Parina Gurung
Aanya woke up to the sharp buzzing of an unfamiliar alarm. She groaned, rolled over, and froze, her hands larger, voice deeper, and the room not hers. She stood up immediately, staring at the mirror across the room. A boy stared back. Meanwhile, miles away, a boy named Rihan blinked at the reflection of a girl with long, dark hair. Confused, he panicked, thinking this was a prank. Neither of them had any idea what had happened.
They had never met. They didn't even know the other existed. But they both found a slip of paper in their pockets written, ‘Meet me at the Sunrise Park.’ When Aanya and Rihan's body arrived, Aanya saw herself pacing nervously. The girl's eyes widened. "You are me", she whispered, and, "You have got me", Aanya replied from Rihan's mouth.
They sat on a bench talking over each other, comparing details, panicking, laughing, but one thing was clear, they were stuck in each other's bodies.
Days turned into weeks as they worked together to survive. Aanya learned how to act like a boy, thanks to Rihan guiding her. Rihan learned how to be Aanya, her walk, her mannerisms, her style. At first it was pure chaos, then became a routine, and slowly something gentle grew between them. They shared secrets, talked late at night, growing closer and closer.
One evening, as the sky slowly set, they met at the same park bench. "I like you", Rihan confessed, awkwardly. Anya smiled," Good, because I have been liking you too." They leaned closer.
Suddenly, it went all dark, a shock wave of wind. Aanya woke up the next morning in her own bed and body. Everything was normal. Across the city, Rihan woke up the same way. Their mind blank. Neither remembered the swap, the lessons, the laughter, the confession. Their memories of each other were gone, cleanly erased, no clue. Then, one afternoon, they walked past each other at the same park that started it all, but couldn't recognize each other.
