LOVELY PLACE TO BE

[Alfie Castor]

"Of course, mother," Alfie hollered behind him, stepping barefoot out the door of his home. It was small - a two-room building, the walls rotted and the ceilings and floors littered with holes. There wasn't a square foot in that building that lacked some form of dirt or mold build-up. He and his mother owned one real piece of furniture, which was a fold-out cot that they shared.

He carried a large bucket with him, hoisting it up above his head. Work was over, which meant chores - and one of those chores happened to be water collection. Hoping to beat the crowd, the boy broke into a run, darting down the sewage-soaked road. He rounded a corner at full speed, and - BAM. Ran smack into the side of another person.

Alfie tumbled to the ground with a surprised gasp, landing on his backside in a puddle. He was quick to jump back up, facial features twisted up in anger. "Oi, what do you-" He blinked, stepping back. It was his neighbor kid. "Oh - hi, Oscar."

@'Oscar Stretton' @'Cassius Lestrange'

  

[Oscar Stretton]

Oscar was loitering, which was not an entirely uncommon pasttime for him. He was looking for either a) somewhere to read b) one of his friends or c) someone to run an errand for, and entirely distracted. This was a lethal combination for someone to run into him and tumble backwards. Oscar rocked in place, and the breath rushed out of his lungs in a whoosh.

He was about to respond in an equally aggressive tone, but blinked as he recognized Alfie.

"Hi," he said, "Sorry about the uh - collision."