The Grave Digger

Chapter 4: Bones

She walked around. She didn't know this place, she had no clue what she was doing. She had no money, and she couldn't read, so she couldn't really get a job. She even asked people on the streets, but none of them would give her any ideas. That was, until she ran into this really nice guy. She didn't understand his name, but he said he worked for some medical center, and he could give her a job. She perked up. A way to make money. He said that if she went to the graveyard and brought him back some bones, he would pay her, the amount depending on what she brought him. But he said she should do it at night, and that she had to be careful not to get caught. She didn't understand why, but she agreed. He gave her money to get some bread, and told her to see him in the morning with her finds.
She wandered around until she found herself at a racetrack. She wished she could read what the sign said, but she was out of luck there. She decided she'd walk around, see if she could pick pocket some money off of folks. She had done it before, and she'd never been caught, so she thought she'd give it a try. After all, she did see some other kid doing it.
By the time it was almost dark, she successfully pick pocketed nearly a dollar off of four men altogether. She was really proud. But she needed to start her job. She walked to the graveyard, looked around, and found nobody else there. She found a shovel, and started.
She only worked for a few hours, decreasing her chance of getting caught. She had found a little bag somewhere, and the shovel had been lying near the entrance. After she dug up some parts, she put the shovel back, and shouldered the bag. She found an alley and stayed there until morning. When she woke up, the sun was just starting to peek out over the buildings. She smiled and breathed in the city air. She didn't understand that what she was doing was wrong, and that she was breaking the law. But she walked to the medical center with the bag in hand, and no one asked any questions. She had gotten a few smaller bones, some leg bones and arm bones, so he only paid her fifty cents. She didn't realize he was ripping her off, and she thought it was pretty good. And with the money she took the previous day, she could buy some more bread. But she knew the pick pocketing wouldn't always be consistent. She didn't think it would ever be so hard to even just buy a crumb of bread. So she kept the same routine. Pick pocket near that racetrack, and dig up graves at night. She never talked to that other kid by the tracks, although they had seen each other, but they both stayed away.
But it got increasingly harder. She had to keep finding new places to dig so she wouldn't get caught, and it was harder to find anything. Especially after the winter months passed. And in the muddy soil, it was harder to get away if someone was following her. So one night, a few months after she had arrived in New York, she had been digging, when she could have sworn she saw a flashlight. Picking up her bag, she ran as fast as she could. And, being in Manhattan, tried to reach the bridge, when she, quite literally, ran into two boys. One seemed to be about her age, and the other seemed to be around 14. "Sorry, I didn't mean ta run inta ya." She had somewhat picked up the New York accent, but it was still mixed with her southern dialect. The boys stopped, and the older one said, "it's a'ight. Ya gotta name, kid?" She shook her head as the other asked, "wha's in tha bag?" She snapped her head to him, surprise and worry splattered on her face. "Nothin'," she hastily replied. But before she could pull it away, the older boy peered in. "Are those bones?" He asked, calmly. Slowly, she nodded her head. The older boy had a look of interest. The younger one just looked at him. "Well, I'm Mud, and this is Jack. And, I think we should call ya Bones. Are ya from Manhattan?" She shook her head again, and said, "Brooklyn." Mud nodded, and asked, "are ya a Newsie, or ya jus' a body snatcha'?" She was relieved he hadn't ratted on her, but she was worried he would do it later. "Jus' a body snatcher." She was glad this kid was helping her. "A'ight, Bones," he emphasized the new nickname, "I know a guy in Brooklyn, actially he's da king o' da Brooklyn Newsies, bu' if ya evah need a job, jus' tell 'im Mud sent ya, an' he won't care if ya a goil or not. Bu' be careful." She nodded, thanked him, and ran across the bridge.
She wasn't sure about the nickname. Would she ever really need it? She wasn't going to call herself by any name. And it made her seem scarier if she didn't have a name. At least, she thought so. Plus, it was harder to track her down. If she didn't have a name, no one could lead the bulls right to her. But that was hardly her problem. She was back at the racetrack, and the boy that was also always there was coming ever closer. She was trying to ignore him, but he was getting in her way. At least, the way of her thoughts. What if he told the guy what she was doing? No, he wouldn't do that. Would he? She didn't know this kid. He might do anything. And he did. She was taking a coin out of a guy's pocket, when the kid pushed her shoulder. "Hey! You jus' took from him!" He seemed about her age, with a slight build, and he looked Italian. "Wha' you mean?" She yelled back. "You took from him!" She didn't even know why he was mad, he had taken from this guy numerous times over the months. By now, the guy was looking at the two of them in anger, before his friend whispered something in his ear, and he backed down. But the Italian kid was not taking it. "Tha' wasn' right, ya took from him!" She was offended. She pushed him away from the crowd, and yelled, "well, so did you! You took from tha same man!" They started to push each other, and it almost escalated into something worse, when another kid, maybe 14 or 15, Mud's age, pulled the two apart. "Wha's goin' on?" "She was takin' money from the man I pick pocket from!" She was hurt. "So, wha's it matter?" "It ain't fair!" The older kid looked annoyed at the two. "Both a ya's, shaddup." Immediately, they both did. "A'ight, so, I'm'a take wild guess, an' say neida o' ya's got a job?" She spoke up. "I gotta job." The boy rolled his eyes. "Well, ya ain't a Newsie, an' I is. Both a ya's should be. Ya'd be great at it. I'm Paddy." He turned his attention to the other boy. "Ya gotta name, kid?" He nodded, and said, "Anthony Higgins." Paddy looked Anthony up and down. "How 'bout I call ya Racetrack? You's always hangin' out here." Racetrack nodded, and Paddy turned to her. "An' wha' 'bout you? You got a name?" She thought for a second, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm Bones."

An: The picture is something I found on the internet. It does not belong to me.