"That was a fun trip," said Dana. It was late evening, we were just getting back from the beach. I was outside her condo washing the sand off my feet.

"Yes, it was. Oh, there's a lot of sand in you — should I just use the hose, or what?"

"You can just run me through the washer, if you don't mind."

Let me catch you up a bit. Dana and I (Jess) were current participants in an experiment being run by Svenson Labs, some kind of mad science start-up. We were getting paid a good chunk of money — the pay-off-your-student-loans kind of money — to spend a week undergoing 'modifications' to our body.

Dana had been turned into luggage. I'm not sure how else I might explain that. Her head was now a handbag, complete with a leather strap. And her arms folded into her legs to make a backpack, of sorts. So you had all the storage of a regular human torso, plus cranial capacity. An impressive feat of engineering, I would say.

Now, in my case, my head had been removed. Yes, you might think that would be a terrible inconvenience, as ordinarily heads are a fairly essential thing to have. But mine had been replaced by a small black pendant that hung around the empty stump of my neck. The new head was not only stylish, but could connect me to WiFi networks, including an iPod touch that I could use to 'talk' to people.

With the experiment half-over, I was actually starting to enjoy my new form. It made me feel somehow empowered, or brave, or at the very least unique. I'd gotten so much more done since getting this new head — I could send out emails right away, just by wanting to. I could leave my head somewhere while my body went somewhere else.

The beach trip had been an interesting experience. Outside of this town, folks are not as accepting as they might be. I got some long stares. Even when I waved back, some people kept gawking. So there was that — at least when I had a head back on my shoulders I could blend into a crowd again.

—So did you work at the bar the other night? I asked. I shook the sand out of Dana as much as I could, turning her inside out. Then I dropped her empty body into the washing machine and started it.

"Hehe, being inside-out feels really weird. Yea, I had to serve. It was … interesting. I couldn't really carry my head around with me, so I would leave it on the bar, or the table, or wherever really. And I'd keep the checks tucked into my head until I needed them. I think my customers thought it was funny."

—You have to admit it kind of is.

"I know, right? This is just ridiculous. They turned my head into a handbag. I can't look in a mirror without laughing about it."

—I know just what you mean. I mean, I'm essentially a little black pendant. And somehow, all my thoughts are inside of it.

"Do you know what they did with your head?"

—You know I never asked.

"I've been a little curious where they put my brain."

—Wait, you had a brain?

"Har har. Here's what I've been thinking — if you could stay like this, would you?"

—If they kept paying me, definitely.

"What about just to do it? Just stay headless to do it?"

—Well, I guess I would save a lot of money on shampoo.

"Haha, yes you would. I've been thinking about it anyway, and I kind of like that my head isn't attached to the rest of me. The handbag stuff is just kind of a bonus."

—I'm waiting for the day when you lose your head.

"I'm sure I could pull that off."

We settled into watching TV while waiting for Dana's body to run through the washer, then I hung her up to dry. We moved onto other topics, and it really became like any other night hanging out with her. For that matter at the beach that day, there were plenty of times where our situation seemed 'normal' and I forgot just how absurd it was to be carrying around her head as handbag.

#

When I finally got home, I felt an email pop up in my mind. It was from Dr. Svenson.

Hello Jess,

I just wanted to say that the first phase of the experiment has been going well. We are getting some excellent data from you and the other participants.

I'd like to move onto the second phase. If you could come to our office tomorrow at 10, we can go over the details.

That certainly sounded interesting. What could be in store next?

#

"Hi Jess, how've you been?" Laura, the girl who'd run the tests earlier, was waiting at the front desk.

—Hello. Can't complain. How about you?

"Great. I'll show you in to see Dr. Svenson."

She led me down a hallway to what looked like a conference room and opened one of the doors.

"If you'll just wait in here, he'll be right with you."

I went in. Someone else was already seated at the table.

She didn't have a head either. She stood up, seeing me come in. A couple inches shorter than me, the girl had a curvy and athletic build.

I waved. She waved back. Strung around her neck was a familiar-looking black pendant.

—Hello, I'm Jess.

—I'm Jenna.

We shook hands.

—I'm guessing you're in Group D, I said.

—Haha, that's right. Isn't this cool?

—I think it's pretty neat. What do you think they called us in for?

—Don't have the slightest idea.

The door opened and Dr. Svenson entered holding a couple folders. He smiled for an instant and then looked down.

"Hello Jess and Jenna," he said. "I take it the two of you have introduced yourselves."

—Yep

"Very good. As you know this experiment was designed to monitor the effects this would have on your self-image, identity, mental health, and so on. The two of you have shown remarkable adaptability, and as such we are going to take this a couple steps further. With your consent of course."

—Sounds okay to me, I said.

—Yea, what's next? asked Jenna.

"Excellent. What we're going to do is swap your bodies for a day. The procedure is very simple, but you will both be taken offline for a brief period."

—That. Sounds. Awesome. I'm so excited! said Jenna. She grabbed my arm.

—Yea, definitely.

"Wonderful. If you wait here, I'll send Laura in in just a minute."

—This is gonna be so cool! said Jenna.

—I know! I can't wait to try out your body.

—Well, it'll be yours in a second.

—Any allergies or anything I should know about? I'd like to get it back to you in one piece.

—Oh, nothing much. Take it for a run if you have time, I was gonna do that this afternoon. I love your long legs, by the way.

—Thanks. You've got a pretty nice figure yourself.

The door opened again. Laura came in smiling, and holding a laptop.

"Hello ladies," she said. "Are we ready to begin?"

#

About thirty minutes later, I hugged my old body goodbye and went to my car. Jenna and I had really hit it off as friends, and we'd exchanged numbers and promised to hang out. It was really strange to see my body — now her's — walking around out of my control. Of course, it was also really strange to be in a new body that wasn't the one I'd lived in for my whole life.

Lived in. I guess that answers the question of identity. I now had nothing left of my original physical form. But I still had a 'me' right? I was really starting to think of this small black pendant as 'myself' and the headless body as more of a possession.
Jenna's body felt very different. She was definitely stronger than I was, and I could tell she worked out regularly. Her muscles were well-toned, and she had a very nice figure with thick, shapely legs and boobs that were probably a C cup. My new legs also felt very fast. I really wanted to go for a run and see what this body could do.

As I drove home, I wondered about paying Tom a visit. Jenna had mentioned a boyfriend. Did that mean my body would be intimate with someone else? I kind of liked that idea to be perfectly honest. Something about it was thrilling and voyeuristic.

Hmm… Tom. That was another interesting subject, wasn't it? Never noticed me as a neighbor, but I get my head taken off and suddenly he's interested. I'd be suspicious of his motives, but he was just so… good. He seemed like someone who I could really get along with. He was comfortable to be around

And that was exactly it. I felt comfortable around him, even without my artificial head at all. Completely in an abstracted senseless abyss. Well, I mean I could still see a bit from where I'd left my head in my purse in the car, but that view didn't change. Inside the club I could feel the base, I could feel his hands guiding me, and it was just … well, just right, somehow.

I decided to experiment a bit when I got back to my apartment. I wanted to be truly headless and experience life as only a body. My technological marvel of a replacement head was fantastic, but I realized that maybe I was missing half the experience just by focusing on how much fun it is to have a mental uplink to the internet. The Experiment would be over in a couple days, and I wouldn't have this chance again.

I wrapped up my head with a t-shirt and put it away in my dresser. Now I truly couldn't see or hear. Then I switched off the wi-fi. There. Complete and actual headlessness.

Well, I still had that weird factory-perfect spacial awareness, so I suppose I wasn't truly as 'headless' as I could be. But I think most people would give me the benefit of the doubt there, being that I did not, in fact, possess a head anymore.

I liked Jenna's physique, and actually braved the outside world to go visit the gym downstairs. After that I took a long bath, then made some mac and cheese for dinner. All with my head stashed in my dresser.

It was a very interesting afternoon. I was in a world of only touch. The textures of things came through much more vividly, as did their temperature, and I was acutely aware of my posture. The 'darkness' eventually became less present in my mind, and thoughts about sight and sound were slowly quelled. I found that after an hour, I stopped even 'visualizing' what things looked like.

Later that night, I finally decided to see what the rest of the world had been up to. I flicked on the internet to see an email from Tom. I would read that in just a second. I wanted to tell Dr. Svenson about this. I sent him a quick email mentioning that I found being 'really headless' to be very relaxing, and wanted to be able to "turn off" my head for a set period of time.

Now. Tom. He said he saw another headless girl at the gym, who appeared to be really, actually headless. And wasn't that weird?

And then he asked if I would like to watch a movie that night.

I sent him a text saying I was coming over with a surprise to show him. This could be a very fun night.