The Minimalist #9

The Princess and the Beggar

It came to pass that one fine day, Princess Haley came face to face with her near perfect reflection, a beggar named Carla. The princess, who’d always wanted to live an exciting life, came up with the brilliant plan of switching places with the beggar. The beggar, presented with the opportunity to live the privileged life, if only for a little while, readily agreed. The switch happened under the cover of darkness and with no one the wiser.

The plan went off without a hitch and for a week’s time, both girls got to live the life of their dreams. That is, until their strange behaviors became too much to ignore and the royal physician declared that Princess Haley had been replaced by a pod person. Upon learning of this news, the princess arrived at Carla’s execution with not a moment to spare. She cried that it was all a ruse, that she had simply switched places with a beggar who looked like her. The royal physician declared that the pod people were multiplying and both the princess and the beggar were put to the sword. A wave of hysteria gripped the kingdom and many thousands of people were slain. Very few pod people were killed.