Epilogue

As I read over this journal of sorts, I realize that, if I publish it where I stopped taking notes, which is what you just finished reading, there will be many questions left unanswered. I wasn't going to publish it at all, but enough time has passed, and it's such a fascinating story, that to keep it to just the six of us who know about it would rob the world of something they need to know about. And I'm not talking just about the possibility that you could be snatched up by aliens and switched into somebody else's body.

But that could happen.

So I've changed the names and places, with the exception of my ranch in Wyoming. You can try to find that, if you like. Even if you do, it won't get you much. If you found me I'd just say it was a flight of fancy, fiction that I thought up and tried to pawn off as fact. And it would be your word against mine.

Unless you have proof that the same thing happened to you.

But then you'd be just like my niece and nephew, and wouldn't be all that hot for all those government scientists to whisk you away to Area 51 or wherever, lock you up, and study you for the rest of your life.

Anyway, more happened after that, of course, so I'll just sum that up and then put this baby out where people can see it and try to be prepared, in case any bright lights surround them and they wake up in the wrong body. There might be a way to reverse it.

A point about that, by the way. We never really did figure out whether it was the fact they were twins, and the kind of bond that creates between two people, or whether it was because they loved each other so much that they found a way for their psyches to intertwine, and undo whatever it was that had been done to them. In other words, we still don't understand how they got that way, or why what they did got them undone.

From our perspective, that isn't important. I suppose if it happens to you, it would be very important. But you'll have to figure that out on your own.

Now, on to the update.

The kids stayed three more days. That was one part trying to extend playing hooky, one part spending as much time in bed as they could, in case their parents didn't buy into the new master plan, and one part finding out whether or not they could stand living and working with me, in case their parents didn't buy into the new master plan.

The master plan was to "give the aliens what they wanted." That is, to continue acting like a breeding pair, while the aliens watched with interest. Of course precautions would be taken to prevent the actual breeding part, and it was hoped that, eventually, the aliens would come to the conclusion that this particular breeding pair wasn't viable, or at least not very fertile, and go off and abduct somebody else.

Did I believe in the aliens? I have a tendency to teeter back and forth on that issue. I don't have a better theory as to what could rip the mind from one person and put it into another. That's pretty advanced technology. And I don't think it happened naturally, through some desire on the part of the twins to find out what it might be like to be in their opposite's body. And even if there was some curiosity there, it was neither stated, nor anywhere near strong enough to just happen. After all, it took a mutual orgasm to undo it.

So, could there be aliens involved? Sure, I guess so. Ironically, if there really were aliens, they probably screwed up. By that, I mean I doubt they switched the kids' identities intentionally. Why would they do that? What would that teach them?

If there were aliens, did they stick around and "make" the kids fall in love with each other to the point that they would, in the face of known, strong taboo, have messy, dangerous sex?

That I doubt. I mean if you come all that way, you're going to want to get the information you came for and then leave, or at least pull back and analyze the data you collected, so you could decide whether to conquer this world or not. And we haven't been conquered.

Then again, if they judged the whole planet based on what they found in the minds of two seventeen-year-olds, it probably terrified them and they took off as quickly as they could. That might be why things got put back together too hastily. They wanted to haul ass out of this sector of the universe post haste. There's way too much aggression in the psyche of a teenager for any alien consciousness to be able to take easily.

So, what do I think happened?

I think two kids fell in love with each other under extraordinary circumstances. Three, actually. I have to include Sherry. She's part of the family now.

When it came to communicating the master plan to Frannie and Jack, I felt it was important enough for me to be with them when they posed it to Fran and Jack, to get somebody to watch the place for a couple of days. I expected to have to sell it, but it was pretty easy, all things considered.

"The way I figure it, if they're watching the kids, they're going to expect to see more of that behavior," I said. "And if they don't see it, they might pull them up into the mother ship to examine again."

Fran's eyes got large.

"You mean let them keep doing it?!"

"It will only appear as if they're doing it," I said. "They'll go through the motions, using protection, of course. It will look like they are breeding, but they won't be."

"Protection," said Jack. If I was this girl's father, I'd have been overly interested in that aspect of things too.

"Condoms," I said.

"Why not put her on the birth control pill?" asked Fran.

"You could, but that raises a question."

"What question?" asked Fran.

"Well, we don't know if, when this whole thing happened, they got taken somewhere or not. Like to a mother ship or whatever. If they were, then 'they' might have some kind of record of their body chemistry," I said. "If they can track that kind of thing, they might notice whether her fertility changes. And, like I said, the last thing we want is for them to get pulled up for another look ... a tune up of sorts."

Fran shuddered, and then frowned.

"What if they know about condoms?"

"I guess that's a chance we'll have to take," I said. "I doubt they can see through walls."

Frannie looked at her children, who had been sitting still as mice off to one side.

"Can you two stand doing that?" she asked, with a worried expression.

They looked at each other, holding it for a few seconds. Carly nodded first, and then Craig right after her. They turned back to their parents. Carly spoke first.

"If it will keep them from abducting us again." She blushed. "What happened between Craig and me wasn't ... horrible," she said, her eyes darting around. "I mean it wasn't like anything else I've ever done. I guess as long as nobody finds out ... I guess it would be okay with me."

They looked at Craig. We had talked about this, and my own reaction to their story had caused us to suspect that some measure of ... shall we say "acceptance" ... would be expected by Jack.

"Um ... I didn't mind it at all," he said, forcing a blush. "As long as nobody finds out," he added in a rush. I could see his father's eyes take that all in and the man relaxed. That was something he could understand.

Fran, ever the pragmatist, said something that nobody was ready for.

"It won't be the same as it was the first time," she said. "You need to prepare for that."

She got blank looks.

"Well," she said, somewhat exasperatedly, "the first time you started out in each other's body. Now it will all be reversed." She looked at her son. "You will have to be very gentle with her," she said. She looked at Carly. "And you need to be prepared ... physically," she blushed and then went on, "or it will be very uncomfortable."

"How?" asked Carly, who was so astounded that it just popped out. It was the right thing for a virgin - or almost virgin - to say.

"It's called foreplay," said Fran, weakly. "Do you know about foreplay?"

"You mean making out?" asked Craig. These kids were brilliant.

"Something like that," said Fran, who looked at Jack. He coughed and looked away.

"We can give you some pointers," said Fran, stoutly.

"Okay," said the twins, putting on a look of discomfort.

"I can get you some KY Jelly," said Fran. Her eyes went round and she slapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's all right, Darling," said Jack, patting her on the back. "I know this is hard, but you're doing a wonderful job."

"KY Jelly?" asked Carly, who knew perfectly well what it was, but was, I think, having fun milking this whole thing. Her parents had not turned down Plan A without discussion. In fact, it looked as if it had already been adopted, by consensus, if not a vote. Now she was simply breaking things down to make them seem as normal as possible.

"It's a lubricant," said Jack, who was still patting my sister on her back.

"Oh!" said Carly. "We need a lubricant? Okay. I guess that makes sense. I never thought of that."

"I would hope not," whispered Fran through her fingers.

"How often do we have to do this?" asked Craig, making it sound as if it were a chore he wasn't eager to get to.

"If they've been watching Earth for a while, they might know that this behavior, between mating pairs, is done pretty frequently," I said, in my most scholarly voice. I left it at that.

"What if they can see through the ceiling?" asked Carly, looking alarmed. "They'll know we've been in the same bedroom, and if we go back to the old way, they'll be able to see that too."

I shot her a warning look. She was getting greedy.

"Well that's easy," said Jack. "They can just keep sharing a room."

"Dad!" complained Craig. "Her room is pink!"

"If they can see through the roof, it doesn't matter whose room you sleep in," said Jack. "Sleep in yours one night and hers another."

"Oh," said Craig, as if that was something he'd never thought of. "Sure. That's a good idea."

"There's just one more thing," said Fran, dropping her hand.

"What?" I asked.

"Well, it's possible that she's not pregnant. Assuming that's true (she had a yearning look on her face that made me feel downright guilty, ) what happens when she doesn't get pregnant?"

I looked around the room.

"Then we have to hope they lose interest and go on to someone else. Who knows how many other breeding pairs they have created to study? Surely they didn't stop with just one. If they do research like we do research, they'll expect some pairs to fail."

"I have another question," said Carly.

"Yes?"

"How long do we have to pretend to do this?"

I shrugged.

"I'd think that if you kept it up until you graduate, and nothing else happens, that should be enough. If they've been watching Earth, they know that people go to college, and move around and all that. I'd think if you can make it to graduation, you're home free."