The U-Feeling Experience E-Book

José Ángel Mañas

• Herausgeber: Aniara
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Serie: The U-Feeling Experience
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 128

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2026

Beschreibung

A new international corporation called U-Feeling has arrived in the capital, commercialising the ultimate commodity: body swapping. The corporation claims it can dissolve every social divide by allowing people to experience life from inside another body—bringing humanity closer to universal peace, that old Kantian dream, now finally within reach. The war between the sexes? Over. Class conflict? Finished. Xenophobia? Obsolete. But when identity becomes interchangeable, where does the self end—and what remains when you return? The U-Feeling Experience is a provocative work of speculative fiction that challenges our assumptions about identity, empathy, and human nature. Rosa Montero calls it "a taut futuristic tale that is at once disturbingly realistic, infused with a psychological unease reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe."

Leseprobe

The U-Feeling Experience

José Ángel Mañas

Contents

The U‑Feeling Decalogue: Ten Fundamental Rules

Part I

1. A Man Called Momar

2. Having A Sick Child

3. The Rules

4. A Failed Exchange

5. Drifting Through The City

Part II

6. The Getaway

7. The Hunter Hunted

8. Hate

9. More Victimhood

10. The Arrest

 © José Ángel Mañas, 2021

Aniara, 2025

Translation by Aniara 

www.aniara.one

[email protected]

Original title: La experiencia U-Feeling

Originally published by Editorial Alt autores

All rights reserved.

No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by EU copyright law.

ISBN print: 97-891-90075-99-9

ISBN e-book: 97-891-90075-97-5

Cover design: Per Gustafsson (modernstyle.se)

The U‑Feeling Decalogue: Ten Fundamental Rules

1. Payment for the exchange will follow globally uniform standards set by You‑Feeling. Variations will depend solely on the duration of the experience, not on any other circumstance.

2. Each participant in the You‑Feeling experience will receive detailed information about the host body (age; physical and psychological health; home address; family and professional network) at least one month before it begins, together with a protocol of permitted and prohibited actions during the experience (see separate document).

3. The exchange will take place solely and exclusively by mutual consent of both parties. The contract, signed one month in advance, may be revoked unilaterally by either party up to the moment both participants enter the exchange area.

4. Each host body will receive a U-locator by oral administration, enabling the company to know its location at all times during the experience. The U-locator will be deactivated in both bodies simultaneously, and disconnection will be performed solely and exclusively by You-Feeling professionals at You-Feeling facilities, solely and exclusively at the moment the host bodies are handed over.

5. The cap set by the Body Exchange Act (Official State Gazette [BOE], 19/06/38) for the You‑Feeling experience is one week. Once that time has elapsed, the host bodies must present themselves at the You‑Feeling exchange hub and proceed to recover their original bodies.

6. Each client must return the host body in the same state of physical and psychological health in which it was received. Any deterioration will incur significant financial penalties as set out in the You‑Feeling catalogue and will be subject to the penalties established in the Spanish Criminal Code for body‑exchange offences. By law, You‑Feeling will report the client's condition immediately after the experience to the local Body‑Exchange Department, at Calle Siglo XXI, Madrid 28709.

7. Any escape attempt will be prosecuted both by You-Feeling tracking units and by the State Police Body-Exchange Department, who will be informed in detail. Anyone who attempts to escape with another person's body will be permanently barred from accessing You-Feeling’s services.

8. You-Feeling will not be responsible for any psychological disturbance arising from the exchange after the clients have returned to their own original bodies, provided the exchange has complied with these rules.

9. Private arrangements made by clients, according to their own interests, before or after the exchange fall outside You‑Feeling's remit and will be governed by the privacy applicable to any private contract under the Civil Code.

10. Animals are excluded from the experience, save for exceptional cases with prior signed veterinary and psychiatric authorisation.

Support You‑Feeling and download our app at http://youfeelingcompany.com

Client:

You‑Feeling Manager:

PartOne

Agent Peña Appears

Chapter1

A Man Called Momar

Transcript of the statement made by Momar Mbayé to State Police Inspector Julia Gordon (badge no. X‑2347544), in the presence of Agent Angie Peña González (badge no. Y‑212336), Department of Technological Crime.

Central Police Station, Thursday the 20th of June, 21:12

—Good evening, Momar. I'm Inspector Gordon, State Police, and this is Agent Peña from the Department of Technological Crime: I think you've crossed paths before. Sorry to bring you back up, but new elements have emerged in the investigation. Take a seat, please. If you want water, help yourself. The bottle and glass are for you. Don't hold back, because we could be here for a while. As I said earlier, I'm the inspector who was at the flat you broke into in the Salamanca district. I took statements from Mrs Gallardo and her husband, and as investigating officer my duty is to submit as complete a report as possible on what happened. We've brought you back up because in this afternoon's statement you steered clear of anything to do with the You‑feeling company. That's the document you see on the table, and we're going to stick to it despite the gaps. I've been going through it with my colleague, and apart from the total omission of your dealings with You‑feeling there are details concerning what happened in Mr Gallardo's flat that we'd like to go over with you. Any objections?

—What does my lawyer say?

—Your duty solicitor was surprised to see you'd left out so much in your statement. She's on your side, but she won't obstruct our work.

—Then I've no choice.

—Hello. As Inspector Gordon said, I'm Agent Peña. I just need some clarification about your relationship with You‑feeling. The inspector's already told me your Spanish is perfect. And yet your file says you were born in Senegal.

—I came to Spain when I was three. I grew up here.

—In Villaverde, where you live with your wife and son.

—I said that in my earlier statement.

—And now you're being kind enough to repeat it for me, and I'm grateful. You're very young to be married with a seven-year-old son.

—I'm twenty-eight. I'm a man.

—Following your first statement, Inspector Gordon sent officers to Villaverde. Your wife has been informed of your arrest and will come to see you when possible, though for now we've advised her to wait until tomorrow, when you're transferred to the courts. I imagine your lawyer has explained the usual protocol to you. In the early hours one of the vans that do the rounds of the police stations will collect that day's prisoners and take you to the cells at Plaza de Castilla courts, where during the course of the morning you'll be seen by the judge with your duty solicitor and the prosecutor for the remand hearing. Given the seriousness of the charges and the current climate of social unrest, the judge will almost certainly order your remand in custody. From that point he'll prepare the case file for trial and, given the severity of the offences you're accused of, you'll likely be sent to one of the maximum-security prisons in the Community of Madrid. It could be some very hard months before trial. You know that, don't you?

—The Inspector already explained all that. I know what I'm facing. I've said I'm a man.

—Right then, let's start with what you haven't told us. I'm part of the State Police team that's been investigating You‑Feeling for months. Its headquarters are where most of the big companies that land in the capital set up: Gran Vía, right in the city centre. It turns out I was there seventeen days ago, on Monday the 3rd of June to be exact, and as it happens, I recognised you that morning among a dozen people waiting in the reception area. Do you remember speaking to me?

—Maybe.

—'Maybe' isn't an answer.

—I was among a load of strangers. You were the only person who came up to me. With that electric-blue hair, ripped jeans and faded T-shirt, it would never have occurred to me you were police.

—Undercover officers are rather good at blending in. Would you mind explaining why you were at the You‑Feeling building that Monday, the 3rd of June?

—Is it absolutely necessary?

—No, but it would be a great help. And a full and honest statement this time would save us having to question you again. It's in your interest.

—For weeks now I've been dealing with a serious problem at home, as I explained to the Inspector in my previous statement. My only son is gravely ill. I need money to get him into hospital. Unfortunately, public healthcare stopped working a long time ago. Right now in this country most medical centres are private. Here no one thinks twice about bleeding you dry the moment you set foot in a hospital. My son has leukaemia. I needed thirty thousand euros to get him admitted. I shouldn't need to say more.

—And you didn't have thirty thousand euros?

—How would I have thirty thousand euros? Don't make me laugh. If I had them, I wouldn't be here. I'm a bricklayer. My day's work pays what it pays.

—You're a bricklayer, but you studied Sociology for two years.

—I studied until I got Tsitsi pregnant. After that I married her and went to work. In any case, I wouldn't have found work as a sociologist either, you know that perfectly well.

—Your wife doesn't work?

—She used to clean a few houses, brought in a bit of money. But since our son's condition got so advanced, and given that no hospital takes him, she's had to stop working to look after him full-time. And then the rent on our flat in Villaverde takes half my wages. The rest goes on food.

—Don’t you have any other family in Spain?

—Not really. In Madrid, my mother, who lives in the block across the way. My father died. My mother nearly went back to Senegal, but in the end she stayed here for my brothers, who she lives with. I've already explained that. Both of them were arrested at last month's demonstration. Protesting against police violence. They've been on remand ever since. Their wives and children have got enough on their plate with that, without worrying about us as well.

—Is it at that point you first contact You-Feeling?

—I saw a You-Feeling advert one morning on the Metro screens. I understood they were offering attractive rates for host bodies and, as I needed the money, I decided to go along.

—And did you know what that company was?

—Vaguely. I've seen adverts, because it's everywhere: on motorway billboards, the free screens in the squares, on phones… We've all heard of You-Feeling. It's one of the biggest companies in the world. The name has the same cachet as Coca-Cola or Amazon. During the day I searched online for reviews from people who'd already had the experience. They all said it was a serious company. That evening I went onto the You-Feeling website. There was an application form to fill in, and I did it.

—What did the form ask for?

—The reasons we were interested in becoming host bodies. Then personal data and specific details about physical condition: age, weight, height, shoulder width, waist measurement, eye colour, scars, fitness level, weekly hours of sports training, eating habits, employment status and a bank statement with transactions from the last three months. It was pretty thorough. I suppose that's logical given the kind of business it is. Anyway, I've got nothing to hide.

—Did you fill in the full form?

—Start to finish.

—And you signed the confidentiality clause?

—I did, of course. They won't process the application unless you agree to the confidentiality clause.

—What response did you get?

—Within a few hours I received an email with an online appointment for Monday at ten in the morning at the Gran Vía building.

—Which is where you went, and where I saw you that Monday, the 3rd of June.

—That was the agreed appointment. It was my first time inside You‑Feeling's flagship building. I thought it was spectacular. It's hypnotic even from the outside, when you see the giant screens covering the façade, running nothing but company adverts all day… And inside it's just as spectacular, though in a different way. The yellow of the walls dazzles you. Someone once told me yellow is the colour of madness, and it's true you get the impression you're living through an LSD trip. At reception, they told me to wait in the waiting room with the others. I sat down with about ten other people beneath a screen that covered the entire wall and played the same advert on a loop.

It's impossible not to have it stick: 'Need to refresh your existence? You-Feeling is the ultimate experience. Forget your old self and enjoy for a few days the unforgettable sensations of having a virgin body. You choose who you want to be!' In the advert, a married couple walk into You-Feeling with a displeased expression. The voice-over says, 'They used to be at each other's throats. Now, thanks to You-Feeling…', and you see them coming out through the revolving doors on Gran Vía holding hands. The pair of them, perfect teeth, well-fed, sharing an idyllic kiss. They wave whilst the same voice, with the accent of a TV presenter,says they've learned to empathise and now they adore each other. The advert ends with the company slogan: 'No more war between the sexes, no more class war, goodbye to xenophobia. You-Feeling opens your mind. Empathy, that's our product.' I can tell you, after watching it on loop for half an hour it sticks.

—Do you remember what kind of people were there?

—You'll have noticed better than me. I was too caught up in my own problems to pay attention to anyone else. All I know is there weren't any Black people. An Asian couple, maybe. The rest struck me as working people, ordinary Spanish people. Monday's the day for the You‑Feeling Plus experience. I suppose they were people in need, same as me. One bloke was obviously a Vox voter: he had the little state flag on his polo shirt and sun visor. They've grown bolder since they got into government. There were a few couples, not many. A couple of people gave me dirty looks – the sort we've been getting because of the riots. But I'm used to it.

—What did you think when you saw me?

—I didn't know you were police. But I did notice you, because of the cobalt-blue dyed hair and because, unlike other white women, you didn't avoid my eye. On top of that, you sat down next to me on one of the long synthetic-leather sofas, very comfortable and ergonomic. While you were fidgeting with an e-cigarette you asked me if I was there for the You-Feeling Plus experience too. I don't remember what I answered.

—I asked you, to be precise, what kind of Plus experience you were waiting for.

—You tried to show an interest in my case, get me talking. But I'm not used to a white woman taking an interest in me, and I still wasn't sure what You-Feeling might be offering. Besides, I was still wrapped up in my own problems. My wife was sending me information via WhatsApp about the requirements the doctor was asking for before he'd admit our son to hospital. I wasn't in the mood to chat with strangers. Apart from which, I'm reserved. It's not that I'm antisocial, but I'll never take the first step towards other people. I don't talk to people I don't know. I've got a self-contained character. Everyone says so.

—Unfortunately for You‑Feeling, I was conducting an investigation into their activities. We've suspected for some time that something unusual is going on outside their regular business. The State has decided to monitor their activities. And straight after that, what did you do?