The Futbol Follies of Gavi and Pedri

The streets were empty. The only sound was our footsteps on the cobblestone street. Gave and I ran, hand in hand, through the night. Our goal was clear: Get back to our town, where we could be together in private. But as we ran, I couldn't help but be afraid. This wasn't a normal situation for us. If we were caught, there would be no mercy.

We came to a stop at an intersection. Gave looked around, checking to see if anyone was coming. We'd been dodging patrols for hours now; this was the last major crossroad before we reached our town's border. It had taken us most of the day to get out of the city and into the countryside--but most of the day had been wasted with Gave's wound.

He'd gotten hurt in the market where he worked--a brawl between two other shoppers that broke out over a deal gone bad. I'd stayed with him as he received his stitches, and after they'd wrapped his arm in bandages, he asked me to meet him outside later that night at the same spot we were now hiding at: Right here.

But getting out of the city hadn't gone as smoothly as planned: A patrol caught sight of us trying to sneak out through a back alley and gave chase; Luckily, Gave had some basic knowledge about tactics from watching football matches with his brother--and so we managed to lose them in a maze of narrow alleyways.

I looked up and down the road again, then tugged on Gave's arm. "This is it," I whispered, "This is where we turn."

Gave nodded and followed me across the street to a corner shop that sold dates and sweets. We pushed our way inside and hid behind some crates while my friend asked one of the shopkeepers if he knew where we were.

"You're at the edge of our little town," said the shopkeeper when he returned from his register with a handful of coins, "It's just past those trees over there." He pointed to a row of palm trees visible through a window in the wall of his shop. "That's where your home is," he said softly, "I hope you make it."

Gave thanked him quietly, then turned to me once more and squeezed my hand tightly. "Are you ready?" he asked in a hushed voice.

I took one last look out at the street through a crack in the doorjamb: The coast seemed clear for now--and so I nodded and allowed myself to be led out into the open by my love. We walked quickly together along another alleyway until we reached its end; All around us rose towers made from red bricks that shined like rubies under moonlight--this was where Gave lived with his family: In one small room stacked on top of another within one of these massive towers that loomed over our small town like an ancient castle keep protecting its occupants from harm. That was how it always looked at night--lonely and foreboding--but right now it looked welcoming, like a beacon guiding me home safe at last after weeks away on an adventure.

As we approached closer and closer toward these three tall towers that stood guarding over their dark forbidding world, I realized something strange: There should have been at least one patrol making its rounds in this part of town tonight--but all I could see instead were shadows moving across windowsills here and there in those towering castles... And not just any shadows either: Dark silhouettes traced by flickering candlelight! Someone was still awake inside! And if someone was awake, that meant someone else was awake too! Whomever it was must have heard us! Was someone calling for help?! Did they know we were here?! Was everyone about ready to pour out into this alleyway for our capture?! Would this all end just like I feared it would?! Would people finally realize what we were doing?! What I was doing!? What had I ever done except follow this boy who caught my eye running around playing with red balls kicked around by bigger boys? Now here we were--all because I had dared to say yes when he asked me to meet him tonight...! And now here we were sneaking around in pitch dark alleyways trying desperately not to get caught by prying eyes while wearing clothes that marked us as foreigners...! As outsiders...! People who didn't belong here...! Could I ever go back home now that this was over? What would happen when morning came? Would my father understand...? Could anyone understand...?