She returns to her body but an idea forms

Jess listlessly hovered over the town below, vaguely travelling in the direction of her home. Her thoughts were in a whirl, and her emotions were a jumble.

She understood that Adam had the right to have his body back, and that Helen wanted her boyfriend returned, but the experience of possessing a male body had been a revelation to her. She felt freer, more confident, and less self-conscious. Her own body was chubby, plain, and unattractive. Being Adam had been liberating and empowering, and she didn't want to give it up.

Jess looked down and realised she was above the building where her flat was. She descended through the roof, drifting along the corridors until she came to her own front door. She phased through it, and immediately stopped short.

Her body was lounging on the sofa, eating a bowl of popcorn and watching TV.

'I forgot about the substitute soul,' Jess thought as she observed her own body. 'What do I do?'

The soul was obviously unaware of her presence, and continued watching TV and munching popcorn.

"Hey, soul," Jess said aloud, unsure how to make contact.

The soul lazily looked over at the sound of her voice, not in the least surprised to see a disembodied spirit floating in the middle of the living room.

"Oh you're back, are you?" the soul said.

"Yes, I'm back," Jess said. "Why are you just sitting here watching TV?"

"I'm just doing what you would be doing if you were here," the soul said plainly. "If you don't tell me what to do, I'm just going to carry on as normal. That's my job."

Jess stared, flabbergasted. She wasn't sure how she expected magic souls to behave, but this was not it. It was so... casual, almost cheeky.

"Right," Jess said slowly. "I suppose that makes sense." She looked around her messy flat and was suddenly hit with an idea. "So if I'd told you to tidy up, you would have done that instead?"

"Yep," the soul replied.

"Well, can you please tidy the flat for me, then?" Jess asked, her voice hopeful.

"Sure," the soul said, placing the bowl of popcorn on the table. The soul stood and walked to the kitchen, gathering up the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

Jess watched, impressed, as her soul moved around the flat, tidying and cleaning. It was an odd feeling, watching her body move and act on its own, without her controlling it. But she was enjoying it. It was like playing The Sims, but real.

After a couple of hours, the flat was clean and tidy. Jess hadn't realised how messy it had gotten. The soul walked back into the lounge and sat down on the sofa.

"Thank you," Jess said. "That was very helpful."

The soul shrugged. "No problem. Is there anything else you want me to do?"

Jess thought for a moment. It was getting late, and she was tired. Maybe it would be a good idea to let the soul rest, too.

"No, I think that's all for now," Jess said. "I'm going to go back inside my body and take over, but I want you to stay inside, too. So you're there when I need you."

"No problem," the soul said. "Just give me the word and I'll take control."

Jess slowly drifted over to her own body and lowered herself inside. She felt a familiar tingling sensation as her essence melded with her physical form. Her senses flickered on, and she blinked her eyes. She could taste the popcorn in her mouth, and smell the fresh citrus scent of the cleaner. Her body ached from all the cleaning, and she was exhausted.

She stumbled into her bedroom and collapsed onto the bed, barely able to keep her eyes open. As she drifted off to sleep, another idea came to her. If she could get the soul to clean and tidy the flat, she could make it exercise her body, too. She could soon have the slim, toned figure she had always wanted.

A smile crept across her face as she thought of the possibilities. She could go out and possess whoever she wanted, whilst the substitute soul improved her body. With a satisfied sigh, Jess drifted off into a deep sleep.