Midnight Charades

The Chase Commences

The moment Meera was about to take off was the exact moment Osman entered the street followed by several burly executioners who wanted nothing less than to wrangle his neck with a piece of rope and return to their wretched lives. Osman saw Meera as she began to run, panicked he called out to her.

"Uh, miss! Why are you running?" Shouted Osman at her.

Meera who was now running several feet ahead snapped her attention towards the high pitched voice and nearly faltered in her step at what she saw. 

Several men in oddly dressed fits with swords at their side in even odder headwear chasing a boy who turned out to have shopped at the same place as her. She could not make sense of what she was seeing, a chase? A manhunt? An arrest? A movie being filmed? She did not know and for the time being, where she was out in the cold on ice slick streets, she did not intend to find out; and she was late. Now was not the time to be hindered by whatever was happening behind her, the time was to move forward and far far away from the gleaming hilts of those swords.  

Osman had assumed they would stop chasing him when they'd entered town, they'd be phased out, shocked by the buildings and the lights, but the executioners did not. They had their sights set on him and he had his sights set on life, so on the chase pursued. 

As they ran through narrow streets and open roads with speeding cars (not even the cars made them pause in their pursuit), Osman had prayed one would drive over them, but ever the respectful drivers and and there were a great deal lesser than usual drivers out tonight, the executioners had not perished. Oddly enough, and to Osman's bewilderment, no one had given them a second glance, they'd looked on wide eyed than continued on their way; nothing was to interrupt their New Year's Eve and for many the sight of some oddly dressed men chasing a boy was simply a sign it was time to get home and prepare for the countdown and beautiful display of fireworks. 

When he ran into the same street that Meera had been waiting on Meera had stood out for no reason other than she was wearing the exact same coat as him; a tanned brown wool coat. Osman's mind was always ahead of everything, he saw every outcome before it happened, and in this very moment he saw the perfect scenario for the wrong person to get executed. The executioners were behind enough that were he to dive into the thin alleys they would not see him, and Meera was far enough ahead to be mistaken for him, her hair tucked in her coat and all. If she hadn't ran off they would've passed her with no confusion, but not in this street full of bends and alleys, where he'd ran to as his sanctuary was now his greatest test. Osman wasn't cruel, the thought of them letting them get Meera instead of him never crossed his mind, the thought of them getting Meera however did and he concluded on one thing, best to run ahead, best to run with her, and thus best for them both to live.