Secrets of the Past by Wendy Backshall Read Free Book Online

accompany me to the police station . I have to go there to collect some papers . ”
    I immediately answered.
    “Yes please”
    He said, “Better ask Father first , wait there ”
    Off he went to the sitting room where Father was reading.  The door closed behind him. I then recalled that we must always shut the doors, as the cold draught from the stairway travelled into the rooms rapidly.
    He then returned saying
    “Come quickly, before mother calls you for the chores , you know she will call you soon. ”
    I grabbed my coat from the hall peg and ran after him, a bit difficult with the dress to the floor.
    As we reached the street, he turned .
    “Anna, take your apr on off, quickly take it off now?
    I ripped it off and stuffed it in my pocket and run after him. We went right , started walking, I was here in the st reet this was amazing.
    It must have been around the eighteen hundre ds , eighteen fiftyish I reckon by what they are wearing.
    Top hats, the women’s dress es to the floor, and they had tiny umbrellas. Urchin kids everywhere, begging,
    Women carried little bags on their arms, some had baskets filled with vegetables and bread.
    The place stank, like smelly sewer s. No one else seemed to notice, but I was reaching.
        John did not notice me peering at him as we walked, how did I know he was my brother?
    Strange I thought but exciting never less .
    . We reached Star Hill, was hard to cross the road, every time we stepped out a carriage roared by.
    I call it a road more like a mud track. Only the buildings made it look like a street.
    We went round the corner, into Corporation Street. Into a building on the left, I just followed.
    As we walked, my boots hurt , my feet were killing me , squeezing my toes tight.
    He told me to sit on the bench, so I slowly sat down. Next to me sat a woman, as she turned to me, she glanced at me looking up and down. Then she spoke
    ”Hello darling, what you ere for then”
    As she spoke, I could n ot but notice her teeth.
    ‘Boy do you need to see a dentist urgently’
    Her teeth black, her face dirty looking, and her hair well, imagine rolling straw into a ball and sticking it on your head, well that is what she looked like.
    Her clothing, shabby, dirty but she did have some nice earrings with necklace to match. She wore dirty fingerless gloves, her nails filthy.
    I answered her .
    “I’m not here for nothing, just waiting for my brother”
    She then said putting her hand on mine.
    “Don’t trust anyone ere, if you want my advice, tell em nothink, nothink at all”
    I turned away from her, thinking she is a nutcase better ignore her. She kept jumping around.
    As I glance up, the cop on the desk, smiles at me, then he gives me a little wink. I turn away embarrassed, he must know who I am I thought.
    At that moment John appears, smiling from ear to ear-carrying papers in his hand. He ushers me to follow him towards the door.
    When we get outside, he had excitement in his voice; he then tells me he has been , promoted to a new job, patrolling the streets in the high street where we live. Strange I thought as that is what I thought he done anyway, but then he goes on to say, no more travelling to Canterbury and staying for weeks at a time.
    Mother will be elated to hear the news.
    I asked why he had been in Canterbury all the time and he said he always wanted to work the streets of Rochester, but unfortunately, to work there he needed far more experience than he had, but n ow his ready for the experience, his dream job at last.
    At the hearing of this news, I was very proud of my new brother, so unlike my other brother Tom, John was a little rough around the edges , where as Tom was clean cut.
    It then dawned on me .
    ‘What the hell are you doing here? This is not your place, go home now’
    John told me to link arms with him and off we walked towards home. He was very happy after hearing this news, m ust have been waiting a long while.
    I shared his smiles, as we walked