Joseph wandered the streets of his city for weeks trying to remember how he got here. He desperately sought out his real parents but they didn't recognize him. He found a home with a family but they

Story: Once upon a time, on a bright and sunny day, 7-year-old Joseph found himself venturing to the local park alone for the first time. He was bubbling with excitement and curiosity of what fun he could encounter. Like a hummingbird flitting from flower to flower, Joseph moved from swing to slide, immersing himself in his imagination. Among the usual park-goers, he noticed a lady who stuck out; her appearance was a mismatch of style and disarray. She was a 36-year-old homeless woman known around town as Cotton Candy. Despite homelessness clutching her, she always managed to maintain a seemingly nice wardrobe. That day, she was clad in a ripped tank top and short shorts, a pair of wedges tapping away the rhythm of her hardscrabble life. Her straight, brown hair was cut up to her neck, and a purse dangled off her shoulder. Almost as if drawn by some silent beckoning, Cotton Candy approached the boy. "Hey hon," she began, her voice carrying a mix of humility and desperation, "I don't normally bother little kids, but do you have a spare quarter on you?" Joseph looked up into her eyes, shook his head, and softly said that he was sorry. A kind smile warmed Cotton Candy's face. "It's okay sweetheart, I understand. Hey, how about a hug?" she offered. Joseph stepped in and hugged her. But, suddenly, everything spun around him, and he felt dizzy. When he opened his eyes, he found himself seeing the world from a different perspective, a higher perspective. Everything around him had changed. He was now in Cotton Candy's body, feeling the texture of the tank top and shorts against his skin, the wedges adding extra height, and the purse now resting on his shoulder. "Whoa! I'm so big now, but I think this is the nice lady's body," Joseph gasped out in his new, feminine voice. The wedges were awkward, so he slipped them off and quickly ran over to his old body now embodying Cotton Candy. "Hi, I think I'm supposed to be in that body," Joseph pointed out, a touch of innocence still in his voice, as he directed towards his original body. The new occupant of Joseph's body, Cotton Candy, replied ruefully, "Sorry, hon, you didn't have a quarter on you, and I'm sick of being scared, homeless and alone. Enjoy the life though. I'll be erasing your memories." With a snap of her fingers, a whirlwind of memories attacked Joseph. Everything he knew started fading, replaced by the memories of the homeless woman he had encountered. It was a whirlwind of hard streets, loneliness, struggle, and fight for survival. The confusion was replaced by a recognition of her new identity; Cotton Candy looking down at her worn-out tank top, shorts, and wedges. She picked up her discarded purse and slipped back into the wedges. "Why did I remove my wedges? I love how tall they make me. Being homeless is really making me scatter-brained. I'll need a new shirt, too. This one has a hole," Cotton Candy mumbled to herself, utterly unaware of the life-altering swap that had just occurred. Cotton Candy, now completely unaware of ever being Joseph, walked out of the park on the sound of tapping wedges, hurtling back into the hard realities of her homeless life. And with that, Cotton Candy, now in Joseph's body, reveled in her newfound youth, secure in the knowledge that she would never have to sleep on the streets again. As for Joseph, he spent the rest of his life navigating the world as Cotton Candy, a memory of his previous life completely wiped away.