Chapter 21: The Festival

The setting sun bled a pale, watery orange across the horizon, doing little to warm the evening air. Saturday, and the park was unnervingly packed. It wasn't the usual lazy crowd of dog walkers and couples on strolls. This was a migration. A river of people flowed along the main path, all converging on a distant point beyond the treeline.

"Maybe this was a bad idea..." I said, my breath pluming in the cold. I pulled my jacket tighter, the thin fabric doing little to fight the chill seeping into my bones.

"Nah! We needed this," Emma said, striding ahead in Barbara's paint-splattered combat boots. Her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of her oversized cardigan. "Fresh air. Perspective." She turned, her burgundy hair catching the last of the light. "Right, Ash?"

Ashley didn't answer. She was a few paces behind, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, her movements stiff. She looked like she was sleepwalking. Her gaze was fixed on her sister, or rather, on the body her sister was wearing. She watched the way it moved: the slight, energetic bounce in her step, the way she pushed her glasses up her nose with a knuckle, and a wave of profound confusion washed over her face.

"It's really me, Ash," Emma said, her voice softer now. She chuckled. "Okay, I know, I don't sound like me... I don't always act like me. It's complicated. But I remember everything. I remember being me. I feel like me, kinda. It's me, but in someone else's brain."

"I know," Ashley whispered, her voice hoarse. "It's just..."

"Weird?" I offered, smirking.

"Weird," she agreed, nodding. "I know it's you, Em. You were inside... me. I'm just having trouble getting my brain to see you, not her."

"It does take some getting used to," I said, thinking of my own journey.

The path narrowed as it curved past the duck pond, forcing the crowd to compress into a single, jostling file.

"Where is everyone going?" Ashley asked, her eyes wide.

"Some sort of festival," I said. "A fair. Or something. I saw signs for it. Maybe we should've gone somewhere else."

"No, this is good," Emma insisted, stepping closer to me as a large family with a stroller pushed past. "The noise, the people... it's a good distraction. Makes this feel... smaller. Less insane."

Ashley flinched as a cyclist rang their bell sharply behind her.

"This IS insane," she muttered, shaking her head. "All of this."

"Insane isn't that bad, though!" Emma chirped, her Barbara-ness shining through. "Insane is where the best stories come from! Barbara would love this! Ghost girl taking over her body for a weekend, catching up with her grieving husband and sister? That'd make for a good book."

I put a steadying hand on her shoulder. "You're not gonna let her remember, are you?"

She seemed to hesitate, and sighed. "Nah... It's just a fun thought!"

"So what's the plan, here?" Ashley asked, her voice still shaky.

"I guess we go see what this fair thing is all about," Emma said with a shrug.

"I mean long term. What are you going to do?" Ashley insisted, her eyes now fixed on her sister's face.

The crowd was getting thicker now, the music louder. We were almost at the clearing. The air smelled of fried dough and spun sugar.

"We're figuring it out," I said, my tone a bit more defensive than I intended. "But so far it seems Emma is getting better at this. She can stay in hosts longer, jump more often every day without getting too tired. We'll just keep doing it. We have to swap regularly. We only possess people who wouldn't have their lives disturbed too much by it, and just for a bit."

Ashley nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. "So... you'll just be a ghost. Forever."

"Beats being dead..." my wife said, her smile faltering for a second.

Her sister teared up and smiled.

"Right," Ashley said, wiping her eyes. "Right. Beats being dead."

She stepped forward suddenly, arms spreading wide for a **** hug. Emma seemed about to go for it, but froze at the last second. "Wait!" she said, her hands up. "Careful here. Wouldn't want us to switch unexpectedly." She paused. "Just... don't put any skin on mine." She tapped the side of her neck for emphasis.

"Right, sorry!" Ashley said, moving more carefully. She gently wrapped her arms around my wife's shoulders, keeping some distance. It didn't feel very natural, but I guess it was better than nothing.

"I've missed you so much, Em," Ashley sobbed quietly.

"I know, Ash," Emma said softly, patting her sister's back awkwardly with her gloves. She didn't say it back. The truth was that she couldn't really miss her, lost in the minds of people who didn't even know Ashley in the first place. I seemed to be the only exception, the one person she kept loving and wanting no matter who she was possessing. It was one of the many mysteries Katherine hoped to solve, but I had doubts about her ability to ever provide answers with science. Still, it couldn't hurt to try.

"I thought I'd lost you, for good..." Ashley whispered, pulling away.

My wife smiled, clearly trying to do her best to convey affection she wasn't feeling as strongly as her sister was. "I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere!" she said with a grin. "Now, come on, let's check out this festival!"

The path opened up into a large, muddy field, buzzing with energy. A stage was set up at one end, a local band playing some folky, upbeat song I didn't recognize. Stalls and tents lined the perimeter, selling everything from tie-dye t-shirts to artisanal kombucha to glow-in-the-dark hula hoops. The smell of fried food was thick in the air, mingling with the faint, sweet scent of weed.

"This is… something," Ashley said, looking around with a bewildered expression.

"It's great! How did I not hear about this?!" Emma chirped, looking around with genuine excitement. "Come on!"

She grabbed both of our hands, pulling us into the crowd.

"Hey! Be careful!" I laughed, stumbling a bit as she dragged us past a group of kids with face paint.

"We're on an adventure!" she yelled over the music.

Ashley grabbed my other hand, trying to keep up, her grip tight. "Is she always like this? In other people's bodies?"

"She's like whoever she's in. It's weird but it can be fun. You gotta just ride the wave!" I said, squeezing her hand.

We spent the next two hours wandering through the chaos. Emma seemed in her element. She dragged us to a stall selling oversized, ridiculous sunglasses, trying on a pair of neon green ones with star-shaped lenses and insisting I take a picture of her.

"Oh! Wait! I'll give you my number so you can send them to me. I'll craft some crazy memories to go with them. If I can't let Barbara remember the truth, I can make her believe some even more absurd story to justify the pictures." she explained, giggling. "Maybe a celebrity on stage? OH! Seeing a UFO!"

I laughed, shaking my head, and we exchanged numbers. I sent her the pictures, wondering what absurd memories Emma would craft for Barbara, using her own brain to trick her.

"Okay, next! Food!" she then declared, dragging us toward a food truck.

She bought us all chili dogs and loaded fries, and we found a spot near the main path, sitting on a damp wooden bench to eat. Ashley picked at her food, still looking overwhelmed, but there was a hint of a smile on her face as she watched her sister devour her chili dog with the kind of enthusiasm only Barbara's body seemed to be able to muster.

Finally, Ashley turned to me, raising a playful eyebrow. "So..." she started. "Paris?"

I sighed, putting my chili dog down. "Paris."

"Did you two have fun?"

I smiled. "Very much so." I looked over at Emma. "We did."

"Who was she?" Ashley asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Luciana Alvaréz," I said. "Argentinian. A workaholic, a control freak. Three million a year," I added. Ashley's eyebrow went even higher.

"Didn't stay in that one too long!" Emma chimed in, wiping ketchup from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Too much of a buzzkill."

I laughed. "Yeah, so we found a French woman. Chloé."

"A romantic!" Ashley sighed dramatically, her eyes sparkling.

"Very romantic," I confirmed. "She had a tiny apartment in the Marais. She was a refugee aid worker. She'd grown up there, knew everyone. We spent days just... being."

Ashley snorted, clearly weirded out, clearly amused. "Damn..."

"And I didn't speak English!" Emma added with a grin.

Ashley's head snapped toward her sister. "What?!"

"I can only use the skills of the host I'm in," my wife remarked. "Chloé didn't speak almost any English, so we had to improvise."

"It was fun, though," I said, smiling at the memory.

"I bet," Ashley said, a small, wistful smile on her face. "Jesus..."

We told her more about Paris, about the late-night walks, about the cheap wine in the tiny apartment, about the way Emma's face would light up when she managed to find the right English word to say something romantic, or the way I'd fail miserably trying to speak French. We told her about how it all started, about Clara, Mandy, Veronica, Sister Margaret...

"Hold on! Veronica? So that's why you two..." Ashley said, pointing at me.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"A nun too? Seriously?" Ashley laughed. "And you've been... With all of them?"

I cleared my throat. "It's the only way for Emma to recharge..."

"Right," Ashley said, her face flushing slightly. "Lucky you!"

"Hey, it's been fun for me too!" Emma said, winking at her sister.

"Ugh! I shouldn't have asked!" Ashley groaned, burying her face in her hands, though she was still laughing.

The band on stage had now stopped playing, thanking the crowd. A short man with a beard and a beanie, who seemed to be the MC, stepped up to the microphone.

"Alright, thank you, The Lost Souls! That was beautiful! Give them another round of applause!" he said, and the crowd cheered. "I hope you've enjoyed yourselves and that we will see you next year for our second edition!"

Quickly, people started making their way back toward the main path, toward us. We finished our food in silence, then joined the flow of people heading away from the stage.

The crowd was dense and I struggled to keep track of both women as we were pushed along.

"Emma!" I called out, but she was already a few feet ahead, swallowed by the sea of faces. "Ashley!"

The crowd was moving fast, and I felt a surge of panic as I lost sight of them both. I pushed forward, trying to see over the heads of the people in front of me. Finally, I saw my wife, looking around, visibly confused. I managed to reach her, grabbing her arm.

"Thought I'd lost you," I joked.

She tensed up and looked at my hand, confused. "Calvin? What the hell is going on? Where are we? I was looking for my keys and..."

My heart sank. Emma wasn't in Barbara anymore, and clearly hadn't had time to alter her memories.

I looked around, desperately trying to find my wife, instantly realizing that I had no way to recognize her now.

I tried to push myself upward, to stay visible, to give her a chance to find me.

Ashley appeared from behind me a few moments later, grabbing my arm. "Calvin? Where's Emma?"

"We got separated," I said, my anxiety rising. "She switched accidentally. I don't know who she's in."

Barbara had ran away, left with a huge gap in her memory. There was nothing I could do about it, and it certainly wasn't my priority now.

Ashley was now scanning the crowd too. "She remembers us, right? She knows the way to the house? Maybe we can wait for her there?"

People kept bumping into us. The flow of the crowd was relentless.

"In theory, yes... But the more she jumps, the less her old self is in control," I explained nervously.

"What if she jumps too many times?!" Ashley asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"I don't know..."

I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Almost missed it. I pulled it out. Unknown number. I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Calvin! Where are you?!" A voice I didn't recognize on the other end.

"Emma?"

"Yeah! I got pushed like three times already and I..." She groaned and went silent for a moment. "Hello?" she said, her tone now confused and distant.

"Emma?!"

"Erm... Sorry! Wrong number?" the woman mumbled, her voice hesitant.

"Fuck! Please, tell me where you are. It's import—" I started, but the stranger had already hung up.

I looked at Ashley, my face pale. "That was her. She got pushed into someone else. She didn't have time to tell me where she is!"

"But she remembers your number! Maybe she'll call again!" Ashley said, trying to stay hopeful.

The park was beginning to empty now, the crowd thinning out as people dispersed toward the exits. We found a spot on a relatively empty patch of grass and waited.

At least half an hour passed in silence. My phone didn't ring again. If we wanted to find her, we needed to do it now. At least a third of the people who were at the festival were gone already.

"Emma!" I shouted over the din, my voice getting lost in the noise of the dispersing crowd.

Ashley grabbed my arm. "We should split up. Cover more ground."

I nodded, already scanning the faces around us. "Yeah. Call me if you find her."

"You too," she said, and we separated, moving in opposite directions through the thinning crowd.

I pushed through clusters of people, my eyes darting from face to face. A woman with short purple hair laughing with her boyfriend. A tired-looking mom carrying a sleeping toddler. A group of college guys passing around a flask. None of them were Emma. Or maybe they were. How the hell would I know?

My chest tightened. What happened if she kept jumping? If she drained completely? Would she forget who she was entirely? Would she just… dissolve into whoever she was inhabiting, gone forever? The thought made my stomach twist. I couldn't lose her again. I couldn't.

Focus. Just focus.

I kept moving, weaving between people, searching for something, anything that might be her. A look, a gesture, some sign of recognition. But the park was emptying fast. The vendors were packing up their stalls. The stage crew was breaking down equipment. Most of the crowd had already filtered out toward the parking lots and bus stops.

I checked my phone. Nothing.

A couple walked past me, holding hands. An older man sat on a bench, feeding the ducks. A jogger in neon running gear breezed by without a glance.

Then I saw her.

She was standing near one of the few remaining food trucks, a paper cup of something steaming in her hands. Early thirties, maybe. She wore dark jeans with worn knees, scuffed leather boots that looked like they'd seen a few concerts, and a faded band t-shirt under an open flannel shirt. Her dark hair was pulled back in a loose, messy ponytail, a few strands falling around her face. She had the kind of face that didn't need makeup to be striking. Strong features, expressive eyes. There was something unpretentious about her, something real.

And she was staring at me.

Not just looking. Staring. Her brow was furrowed slightly, like she was trying to solve a puzzle. Like she knew me from somewhere but couldn't quite place it.

My heart jumped. I stopped walking, pretending to check my phone, stealing glances at her. She was still watching me, her head tilted slightly to one side.

I started moving again, angling toward her but not directly. I pulled out my phone, swiping aimlessly at the screen like I was looking for something, trying not to seem too obvious.

She turned her body slightly as I got closer, tracking me with her eyes. The confusion on her face deepened.

Finally, when I was maybe ten feet away, she spoke.

"Do I know you?"

I froze, my pulse spiking. Hope surged through me, hot and ****.

I turned to face her fully. "Emma?"

She blinked, then let out an awkward chuckle, shaking her head. "No, sorry. I'm Elizabeth."

We stood there, staring at each other. The noise of the park seemed to fade into the background. There was something about her, something in the way she looked at me. Familiar. Intimate, almost.

It had to be her. But she didn't know it.

My mind raced. If Emma was so drained that she thought she was the host now, I couldn't just blurt out the truth. She'd think I was insane. She might run. And then what?

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to sound casual. "Do you… remember me? Calvin?"

She bit her lip, her eyes narrowing slightly as she studied my face. There was something playful in her expression, but also nervous. Curious.

"You do look really familiar," she admitted, tilting her head again. "I can't figure out where from, though."

I noticed the way she was looking at me. Not just confused. There was something else there. Interest. Attraction, maybe. The kind of pull you feel toward someone you don't know but somehow do.

And I felt it too. That tug, that warmth. The same thing I'd felt a thousand times before with Emma.

This was her. I was sure of it.

But what the hell was I supposed to do now?

"I think I do know you," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I just… I can't remember from where either."

She smiled, a little uncertain. "Weird."

"Yeah." I **** myself to breathe normally, to not look as terrified as I felt. "Can I ask you something? It might sound strange, but… do you hate chocolate?"

She laughed, surprised. "What? No. I love chocolate. Why would you ask that?"

My stomach dropped. "Just… thought maybe. What about the blue monkey? Does that mean anything to you?"

Her smile faltered slightly, confusion creeping back into her expression. "The blue monkey? No, I… what is that?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, shaking my head. "Never mind. Just thought maybe it would jog something."

She was looking at me like I was a little crazy now, but she hadn't walked away. That was something.

I needed to keep her here. Keep her talking. Maybe something would click.

"So, uh, what brings you to the festival?" I asked, trying to sound casual, like I wasn't internally panicking.

"Just… felt like getting out of the house, I guess," she said, still watching me with that curious look. "I don't usually do stuff like this. But something made me come today." She paused. "What about you?"

"Same, actually. Needed some fresh air."

She nodded slowly, and we fell into an awkward silence. She took a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving my face.

"This is so weird," she said finally, laughing a little. "I really feel like I know you. Like, not just from seeing you around, but… I don't know. It's hard to explain."

"I know what you mean," I said, my heart racing. "I feel it too."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she looked down at her cup. "Maybe we met at a bar or something? Or… I don't know, a coffee shop?"

"Maybe," I said, though I knew that wasn't it.

She glanced up at me again, and there was that pull. That warmth. The way she looked at me, it was like she was trying to remember a dream.

"Do you live around here?" I asked, **** to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, about ten minutes away. You?"

"Close by," I said. "I've been here a while."

"Huh." She bit her lip, thinking. "Maybe that's it. Maybe we've just crossed paths before."

"Could be."

Jesus, Emma... How was I going to get you back?

I needed to have sex with her.

The thought hit me like a brick. That was the only way to recharge Emma, to bring her back to the surface. But how the hell was I supposed to do that when she didn't even know who I was? I couldn't exactly explain the situation. I couldn't **** her. And I sure as hell couldn't just… kidnap her or something.

I had to seduce her. The old-fashioned way.

And I had to do it fast. If she accidentally touched another woman, if she switched bodies again, I might never find my wife again.

At least I had one thing going for me. Usually, no matter who Emma was in, she was drawn to me. Attracted to me. Maybe that was still there, buried somewhere in Elizabeth's confused mind. It seemed the further away she'd slip inside a host's mind, the stronger the base, carnal urges of that host would be. I had to bet that was still true.

"You want to get out of here?" I asked, trying to make my voice sound casual, not ****.

I cleared my throat, trying to summon some kind of charm I wasn't sure I still had. "So, uh… are you doing anything after this?"

She blinked, surprised. "After this?"

"Yeah. I mean, we're both here. We both feel like we know each other. Maybe we could… grab a drink somewhere? Try to figure out where we met?"

Her eyebrows went up slightly, and a small smile played at the corner of her lips. "Are you… asking me out?"

"Maybe?" I said, then immediately cringed at how uncertain I sounded. "I mean, yeah. I am. If you want."

She laughed softly, looking down at her cup again. "That's… forward."

"Is it? Sorry. I just… I feel like I should know you. And I'd like to find out why."

She looked back up at me, studying my face. There was something cautious in her expression now, like she was weighing her options. But there was also curiosity. And that pull I'd seen before.

"You're kind of weird, you know that?" she said, but her tone was amused, not unkind.

"I've been told that before," I admitted.

She bit her lip, thinking. "I don't usually go out with guys I just met at a park festival."

"Sometimes you just gotta be spontaneous. Trust your gut."

"Sometimes, yeah," she chuckled nervously. "It's just… strange."

"Strange isn't always bad," I said, trying to sound confident.

She smiled again, a little more genuinely this time. "No, I guess it's not." She paused, then added, "But I should probably head home soon. I've got work tomorrow."

My heart sank. She was giving herself an out.

"Right. Of course." I hesitated, then added quickly, "Could I at least get your number? In case you figure out where you know me from?"

She studied me for another long moment, then let out a small laugh. "You're persistent."

"Only when it matters."

"Sorry..." She shook her head. "It's sweet, but I'm just not..." She trailed off, looking like she was trying to find a polite way to say no.

I wanted to get on my knees, to beg her, to scream "EMMA! WAKE UP!" but I knew that would only make things worse.

I was losing her and I had no idea what to do.

She nodded politely, but her eyes were apologetic. She turned and started to walk away, and I felt a wave of panic wash over me.

But then, she stopped. She turned back to me, her expression conflicted.

"Actually, you know what?" she said, surprising both of us. "Give me your number. I'll think about it." She pulled out her phone.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. I rattled off my number, my hands shaking so much I almost messed it up.

She typed it in, then looked up at me. "Calvin, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Calvin."

"Okay, Calvin. Maybe I'll call you." She gave me a small, uncertain smile, then turned and walked away for real this time, disappearing into the thinning crowd.

I stood there, frozen, my mind a frantic mess. This wasn't ideal. She could accidentally switch with any other woman. She could decide I was a creep, and never reach out. Then I'd lost my wife for good. But what else could I do?

I found Ashley near the parking lot, frantically scanning faces. When she saw me, she rushed over.

"Did you find her?" she asked, breathless.

"Yeah. I think so."

"You think so?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "She doesn't remember anything, Ash. She thinks her name is Elizabeth. She has no idea who I am. Or who she is."

Ashley's face went pale. "How do you know it's her, then?"

"I could feel it," I said, and I knew how insane that sounded. "She kept staring at me. She said she felt like she knew me but couldn't place me. She couldn't keep her eyes off me. It's her. I know it is."

"Jesus Christ." Ashley looked around wildly, like Emma might suddenly materialize. "Where is she? Let's go get her!"

"She left."

"What?!" Ashley grabbed my arm. "How could you let her go?!"

"What was I supposed to do?" I shot back, my voice rising. "Tackle her? Tell her she's actually my dead wife possessing someone's body? She would've run, Ash. She would've thought I was insane, and then we'd have lost her for good."

Ashley opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. Her shoulders slumped. "Fuck."

"I know."

"Okay. Okay." She took a breath, clearly trying to calm herself. "So what's the plan?"

I pulled out my phone, staring at the screen. "She took my number. Hopefully she'll call."

Ashley looked at me incredulously. "Hopefully? That's the plan?"

"What else can I do?"

"I don't know!" She threw her hands up. "This is insane! What if she doesn't call?"

"She will," I said, though I wasn't sure I believed it.

Ashley was quiet for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "So what, you're hoping for a date?"

I looked at her, then back at my phone.

A date. With my wife. Who didn't know she was my wife.

I needed to seduce her. To get her into bed. It was the only way to bring Emma back.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I guess I am."

---

Hey there! This was chapter 21 out of 28. Sorry for the long leave of absence, I got married! I'm back now, so expect chapters regularly once again.

Eager to continue the story? You can join my Patreon for early access or purchase the full book on Smashwords and/or Kindle!

You're also invited to join my Discord server where you'll meet lovely weirdos who love to chat about mind control, smut and hypnosis.