Rat Catchers

Feverdreams

Rose sat on the side of her bed, jogging her knees up and down furiously. There was no way, none at all, that she was going to be packed off on the road.

It could not happen. Not again.

Two years earlier she'd been smaller and stupider and when Johnny Dogs came to collect her for the Ederlezi fire on Easter Sunday, she'd gone with him without a second thought.

When she'd been told she'd be spending the night she'd been pleased, like a fucking ejit, because she got to share the vardo with Sharon Lee and Anna Lee and Ronja Lee, who were great fun to hang around with. She wasn't all that worried that her father hadn't showed up at the fire, even though he'd promised. He'd been held up with something, they'd told her; it wasn't hard to believe.

It wasn't until the kumpania packed up the next morning and started moving in the opposite direction of home that Rose had asked Johnny Dogs, who was setting off into the direction of home, whether she shouldn't better come with him.

"Not to worry, Rosie."

"Your da's coming to collect you at the next stop, Rosie."

"It's kushti, Rosie."

The fucking liar.

She'd ended up being on the road for close to five months.

Disposed off and forgotten and with no idea what she'd done to deserve any of it.

It hadn't been all bad. There'd been fairs and fires and a horde of children to keep her busy. They'd eaten berries and hedgehogs and rabbits, read each other fortunes which never came true and swum in freezing rivers. She forgot all she'd learned in school and learned to speak proper Romani instead. There were times when Rose nearly enjoyed herself; but as soon as she'd any time to think at all, all the parts of her body would start to hurt with longing for her family.

Of course, when she was finally delivered back to the big house, there wasn't much left in terms of family. Only her father and Charlie and Frances and, once in a blue moon, Lizzie and Johnny Dogs. Everyone else seemed to have disappeared off the face of the earth.

And now, when they'd reappeared just as suddenly, he – that bastard, that fucking bastard – was going to banish her again.

Rose walked across the room and opened the window with every intention of climbing out and leaving; but as she looked along Watery Lane she realised she'd be lucky to make it three doors down. There was a Blinder in every second doorway, standing watch.

They weren't easy to see, because the rain had settled in and was blurring the world, but they were there nonetheless. She knew they weren't there because of her, they were guarding the house from the men in the wedding picture.

While it was comforting to know that no one would ever be able to get close, it also meant that it was impossible to get away.

Rose went back to her bed, pulled the blanket over her head and gripped her pillow between her teeth. She would think of a plan once the tears were out of the way.

#

When the house had fallen silent for the night, or at least the upstairs of it, Rose got out of bed and arranged her pillow under the blanket in a rough body shape. She took off her stockings and crept across the room once more and eased open the window.

"What are you doing?" Charlie was propped up on his elbows.

"Nothin'," she whispered. "Shut up and go to sleep."

"Are you running away?"

"Just bloody-"

"Please don't run away," Charlie whispered tearfully, sitting up now.