John Decarteret's Blog - Posts Tagged "bronze"

Hey guys! alright, this is the book I am currently working on (More than the others) It is currently being edited by somebody else and this is the original unedited version. Forgive mistakes please. And enjoy! This is "Bronze" chapter 1.

Chapter 1

THE MURDER



Mr Stevens was in a furious temper, he hated the whole world at that moment and did not hold back his disgust as he paced back and forth across the dusty wooden floor. He puffed on his pipe continuously, and held it in the side of his mouth free hand by biting down, the smoke drifted around him as he turned on his heel with his hands behind his back.
"The little runt should have been out on his ear! I told everyone he was trouble! Lazy little bleeder! Vicious! Like an untamed dog! Does anyone ever listen to me!? No course they don't! Now you have to mop up what that creature released from Roger! That's gratitude for you! Roof over his head and food in his belly, and what happens?! Guts you like a fish when your back is turned! Animals like that should be put to sleep good and permanent! They are all the same! The mere existence of orphans is a gift from the devil himself! Where is the little runt hiding!?" he said coming to a stop and bringing his right hand from behind him to strike the bar with his palm, spilling drinks with the force.
"He ran off before anyone knew what had happened sir, He could be anywhere by now" A young girl called Lizzy said as she wiped the spilled beer of the bar and on to the floor with a look of intolerance that Mr Stevens luckily did not see.
"Yes, he ran like a rat up a drain pipe, little sod should have been drowned at birth"
Mr Stevens was a local who was friends with the victim, he worked as an odd job man, and spent whatever money he made on alcohol and women. He wore scruffy overalls and had no shoes on when he came down the stairs after hearing the women screaming. And now he was eager to find the person responsible for ruining his evening. He had been ranting about Thomas Bronze, a boy of just 15 years and alone in the world, his mother Mary was a prostitute, and he was born and lived in the public house which was also a brothel called The Crown Posada that faced the river Tyne, where Mr Stevens spent all of his free time. The Crown Posada was always full of sailors, fishermen and anybody who could afford it, including people who had booked passage on board a ship. They docked in the river pretty much outside of the doors, and most of them were trading ships or wailing ships that picked people up for a considerable fee. It was a dark establishment inside the Crown Posada, and it smelled terrible with cigar smoke and damp wood, not to mention the customers who stunk of fish, and everything was made of wood that had turned black over the years with a stone floor making it a cold and gloomy place. Mary Bronze had died and left her son to the mercy of her employer when he was just 4 years old, and his father could have been pretty much anyone, from anywhere. Roger Brown who owned the establishment allowed the young Thomas to stay after the death of Mary despite the advice of Mr Stevens, free labour he thought, and he was taken care of by the women. He earned his keep by cleaning the rooms after their use, changing bed linen and emptying piss pots. The rest of his time was spent collecting glasses, washing dishes and clothes, and sweeping out the cellar. Roger Brown liked to hit him on the head with the back of his hand when the mood struck him and made sure the young Thomas worked hard day and half the night with very little food or sleep. He called him pooch because he slept in the corner on an old rug like a dog, and whistled whenever he wanted him to do anything. Thomas had no choice but to be a slave in the dirty old brothel, or sleep outside in the cold streets of Newcastle and probably starve or freeze to death with the rags he wore and lack of money. Roger Brown constantly told him he should be damn grateful that he had saved him from certain death by allowing him to stay rent free, even though he worked for his food and bored and was given no money. The women looked out for him by giving him what little they could, old blood stained blankets and clothes that were often left behind by clients but never food, they did not get much themselves. He lived a sorry and pointless life with no future or prospects, and on this night something snapped inside of Thomas. Roger Brown had entered the kitchen while he was preparing vegetables for the evening meal and caught him eating a slice of carrot, he had not eaten that day and could not resist it.
"You little bastard! Eating my food are you!?" Roger had shouted with anger, his voice booming. He had a huge bushy black beard just like a pirate and wore an old sailors shirt and trousers which were a tight fit due to his size. He was well over 6 feet tall and at least 250 pounds, all of it muscle. He had walked up to Thomas with his huge tree trunk like arms swaying back and forth before he smacked him in a back handed knuckle slap that swiped across his face cutting his eye and knocking him against the wall in a daze, before he slid to the cold stone floor. "You ungrateful son of a whore, you dare to steal from me?!" he began kicking Thomas in the face drawing blood from his lips and nose, being careful not to injure the boy to the point where he could not work, just a good kicking to keep him in line he had thought. Sally, one of the working girls could hear Roger shouting and came to the kitchen to see the beating in progress.
"Leave him alone Roger!" she had said with as much conviction as she could, which was not a lot, since everyone feared the giant of a man.
"You shut up, and get back to work" he had scowled at her before resuming his own work on Thomas.
"Roger, please" she had pleaded, before getting a slap of her own.
"You will stay out of my business and get back to your own!" He had leaned over Sally to make his point clear, and she had also went down to the stone floor now, holding her hand to her cheek which was burning and starting to turn a dark shade of purple.
"And clean yourself up! There is a ship leaving tonight, and we are going to be busy with customers wanting a woman before they board, now get up and move girl"
She was a woman in her forties with dark hair that betrayed her age by showing a few Grey hairs that stood out in the darkness of the others, and a red dress that looked older than she was, and had obviously been owned by a few women that had come and gone over the years because it was stretched and out of shape where a bigger lady had squeezed it on at some point in its long life. Thomas had got himself up on one knee without a word or complaint as he tried to overcome the dizziness. Blood dropped from his nose and down his old white shirt, which was more Grey than white because he wore it every day, and he finally managed to stand upright with a wobble. He had looked at Roger standing over the scared Sally who was trying to hold back her tears as she cupped her bruised cheek, and at that moment he decided he would not live like that anymore, and Roger would not treat him and the women like dirt anymore. Thomas had walked back to where he had been cutting and chopping potatoes and carrots to pick up the pealing knife. Without a word or sound he walked gingerly up behind Roger, gritted his teeth, and let the years of anger and rage rise in him before he gave a war cry and stuck the knife into the mans back, puncturing his liver before repeating the stabbing action several times while Roger cried out in shock and pain. Thomas gave one last punch of the knife before Roger collapsed to the floor dead in front of the terrified Sally who was covering her face and crying.
"Are you alright Sal?" He had finally asked her looking just as terrified.
"Run you stupid boy" she had answered in a low voice without looking at him making him feel even worse fear.
He had always wondered why a warning in a low tone chilled him to the bones when a loud unchecked rage did not. Roger had been good at that, whispering his evil scared Thomas a lot more than his shouting. He only had moments to think, and he swept the chopped vegetables into a potato sack along with a bottle of red wine before he ran for his life, adding theft to his list of sins. He ran out of the kitchen and through the bar without anyone giving him a second glance before slamming through the doors and out into the open. He was now outside, running across the cobbled ground under the lamp lights, straight towards a ship called The Lord Gambier. It was a wailing vessel and was due to leave, the Captain was a frequent customer at the Crown Posada and Thomas often over heard discussions. The Lord Gambier was going to rendezvous with an American wailing ship called The Charles W Morgan, according to the skipper, and Thomas was thinking of this when he spotted the ship, he needed to get away, America could be a new start, new life, if he could get aboard the Lord Gambier and stay hidden until they met up with the American ship. He had no idea how he would get aboard the Charles W Morgan, but he decided he would deal with that when the time came. If the time came, and he stopped in front of the wailing ship. It was dark, and he could see nobody aboard, although he knew there would be a handful of the crew at least, probably eating or drinking he thought. He sneaked up the little wooden bridge that crossed from the ship to the quayside and was surprised when nobody jumped out to question his presence. All was still and quiet, and he crept across the deck looking for somewhere to hide. It was naturally a big ship, and Thomas was convinced he could find somewhere to take cover without being caught.
Sally finally sat up and shrieked a terribly loud scream, she had given Thomas enough time to get away, and it would not look good if someone walked in and seen her sitting in front of Roger who had just been killed. Her terribly loud shriek brought a score of girls to the kitchen who also let out a yelp of shock and fear that brought Mr Stevens away from his paid woman and into the blood spattered kitchen. After, realizing Thomas was gone, Mr Stevens knew he was responsible. He shook Sally and slapped her to try to calm her down and find out what had happened, but she just said she found him like that and slipped in his blood hitting her head, and knocked herself out. He believed her easily enough, knowing that the young Thomas would one day do something terrible, being an orphan he was always going to bring trouble he thought. He was now pacing again and puffing his pipe trying to think where to look for the murderer."Sally! When is the last time you saw the runt!? He could not get far without money" He said stopping suddenly with a look of confusion as he waved his right hand in front of the bar almost knocking more liquids over and making Lizzy make a grab for the bottles to save them.
"He was preparing supper, must have been about twenty minutes before I found Roger" Sally answered in a small voice.
"Well he must be somewhere, rats disappear easy enough, but they always come back, he must be close, there is not many places to hide"
Mr Stevens was much calmer now and his brain was ticking away in thought. He started his pacing and pipe puffing once more before stopping dead again.
"The little bastard is on board a ship!" He almost screamed with realization before running past the bar with his arms swinging wildly and catching one of the bottles sending it to the floor with a smash before making his way back up the stairs to his paid room to collect his boots. He pounded down the steps and out of the main doors to look at the ships floating on the river and tried to work out which one he would go to if he wanted to escape from a murder charge. He looked intently at the ships as a couple of men staggered past him in a drunken state singing loudly and laughing. Mr Stevens did not even notice them, his attention was fixed on the river, he walked slowly past each one studying them from a distance for any sign of movement or noise with nothing but the street lights glow to aid him.
"Think damn you" he said to himself in a whisper trying to work out where the boy would hide, and why. Thomas had decided to hide in one of the huge crates used for storing supplies, since the ship was docked and had not brought the necessities aboard yet. But he knew the ship was leaving soon, and he had to find somewhere else to hide before the ships company returned with their salted meats and fruit. He would be caught. He had seen Mr Stevens burst out of the Crown Posada and hid in the first place he had seen, he knew Mr Stevens hated him and would love nothing better than to catch him, the man was a bastard, Thomas thought. He held his breath as the man hunting him stopped in front of the Lord Gambier and seemed to look right at him with a scowl, even though he was hidden and nobody could see him through the very slight gaps in the crate. He watched on as Mr Stevens put his hand to his brow as if shielding his eyes from the sun, and it would help him see further and more clearly.
"Idiot" Thomas whispered as the man continued to look at the ship before moving on. Thomas decided to get out of the box while he had the chance and sneaked across the deck once more, he looked around desperately looking for somewhere to stay hidden until the ship took to sea.
"What's going on!" Someone shouted from close by making Thomas freeze with terror.
"Looking for a murderer!" Mr Stevens yelled from a short distance away.
Thomas flinched at his harsh voice and then gulped as the word murderer echoed as if taunting him, but more importantly nobody had seen him, he had time to do something before the game was up. He forced his legs to move, and he walked on his tip toes, the boat creaked, and he flinched once more with the sound stopping still before swallowing his heart back down to his chest and continuing, he reached his destination and looked over board seeing one of the small wailing boats hanging there.
"No choice Thomas" he said to himself in a panicked gasping breath as he climbed over board and down to the boat.
"Nobody would be stupid enough to hide on a ship! Nowhere to run is there!?" The unknown man's voice shouted in reply.
"He is just a boy, daft as a brush too! He is around here somewhere!" Mr Stevens insisted.
"I have been here for the last few hours!, no young lad has been near here I would have seen him!"
Thomas thought the man must be on one of the ships, probably this one, he sounds really close.
"Alright!" Mr Stevens yelled in disappointment as he walked back towards the Crown Posada, scouting around as he went.
Thomas wiped sweat from his brow and took a long deep breath before slowly releasing it as everything fell silent once more and that bastard Stevens seemingly looked else where.
"Alright lad, he is gone" the unknown man said.
Thomas suddenly became physically sick to his stomach and clutched the potato sack close to his chest.
"It's alright lad, I'm not going to hand you over to that bastard" the unknown man said looking down at Thomas who suddenly looked up at him in shock. "Come on lad" he said reaching his hand down to help him up and out of the small boat.
Thomas stayed silent and shook his head in fear backing away.
"Don't be stupid lad, you want to die? I could have easily handed you over to Dick Stevens, but no matter what you have done, I will not give that bastard any satisfaction if I can help it" he motioned to his offered hand with a nod of his head and a small smile.
Thomas knew he had no choice but to accept his hand and get back on board, he gave a nod in defeat and reached out to take the man's hand and climbed back on to the deck of the ship.
"Good lad, my name is Dance, Joe Dance, and no laughing, now, who did you kill then?" Joe said casually putting his hands in his pockets and rocking back on his heels. He was a young man not much older than Thomas, and had blonde hair that covered half of his face, which was hansom and looked mischievous.
"Roger Brown" Thomas said looking over to the Crown Posada as Mr Stevens entered, just waiting for Joe to turn him over to somebody, so he could meet justice.
"Firstly, you did not kill anybody, did you? Someone else killed that big bastard Roger Brown, who everybody hates by the way, and you are getting blamed, is that not what really happened lad?" Joe Dance winked and smiled before nodding his head at Thomas.
"Yes sir, that's what really happened" Thomas said looking up suddenly and meeting Joe's eyes.
"Thought so, I also didn't kill a big bastard a few years ago, and I got blamed same as you, the git deserved it and the person who killed him should be rewarded, but justice doesn't work like that, not that I know about these things, being a law-abiding man" Joe said smiling and shaking his head.
"Roger Brown deserved it too" Thomas said giving a small smile of his own.
"Of course he did, I knew the bastard, and I remember a young lad who worked for him, he was lying in the corner like an animal, any man who treats people that way deserve what they get, not that we know about such things" Joe said making that point clear.
"No sir, we do not know about such things, being law-abiding men" Thomas said opening up and starting to trust him more.
"The name is Joe Dance lad, I'm no sir, I'm an orphan, guessing you are too, now the skipper is a sir and a good man, I will introduce you, but if you stay aboard this ship you will have to be useful, what can you do lad?" Joe asked.
Thomas became nervous knowing that his new friend Joe was taking him to the Captain of the ship, who had seen him many times in the Crown Posada .
"I can cook and clean" Thomas said eagerly hoping that would be good enough to escape aboard the Lord Gambier.
"Brilliant, we need a good cook, and the men on this ship are dirty bastards, a cleaner would be most welcome, so what's your name lad?" Joe asked putting his hand out.
"Thomas Bronze" he answered shaking Joes hand with a grin.
"Quite a name, I like it, come on Bronze, let's get you some clothes and a hat, we don't want anybody mistaken you for a fugitive" he patted Thomas on the shoulder and took him below deck.
"Why are you doing this Joe?" He asked quietly following him to a small cabin that had a tiny bed and nothing but a small table that was only big enough to hold a small bible.
"Somebody helped me once, and I was in the same situation as you, your life would be over if that bastard caught you, just like mine would have been, but look at me now, I'm no danger to anybody, and I'm good at what I do, you can make a life just like I have, not easy being accused of murder, not that we know anything about murder" he said handing Thomas a blue coat and flat cap that hung on the back of the door. Thomas pulled the coat on and buttoned it up before putting the cap on his head.
"What do you think?" He asked Joe feeling ridiculous .
"Coat is a little big but that's not a bad thing and you look good with a hat" he answered walking back out the room and motioned for him to follow. They made their way back on deck and stood looking out at the sea. "Ever been to sea Bronze?" Joe said.
"No, never been anywhere" he answered trying to follow Joe's eyes that looked out at the thin river.
"It's freedom Bronze, a good life, bloody cold most of the time, you will never feel dry again, but a good life, ever gave any thought to what you want to do with your life? No, course you haven't, neither did I, but the skipper told me I could go anywhere and do anything I wanted, never believed him, but he was right" Joe was talking a lot and Thomas did not really understand why he was being so open with him and going to extraordinary lengths to help him and make him feel safe.
"I want to go to America" Thomas replied without thinking, not knowing why he had said it, he wanted to go there to escape, but with Joe helping him there was no need, he could stay aboard the ship and live a good life, but something inside of him wanted more.
"America eh? Full of strange characters that place, we meet up with American ships often, odd lads they are, there was one man I saw wearing a white suite and a huge hat, must have kept a cannon ball under it or something it was so tall, and they all wear guns" Joe said scratching his chin in thought and nodding.
"It has to be better than this place, and everyone says there is gold there" Thomas said waving his hand in dismissal of the prison that used to be his home.
"That's true enough, lots of stories of men getting rich over there, but do you want to risk going because of stories?" Joe asked pushing his hair back revealing his face fully.
"Yes, I think it is worth the risk, if nothing else it is somewhere to start" he nodded with surprising certainty.
"Then you do it Bronze, that is what life should be about, making your own choices and going after what you want" he patted him on the shoulder once again and nodded his agreement at Thomas and his decisiveness.
"How do I get to America Joe? I have a bag of chopped carrots and potatoes, and sour wine" Thomas smiled and shrugged like it was just an inconvenience.
"Well lucky for you we are going to be meeting some of our American friends for that very reason, you are not the only one who wants to get to America, only difference is they pay to board our ship and pay to board the Americans ship, and like you said, you have a bag of chopped carrots and potatoes and some sour wine, so you will have to work on board this ship to pay for your passage, then hope the skipper of the Morgan will allow you to do the same" he also smiled like it was just an inconvenience.
"Will your Captain let me do that? And the American Captain?" Thomas said without any feeling."Our skipper will, and I will ask him to have a word with the skipper of the Morgan, shouldn't be any problem Bronze, unless you are not as good a cook as you are making out" Joe laughed. Thomas smiled but was nervous of his answer, he was laughing, so he was joking, but what if they hate my cooking? He thought.
"Ah here are some of the dirty bastards you will be cleaning up after now" Joe said turning his head to the side to listen. A dozen men walked up the small bridge crossing to the ship from the quayside carrying barrels and boxes.
"What have we got here Dance?" One of the men said putting down a barrel and a sack he carried over one shoulder.
"This is Bronze, he has been wrongfully accused of murder" Joe answered with a grin.
"Oh, so this is the lad who everyone is looking for, do not let them catch you boy, you will be strung up by the bastards, and we hate innocent people getting strung up, right lads!" Another man said to his ship mates with a grin which they all returned with nervous nods and smiles as they went about their business. The man was called Robert Ward and his ship mates did not like him, in fact they hated and feared him, while most of the men on the ship were thieves and murderers, they never planned on doing those things, it was just necessary at the time, but Ward was something more, he enjoyed killing, he liked to let his victims suffer and beg for as long as possible before finishing them off. He laughed at his own joke and left the ship again.
"Right, I will go and find the Captain, stay here and meet the lads, I will not be long Bronze" How said pulling up his hood and leaving the ship.
Mr Stevens was back in the Crown Posada and drinking heavily, he could not believe the little runt had escaped, he was certain the boy was close, someone would have seen him if he was out in the open, he must be hiding somewhere close by.
"Another!" He said slamming his glass down for a refill of whiskey from Lizzy. She topped him up and backed away knowing his foul mood could get violent now that Roger was gone and there was nobody to keep him in check.
"Got away" he spat and shook his head before his whiskey disappeared in one gulp, he gave Lizzy an evil look, and she stepped forward to fill his glass again with shaking hands. The doors opened, letting in a gust of wind, and a short thin man entered. His beady watchful eyes scouted around until he spotted Mr Stevens, looking like a sneak thief with his hood up and long black coat that hung below his knees, he crept more than walked towards him, looking over his shoulders and moving cautiously. He stood beside Me Stevens and nodded at the whiskey and glasses for Lizzy to pour him a drink.
"I hear you are looking for a young boy" he whispered to Mr Stevens without looking at him.
"Yes, what of it?" He said irritated with the scrawny man.
"I know where he is" He whispered again before swallowing his drink and tapping the glass on the bar for another. He waited for Lizzy to pour his drink and back away again before he continued his secretive talk with Mr Stevens.
"Where is he?" Mr Stevens growled. He felt his hopes grow at the thought of finding Thomas Bronze, but he was not convinced this creature who was masquerading as a man knew anything worth listening to.
"I want free women in here every time I return, I am leaving tonight, but we come back now and again" He said swallowing another whiskey and tapping his glass again while nodding at Mr Stevens glass for Lizzy to refill.
"I do not own this place or the girls in here, and how do you know where he is? Why would I believe a thing you say?" He said looking the man up and down with disgust.
"Nobody owns this place now, but I bet you could become the new owner, you know the right people, and I have seen the boy, and I know his plans" He answered.
"Fine, you can have as many girls as you want if I get my hands on that little runt, but if you are lying to me then Fredrikson will have another body to collect and size up, do you understand?" Mr Stevens said with a hint of malice in his voice. Fredrikson was the man who took care of people who had died, cleaning them up and measuring them, so he could build their coffin.
"Your word on the deal?" The man asked before saying anything more about the fugitive.
"Do not question my honor, I could beat the information out of you if I wished, now bring me the boy and you have your deal" Mr Stevens said angrily at the man.
"What? Bring him to you? No, I can not bring him, my ship mates will kill me" He answered.
"I knew that little bastard was hiding on a ship, which one?" He said backing away from the bar.
"The Lord Gambier" The man answered with an evil grin.