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TubbyLa is one of many small time crooks who works with the Runcorn Mafia. The RunMaf have an uneasy relationship with the WidMaf, although they share control of the former Queensway Bridge.
After The Decimation the road and rail bridges fell into disrepair, and eventually collapsed into the water. Nothing can get past them on the river, and to start with, nothing could cross over the river either.
It was another 200 years before the bosses of the RunMaf and the WidMaf came to an agreement to establish a new crossing. With no civil engineers, no major projects had ever been undertaken in Worringfolk. So in a truly elementary fashion a system of wooden platforms was designed.
Pathways were built over the top of the derelict road bridge, and the mafias collect tolls from everything that crosses. Pedestrians, livestock, horses, wagons, and stagecoaches.
Until now MickeyWarr had been living in Wid, and had been working as a farmhand.
TubbyLa stares at him.
“You’re a pirate now! You’re on your way to Boot to meet BlackCloud and BlackDog, your new workmates. I’ll slacken one of those leg irons in a minute, so you can walk better, you’ve got 20 kilometres to cover today.”
Stunned, MickeyWarr goes pale and stares towards the ceiling. He’s not focussing on anything in particular. “It can’t be true! I don’t believe this is happening to me!”
He moves his feet a little, the leg irons are true enough!
—o—
“They’ve taken Mickey,” says LankyLa.
“Taken the mickey?”
“No! They’ve taken MickeyWarr, press ganged! We’ll be lucky if we ever see him again.”
On a Monday morning Mrs Bell opens up her farm shop nice and early. Normally, LankyLa and MickeyWarr are among the first customers of the day, picking up bread and eggs
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