Cheshire Çıkmazı

Camembert (ENG)

Tashi's heart sank when she saw the pain on Rowan's face. She immediately parked her bike in a safe place and ran towards Rowan. Amid the whizzing bullets and the sound of sirens, she tried to check Rowan's wound when she reached him. Blood was oozing from Rowan's hip.

"Hang in there, Rowan. I'll get you out of here and take you to Dr. Lebron. Hold on tight to me."

Rowan nodded weakly. "The plan's gone to shit, Tashi... my ass is bleeding, dammit," he mumbled.

Tashi struggled to suppress a laugh as she pulled out a Dr. Pepper-embroidered handkerchief from her pocket and tied it around Rowan's wound. Rowan looked at Tashi as if to say, "What the heck is this, bro?"

This handkerchief was quite important to Tashi, but Rowan's life was at stake right now. She had to save him, even if it meant sacrificing this... handkerchief. What was this handkerchief, you ask?

**Flashback to an unknown time**

It was a rainy Monday, and Tashi had skipped class to swing on the swings in the rain. She must have been an idiot. Who in their right mind would swing in this weather? As if fate agreed, Tashi fell off the swing and landed on the ground. As she landed unluckily on her butt, she cried out, "MOMMY!" At that moment, a young boy with a purplish-orange umbrella saw her from the street. Why was this girl sitting in the mud in this weather? The young boy was surprised and approached Tashi, thinking she might need help.

The young boy held his umbrella over Tashi, shielding her from the rain.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Tashi wiped the tears from her eyes and looked up. Under the purplish-orange umbrella, the boy's face looked kind and helpful.

"I think I fell," she said, sobbing. "My butt hurts a lot."

The young boy smiled slightly. "Come on, let's get you out of here," he said, reaching out his hand. Tashi hesitantly took the boy's hand and got up. "My name is..." the boy said, supporting Tashi.

"I'm Tashi," Tashi said, still with tears in her eyes. "Why are you still holding my hand, weirdo?" she asked.

"Why were you swinging alone in this weather?" the young boy asked curiously.

Tashi shrugged. "Classes were boring, I wanted to get some fresh air. Also, why do you care?" she said shyly.

"I see," the young boy said understandingly. "But next time, be more careful when you go out in such weather."

Tashi gave him a strange look. "Did I ask you, bro?" she said. "We just wanted help, and we ended up with a weirdo, dammit."

The young boy relaxed a bit when he saw Tashi's aggressiveness. "Do you want to go home? I can give you a ride," he offered. Tashi looked at the young boy... "We really ended up with a weirdo," she said and started to walk away angrily.

The young boy called out one last time, "Hey, at least take this handkerchief, it might help you clean up."

Tashi was surprised. Why was the young boy still being nice to her despite her harshness? Was he even human? She wanted to turn back and look at the young boy. But as soon as she turned her head, she was startled to see the young boy standing right behind her with his purplish-orange umbrella. How did he move so fast? She didn't question it much and took the Dr. Pepper-embroidered handkerchief from the young boy's hand and ran away... After this incident, she never skipped class again, and strangely enough, she never saw that boy again... Was this fate?

**Present day**

Tashi gently lifted Rowan and returned to her bike. After carefully placing Rowan on the back of the bike, they sped off. A plan was forming in her mind; she would take Rowan to a special doctor she knew. This doctor worked a bit outside the legal limits but was reliable and effective.

The roads were nearly empty. Tashi skillfully maneuvered through the narrow and dark streets, increasing the bike's speed. Every breath Rowan took made Tashi speed up even more. Finally, they arrived in front of a building that looked like an old warehouse. This was Dr. Lebron's clinic.

Tashi parked the bike and knocked on the door. The door opened within seconds, and a bespectacled man who looked like he was barely in his twenties appeared. Dr. Lebron immediately invited Tashi in when he saw her.

"What happened?" Dr. Lebron asked, carefully examining Rowan.

"He was shot in a fight," Tashi said. "He needs your help urgently, or he'll lose his butt's innocence."

Dr. Lebron placed Rowan on a stretcher and immediately started to intervene. Tashi stepped aside to let the doctor do his job. Her heart was pounding, and her anxiety was growing.

Dr. Lebron quickly and meticulously cleaned and stitched Rowan's wound. After a while, Rowan's breathing became more regular, and the pained expression on his face eased.

"Don't worry, Tashi," Dr. Lebron said. "He'll be fine. He just needs to rest now."

Tashi nodded in agreement when a familiar voice interrupted.

"What rest? Am I a Kurd or something, God dammit?"