His Other Self

A dockside labourer with a weather‑worn face and a reputation for blunt honesty finds his routine interrupted by an unexpected visitor. A well‑dressed actor, fresh from the theatre, spots the man and declares that he needs the perfect living portrait for a role—a sailor so authentic that only the man's own features will do. Their exchange in a smoky tavern is part flattery, part bargain, as the actor proposes to copy the labourer's looks with makeup, clothing, and even mannerisms.

Intrigued yet uneasy, the labourer weighs the offer, his mind racing between the lure of extra coin and the strangeness of letting a stranger wear his skin for a night. He agrees to meet again, packing his own clothes into a sack and plotting a way to disappear without raising his wife's suspicions. As the promised evening approaches, the simple rhythm of river life trembles with the promise of an uncanny double, leaving listeners to wonder how far a man will go to become someone else.