Chapter 1

“Hey! Cool!” exclaimed Wilbur after the travel tube spat him out in Cornelius’s workshop. “Dad’s got a new invention!”
He casually made his way towards the unusual item lying on his father’s cluttered desk. It looked like a laser-gun only less dangerous-looking. He noticed that the invention was more of a prototype than a fully finished invention.
“Cool, wonder what it does,” he said as he gingerly picked up the item.
“Wilbur!”
Wilbur jumped as he heard that painfully familiar voice say his name in that you-are-in-so-much-trouble tone. He spun around to see his father, Cornelius Robinson, with his hands on his hips and a disappointing look on his face.
“Hey, dad,” Wilbur said innocently, “what are you doing here?”
“It’s my workshop, Wilbur” Cornelius said raising an eyebrow.
“Of course it is!” said Wilbur putting down the gizmo and backing away from his father trying to make an exit. “And that’s why you’re doing such an excellent job, dad. Because you own a workshop; and what do you do in your workshop?”
“Wilbur,” Cornelius interrupted.
“You invent things!” shouted Wilbur continuing to stall. “And create brilliant mottos like, ‘Keep Moving Forward’!”
“Wilbur!”
“And that’s why you’re so good at dad! You never give up and make inventions like this… thing!” he picked up his dad’s newest creation.
“WILBUR!!!”
“Yeah dad?” Wilbur said timidly.
“What have I told you time and time again?”
“To, uh, always eat my vegetables?”
“No! Never mess with my inventions! They aren’t fully finished yet, and I’m not sure if you can handle them correctly.” Cornelius sat in is chair while rubbing his forehead.
“Sorry, dad. I…just wanted to see what you were up to,” mumbled Wilbur. He turned away and sniffed to make his father believe that he was really crying. He was about to step under the travel tube when he heard his father call after him.
“Wait, Wilbur. I was being a little harsh,”
Wilbur grinned a sly grin when he heard his dad say those words.
“Hey, come over here. I want to show you something,” his voice was so gentle, so inviting, Wilbur couldn’t resist.
He watched as Cornelius picked up his newest invention. “This is a Personality Exchanger. Now, you have to be very careful with this because one wrong move and you and the nearest person next to you replace each other’s personality.”
“Cool,” awed Wilbur. “Can I hold it?”
“Sure, but be careful.” He handed the machine to Wilbur who held it very carefully.
“Where’s the button?” asked Wilbur examining it.
“It’s right… here.” pointed Cornelius.
“That tiny little thing?” asked Wilbur. The button was the size of a pencil eraser. It could be easily confused with a screw in the gizmo.
“Yeah, unfortunately.”
“Are you, uh, on a tight budget or something?” joked Wilbur.
Before Cornelius could answer, there was a high-pitched beep coming from the ceiling; the intercom.
“Cornelius, is Wilbur in there?” Franny, Wilbur’s mom, asked.
“Yes, dear.” shouted Cornelius.
“Wilbur, Grandpa Bud lost his teeth again. And he asks for you to help him look for them.”
“Ugh, again?” complained Wilbur. He hated looking for his Grandpa’s teeth and digging up holes in the yard then filling them up again. He loves his Grandpa to death; it’s just that he always forgets things.
“Yes, again! Now get up here, mister!”
Wilbur was furious and embarrassed. Unfortunately, he squeezed the Personality Exchanger out of anger. What’s unfortunate about it is that his finger was on the button which activated the machine.
A ray of energy blasted up Wilbur’s arm and spread all over his body. Cornelius experienced the same thing and they both felt as if their ghost had come out of their bodies and seeped into a different body. The energy was so powerful, that it knocked the machine out of Wilbur’s hand and it crashed to the ground, wires fraying in every direction and pieces of metal lying next to the broken machine.