Aaron's Mom's Deep Cleaning and Lawn Mowing Edict

Once upon a time, on a sunny afternoon, a 12-year-old boy named Aaron was getting ready for an eagerly awaited trip to the movies. Amongst popcorn and candies that he had stashed to avoid the high prices at the cinema concession stand, he gathered his cash and his mobile phone. He was excited to share the experience with his close friends and his girlfriend, Erica. As he scurried around his room, his 42-year-old mother Joan popped her head in, her eyebrows furrowed and her arms crossed. "Aaron," she began in a serious tone, "You're going to have to cancel your date at the mall. You've neglected the deep clean of the house and mowing the lawn for weeks now. It's time to get it done." The young boy's heart sunk at the news. He gave a sheepish look to his mother and pleaded, "Mom, please. I don't want to miss this movie. I may never get another chance to see it." His mom was unmoved, insisting he should focus on his responsibility. As a gesture of disciplinary action, she decided to confiscate his money and his phone until he completed his chores. A disappointed Aaron watched his mother retreat with his belongings and heard the car pull out of the driveway. Feeling heard and abandoned, Aaron decided to act. Desperate, he cautiously slinked into his mother's closet where he had seen her place his phone next to her forgotten purse. Surrounded by frills and pleats and heels, the very idea of wearing any of those made him cringe. Carefully stepping around the items, he managed to take his phone back. He grimaced at the sight of his mother's vibrant red leather purse but rummaged through it to find his confiscated money. No sooner had he found his money than his foot involuntarily tripped on a shoe lying haphazardly on the floor. In a flustered movement, his hands clung onto the purse handle, yanking it onto his shoulder, and his feet slid into a pair of his mom's strappy sandals. He felt a strange sensation - the sandals started to tighten, and his feet began to shrink and age. Suddenly he felt shorter, his clothes morphed into knee-length jeans and a tank top, and his hair transformed into a short bob. He was horrified as he saw his reflection. The changes didn't stop there, he felt his memories begin to blur and alter till he was convinced he was Joan, staring at his reflection in a mirror. Looking at the cash and phone scattered on the floor, the “new” Joan felt a surge of fury. "This boy actually dared to sneak into my bedroom and grab his stuff without asking," she muttered to herself. She bent down to collect the money and the phone, her ire slowly abating as she admired herself in the mirror. There was a sudden appreciation for her looks and her clothes that she never quite appreciated before. She grabbed her purse, slinging it back onto her shoulder, and then made a series of calls to her son's friend’s parents, informing them of the cancellation of the movie hangout due to pending chores. With a sigh, she decided that a short drive would do wonders to soothe her frazzled nerves. And so, Joan buckled herself into her car, leaving the house empty, the chores not done and the real Aaron temporarily lost in a body and mind that were not his own. Little did she know though, she would have quite the surprise when she arrived home later to search for her son. Original Aaron would be back looking rather sheepish and a valuable lesson learned about responsibility and the consequences of not completing chores timely. What a day- Aaron thought- quite a movie of his own.