The Masquerade

     Swirling dresses and deceiving masks filled the air around me. The wealthiest dancers were wearing dresses embellished with rubies and diamonds among other precious gems. I glanced down at my bland waiter's ensemble and wished to be among the beautiful women and handsome men waltzing on the hardwood floor. I noticed a poorer couple in the corner, visibly being shunned by the others. I shared in their sadness at being one of the lesser people in the room.

     One of the women dropped their clutch on accident and started walking away. "Miss! Excuse me, but you dropped this, and I thought you might need it." I said to her as I ran up to her side. She looked over at me with a look of bewilderment, then her eyes flashed with hatred. I shrank away as she snatched the clutch from my hands and started slapping me with words that stung like salt in a wound. "I dropped it? Are you really so naive and foolish as to think you could try and return what you have taken from me?!" I was completely confused and not sure as to what was happening.

     "Miss, you just dropped it right there." I said as I pointed at the spot where it had been laying. "I haven't taken anything from you!" "Liar! Guards, this servant is a thief! Arrest her! Arrest her now!" The woman screeched. The guards by the door jogged over and asked the woman what happened. "She stole my clutch, then tried to give it back to me when she was too scared to carry through with what she had done!" The guards looked at me with steely eyes and reached to grab me.

    I jumped away from their grasp as I yelled, "I have done nothing wrong! She's lying! She dropped it and I picked it up to give it back to her! If anything, she should be arrested for wrongly accusing me!" The guards looked at each other and then back at me. They pulled out a pair of handcuffs and continued walking towards me. I gave up trying to persuade them and ran for the door. I would not get arrested for a crime I didn't commit.

     I sprinted out into the street in front of all of the horse-drawn carriages. The ones on either side of me stopped and the men shouted obscenities at me. I continued running and was seconds away from the dark and dangerous alleyways of New Orleans when I heard a "Bang!" and felt pain blossom in my back. I let out a blood curdling scream as I fell to the muddy street. I heard people running but they sounded so far away. People shaped blobs started appearing in my now blurry vision. I heard more people gather around as the guards that had been chasing me said, "Served her right. Stupid street rustler." Everything faded into oblivion as I felt the life leave me.