Week Nine Story: Twin Brothers

 Twin Brothers by Richard Edward Dennett (1898).

This is the story of two paths interconnected. 

There once was a woman. She was pregnant. After an intensive labor, she gave birth to twins, full grown twins. They were ready to set off into the world. They had a special charm that followed them and got them out of trouble when necessary. 

At the same time, a very beautiful woman was ready for marriage. She was of legal age and prepared to marry. But, her father wanted to make sure that the suitors had her blessing before he would agree to the marriage, because she was the one who would have to put up with them forever. 

Upon her coming of age, many suitors arrived. A tiger approached her father and he sent him to her and she rejected him. A gazelle, same outcome. A pig, same outcome. She was distraught that all of these suitors are not what she wanted. Until one day, she was walking through town and she saw the most handsome man she had ever seen. She ran directly to her mom and told her all about him and demanded that he be her husband. Luckily for her, the man was in town for her hand in marriage. 

He was greeted with a feast and with a wife. By sundown they were married. They slept in a room full of mirrors. These mirrors were covered. 

"What is beyond the covering of these mirrors?" he inquired.

"I can show you" she responded as she lifted off the covers. Each mirror showed him a different version of himself. It began in his home village. He was familiar with all of these places, he had ridden through and spent time in all of these towns. But, the last mirror was still covered.

"Why may I not see that mirror?" he asked.

"Those who enter that town, never return" she said fearfully.

"Let me see" he demanded. After a few more arguments back and forth, she showed him. He had no recollection of this village. But, he must go. He was drawn into it. So by sun up, he was off. He traveled long distances to find this village. When he arrived, he was instructed to tie up his horse and follow this elderly woman. He did so with slight hesitation, which was well warranted because the woman turned on him.

At the same time, his twin brother was riding into the town of his sister in law. She saw him and rejoiced, for her husband had made it back. Even after constant pleading and explaining that he was not his brother, they threw him a feast. Upon sundown, he lay with his brother's wife but separated himself from her as to not make an enemy, then at sun up, he looked at the mirrors in the same manner as his brother. But, in the last one, he saw his brother. He knew he needed him. So, he fled. He rushed to the village. The old woman attempted to do the same to him. But, he slayed her. Then, he arranged his brother's bones in order and used his charms to bring him back to life. 

This is a picture of a human skeleton put back together as it is presented in the Human Body and Health Revised by Alvin Davison. Source: Flickr

Author's Note: I did not stray much from the original story. The plots are the same, if anything, I simplified the language.