Brainchild

"Brainchild" by Henry Slesar is a science fiction story centered on Ron Carver, a thirty-year-old man trapped in the body of a twelve-year-old boy at Roverwood Home for Boys. Waking up in this unexpected predicament, Ron grapples with his lost identity and the challenges of navigating childhood once more, quickly finding that their lives are somehow intertwined with a boy genius known only as the Scholar. As Ron tries to understand and reverse his condition, their interactions reveal complex themes of survival, identity, and the grave repercussions of genius, forcing Ron to confront not only the Scholar but also the essence of humanity and his fight to reclaim his former life.