Freaks by Kieran Larwood Read Free Book Online Page A

ya,” said the man, clapping his hands. From under her spatterings of dirt and grime, the woman beamed with relief. “And we’ll pay you all back some’ow. Even if it takes us fifty years of sifting mud, we will.”
    At that moment a large amount of banging and shouting could be heard coming from the upstairs window of the house. Plumpscuttle was stirring.
    â€œYes, yes, we’ll discuss all that later,” said Mama Rat hurriedly. Sister Moon stepped forward and began ushering the mudpickers toward the gate. “We’ll send word when we have any information for you. Keep your ears open, and please feel free to visit again, should you discover anything yourselves. Good afternoon, dearies!”
    â€œâ€™Ang on a minute—” the man began to say, but Sister Moon’s firm grip had propelled the pair into the street, slamming the gate behind them.
    Moments later, the back door of the house banged open and the bleary and disheveled form of Plumpscuttle appeared.
    â€œDid I just see some people in my yard?” he bellowed. “Some strange folk, uninvited on my personal property? Some scrawny street offal covered in rags and filthy muck?”
    â€œWe were just asking them if they knew anyone selling good food,” said Sheba as she climbed out from under the caravan. “We were all feeling a little peckish.”
    â€œPeckish? I could eat that scrawny two-headed sheep raw! Get me five helpings of whatever you’re having. And make it quick.” He threw a handful of copper pennies out into the yard, then stomped off into the house.
    Mama Rat gave Sheba a thoughtful look as Sister Moon scooped up the pennies and headed off to find a street vendor.
    â€œYou, young lady, are beginning to prove immensely useful,” she said.

    Dinner was a bowl of Penny Dip: fried sheep heart and liver, mixed with onions and dumplings. To Sheba it tasted exotic and delicious, even if the dumplings were slightly gritty. The others shoveled it in their mouths without expression. This was standard fare, as uninspiring for them as fish soup had been for Sheba at Grunchgirdle’s.
    They ate outside, sitting cross-legged on the hard ground, as Plumpscuttle was occupying the kitchen table. Every now and then the sound of a wet burp echoed through the window.
    â€œSo,” said Gigantus. “What do you make of them mudgrubblers?”
    â€œA bunch of low-life scroungers, if you ask me,” said Monkeyboy. “Surely we’re not going to bother looking for their brat? Probably got munched up by those man-eating monster eels in the river.”
    â€œI recall your start to life wasn’t that much higher, half-pint,” said Gigantus as he licked the last bit of gravy from his spoon.
    â€œThat’s got nothing to do with it!” Monkeyboy shouted, spraying everyone with a mouthful of half-chewed sheep guts. “All I’m saying is, what’s the point of helping out a load of stinky old mudheads? Don’t you know how many people there are in this blooming city? Anyway, it’ll only be a few months before they all starve to death, whatever we do. If the cholera doesn’t get them first.”
    â€œThat little girl,” said Sheba, “happens to be my friend. Her name is Till, and she was very sweet and kind to me. Unlike most people. If there’s a way to help her, then I will.”
    â€œWell said, dearie.” Mama Rat gave her a wink. “Those better off should always try and help the less fortunate. That’s why I agreed on behalf of you all. And my little babbies will come in useful, looking for that girl.”
    â€œIn what way?” Sheba couldn’t think how a miniature circus would be any help in finding a missing mudlark.
    â€œOh, my boys are very good at detecting things. They can go from one end of this city to the other without anyone so much as catching a whiff of them. They’ve found all sorts of bits