Two Sides of the
Same Coin
BY MERCEDES SIMENDINGER
J
ohn sat against the stone wall of his
lonely prison cell. His dirty, bare feet
were sprawled out before him. He
sighed and tilted his head back, smashing down his
dark auburn hair. His formerly white shirt was missing
half a sleeve and was covered in dirt. His pants had
been sliced off at the knees and he was covered in
scratches and bruises. He had put up a fight before he
was arrested, that was sure enough. John placed a
gold coin on his thumb and flicked it into the air,
watching as it rotated over and over again. A small
sliver of sunlight from the barred window caught the
coin, causing it to shine brilliantly before it landed
back into John’s grimy hand. He flicked it into the air
again, having nothing better to do.
“Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me,” he sang.
He heard the heavy wooden door at the top of the
stairs open; someone was descending into the dungeon. “We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.
Drink up me harties yo ho.” He flicked the coin again
as the sound of high heels on the stone came closer.
It was a woman descending the stairs then. John
could only assume who was daring to visit him. “We
kid nap and ravage.” Another flick, and the barely
perceptible tink of his nail striking the metal. A figure
walked into the dungeon. “And don’t give a hoot.” He
caught it again and tossed it in the air, it flipped up
much higher than it had gone before. “Drink up me
harties yo ho.” He caught the gold coin again and
looked over at the woman who had approached his
cell. She pulled the hood of her cloak back, revealing
her long auburn curls and bright blue eyes. A gaudy
tiara sat on top of her head and her long, blood red
skirts where coated in black lace and embroidery.
“Your highness, what an honor.” John looked
away and tossed his coin into the air again, disinter-
ested.
“You idiot.” The princess spoke harshly. John
glanced over.
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t believe how stupid you have been in
the past and how moronic you are now,” she said, her
pretty features crumpling in disgust. “You had a job in
the palace, and you left it. You left palace life to run
off with pirates.” John stood and leaned against the
wall.
“If you forget, sister,” he hissed the word. This
evil young woman was not the girl he had once
known. “I was a servant. Worth hardly more to the
king than the pigs that provide his sausage and bacon.
Running away to sail the seven seas was the best decision of my life, not that you care.” John glared at
her with matching blue eyes. The twins hadn’t seen
one another since they were thirteen.
“To do what? Serve as a cabin boy?” The princess laughed cruelly. “Oh yes, a much better position
than serving royalty in the palace. Silly me.” John
laughed. The princess glowered at her brother.
“What?” she demanded. “What is the matter
with you?” She nearly shrieked.
“Jacquelyn, you are incredibly deluded.” John
wiped a pretend tear from his eye. “I started as a cabin boy, yes. But I worked my way up the ranks, unlike
anything I could have done in the palace. Do you remember how old I was when I left?”
“You were thirteen, as was I, stupid. It was
two days after our birthday and you left me. Abandoned your own sister.” Jacquelyn tried to fake a
sense of sadness but just couldn’t do it. She hadn’t
really missed her brother except for when she felt she
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