finally stopped on the fourth floor. Pauline looked at the keys and saw the number 411 on one of them. Her intuition was correct. They were able to unlock the door but she stopped Jon before they went in.

“We don’t know if he lives alone or if he’s married. Let’s be quiet.” She whispered conspiratorially.

He nodded as they slowly opened the door and crept inside. There was no movement and the flat was silent, but they continued to walk stealthily until they finally determined that they were alone. Pauline tried not to turn her nose up at the fact that this person lived in squalor.

Even though the furniture was sparse and the curtains were open, the light spilling in through the window revealed the grey carpet which was littered with old newspapers, beer bottles and overflowing ashtrays. The stale smell of grease and smoke was battling the faint scent of beer and urine, but it wasn’t totally disgusting. Pauline went into a back room and found relatively clean clothes.

She called out to Jon when she realized that there wasn’t much that would fit his emanation’s body.

“Jon, there’s probably a shirt here that you could wear and maybe some jocks and socks. I’m still trying to find a pair of pants.”

As she rummaged through a pile of clothes on a chair, Jon came in behind her. She sensed that the emanation had taken over. Doing her best to remain calm, she moved along the wall, clutching an armful of clothes.

“Jon, remember to stay in control.”

“Jon? Who’s Jon?” He asked with a menacing snarl.

“You’re my husband, remember?” She asked in a frightened male voice.

“Husband? Are you a nutcase? Why did you save me?”

He continued closing in as Pauline backed into the corner of the room.

“Stop looking at me like a stunned mullet. Why did you save me? I told you it’s over, you poof!”

Pauline felt something moving under her subconscious but she squashed it down, like a lump under a rug. She tried to ignore the further stirring in her pants; still not au fait with the maleness that seemed to have a mind of its own.

“Jon, you have to come forth. Push past his mind!”

He stopped and shocked her with a sudden burst of laughter.

“Silly bugger!” He shook his head and surprised Pauline by pulling off his wet clothes and tossing them onto the floor. “I s’pose I can forgive you, but I’m surprised that you’re still pissed. Were you drinking all night?”

Pauline tried not to check out his huge member when he stepped out of his briefs. When he put his hands on his hips and trained his eyes on the pile of clothes, she wondered if she should avoid trying to prompt Jon to take over, for fear of angering the emanation. Standing in the corner, she watched while he grabbed a shirt and wrestled it over his barrel chested torso.

He turned and looked at the bed, then over to Pauline.

“What’s the matter, mate?”

She tried to think of what to say but was further shocked when he ripped the shirt off, climbed over the bed and got under the blankets. He looked up and threw the blankets back.

“Come on, get in. I’m tired though. I’ve gotta think about what to do. The police will catch on that I burnt the factory down.  No one cares that they did me wrong.”

While she slowly made her way back to the chair, she decided to stall and sort through the clothes while she thought up a plan, but Joe was annoyed.

“Get out of those clothes, Simon. Come on, you drongo. Get in!”

She slowly started to undress and talked herself into believing that they would probably sleep, or at least – Joe would sleep while she figured out what to do. She almost forgot what sleeping was like and wondered how she’d survived without doing so for so long. When she peeled the underwear off, she gasped at the penis bouncing out. It was smaller than Joe’s but still a bizarre sight, with its bulbous head.

She was also amazed with the fact that there were no womanly breasts on her hairless chest. Joe was growing more impatient.

“What’s the matter with you?”

She quickly scampered over to the bed and leapt under the covers. Her mind was scrambling to come up with an idea for worming or coaxing Jon out from behind Joe’s consciousness. She knew that he must’ve been there, somewhere – like she had been in the other emanations. When she felt Joe’s warm hand reach over to her thigh, she let out a tiny squeal.

“Are you afraid of me, all of a sudden?” He asked in a hoarse voice.

She shook her head – not able to speak. His hand was roving around, touching the general area and slowly closing in with surprisingly gentle and deft fingertips. When he rolled onto his side and ran his fingers up to the stomach, Pauline jumped and began to shake. She felt Joe’s warm breath on the right shoulder, before he spoke again quietly.

“Why did you save me? You must care about me, otherwise – why save me? Surely you know I need you – especially now – right?”

She knew not to say Jon’s name again, but she had no idea how to get Jon to take over. She was momentarily relieved when he rolled onto his back with a gentle sigh.

“I s’pose we’re both tired and I probably should thank you. Let’s just wank each other.”

When his hand returned and went straight for the penis, she winced – at first. The pervert inside her consciousness wriggled its way to the surface. She was fascinated and horrified simultaneously. It was remarkable to feel the blood filling up the organ which was now pulsing and tenting the thin blankets. She heard Joe turn his face towards her as she stared at the water stain on the ceiling.

“Come on, mate. Return the favor!” He chuckled softly.

She reached over and made contact with the large, engorged prick. She wondered if Jon was paying attention and then wondered if he was doing this deliberately; to see if she would respond. When she looked over she saw Joe smiling slightly with his eyes closed. He was also facing the ceiling and she decided to go along with it.

While they lay there, slowly jerking and stroking, she marveled at the familiar and yet – not so familiar sensations in her groin. She felt the balls slightly twitching and the head of the penis growing more sensitive as it pulsed. The groaning and gasping coming from Joe’s throat intensified as she worked him like she’d always done for Jon. When she felt his ejaculate sliding over her fingers, she herself came.

It was magical and terrifying. The hips were thrusting involuntarily against the blankets as the jolts of orgasm exploded from deep in the balls. As she lay there completely enamored with the feeling of subsiding waves leaving the groin, she felt Joe’s breath on her face. She hadn’t noticed that he’d rolled over to watch. When she looked over she saw the familiar smile.

“Pauline!” Jon’s voice broke through incredulously. “You kinky wench!”