It was a lovely sunny summer evening, but Penny felt rather gloomy. She was walking home from work - she liked those hour-long solitary walks and preferred them to the crowded bus - and, as always, she couldn't help but notice all the happy couples around her.
Shit, all her former classmates have been dating since school! Some of them are even already married! And she... Penny sighed. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't get over her shyness and anxiety. She was technically not a virgin, she had her vibrator, but she might end up as a lonely crazy cat lady who never got a man inside her.
"Hello, Penny!" a cheerful voice said, and Penny turned around, startled.
"Oh, hello, Mrs. Palmer!"
In her thoughts, she did not notice how she reached her house. Mrs. Palmer, a lady in her sixties, was sitting on the bench near the entrance, smiling at her. Penny knew her, they often met in the hallways or near their apartment building, though Penny couldn't remember her name. She was always Mrs. Palmer and nothing else.
The lady was tall and thin, her face was wrinkled, her gray hair was pulled back in a bun, and she wore glasses, a long purple dress, and rather elaborate necklaces and bracelets. She carried a small black notebook in her hand.
"How was your day, dear?" Mrs. Palmer said warmly. "Mourning your loneliness again?"
Penny smiled bitterly.
"Is it so obvious?"
"To normal people, not at all. But I see such things."
Because Mrs. Palmer was a witch. Penny knew that for a fact, as she did not hide it. On the contrary, Mrs. Palmer was busy advertising her skills, and there was a small but steady stream of customers coming to her for charms, amulets, and fortune-telling. For some reason, only the people who really needed her help believed her. To others, she seemed like a harmless old lady who believed in fairy tales.
Penny was more of the latter.
"Do you have a minute, dear?" Mrs. Palmer patted the bench beside her. "I have a proposition for you."
Penny looked at her in surprise but shrugged it off and sat down, stretching out her tired legs. No matter how comfortable her shoes were, an entire shift on her feet, plus an hour's walk home, was a bit much. And her jeans and closed T-shirt were a little too hot for the current weather, but she never dared to put on anything more revealing.
"Yes, Mrs. Palmer?"
"I know you didn't ask for it, but it hurts me to see you like this. I can be of help to your cause with my craft."
Penny chuckled.
"Some kind of love potion? I'm not your target audience, Mrs. Palmer. I don't believe in that stuff."
Mrs. Palmer chuckled too.
"Actually, not a potion, but a spell. And it won't make you marry someone. I have something more subtle and exciting in mind."
"What?"
"It's a kind of swap spell, dear. A special one, to be exact. You let me take control of your body for one day, and I'll help you break out of your shell. I will teach you how to meet people and enjoy sex."
Penny blinked in confusion.
"A... swap spell?"
"Yes, dear. It's also called borrowing. You'll see, hear, and feel everything, only I'll be driving and you'll be in the back seat, so to speak. But I drive gently, don't worry."
"Wait, wait... What do you mean 'driving'?"
"I'm going to take control of all your movements for a day, dear, and do whatever I want. Don't worry, I'm good at this. You'll be perfectly safe and nothing bad will happen to you, I promise. Just good and thrilling."
Penny stared at the old lady.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"And you probably want something very precious from me in return..."
Mrs. Palmers smiled.
"Nothing at all. A day in a young body, with all its joys at my hands, is the best reward!"
Penny tried to gather her thoughts. Wasn't this a deal with the devil? Had she really considered it?
"So... I give you a free ride on my body and you help me with my shyness issues? That's it?"
"That's it."
A sudden thought struck Penny.
"And what... what if you don't give control back to me after that day?"
Mrs. Palmer laughed softly.
"Oh, so you believe in that stuff after all! Well, there are rules and limitations. I'm not allowed to break my contacts, even if they're only verbal. But of course, you cannot check it. You have to put your trust in me".
Penny's heart skipped a beat. The situation seemed absurd, but she could not resist the temptation. She considered it for a moment. She did not trust magic, but she did trust Mrs. Palmer. No one had ever said anything bad about her. On the other hand, if she could control what people said and did...
"All right," she said finally. "You have a deal, Mrs. Palmer."
"Oh, please, call me Donna. Now we must seal our contract with a handshake."
They shook hands.
"Excellent, my dear. Then take a day off work and come to my place in the morning. Do you know where I live?"
"Yes, I do."
Penny said goodbye and went to her lonely apartment. Her head was spinning.
An hour later, after she had finished her dinner, she sighed. Well, she has to do it now or she'll never get up the courage to do it later. She texted her manager and asked for a day off. Luckily she was online, and the reply came almost immediately.
"Of course, Penny, you can have it tomorrow."
"Thank you, Mrs. Smith!"
She set the phone down on the table and dug her fingers into her hair. Oh God, what had she gotten herself into?
***
Penny pushed the button. The doorbell rang a melodious chime, and Mrs. Palmer opened the door. She was wearing a simple, cozy housecoat.
"Morning, Penny! Come on in! Would you like some tea?"
"Mmm... m-maybe... Thank you, Mrs. Palmer..."
"Donna. I'm Donna to you. We are going to spend a day very closely together, so formalities are ridiculous!"
"Thank you, Donna."
Penny followed Donna to the table with the teapot, cookie vase, and two cups. As Donna poured the tea, Penny looked around curiously.
The room was spacious but rather cluttered. There were dozens of shelves on the walls, each filled with various strange things. There were candles, jars, dried herbs, stones, books, bottles, crystals, bones, shells, feathers, and other oddities. There were also many potted plants. Some were just decorative, and some grew right here on the windowsill. The air smelled of incense.
"Don't mind all this stuff!" Donna waved her hand as she set the cup in front of Penny. "It's mostly decorum, to impress my clients, and because I like pretty things. Real witchcraft is done with simple, mundane things at hand, or no things at all."
Penny took a sip of the tea. It was excellent.
"Um... What should I do, Mrs. Pa... Donna? Is there anything I need to do before..."
"Just relax, Penny. Finish your tea, and then we'll sit comfortably and I'll take your hand and say a few words. You might feel a little dizzy. And that's all."
"What will it feel like? When you're, um, driving?"
Penny imagined being trapped in her body moving on its own, and shivered.
Donna smiled.
"Oh, nothing that terrible! You know those moments when you are deep in thought, doing things automatically without really paying attention, do you? It will be like that. Like being slightly distracted. But you will be able to see and feel everything. And we could talk to each other in our joint mind."
"Hmmm... I think I understand... Yesterday, you promised that nothing bad would happen to me and that it would be interesting... How so?"
"Well, you will experience pleasures that you have never known before. Sexual pleasure to be exact."
"But you said nothing bad..."
Donna laughed.
"It won't be anything bad, believe me! If you only knew how many lovers I've had, not counting husbands! You are dealing with an expert, Penny."
Penny tried to imagine and blushed.
"Okay..."
When the tea was gone, Penny followed Donna into another room. There was a sofa and several armchairs, with a coffee table and bookshelves around it. Donna lay down comfortably on the sofa and waved Penny over to the armchair next to it.
"Give me your hand."
Penny's heart raced. So fast? Right now? She is not ready!
