(girl without name narrates intro:
She is six years old: sees seven-year-old Cricket run past her house)
Cricket
(Seven-year-old Cricket runs to the Lowlands, falls asleep.)
I faded awake to the chilly slime of wet brick beneath me and the sting of a fresh brand on my neck. Kids' voices murmered, but I didn't want to open my eyes.
“What is that thing?”
“Sh! You’ll wake ‘im up.”
“...Are you sure it's not just dead?”
“Ah...no.”
I felt something jab into my cheek and swatted the hand away, wrinkling my nose.
"Agh! It touched me!"
"Shhhh."
Then everything was quiet, except for a few distant whistling sounds and the lapping of water. My eyes blinked open. I was alone in some shadowed alley...or what looked like an alley, except there was a skinny canal that cut through its middle. Faded buildings were stacked around me like books squeezed onto library shelves. But where...?
A girl whispered, " 'is eyes are yellow."
"Agh!" I jumped up, whirling to face the voices. There was a girl and a boy, both in tatters, pressed against a wall and staring at me. They looked about as terrified as I felt. I didn't want to see anyone. I wanted to dissapear, and find Uncle, and pretend nothing had happened.
"Wait a moment," the girl said, and took a cautious step to me. I flinched back. "Nonono, it's a'right...see, Crooks? 'E looks scared." I wished I could see her eyes, which were covered with a paperboy hat much too big for her. The other kid's blue eyes peered at me beneath a shag of blonde hair.
The boy pointed a paper-white finger at my neck. "Look! It's got a prison brand!"
"Not [i]it.[/i] Can't you see it's a lad?"
"Oddest lad I've ever seen. Why's your 'air so dark, kid?" He cocked his head.
I suddenly became fascinated with the ground, and felt myself blush. "I, ah...I don't know...it's always been dark..." My feet itched to run away.
The girl piped up, "So you've been t' prison? What's it like? Oi, you look a little younger'n me, like, six maybe?"
"Seven," I mumbled to the ground, and felt my blush spread further.
She is six years old: sees seven-year-old Cricket run past her house)
Cricket
(Seven-year-old Cricket runs to the Lowlands, falls asleep.)
I faded awake to the chilly slime of wet brick beneath me and the sting of a fresh brand on my neck. Kids' voices murmered, but I didn't want to open my eyes.
“What is that thing?”
“Sh! You’ll wake ‘im up.”
“...Are you sure it's not just dead?”
“Ah...no.”
I felt something jab into my cheek and swatted the hand away, wrinkling my nose.
"Agh! It touched me!"
"Shhhh."
Then everything was quiet, except for a few distant whistling sounds and the lapping of water. My eyes blinked open. I was alone in some shadowed alley...or what looked like an alley, except there was a skinny canal that cut through its middle. Faded buildings were stacked around me like books squeezed onto library shelves. But where...?
A girl whispered, " 'is eyes are yellow."
"Agh!" I jumped up, whirling to face the voices. There was a girl and a boy, both in tatters, pressed against a wall and staring at me. They looked about as terrified as I felt. I didn't want to see anyone. I wanted to dissapear, and find Uncle, and pretend nothing had happened.
"Wait a moment," the girl said, and took a cautious step to me. I flinched back. "Nonono, it's a'right...see, Crooks? 'E looks scared." I wished I could see her eyes, which were covered with a paperboy hat much too big for her. The other kid's blue eyes peered at me beneath a shag of blonde hair.
The boy pointed a paper-white finger at my neck. "Look! It's got a prison brand!"
"Not [i]it.[/i] Can't you see it's a lad?"
"Oddest lad I've ever seen. Why's your 'air so dark, kid?" He cocked his head.
I suddenly became fascinated with the ground, and felt myself blush. "I, ah...I don't know...it's always been dark..." My feet itched to run away.
The girl piped up, "So you've been t' prison? What's it like? Oi, you look a little younger'n me, like, six maybe?"
"Seven," I mumbled to the ground, and felt my blush spread further.
