"The Heroine" drabbles by Richard Hunt

A Victorian Childhood

The Heroine #2

When I was six my mum died.

My elder sister Elizabeth died when I was seven.

Father could not cope alone - there were still five of us children so he remarried when I was ten. She was nice and introduced me to a friend who lived in a posh house on the hill in Ely. We became good friends.

There was trouble in the Crimea and America. Ely resurrected the Ely Militia, defunct since 1818.

Every Sunday a pair with a pipe and drum used to march round. Followed by handsome young men.

Followed by we two - and other girls.

Common Muck Hill

The Heroine #1

Hi, its me, Sarah.

I’m going to have spare time as we cross the Atlantic, so I decided to write this.

I was born in 1839 in a cottage at the bottom of Common Muck Hill, Ely.

It was before the days of sewers and the ‘muck’ (sewage) used to roll down the hill, and into the Cam.

You’ll have difficulty finding reference to it anywhere, because it’s name has been well erased. It’s now called ‘Willow Walk’.

The ditch carrying the muck ran right behind our house, and with it came bluebottles, carrying diseases.

It stank!

It was home.