Death's Puppeteer

22nd July 1909

"Oi, watcha doin' there?"

Enoch looked over his shoulder as the clip clop of horse's hooves and the grinding of wheels as they came to a stop on the road announced someone's presence. He groaned at the familiar face and turned away to look back at the river as his uncle jumped down from the wagon.

"Yer up early, Enoch." Uriah patted the old horse's neck as he walked around it and over to his nephew sitting on the wall and blatantly ignoring him. "What're ye doin'?" He rolled his eyes when Enoch still didn't respond and tapped him on the shoulder, "Ye not in one'a those moods again, are ye?"

"Leave me alone." Enoch said dryly without turning around. He was quietly relieved that at least it had been his uncle to come across him who had been out of London the day before and didn't know anything of it.

"Uh nah, come on I'll give ye a ride 'ome. We got a job, didn' ye dad tell ye?"

"I don't know."

"Right...alright...now get up, come on."

Enoch really didn't want to. He'd been wandering the streets for over an hour and knew that by now his parents would probably have noticed his absence. Would they be worried and think he'd run away? He had to go back, he knew that, even though it was only a little piece of vain hope that kept him thinking that maybe they would accept it eventually if he did.

"Fine..." He muttered and swung his legs over the wall as he pushed himself back up to his feet. Adjusting his cap on his head, Enoch sighed and climbed up into the front of the wagon as Uriah ducked under the horse's neck, gathered the long reins and hopped up the other side behind him.

"What're you doin' out 'ere so early anyways?" Uriah asked with a raised eyebrow as he clicked the horse into a walk, looking sideways at his nephew who looked even more absent than he usually did. "Your parents even know?"

"I ain't a little kid, don't need permission ta go for a walk." Enoch mumbled and Uriah laughed quietly.
"So, no then...what's up wiv you?"

"Ya really wanna know?" Enoch asked dryly and turned on the wooden seat to properly look his uncle in the face for the first time that morning.

"Do I?" Uriah raised an eyebrow and flicked the reins lightly against the horse's back as he steered the wagon around a corner.

"I can bring fings ta life." Enoch said in what was the most bluntly honest sentence he could remember speaking for a long time. His face remained an unreadable mask of emotion as he watched his uncle for any reaction.

"Ya what?" Uriah started in such surprise he tugged the horse and wagon to a halt and stared at Enoch like he was trying to decide whether or not he was joking. After several long seconds he laughed loudly and shook his head in disbelief. "Better lose that attitude 'fore your dad 'ears it. Don't try that on 'im, lad."

"It's true."

"Yeah, yeah...an' I'm actually the Duke o' Kent."

xxxXxxx

Enoch jumped from the wagon as they drew to a halt outside the front door. The horse snorted and huffed out a breath as Enoch passed close to its nose and sucked in a breath through his teeth as he pushed open the door and stuck his head inside.

He almost walked right into his father as he stepped inside and jumped back a step.
"...I went for a walk..." He muttered, clenching his jaw and looking his father firmly in the eye as if daring him to start the same argument again already. He would tell Uriah, without a doubt.
But his father, unshaven and half-dressed, said nothing as he looked at Enoch. There was something strangely vague in the man's expression that did not go unnoticed by Enoch's uncle standing behind him.