Prince Daniel was a very lucky boy. He lived a rich and privileged life in his father’s large and spacious castle. His father was the King, of course, and his mother, the Queen.

Daniel had every toy a boy could want. He had a big bedroom with a large bed. He even had a huge playroom where he kept all his playthings. Daniel even had his own horse which was kept in a stable on the castle grounds.

But Daniel didn’t always have time to play and was only allowed to ride his horse once a week. So Danial began to feel that he didn’t really like being a prince. There were too many duties and lessons that had to be done.

Prince Daniel’s castle was at the top of a big hill that overlooked a small town below. In that small town lived a very poor boy named Sam. Sam’s parents had died when he was a tiny baby so he had to live with his uncle. His uncle didn’t have a job and sat in the house drunk all day, and often beat poor Sam when he did something wrong, and sometimes, for no reason at all. Sam was forced to beg for money to support his lazy uncle.

It just so happened that Daniel and Sam looked very similar to each other. One day, when Sam was begging outside the gates of the castle, Daniel was riding his horse nearby. He saw Sam and was struck with how much they looked alike, so he climbed down from his horse and began talking with Sam.

They met up once a week and soon became good friends. Daniel often slipped some coins to Sam so that he could spend less time begging and they could spend more time playing together.

One day when Daniel gave Sam a few coins, Sam said he wished that he could be a prince. Daniel said to him, “You can be prince. Why don’t we switch places with each other?” Sam thought that was a great idea. So they exchanged clothes and each one gave the other some tips about what to expect and how to act, and then they each went their own ways.

At first, Sam loved being the prince. He enjoyed the spacious bedroom and playroom and all the playthings. He enjoyed his tutored lessons because of all the new things he learned. He enjoyed standing next to the king and welcoming dignitaries into the King’s hall. And he really enjoyed riding the horse.

Daniel also enjoyed himself as he walked around the town with his new freedom. He played games like cricket with the street boys. He ignored the uncle because, well, after all, it wasn’t really his uncle.

After a month, the boys met back up at the gates of the castle. Daniel asked, “Well, how was it?”

“Oh, it was great. But honestly, I’m getting a little bored with it. I miss my street friends and my street foods. And you?”

“Pretty much the same,” Daniel replied. “I love playing cricket, and having more freedom. I like my new friends. But I miss my parents and my horse.”

So they switched their clothes back and went back to their own lives. However, they are still best friends, and they still change places with each other whenever they get bored with their own lives.