Before the Artful Dodger

Honeycomb hair

"Gerroff yer sista, so she can ge' up, ya li'le squir'," that voice he knew much to well rang in Jack's ears.

However much he wanted to be a disobedient little cow, give his father a real reason to hate him, the weeping Jack, obeyed. He tried to stand up, but his legs were like jelly, so sat back from his sister, willing her to spring up, send their dad away, and hug Jack, cradle him, tell him she was sorry and would never play such a trick again.

She didn't. Jack Dawkins and his disgusting father, Thomas Dawkins knew, in that moment, the last person they had ever loved was gone.

Jack chanced a peek at his father.

"If you......*hic*........come back.......... You'll *hic* be..........sorry....." with that, stupid as it may sound, Sir Thomas Dawkins walked right into a tree *crunch*, and toppled over.

It can be dangerous, being drunk, and it can end up killing you. Mr Dawkins found this out the hard way, as his ragged breathing stopped,and Jack was left with no family, at all.

Not quite knowing what to do, the little boy swept his thick, Belgian chocolate hair out of his eyes, and walked away. He was alone now, nobody was going to feed him. He would have to make his way by himself. He looked at his dear, dead Lil. He couldn't hurt her now.

"Goodbye Lil," and with those words, the boy turned into a dark alleyway.

Thinking about his father's rather silly death, wondering what to make of it, to be upset or glad, Jack looked up to find himself in a busy street. There were people everywhere, selling books,roses, apples, chocolates,cushions, anything you can think of. Considering it his only means of survival -which, at that moment, it was- Jack swiped an apple from right under the seller's nose, and, in an attempt to cheer himself, a bar of milk chocolate. Looking up, he saw an eight-year-old girl with thick ebony hair, walking alongside her parents. He instantly thought of Lil. 

"No," Jack murmured, ran down another dingy pathway, sat down and cried his four-year-old heart out.

"'Ey......wassa ma'er, li'le one? You lost somat?"

Jack paused. Looking down on him was a VERY pretty girl of about ten. Hands on her hips, she had honeycomb hair tumbling about her face, broccoli-green eyes, and wore a bit of a short yellow dress. In her hand was a purse-a very fat one.

"*sniff* Yeah......I.....I lost me f-family........huhghhg.........mmmmmm ......." The girl dropped down next him, gave the pitiful boy a hug.

"There, there.........wipe yer eyes on this 'ere kerchief.........now. Wot's your name, eh?"

Already feeling he could trust this girl, Jack replied: "Name's Jack. Jack Dawkins. *Sniff*. Wot's your's?"

"Nancy Wilson, but someday, it shall be Nancy Sikes."

Jack looked confused.

"You won't tell no-one? Well, this guy I know, Bill Sikes, he's fourteen. Bill 'as a bit of a fing for me, and I can't truthfully say I don't like 'im back. Good 'nuff for ya, Jack?"

"Yeah........" Ever so slightly disappointed that Nancy seemed to already have a guy, he looked at his feet.

"Right, I can't bear seein' an 'elpless kid on the streets, nowhere to go. You're comin' wimmee."

With that, Nancy trotted away. Obviously supposed to follow her, Jack scrambled to his feet. He did not know whatvhe was walking into, but it had to be better than what he had left behind.

💩'Ow are ya me flash mates? Like dat chapter did ya? Let me know in da comments will ya? Only got one lovely fan doin' dat right now. JackWild1952, keep up da good work! Any-hoo, gotta go, but I'll be back soon! So long, fare thee well, pip pip, cheerio, I'll be back soon!💖💋