The Right Brothers: A Left-Right Story for Any Occasion

Looking for a left-right story you can use at any time of year? You’ve come to the RIGHT place.

The Left-Right Game has become a mainstay at Christmastime. In case you’ve never heard of it, it’s a gift exchange game where people sit in a circle and pass presents to the left or right according to the prompts in a story. It’s both simple and a real hoot for people of all ages – which is, I suspect, why it’s popular.

In fact, it’s gotten so popular that you can now find left-right stories for other holidays like Easter and Halloween. But why should the Left-Right Game be limited to holidays at all? No reason, which is why I’ve come up with the following left-right story that’s not tied to any holiday, and thus can be used at any time of year.

Rules of the Left-Right Game

You won’t need a step-by-step printout of the rules for this game. There’s not much to it, and the participants don’t even need to know the rules themselves – they’ll quickly get the hang of it.

For the Left-Right Game, the players all sit in a circle, each one holding a wrapped present. Someone reads a story (ideally an amusing one) with lots of mentions of the words “left” and “right”. Each time one of those words is read, the players pass their gift in the corresponding direction. When the story ends, players keep the presents they’re holding and may open them.

Cartoon illustrating how the Left-Right Game works

Now, where do the presents come from? At Christmastime, the Left-Right Game is usually treated like any other gift exchange, where the players are required to bring a wrapped gift themselves (with a gift price suggested). However, the game organizer can also supply all the gifts.

One other thing worth mentioning is that, depending on the number of participants, it’s possible that a left-right story might end with the gifts landing in their original spots. To avoid this, you can be prepared with one extra prompt to be spoken if needed: “And with that, there’s nothing LEFT to say.”

The Story

Here’s the full text of a story I’ve written called “The Right Brothers.” Keep scrolling if you just want to download the printable.

The Right Brothers

Once upon a time, there were twin brothers with the last name of RIGHT. Unlike their famous counterparts, these RIGHT brothers weren’t successful inventors. In fact, they were the unluckiest twins who ever lived. Nothing ever went RIGHT for the RIGHT brothers, and that LEFT them feeling miserable.

Ronnie RIGHT was a LEFT fielder in the minor leagues, but RIGHT before he was to be called up to the majors, he twisted his LEFT ankle on a fluke play and the team LEFT him off the roster.

With no other options LEFT, Ronnie RIGHT moved in with his twin brother Robbie RIGHT. Since neither brother had a family of his own, it seemed like the RIGHT thing to do. “Maybe if we stick together, we’ll double our luck,” they thought.

In fact, the brothers did double their luck, but since their luck was all of the bad variety, the events that followed LEFT a lot to be desired.

Not long after Ronnie moved in with Robbie, a tornado touched down RIGHT on the spot where Robbie’s house was. It ripped the roof RIGHT off, but LEFT the neighbors’ houses unharmed.

With no home, the brothers moved into a hotel RIGHT when they were having a bed bug infestation, which LEFT them itchy all over.

Then, when the brothers LEFT the hotel and were driving home, a black cat crossed the road RIGHT in front of them. Ronnie RIGHT swerved LEFT to avoid the cat and slammed into a mailbox, which LEFT both brothers with serious injuries.

As the ambulance LEFT to take the brothers to the hospital, they looked at each other. And as twins often do, the RIGHT brothers said the same thing at the same time: “Surely we can’t have any bad luck LEFT.”

And this time, the brothers were RIGHT, for while they were recuperating at the hospital, they met two lovely twin sisters who worked as doctors. The sisters, who were named Lucy and Lola LEFT, were touched by the good deed the RIGHT brothers did in saving the cat and fell in love with them RIGHT away.

The RIGHT brothers loved the LEFT sisters RIGHT back, but something troubled them. “You know,” said Robbie RIGHT, “If you marry us, our bad luck might rub off on you.”

“That’s all RIGHT,” said Lucy LEFT. “We’ve got plenty of luck to spare.”

“How do you know that?” the RIGHT brothers asked simultaneously.

“Because,” the sisters said, “we both found Mr. RIGHT.”