Men Who Look Alike

A long time ago, there were two men who looked the same. One was wealthy; he was the mayor of the town. Another was a peasant, who was poor and worked on the farms. The wealthy one’s home was unique and elegant, and the poor one’s house was shabby and old.

People often mistook one man for the other. Once, the poor man was called to a town council meeting by accident, and the rich mayor found himself being beat up like the poor man often was by a person with a whip.

Both men longed for each others’ lives. The poor man wanted good food and a house, and the rich mayor wanted to be free from governing. However, they both feared being caught not doing the jobs they were supposed to do, since they both were very busy and many people relied on them.

One day, when these two men officially met, instead of just briefly glancing at each other and thinking “that guy looks like me”, they chatted and got to know one another in a council meeting room. Both men acknowledged their shared moral traits, like forgiveness and courage, and their eyes met with an inexplicable understanding.

These two men knew the town wouldn’t want them meeting, so on Monday, at midnight, they snuck out to the city garden to see each other. After exchanging the fact that they both wanted each other’s jobs, they worked out a plan.

Every Sunday afternoon, the mayor would go to the peasant man’s shabby hut and bring him good food. They would eat supper, then the mayor would change into the peasant’s working clothes. He would work in the field for the rest of the evening. At night, he would sneak back out and go home.

Every other Sunday, the peasant would be invited formally as a guest to the mayor’s house. He would wear a hood to hide his identity. He would change into nice clothes and attend council meetings. He would leave before supper, get back into his travelers outfit and hood, and would then go home.

They were always afraid that the townspeople would catch on, although they didn’t. The story ends peacefully, with their plan working, although they were occasionally late.