Project Village

   This guy came along and said "here, put this on" and handed me a top hat. I said who am I supposed to be, a top hat official in the Village? "No" the chap said. "Well then who am I?" "You're Number 48, symbolising rebellious youth!" I told him I don't feel at all rebellious, and I've not been a youth for many a year, and if he thinks I'm going leaping about singing Dem Bones, he's got another think coming! If anything I said, I look like some Dickensian villain, a type of Bill Sykes character working for Fagin! I said "Blimey, the Village hasn't been going that long has it?" "Well it's been going for a very long time." "What before the war?" I asked. "Yes." "Since the war?" I pressed. "Oh definitely" he said. "But which war?" The man said he couldn't rightly say, and then he took my picture.

   Outside there was a hansom cab waiting "Where to guv?" the cabbie asked. "Take me to Whitechapel." "Where guv?" "Whitechapel" I said climbing into the cab. "Where's that?" "Whitechapel, it's in London." "Oh I couldn't take you that far guv, I'm only do local calls" the cabbie replied through the little hatch in the roof. "Well take me as far as you can, perhaps to the railway station" I said indignantly sitting back in the leather seat.

   There was a continuous clip clop, clip clop, clop clopping of the horses hooves as we went upon our journey. What would be my destination I had no idea, but I craved adventure from the dull existence of life. Perhaps a young damsel in distress might need rescuing from some villain, only to fall into my clutches.... yes, I make no apologies for it, I felt a villainous act coming on! Well I looked the part, so I thought I might as well play the role.
   Suddenly the hansom cab came to a halt. "Ere we are guv" the cabbie announced through the small hatch. I looked out about me "Where are we?" I asked. "In the Village guv." "But that's where we started from!" I replied in annoyance. "That's right guv. But I did warn you that I did only local calls." I clamoured out of the cab, looked up at the cabbie, put my hand in my pocket and to my surprise I found a half sovereign therein, and tossed it up to the cabbie "Gawd bless you Guv" the cabbie said, and drove off, the clip clop, clip clopping of the horses hooves disappearing round the corner at the bottom of the street.
   I stood in a cobbled square, brightly coloured houses all about me. There was an emporium and into the bay window I stared. I could see that it sold all manner of goods. I walked round to the shop door, there was a sign hanging against a pane of glass it read "Closed."
"He ain't there!" said a voice behind me "Shop be closed." "Yes I said, I read the sign" I replied, turning round to see the most filthy of individuals it has ever been my misfortune to meet. And the stench........his clothes were caked with grime, dirt, and filth, and worse. His brown top hat all battered, knocked about, and worn with age. "I'm Dan" he said holding out a hand. I put out my hand, but quickly withdrew it "Dan?" "Dan, Dan, the sanitary man....I clean out the cesspits here about." "I would not have guessed it" I said taking a step or two back from this foul smelling individual. Then upon my word, a vision of beauty did pass by this way, wafting a scented silken handkerchief about her face. she wore a small bonnet tied with blue ribbon. Her long flowing crinoline dress was electric blue, and her bosom heaved as she looked upon me. I raised my top hat and bid her a good afternoon. She smiled the smile of an angel, and I thought what it would be like to lie with her in a green pasture beneath a blue sky and golden sunshine. "I've been intermit with her" Dan said suddenly said. I looked at this poor grimy and deluded person "What you? You must be mad, she is an angel, a young woman of virtue." "She lost that long ago. She be a lady of the night she be" Dan said smiling, revealing his blackened broken teeth. "If that's true then something awful must surely have befallen her. Some tragedy which forced her to eek out an existence on streets. Perhaps her elderly parents had lost their home. Her parents having died from the shock, and she thrown out onto the street!" "She don't work on the streets" Dan informed me taking a clay pipe from his pocket and lighting it with a match "She works at Sal's place." "Sal's place?" I asked. "You know big Sal, she runs a house of ill repute." "Oh I see. And you claim to have been intimate with that poor young lady?" "I have" said Dan with a smile and a wink. "I find it difficult to believe that any lady of ill repute would let you within a mile of her!" "Ah, well you see she owed me." "She owed you what" You smelly little piece of s**t" "Now lets not get personal. If it wasn't for me, it would be all over the street, and where would we be then?" "Up to our necks in it!" "That be right me boyo. And that's what she owed me for, cleaning out er cesspit. So she paid me in kind!" Dan winked again. "Well" I said "I can't stand about bandying words with the likes of you. I'm on a mission. Can you direct me to the Green Dome?" "Up there guv, across the square, across the street, up the steps, you can't miss it." I thanked the cesspit cleaner and went upon my way. But as I crossed the street I heard the cesspit cleaners voice shout out at me "Who are you anyway?" I stopped at the foot of the steps, and turning said "I'm the New Number 2." Dan took off his top hat, I thought in respect of me, "Oh" he said wiping his brow with a filthy handkerchief he had taken from his pocket "You're just a stuck up little........." "Don't say it" I said and wondered what I had let myself in for as I climbed the step up towards my new residence.

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