Every night, before Johnny went to bed, he prayed for a twin. He knew that all the grownups on the island had been twins. He knew what a twin was, but none of his playmates were twins. He simply thought, ‘How wonderful it would be to have a brother that looks exactly like me! Whenever I’m left alone, I’d always have someone to play with. There would always be someone to stick up for me. Why! We would have such a laugh with the pranks we’d play!’
    It was early in the morning now, and, as usual, Johnny was the first one up. He had put on that outfit that had once belonged to Uncle Philip, though it was still quite big on him. Now, he was at the little pool under the waterfall, skipping flat rocks into the water. It had been several weeks since Johnny had been out to sea with Papa. He was wishing that Papa would come again and take him on another trip.
   Johnny skipped another rock, and then climbed up the hill to his favourite spot, a ledge that he was sure no one else knew about. It had a wonderful view of the village and of the sea beyond. There, he liked to sit and dream about the outside world, and what it would be like to have a twin.
   He went around the bend to his spot but stopped short.
   There was another boy there!

That was the last thing he expected to find. For one thing, Johnny was always the first one up. For another, no one else knew of this spot. At least he didn’t think they did. But the thing that really shocked him was that he had never met this boy before.
   Then, again, he had, but where?
   The boy seemed equally surprised.
   ‘What’s your name?’ he asked.
   ‘Johnny,’ the other boy said. ‘What’s yours?’
   ‘Johnny. How did you find my spot?’
   ‘But it’s my spot!’ He was wearing an outfit exactly the same as what Johnny had on.
   ‘Where did you come from anyway?’
   ‘Right here. That’s my hut right there.’ The other boy pointed to his family’s hut.
   ‘But that’s where I live!’
   ‘Can’t be, ‘cause I live there, and I’ve never seen you — unless you just came while I was away with Papa on the boat.’
   ‘Your papa has a boat too?’
   ‘Yeah. That’s it right there, sailing away.’
   ‘But that’s my papa’s boat! And I wanted to go with him too!’
   ‘No it’s not your papa. That’s my papa and he has only one son! That’s me, João Ortiz.’
   ‘B-but I’m João Ortiz!’
   ‘But how —’
   ‘You do look like me! Papa showed me in a mirror in Tiguna, and that’s what I look like.’
   ‘Yeah! He did! I’ve also seen myself in the pond. You are me! How can that be?’
   For the next ten or so minutes, both sat in their favourite spot, and pondered, how could one possible be the other. Then they got up and began walking towards the upper pool.
   ‘I know!’ said Johnny suddenly (which one, even I’m not sure). ‘God answered my prayers and gave me a twin!’
   The other’s face also lightened up, because of course, he, also had prayed for a twin.
   The mystery was solved! Simple! God above answers prayer!
   Now, the Johnnies were in each other’s arms dancing around and around in a circle by the bank of the upper pool. Then, it suddenly occurred to them.
   ‘What shall we do now?’
   ‘Shall we run and tell Mummy?’
   ‘Yes! Let’s!’
   ‘No, wait...’
   ‘Right, I got a better idea.’
   ‘So do I.’
   ‘Let’s not tell anyone that my prayers are answered and you’re my twin...’
   ‘Nor mine...’
   ‘But let’s fool everyone, including Mummy...’
   ‘And Uncle Todd’
   ‘And Uncle Bob and Aunt Tilly’
   ‘And Grandma and Grandpa...’
   ‘And Papa, when he comes back...’
   ‘We can do only half the chores each and have more time to play!’
   ‘We can pull pranks on everyone!’
   ‘Okay! Let’s!’
   So they went down the hill together.

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