The Lost Boys of Bird Island by Mark Minnie

Author:Mark Minnie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tafelberg
Published: 2018-06-23T07:27:17+00:00

MARK

16

A boy called William Hart1

There’s another character who plays an important part in this story. William is a lad who lives on the street. He plies his trade at Five Ways, an intersection at the top of Albany Road in Port Elizabeth. He asks passing motorists for spare change. Once he has enough money, he clocks off and heads for the local liquor store.

William is an alcoholic who also smokes a joint on the odd occasion – anything to lift his spirits and help him temporarily forget his wasted life. He’s credited with having set his high school ablaze on the eve of a midterm exam.

William was never arrested for the crime, so everything is pure speculation, of course. But I know better. His parents kicked him out of the house when he was still very young. They just couldn’t handle the booze and the drugs.

In the summer, he sleeps in St George’s Park, not too far from Five Ways. Everyone in town knows William. He comes from good stock. His family owns an engineering workshop in North End and a home in the posh suburb of Summerstrand. In the cold winter months, his parents allow their son the use of a Wendy house situated in their back yard, but he’s not allowed access to the main house. I don’t blame his parents. William doesn’t either. He knows that once he’s inside the house, he’ll loot and pilfer, ultimately pawning the goods so he can buy booze and drugs.

But in spite of all these personal drawbacks, William is a likeable fellow. In fact, he is actually a registered informer with the police. As the eyes and ears of the neighbourhood, he helps the guys from the housebreaking unit a lot.

When homes are burgled in the plush area of nearby Mill Park, the thieves tend to hide the loot in the immediate area, usually in St George’s Park. They return later, mostly at night, to collect their ill-gotten gains. If William notices anything suspicious, he pounces. I’ve always wondered why he hands over the stolen goods he comes across to the cops. And why risk being arrested for possession of suspected stolen property? Maybe the police reward is on par with the amount of money he would have collected at a pawn shop. In other words, he’s a useful character to have in your area.

William is the repository of many, many secrets.

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