Summer turned into autumn and autumn turned into winter, coming along with a bitter cold breath blowing through the dirty alleys and through the cracks of the wooden walls of the houses of the poor.

In many of the houses coughing was heard, and often, a somber looking man came to take away the bodies that would never greet another day.

On the 27th of January 1829 the same somber man knocked at the door of the Dawkins family and took away Elli, who had fought hard for many weeks, but lost in the end.

Before she closed her eyes forever she had Eric promise to take care of her children. Then she had pulled Daisy and Jack into a tight embrace. "You´ll be good children, my dears, will you?" she said weakly then kissed them on the forehead. Both of them promised with tears running down their faces, though Jack didn´t truly understand what would happen. He was to young to have any concept of death.

The day after Elli's death Daisy sat in a corner of the room, with Jack on her lap, trying to sooth him. She had to be strong for him, she told herself, but it was so difficult. Jack kept asking after their mother and wanted her to come back. Daisy didn´t know what she could do to take the pain away from him, so she just sat their holding him tightly and singing a lullaby that she often sang to him when it was time for him to sleep.

Eric left the children to their own devices as soon as Ellis body was cold, going off to the pub without a word. He had not been back that night or the next day and though Daisy was scared that she and Jack were alone in the world now, she hoped Eric had left for good. But she wasn´t that lucky. Just one day later Eric stood in the door again, smiling his leering smile that Elli never saw, but Daisy and Jack knew well.

"´Ello, me darlings!" he slurred as he entered the room weaving. "´Ere, I´ve brought ya some food." He held out a dry loaf of bread to them and while Daisy stared, mistrusting him, Jack jumped up to grab the food out of Eric's hand. He was so hungry, that for a moment his hunger overruled the fear he had for this man. As soon as Jack's hand touched the food, Eric grabbed his wrist and pulled him into his arms.

"You´re me sweet little lad, ain´t ya Jacky?" Eric said in a strange tone of voice. "Come, be nice to daddy!" He pressed his dirty unshaven face against the boys who started to kick and shout at him.

Daisy lept up and tried to pull Jack out of his capturer's arms. "Let ´im go! Let ´im go!" she screamed. "You ain´t our daddy! Let ´im go!"

Eric just laughed, and clamping the struggling boy under one arm, he grabbed Daisy´s arm with his free hand and started to pull her to the little room next door.

"Ya both ´ave to comfort me now that your mother ´as left me." He whispered into Daisys ear. "That is just fair ain´t it? After all I fed ya trough the winter. Ya ´ave to pay back a little me darlings. If ya gimme any trouble Daisy I´ll kill this little stinker ´ere, he said threatingly nodding towards the still struggling boy in his arms. An´ you Jack, listen good, the same goes for you if ya don't stop being naughty I´ll take your sis´ away from ya, ya hear me?" Jack did hear him. He grew silent at once and only some small sobs continued to shake his body.

After Eric felt "comforted" enough he fell asleep, leaving the girl weeping and the boy in shocked silence. They were sitting in the dark for hours, not daring to move and not knowing what to do. But suddenly little Jack stood up, took his big sister by the hand and together they crept out of the door onto the cold street that was slowly illuminated by the first rays of morning light.

TBC