November 2nd, 1959. It was cold in the den. Roy Laker pulled his duffel coat hood over his head and curled his fingers in his mittens. He shuffled on the makeshift orange box seat. His brother, Charlie, and Charlie’s mate, Kevin, had gone down to the cafe to get warm but Roy wanted to stay in the den. After all, he was on guard.
He peered out through the boards and crates and tree branches piled against each other. The den was right in the centre of the stack of wood and he’d had to crawl on his hands and knees to get in. The bonfire was big but would be lot bigger by Guy Fawkes night.
‘Penny for the Guy,’ Roy muttered as he saw an indistinct figure approach the bonfire. His heart jumped. Rival gangs tried to set fire to each other’s bonfires before November 5th. Roy couldn’t see properly but followed the figure flitting around the stacked wood. He heard the splash of liquid and smelt paraffin.
The flame shot up the side of the bonfire. Roy heard the sharp crackle as tree branches caught. He scuttled backwards for the tunnel. His feet slipped on the torn pieces of lino that had been laid across the mud floor. He turned awkwardly, seeing flames shoot up on every side, and stuck his head into the tunnel. It was blocked with a large crate and a railway sleeper.
Gulping down panic, he pushed against the crate, for the first time feeling the heat of the blaze. He coughed as smoke swirled round him. He vaguely heard singing. ‘Remember, remember the fifth of November. The Gunpowder Plot…’
He could vaguely see someone peering in at him. With a whoosh the entire bonfire took flame.
Young John Hathaway walked away without a backward glance.
To be continued in God’s Lonely Man