1892 a Adela and Kezia

26 Privet Drive

A ten-year-old boy was doodling something in the soil with his finders.

To his right were children, no older than him, playing with each other. None of them had toys or something to play but they invented games of their own to pass the time.

He yawned and rubbed his wet eyes, standing up he looked to his left, a sign with the words "Privet drive" was embedded on the stone.

Privet Drive was a newly established neighbourhood, once subjected to empty fields with nothing but vegetation.

Privet Drive was once a "to-be" VIP neighbourhood. Hence the land was quickly sold, and with time the investments came down, as besides the huge and lavish houses that were made by Marquess Curzon of Kedleston, the area did not serve any other purpose for it to have even the basic needs for human survival, and the beggars and peddlers crept their made into the area.

Lords and people of higher society who had purchased the properties here, in the hope of either getting into the good graces of the Marquess or getting their money's worth in the investments had to sell off their land in loss, as it was unbecoming of them to grace the poor bastards who had established themselves in the area.

So all of the land was resold, some even given away for free as a sign of the magnanimous hearts of the Lords.

One family who profited was Pyre's family, getting a small cottage for free for their family in the great winter.

.

Pyre walked back home, same thing-different day, and the other children seemingly ignored him still.

Pyre looked are Kezia. He looked to his left and then to his right, and decided to follow her.

When he first saw Kezia, the new girl, he noticed they looked different. Her skin was darker, not quite like Carter the ashen black, but reddish darker-he had asked his mother about that, for which she replied it had something to do with hy-psy? He did not quite understand but there were differences, that was clear.

For one, she was taller, and the clothes she wore were more colourful, with fewer holes than Pyre.

The whole Privet Drive was an area where the poor were everywhere, but even among these underprivileged people, there were levels of hierarchy.

Pyre, however, did not understand why he was ignored and ostracized. His clothes, only had 6 more holes than Carter, and he was black. (no hate but what do you expect from London 1890s?)

Kezia however, was... dreamy.

Pyre liked watching Kezia. 

He was allowed to play all day outside, which was strange given most children around his age he knew worked with his parents. Pyre's parents however did not allow him to go work with his father. They forced him to go out and play, or try to read the bible in his free time, after all, they only had the bible to read, distributed free by the church, but not food.

So Pyre often jumped roof to roof, following Kezia, yet again.

He could not explain but something stopped him from telling his parents about what he plays, or rather how he doesn't play but follows a girl. 

.

The sun was drowning, and so the time for his home return followed.

.

Pyre's dad was a drunkard.

But that was years before, when they had some money of their own before Pyre was even born. Now he was a man, working nonstop for survival for his family.

Pyre liked his dad, but not more than his mother. It was not a contest but his mother definitely made better food than his dad.

Pyre could smell fish from the outside of the cottage.

He entered to see his mum cooking outside. It was getting dark, he heard the voice of someone from the back. 

His dad was back. Not from work, so it seems.

'He is not darker than Carter today.' which he often was after working in the mine- but this talk of work was stopped midway by the smell he could.

As he expected, it was Cod and haddock. This was a privileged meal in his house.

Not because fish were expensive or less available. But for one day of the rundown to the river to seek out fish, they had to take off from work, which was impossible.

Coal mines did not allow them to have a holiday, but it was easy money for someone with little to no other skill. Labor was cheap, no one wanted to hire inexperienced when experienced and skilled humans were already unemployed.

After some time, they gathered around the small garden in the backyard- although garden would be too kind of a word for the razed land.

Pyre's mum, Adela served them both in the dark while Pyre lit up the fire for light.

The world's first coal-fired power station, the Edison Electric Light Station, was built in London in 1882, with the promise of supplying light, however, it seemed as if there was no light for the poor.

Well, at least Pyre's father got a job, money was having a hard time staying in their pockets. Pyre wondered how his father could take a leave, as once he was told they were not allowed to, he was happy nonetheless.

Until this moment only.

"I have to seek out a new job." His father said while sipping at the soup.

"What happened there? I thought the coal in the land was so much we could not mine it in years." Adela asked. 

"Well they got cheaper labor." He replied with his head down.

"Cheaper? CHEAPER? How cheaper can it get from earning just enough to get a bread once every two days?"

"A third of that- the nomads don't require our food, they get theirs' themselves." Adela was disappointed and angry. Not on his husband or herself, but the Lords, although she won't say it. It was better not to argue or fight before her child, more so when her husband himself is trying.

Her husband was a true handworker past Pyre's birth. It was just not right to fight him when he was giving his all to earn money for his family.

Meanwhile the idea to ask for new clothes for himself vanished from Pyre's mind.

'Not that I need friends to play with me anyways.' Unknowingly to the two adults, Pyre's eyes let out tear from the side, but the darkness of the night covered it up, more so when the clear night sky began to drizzle...

It was not long when the family had to seek shelter in their home.