John Decarteret's Blog - Posts Tagged "wip"

Alright, I know this was supposed to be on Fridays, but I have a busy day, so it is one day early.
I have been thinking of what to put on here, and have decided on the first (and only) chapter of a WIP. I will continue to write it, if people think it is not bad, or it will be shelved and probably never seen again. So here it is, chapter 1 of "The Stretch" I hope you guys enjoy it.


The Stretch


Time does not exist in the traditional sense. Not the way people think anyway, eternity is one long endless moment, time is man made, measured by the earth, sun and moon, there movements and rotations cut down into seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years. Life revolves around this basic rule, your watch ticking away in measured time, counting away relentlessly, moments lost to the past never to be seen or experienced again, but that is just an illusion, our solar system is a speck of sand on a huge beach of space, does one speck of sand dominate the beach? Does it determine the rules? Our tiny planet and ant like selves do not dominate time, our sun and moon are not the gate keepers to time, the universe is just too big to be bossed around by us, and nature laughs at our measurements. Time is still, it does not move, objects move and grow and die, but time does not, everyone has it back to front, time does not move forward, we do, we move on from those moments we wish we could experience again, those memories that are so dear to us, the longing for the past haunts us all in some way. Those moments and memories are not lost, they have never moved, we have, by getting older, by the earth getting older, by accepting time has moved on, that it is all in the past, but I realized the obvious truth and started working on a project that would stop me moving, to keep me still, and I knew if I could achieve that, then I could also move back in time as everyone else would believe, but it is simply stretching space, bridging the gap from here to there, stepping outside of the ticking clock and not being dominated by its rules makes it possible. I just needed to build the bridge once I was on the outside and still, not moving forward in time second by ticking second, I needed to stop in order to build the bridge and stretch space so I could move freely outside of the rules. I achieved this goal, I created a device I named the Stretch, it breaks through space, and time is no longer a factor, space is not simply a black nothingness, it is more like an ocean, waves of black are everywhere, the movements of space crashing against each other, the Stretch is a machine that warps the space, designed like an arrow head or strange looking small plane, it vibrates at a frequency that breaks down the barriers and stops the movements, which stops time and keeps everything still, frozen like a statue, space folds and warps into each other because of the vibrations creating tiny pockets, or black holes, that is the entry to what people call the past, but something that is right in front of you is not the past, it is the present, you just have to walk through a door once the bridge leads you to it. How did I do it? That is a question not easily answered, but the really difficult part was controlling time, to find any door and choose where I wanted to go, at first it was random, the frequency I used was to stop time and create pockets, I needed the frequencies that would allow me to move anywhere at any time, I was stuck in the year 1908, that was where the first pocket I opened took me, the Stretch did not move, space did, surrounding me and my machine like a wave of water, stopping time and sending me back, it was still, I was in a field and life did not move, a horse was eating grass and the sun was shinning. A farmer was stood with a shovel in hand looking up at his scarecrow who was not doing his job, a crow sat on his hat, I imagined it was mocking the farmer and laughed at the sight as I looked around in amazement. I got out of the Stretch and walked up to the farmer, clicking my fingers and waving in his face for signs of life, but he was still, I continued up to his farm house a short distance away and entered with guilt, I am not a fan of invading peoples privacy, and stood in a kitchen. It was a typical farmers kitchen, pretty much the way you would imagine any old wooden farm house kitchen to be like, everything was made out of the same wood with a huge oven made out of stone, and two rabbits hung upside down from a beam ready to be skinned for a meal. I sat at the breakfast table and picked up a news paper, February 2 1908 was the date.

“I can move objects, time is not still, it must be moving forward at an infantesimal rate” I said to myself. I stood up from the table and approached the door which I had left open and peered out. The farmers shovel was being held a foot from the ground, and it was previously standing upright against the earth. I quickly made a calculation in my head, the amount of time I had been there and how far the shovel had moved and worked out a basic and approximate number of how slow time was moving. I ran back to the Stretch and sat in the leather seat before punching numbers into the computer, I adjusted the frequency and the Stretch began to vibrate before a pocket enveloped me once more, sending me to another time and place. It was a desert, as far as I could see there was dusty white sand, I remained in the Stretch and began my complicated calculations, I assumed time was completely still now, and I was on the outside of its rules, that was the first step to breaking time wide open and creating a time database on my computer system, in theory I could map doorways and read the frequency automatically. The Stretch would work out the mathematical code of time, and that would give me full access, time would bend to my will and I could go anywhere by simply punching the date into the Stretch which would work out the frequency and open the door, sending me to my desired destination. It took me only a few short hours, time is not as complicated as people would believe, or so I thought. I completed my database and sat smiling to myself. I should really go back there in the Stretch and shoot myself, and stop the devastation that was about to come, but in my experience, it would probably make things worse. I now knew that wherever I went time would move forward normally, and I would be able to experience it all as it happened, but I never thought about the dangers, no mathematical sum could work out the solution and conclusion of a two minute stay in one place. I chose a date at random to test out my database and the accuracy of my frequencies. I chose the date 1885 and appeared in what was a small village, I did not know where I was, I did not enter a destination, which is just longitude and latitude, and a lot of mathematical equations to work out so that I could choose an exact location. I had thankfully created a cloaking device for the Stretch using a series of mirrors, but it was still dangerous and could easily be found, I was on a patch of grass near a large oak tree and decided to move the Stretch closer to it where some bushes could help keep it safe. Having moved my machine and protected it from sight as best I could, I walked down the road and looked around at the living past, life was all very normal and quiet, just people living there lives as always, children played in the dirt and mothers rubbed at dirty cheeks as they chided them. Women washed cloths in barrels of water and men worked the farms and drank ale. It was what appeared to be a poor village, but I supposed most places must look like this in 1885, nothing but dirt path ways and no toilet facilities, I stepped around human and animal mess more than once. I was pleased with my accomplishment of reaching back in time, but the thrill I was expecting was not there, I walked down the road and felt deflated. I walked passed a few little shops, one selling vegetables and another was a blacksmith, a horse suddenly whined loudly and galloped away from its owners reach, it was heading towards a young girl who was carrying a huge sack of what looked like potatoes, she could not see over the top of it at the danger that was coming, a cart was rattling after the beast who was obviously full of fear and used for carrying things around. The girl stood with an open mouth unable to move when she finally caught sight of the furious horse who came within a few feet of stomping her into the ground, but I ran to her aid and pulled her away from the stomping horses fury before she was killed. A man pulled at the horse and calmed it down before leading it away.

“Are you alright?” I asked the girl as I helped her to her feet after dragging her to the ground and away from flaying hoofs.

“Yes I am fine, thank you, sir” She answered looking down at her feet and looking scared.

“You are welcome, what is your name?” I said feeling sorry for the girl who did not look happy.

“Klara, sir” The girl said slightly curtsying.

“Klara! What happened girl!?” A man said shouting from a distance as he walked at a quick pace down the road towards us.

“She was almost killed by a horse, sir” I said to the man as he reached me and looked me up and down with a look of disgust.

“That so?” He said to the girl who nodded in reply. “I am Alois, and this is my servant, thank you for your assistance” He tipped his hat grudgingly and took the girl by the arm, leaving the scattered potatoes on the ground and pulling her away.

“Your welcome” I muttered to myself as I I walked away and got back to the Stretch.

“Getting out of this place” I shook my head at the lack of enthusiasm I had, and punched in the date September 19th 2019, my 32nd birthday, I missed my party because I was working on the Stretch, time to put that right I thought. The Stretch vibrated as the frequency took me home to my own time. I was in a basement, it looked like my basement only different, old and full of dust and cobwebs. I scratched at the stubble on my chin as I thought, before getting out of my seat and looking around. It was my basement alright, but my tools and blueprints and equipment were not there, and the stairs were different leading up to the door in the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and opened the old door with my shoulder because it was stuck, nobody had been in the house for a long time. As I suspected the house was empty and had not been lived in for years, the kitchen was bare and the windows had boards of wood covering them from the outside. I kicked the back door of the house open after several failed attempts to open it, and stepped outside. Everything was different, the houses, the road, the lamps, everything was old and falling to pieces.

“Is this the wrong time, or have I changed everything?” I said in shock as I stepped back into the house and down to the basement, I sat back in the Stretch and checked the date, it was correct, I then linked up to the world wide network, which was the same by some miracle.

“I only met two people, this must have happened because I saved that girl” I muttered to myself as I wrote “1885, Klara, Alois” into the search engine. I did not really expect to get any results back, but what I saw shook my soul and made me vomit over the side of the Stretch as I looked at what I caused. Alois and Klara where married and had children, one was called Adolf, Adolf Hitler, and he was described as the most evil man that ever lived, his German army stormed across Europe and the second world war caused five years of death and destruction, I skipped the details of how and why, it did not matter, what did matter was that I saved that girls life and it caused a world war, the second world war, in my history there was only one war. Then I continued my research and discovered many other things had changed, scientific discoveries like the cure for the common cold had never been discovered, but organ transplants were now every day things, that was new for me. It appeared that not all of the changes were bad ones, but the deaths of countless people in a world war trumped all of the good changes, and I was in a state of shock, confusion, and self loathing at changing the world. A thought suddenly came to me, and I did a search on my family. My grandfather died in Belgium just a year into the war, he was a pilot and crashed, he lived for a day, but his injuries were too severe. My father was never born, meaning I was never born, one of my theories had been proved correct by this piece of knowledge. I still exist even though I was not born, people do not simply vanish, it does not matter where they come from or about the past, I stopped my father being born which means I was never born, if I am never born then I can not go back and stop him being born, its the old chicken and egg problem. Which comes first? I never understood that question, the answer is the egg, chickens do not spring from the air, who knows where the egg came from? who cares? chickens are born from eggs, simple. I was born, I am alive, history has changed but that does not change me, or where I came from, I had lost my grandfather and father, but what about my mother? The world changed on an enormous scale, the odds of any of the same people existing was beyond impossible, but to my surprise she was alive. Her parents were American, and the Americans entered the war late, but her family was in Canada in the 1940s, maybe the same things happened even though the war broke out, whatever the answer was it did not matter, she was alive and living in Miami according to the information I found online. I am the son she never had. I decided to go and see her, I found her address and phone number, I had no idea what a cell phone was, or as some people call them, mobile phones, quite simple really, I felt quite inferior when seeing my first cell phone, maybe this new timeline was better in more ways then I had thought. Although I would still trade it for the old timeline, and no world war two. I called her number from a phone box, which took me hours to find, but the number was no longer in use, so I went to Miami to find her. I did not know why I was going, I was a stranger to her, she would not believe me if I told her the truth and she would not want to talk to a stranger, she always avoided talking to people she did not know. Do people have the same personalities growing up with a different future? I thought at least some part of her would be recognizable as the mother I had once known. I waited outside of her apartment building for two days, there was a bench across the street and I sat there waiting for her to come out or to turn up and go in, but I never saw her. I had hidden the Stretch by placing it in a fountain a few miles away, I hoped nobody climbed in or threw a coin that would clank against it. I was relieved when I reached the fountain and climbed in while nobody was looking and sat in the seat, hidden from peoples gazes by the cloaking device. I was still working on a hand held control that could faze the machine out of time slightly, making it invisible and untouchable, in theory I could park it in the middle of a road with no problems, and no fear it would be discovered, a few simple equations and it would faze back in to step with the time I was in, but like I said I was still working on it, and I could not make a mistake and risk losing the Stretch, I had to take extra care. I came up with another plan to find my mother, I had a DNA scanner, I dropped a little of my blood on to the glass plate and slid it home, a lot like an old car CD player, only more ingenious. The scanner read the DNA sample and located the same DNA in every record available on file through the world wide network. Once it found a match, it automatically brought up a file on the person, and a map with a little red dot indicating the exact location of the person in real time. It was a traffic cam that had found my mother, it took minutes, and I shook my head tiredly at being so stupid.

“Why did I not just do this in the first place?” I said to myself mockingly. I think I wanted the surprise of seeing her, me just sitting on the bench and her just walking down the street, and in to her building. Sentimentality had cost me two days and I had no sleep in that time, so it would cost me another 12 hours or so to sleep, I had to be sharp and fully alert, and I forced myself to have those 12 hours, even though I just wanted to go and see my mother. I knew it was stupid and pointless, but I thought if I saw her one last time I could say goodbye and move on, then I could perform a new experiment. I was so stupid, I thought it was harmless, people make thousands of decisions a day that map out there fate. Turn left down the road, or turn right? Have coffee, or have tea? Have that extra 5 minutes in bed, or get up early? Say good morning to your boss at work, or don’t, and just go straight to your desk? Decision after decision, for everyone, I wanted to see the impact and difference to the world by one decision. I remember thinking the Hitler mistake was just bad luck, I could have saved anyone else in the world and nothing would have changed. Such a fool. After my 12 hours of sleep and rest I decided to go see my mother, she had stopped at a hotel. She was still in Miami, so I went and sat in the bar. It was really expensive by the look of the carpets and tables, you can tell from a glance what sort of prices you had to pay in a place like that. Even the barman who was arranging bottles of liqueur looked like he was from a wealthy home. One glance at his gold watch told me that. He looked like a head waiter, and I thought it amusing that a wealthy young man like him had to work in a hotel bar. His parents probably owned the place, it was the only explanation I could muster up, unless the hotel payed stupendous amounts of money to there workers, which was not likely. I sat and looked around, thinking why my mother would even be here, she had a home and she did not live far away, maybe she was rich and just wanted a change, but I doubted it. Her apartment building was nice enough, but not that nice, not nice enough to live if you are filthy rich, like the people who go to five star hotels. Eventually she appeared, I spotted her walking down the stairs, from her room I imagine. She wore a long red dress and healed shoes, with a face full of make up and her hair held up elaborately, her heels clicked and clacked as she entered the bar and sat a few seats away from me. I was nervous, and just kept glancing at her as she looked down at her phone.

“What can I get for you my friend?” The barman asked me suddenly snapping me out of my half daze.

“Sorry, I was miles away, whiskey and ginger please, and a Martini for the lady” I answered him and nodded to my mother from another life. She looked up with surprise.

“Thank you, Martini is my favourite drink” She said to me with a happy smile.

“Yeah it is my mothers favourite drink, you look a lot like her, it is quite unnerving actually, but in a good way” I added the last four words quickly, making her laugh, the same laugh, same smile, but different hair, and a stronger accent.

“Well that is nice, but I hope your mother looks 23, then I can be flattered” She said laughing before gulping down her drink in one mouthful and clicking her fingers for another, which she also gulped down, barely giving the barman time to place the drink on the bar.

“Looks like you have had a hard day, if you don not mind me saying?” I said to her as she continued clicking her fingers for more drinks.

“Every day is hard, and I do mind you saying, just because I am drinking a lot you think you can make comments, and insinuate things, just like all men, but do not worry, I do not hold anything against you” She smiled at me with a side glance as she put her glass to her lips and slowly drank it dry to make her point.
I sat back shocked, she was different, a lot was the same but she was very different in a lot of ways. The way she sat, the way she drank, her overall presence was just different. That is not my mother, my mother is gone I thought as I drank my whiskey in one and paid the barman.

“It was nice to meet you” I said before turning and leaving, she waved her hand without looking, and I felt stupid, I should have known she would not be the woman I knew. I turned at the door for one last glance as she gulped down another drink. She could put the drink away, that made me think she had problems, but so did everyone, and I doubted she would want my help, she certainly did not want me commenting on her day or her drinking. I was a stranger, and she was a stranger to me. I returned to the Stretch to continue my work on my remote, but I could not focus. My mind was full of memories of my mother and father, I had destroyed that life, and I could not imagine how many others. I was a man of science, and I would continue my experiments, I believed I could shape the future, and every time I changed something, bad things would follow, but also good things, I had already discovered so many new things, and already had the information saved to my computer on the Stretch. Everything that was discovered in my original timeline and the new was all there. If I changed it again, would humanity come up with the answers to other problems? These ideas and thoughts over took those of my family, and I knuckled down to work. Withing six hours my remote was ready, and I was ready to change the world again.

Hello, again guys!

Another WIP I am not sure about here (I have been looking through all of my book starter ideas)
This one is a Harry Potter-ish sort of idea, without everyone being witches and wizards. Very different, but the idea of another world hidden within our own is what drove this idea home for me. Let me know what you think please people! And more writing is coming soon! (Today probably)
So, as always, forgive any mistakes.
This is "Jules And The Hidden World Of Magical Creatures" Enjoy!


Chapter One

“Alright! Up! Come on! Up!”

The sound of Mrs. Grand shouting from the corridor woke Jules with a start and was as tender to the ears as nails down a chalk board.
With a groan, she pulled her pillow over her head, knowing what came next.

Bang bang!
Mrs Grand rapped her walking stick against her bedroom door, and continued to shout.

“Up! Up! Come on!”

Jules sat up with another groan as the footsteps, and tapping of the walking stick against the floor moved off down the corridor to wake the other girls. Jules could still hear the shouts, and wished she had a better way to wake up on a morning. Like an alarm clock, the kind with two huge bells that clatter and make it jump until it falls over, she saw one on television, and the woman backhanded it of her bedside table in frustration when it would not stop ringing. Or maybe a rooster? A rooster sitting on the fence outside, waiting for the first sign of sunlight to cockadoodledoo.

they are surely better than Mrs Grand and her walking stick.

One day she would have an alarm clock she decided, roosters may need looking after, and you can turn an alarm clock off, she knew she could never turn Mrs Grand off, her voice had no off switch and a battery that never ran out.
She wiped crusted spittle from her cheek and stretched with a long yawn. Swinging her legs around, and placing her feet on the hard cold floor, she sucked in her breath, and whipped her feet back up, like she had stood on snow barefoot.
Slippers. One day I will have fluffy warm slippers, or a carpet where your feet sink down, just like the one Mrs Grand has in her bedroom. Jules and some of the other girls had to act as nurses for her a few months earlier when someone spilled water in the kitchen and she fell, breaking her arm. They had to bring her meals in bed, and generally be at her bedside constantly as she asked for a newspaper or a drink. Jules did not mind, she got to feel the soft carpet beneath her feet and watch the huge television.

“One day I will have them” she said aloud while opening her small draw and pulling out thin socks. She put them on and got dressed in her old second hand clothes, which was a gray jumper that was big on her, and black trousers that were short on the legs.

“Summer dress” she said adding clothes to her wish list, “red with flowers” She had an overwhelming certainty that she would have everything she desired one day, and she constantly made mental notes about all of the things she would have when she finally left the orphanage. Maybe she would even get a job at that lovely store in town that has beautiful dresses and shoes, that would be nice.
The shoes she had were the only thing she did not mind, they fit her and were comfortable. Slipping them on, she walked over to her window and got down on her knees. Listening for sounds coming her way, and hearing none, she pulled up a loose floor board where she hid the two most precious things she had. Smiling, she pulled out a card she was given for her eleventh birthday, it was the only one she had ever got. It simply said.

Happy Birthday, hope you enjoy it, H

It was left on her windowsill along with a gift, a telescope. She looked at the card everyday and looked from her window every night with her telescope. Jules suddenly heard the familiar steps and taps of Mrs Grand coming along the corridor, she panicked as she put the card back on top of her telescope in the floor, and slammed the plank of wood back in to place just before her door burst open.

“What are you up to?” the old lady asked spitefully with her broken and cracked voice, like she smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. Jules was now sitting on her chair next to the window, with her legs crossed, chin on hand and elbow on knee, looking defiant, and guilt free.

“Nothing” she answered passively with an innocent smile while drumming her fingers on her cheek.

“Get up out of that chair, and get in to that kitchen, the porridge will not cook itself, and brush your hair! You look like a witch” She said angrily while pointing the walking stick at her.

“Yes, Mrs Grand” Jules answered in her most polite voice as she fluttered her eyes and smiled, mocking the old lady and making her growl. The old woman continued moving along the corridor and shouting at some of the girls who had not yet left their rooms. Jules let out a breath of relief. She would be utterly devastated if she no longer had her telescope and card, they were the only things she loved, and they meant everything to her.

Who “H” was she had no clue, she only knew one person who’s name started with a H, Harriet, a nine year old girl who could never get her hands on shoe laces never mind a telescope, and even if she could, she would not give it away. Tomorrow she would be twelve. Maybe H will bring me another gift? Maybe it is a distant relative? She thought. Jules had no family that she knew of, being in an orphanage it did not seem likely that the gift was from a family member, if it was, then why leave her there. All of her thoughts had to be pushed to the back of her mind, the mysterious H entered her thoughts way too much, and dreaming about all of the things she wanted just made her feel sad, but also determined, and she had breakfast to cook.
Jules decided to keep her gift a secret from everyone, nobody could be trusted, Mrs Grand had a way of bribing the girls with boiled sweets to give her information on the girls doing things they should not be, or to be more accurate, doing things she did not allow.
Jules eventually left her room to go to the kitchen to cook breakfast for everyone, just like every other day, and life was hard. All of the girls worked, some did laundry and others cleaned, Jules cooked and cleaned the bathroom. After another long day had ended, she entered her room with a tired sigh, and plopped down face first on to her bed and lay there for several minutes before sitting up. Exhaustion was completely normal for her and the girls, but Jules always felt it more than everyone else because she stayed awake very late every night to gaze out of her window with her telescope. It was the highlight of her life, and fatigue was the small price she did not mind paying. Slipping in to her huge mans football jersey she used as a nightgown, she got in to her bed and gazed at her window, and told the sun to hurry up and go away so that the moon and stars could come out and keep her company. Eventually the sunlight faded, and the moonlight took its place. Jules waited for complete silence in the house, Mrs Grand liked to walk the halls and listen for anyone who was still awake, she would bang her walking stick against their door, and growl at them to be silent. The time ticked away slowly and Jules forced herself to remain in her bed, there was no way she would risk being caught with her telescope, and proved herself quite correct to be cautious, because she could hear somebody outside of her room, listening for a sound, and trying to catch her out. Mrs Grand was relentless in her pursuit of catching Jules doing something she should not be. Jules waited two whole hours after hearing her outside of the door, before sneaking out of bed and taking her telescope out of its hiding place. It was after midnight and it was technically her birthday now.

“Thank you” she whispered to the sky as she gazed out of the window with her birthday present from the year before, imagining the moon and stars were wishing her many happy returns.

“You be a lot welcome” a voice whispered to her in response.

Jules backed away from the window in fright, too scared to make a sound, not only because a voice spoke to her, but always because Mrs Grand would be in her room swiftly, she always had that terrifying thought rattling around in her mind at night. Spinning around, she scanned her room looking for the source of the whisper. Nothing.

“Who said that?” she asked in another whisper spinning back around and looking out of the window once more.

“My name are Hatfield” the voice said from behind her, it was a smooth and well spoken voice, like someone high born or from a rich English family. Jules hesitated before slowly looking over her shoulder to see what appeared to be a short bald old man with a top hat and pin striped gray suit sitting on her bed. He held a cane made of marble with a golden ball on top that shone in the moonlight that was coming through the open window. Jules was shocked and span around quickly as she saw him.

“What do you want?” she asked him in an unsure and shaky low voice.

“To tell happy birthday, and ask her if her is ready to be gone, from here place” Hatfield answered kindly.

“What? I do not understand what you are saying” she said with less fear, there was something about him that made her feel comfortable.

“Forgiveness, I be learning your speaking” Hatfield held up his hands in apology, and smiled shyly.

“Oh, you are learning my language, where are you from? Did you give me the telescope? Thank you” She walked towards the strange little man who nodded.
He was strangely dressed, and she looked at him more closely, he could not have been much more than four feet tall. He had what looked to be an old mans face at first glance, but at closer inspection he did not look old at all, his skin was a pale gray, and he had lines that could be easily mistaken for wrinkles, only these wrinkles were long, and not short like other wrinkles. His eyes were a perfect blue and his lips were a strange shade of green that strangely seemed to match his skin tone. A smell of lavender filled the room and Jules thought the smell was beautiful. Hatfield lifted his cane and pointed out of the window before saying.

“Up” and continuing to smile.

“Up? You mean space?” she said excitedly and trying to keep her voice down.

“No, no breath in space, world, up and out, far” He whispered and prolonged the word far, like it was an amazing mystery.

“Another planet? That is brilliant! What is it like?”

“Gone now, but not much seconds to be talking, I and she must be gone with fast” Hatfield gasped as he stood up and walked up to Jules, taking her hand, and moving towards the window.

“What? You mean leave? by going out of the window? Do not be crazy, I do not know you, and it is too high to climb down” Jules said pulling her hand away.

“Trust, or be staying with horrific madam” He said pointing at the bedroom door. Jules could here someone coming along the corridor, Mrs Grand had heard her, and was coming to her room.

“Lets get out of here” she answered quickly picking up her clothes and telescope that Hatfield placed inside his top hat making them disappear like a magician, before they took each others hand.

“Time to being magic, Jules” he said grandly as he took several steps back from the window, and ran hand in hand with her towards it.
They both jumped out and were gone as the bedroom door burst open. Mrs Grand looked around frantically and went to the window as fast as her walking stick could help her. Jules and Hatfield came out of nowhere and flew past her, scaring the life out of her and making her fall backwards with a yelp. They laughed gleefully before flying off in to the distance, leaving the orphanage behind.

Hey everyone, chapter 2 of Jules and the hidden world of magical creatures (WIP) just finished. As alwayd, forgive mistakes, unedited. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

Jules clung to Hatfield as they flew through the night, over tree tops and in to the unknown. “Why am I not screaming in terror?” She said in her mind. It was silent, and the stars were shinning bright above them. Jules loved the night, the mystery of the universe now filled her mind, and she was finally living her dream, flying through space, well she knew it was not space, but she looked up at the black sky and imagined it was, “Of course I am not screaming, this is amazing” The trees below them swayed and shook in the wind, and the moon shone down on them, illuminating the view. She was free, and had never felt more alive.

“How are we flying Mr Hatfield?

“Mystic” he answered holding her hand and opening up his pinstriped jacket with his one free hand, and pulling out a small bag.

“Mystic?” Jules said confused as she looked at the small bag. “What is that?” Hatfield looked at her also confused before realizing his mistake.

“Ah! Magic! This is what I speak” he smiled and shook his head “This is magic, gifted me, from friend”

“Magic” Jules looked at the small bag that sat on the palm of his gray hand, and was in awe. “But what is it?”

“Difficulty telling her, magic are magic, from Humbert, friend” Hatfield tried his best to explain to her, and Jules had no idea what he was talking about or where they were going. But she was content, and was not scared as they flew through the night. Jules suddenly became aware of the chill as the wind picked up, and she shivered.

“Her Ice? No afraid, clothing soon, drink, feel hot” Hatfield said handing her a small glass bottle.

“Good, it is getting really cold” She drank the liquid that tasted like peppermint and was freezing, and strangely it made her feel warm and cosy, like sitting in front of a fire in winter with a mug of cocoa, not that she had ever done that, but she imagined it was a perfect description for warmth and contentment, most of her thoughts about things were speculation, she had no experience of them and her imagination was her only reference with such things.

“Her heat now?”

“Yes, I am warm now, thank you” Jules smiled “Clothing you said? From where Mr Hatfield?” she asked him feeling snug, although she was flying through the night in a football jersey with bare legs.

“Place we go, with friends” Hatfield smiled. They flew for a short time, over forests and fields, and a small lake, until they approached what appeared to be a distant mountain.

“Where are we? How is there a mountain?” Jules asked excitedly, and surprising herself, she should really be afraid in this situation, anyone else would be, right?

“We go far distance, friends being here, no scared, safety” Hatfield spoke in a calming tone, fearing Jules would be apprehensive. Jules nodded and smiled in reply, there was no fear, only questions.

“Who are you Mr Hatfield? Why did you get me out of the orphanage? I do not know you” Jules spoke quickly, the questions came out in a hurry and she still had more desperate to follow. None of it made any sense.

“Understanding your needing clarity, her knowing soon, we are being here, eyes” Hatfield spoke and pointed at his right eye before turning his finger towards the mountain wanting her to look. It looked like an island sitting on a huge body of water, it could have been a river or ocean, or even sea, but Jules did not really know the difference between them, it was simply a mountain sitting in water. They flew closer to it and Jules noticed what appeared to be a door, a huge door that reminded her of a castle you see in cartoons. It was made of dark wood, and had strips of metal running through it with a spiked fence above it.

“We are going in to the mountain? Why is the door so big Mr Hatfield?” Jules asked.

“Yes, we go, door so big for Humbert, he being extra tall” Hatfield said lifting his free hand above his head to explain his friends height.

They reached the door and touched down in front of it, it was even bigger than Jules had first thought. She imagined it was at least the size of a house as she looked up at it. Hatfield smiled at her before walking up to it with his blue marble cane. He twisted the golden ball from the end of it and touched it to the door. A bright white light came from beneath the ball spreading across the door looking like an eclipse. The door began to move up, not open up, like Jules had expected. The fence above it began to rattle and shake as the door bumped and nudged it on its way up. Jules bent down to look inside and let out a gasp as her mouth hung open and her eyes widened with a sense a magical awe at the view.

“Come Jules, warmth clothes and meeting friends” Hatfield said holding out his hand for her to take, and to follow him into wonder. Not answering, she took his hand with her eyes glassing over as if in a trance from the sight, and they walked through the now fully open arch way where the door instantly began to retreat down as they stepped inside. The entrance was lit with candles the size of lamp posts with flames flickering with the wind, and the walls were flat and smooth, not like a mountain should be, all rough and ragged, but perfect. The light coming from the candles gave everything a golden shine, they were in a high hall way made of marble, the same as the cane Hatfield carried, and there were little men in what looked to be a lounge in the short distance, they looked just like Hatfield, except for the suit and cane, and they wore plain white all in ones with white shoes to match. The dozen or so men were all sitting drinking tea. Laughter and conversations echoed towards them, and Jules noticed everyone was so small, and she wondered why, since everything was so big. The little men were talking extremely fast, and she could not work out what they were saying, if it was even her language, she doubted it was. Walking towards the lounge with Hatfield, and passing by enormous paintings of dragons and fairies that hung from the walls, one of the small men noticed them and stood with the biggest smile Jules had ever seen, it took up at least half of his face leaving little room for his small button nose and gray eyes.

“Hatfield! You are back! And have brought a dumdum with you, how rebellious of you!” he said in a similarly posh way to his friend, continuing to smile widely, flashing white teeth and winking at Hatfield with his hands in his white pockets, rocking back on his heels.

“Yes Ellis, this is Jules of five” Hatfield replied in a voice that was almost a challenge, before he winked back at him and lead Jules to one of the three sofas that sat in the middle of the room. It was a huge place for small people to live, and there was a fire place that made Jules gasp with excitement before she realized that the conversation Hatfield had with his friend was perfectly understandable.

“Mr Hatfield? How did you just speak normally? And 5 of what?” Jules asked before thinking her question may have been rude, but Hatfield smiled and nodded as he pointed for her to sit.

“Magic Jules, everything here is very different to what you know, I did not speak normally, Ellis and I spoke our own language, and the five bit is complicated, answers soon” Hatfield said with his still noble sounding voice “we can talk easily now, but first, clothing for you, as promised” He walked over to the burning fire place and stuck his arms inside.

“Mr Hatfield!” Jules shouted in fear and ran towards him to pull him out of the flames, but she was a second late, and he removed his arms from the fire with no burns or evidence of ever being exposed to heat.

“I am quite fine Jules, do not worry, it is not real fire” He smiled handing her a big box. She looked relieved and smiled as she opened up the box from the flames to find a red dress with flowers.

“How did you know?” she said taking it out of the box and placing up against her chest before performing a twirl with giddy laughter.

“I did not know anything, this fire place gives you things you need, it knows what you like, but I fear it needs upgrading, you can not wear that dress outside, it will be snowing soon, and you will need something warm, it should have known that, what kind of warm clothing do you like?” Hatfield ask her as she inspected the beautiful dress with pleasure.

“Warm clothes? I don not really know Mr Hatfield, I have never chosen clothes before, I just seen a dress like this in a shop window once, and thought it was the best thing in the world” Jules replied.

“Ah, I see, that is why it gave you the dress, it is the only item of clothing you have ever desired, well, never mind, I will get you something appropriate” Hatfield put his arms back into the flames and rummaged around, before pulling out another box, much larger than the other one, and placed it on the floor in front of her. Jules looked upset, and put the dress back in the box and handed it to Hatfield.

“Why are your eyes dripping?” Hatfield looked curiously at her “Does it mean you are sick?” He said suddenly looking concerned.

“What? No, I am sad, I am sorry Mr Hatfield, you must think me ungrateful, thank you for the clothes” she answered him opening up the new box to find a warm winter coat with fur around the neck and mittens attached to the sleeves. There was also a plain black jumper with a hood and black skinny trousers.

“Oh, human eyes leak water when they are sad? How strange. Why are you sad Jules? Are you afraid? This must all be very odd for you, in a mountain with strangers” He said more to himself then her, knowing the way he got Jules out of the orphanage and brought her there was not very good, and should have scared the girl silly.

“No, it is not that, I just really love the dress” she answered quickly, too quickly for her own liking, thinking she sounded truly ungrateful now.

“The dress is yours Jules, the fire gave it to you, I am not taking it from you, but I do suggest you wear the warm clothes outside, snow is coming, and you will need some boots” Hatfield looked at her confused again, not knowing why she would think he would take her dress away.

“Oh, Mr Hatfield, thank you!” she said with delight and hugged him, making him even more confused before she let him go looking embarrassed.

“Is holding a custom humans use to show gratitude?” he asked her, with his mind trying to work out how humans act.

“Yes, sort of, it is called a hug, people do it to say thank you, and they do it to make each other feel better” she answered him thinking hard about the question.

“So it is magic? Holding each other heals pain?”

“What? No, well yes, it is hard to explain, when people are upset you give them a hug, It makes them feel good, or it is supposed to, it shows them you care and are there for them, to support them and help them” Jules said suddenly realizing that it does sound extremely confusing, even to her.

“Humans are very different to other creatures” Hatfield said taking off his hat and scratching his completely bald head, before replacing it.

“So where are you from? You said another planet, how is that possible?” Jules said now curiously.

“Yes, we came a very far distance, we all did, many different creatures from very different worlds, a huge variety of beings” he answered.

“But why?”

“Because we are hiding, and we had to find the five, they are the only ones who can save us from him” Hatfield said in a quiet voice as he looked down.

“Hiding? From who? Who is the five?” she asked him.

“A bad and evil creature, he wants to destroy and enslave everything and everyone, he thinks he is special, kind of like a god, but he is not, and the five are the leaders of the five stars, the five stars are planets that are right next to each other, you can see them as close as you see your moon. The five are the only ones powerful enough to stop him, but they vanished a very long time ago, and they are here, I am certain”

“They are powerful?”

“Yes, the are the magic givers, they created it, long long ago, my people think the five are just a legend, a story, mythology without substance, but I believe they still exist, or at least their ancestors” Hatfield smiled.

“You called me Jules of five, to your friend, you do not think I am one of them, do you?” Jules said scared. She did not want to break his hopes and dreams by telling him she was just an orphan, with nothing to offer him in terms of help, and certainly not magic that can fight off an evil creature.

“You are one of them, you do not know it yet, but you will soon enough” he winked at her and smiled kindly “Anyway, forget that for now, it is late in the night, you must be tired, I will show you to your room” Standing up and carrying the two boxes, he lead her through a door that was the same height as the entrance door, and that brought them to a corridor. It had lots more huge doors that lead to bedrooms, and more lamp post sized candles. Hatfield showed her to the closest room, where he left her to get some sleep.

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.