Bill and Nancy Sikes
Author's Note:
Like Puss in
Boots, nobody remembers the supporting characters.
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We all read Oliver
Twist and heard of his plight with sleazy characters in his days. These
characters stand out in our minds, but we never knew their past. I am exploring
two of them, Bill Sikes and Nancy.
So our story
began.
On the other side of London
City, there was a workhouse with many kids who worked there for a single meal
of poor nourishment but it's still food. We knew that place as there lived a
little boy named Oliver Twist. Under the same roof before Oliver was a burly
boy named Bill Sikes, who helped out in the kitchen so he was rarely seen,
except when he comes out with the trays of food for the workhouse. Now Bill is
an orphan too as he was left on the doorstep of the Townhouse some winter’s
back. No one in the workhouse took pity on him except the chef; Mr. Sikes. So
Senior Sike took the poor baby into his care, fed him the warm gruel he cooked,
and let the boy sleep under the hanging pot and pans. Soon as the boy grew, he
was asked to helped out in the kitchen, started with the basics; washing and
cleaning. He was a good boy as he helped his adopted father in the kitchen. But
as a kid, he was ever curious of the other kids in the workhouse. He sees them
coming in at dawn for their meal and then the evening for their supper.
So one day, Bill
walked up to one of the kids and said; ‘hello’ as taught by his adopted dad.
The other boy who heard him turned to faced him and said; ‘clear ye face from
my sight, or I will sink your teeth...’ The boy never got to finish his line as
Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle had the boy by the ears and was hauled off. But
the event was not over. Mr. Sikes was reprimanded for allowing his ‘son’ to
wandered off, and poor Bill was flogged by his dad for talking with the other
kids. But unknown to the elders, the workhouse boys will taunt Bill when they
see him with the words of harsh meanings. It hurt his feelings, but he felt
more sympathy with the boys who he sees as alone in this place without a father
or mother. So Bill harbors his inner feelings to himself until he met Nancy.
Nancy is the girl
who lived next door to the workhouse. Her mother is the laundry lady who washed
the clothes of the households. The mother gets paid a penny for each set of clothes
she washed. And young Nancy would help out with the water from the well, and
collect the dry ones. One day, she was not careful and she fell into the well.
The mother saw her fall, but there was little she can do, so she called for
help. Now Bill was just over the wall, and he heard the call for help. During
this time, Bill has grown into a big boy and because of the work he does, he has
the looks of a man. Bill climbed over the wall and offered to help to rescue
Nancy. He jumped in the well, with a long rope attached to his waist, and got
hold of Nancy. Meanwhile, the Mother tied the rope to the pillar and she pulled
hard to raise her child from the well. Soon other neighbors came to help and
the task was done easily.
Since then, Nancy
and Bill became friends, and they shared their secrets. As they grew older,
they became more attached. There came a time, the plague hit the city, and both
parents died in the event. Nancy and Bill were left alone in this world. As
they were in love, Bill took the pledge to love and protect Nancy, and she to
serve and cherish Bill for eternity. But their parent's employer evicts them
from their homes, and the young couple was left to roam the streets. It was
then they met the petty thief named Fagin, who offered them shelter if they
will work with him.
‘Work with ye? How
can that be?’ asked Bill as he was expected to work for his boarding.
‘Ye. You work with
me. I am a thief, but the bones are not as limber as before. So you take my
place to steal, or to rob, and burglarized. You bring the goods, and I will
peddle them for you. As for your missus, pardon me ma’am if I am over guessing;
you will work at the tavern. Your work will be my eyes and ears for the news
that affects us. Be it an arrest, or a load of gold, you hear them well, and
bring this news to us. Dinna worry your wages, as it will be paid as legal
tender, although I will add the illegal tips should your news be true.’
So Bill and Nancy
begin their work with Fagin. As time goes by, Bill finds himself a stake as a
criminal without mercy for the victims; for he selects not of old or young, nor
rich or poor, as long as there is a payout for the works. His periods of sleep
are shallow for he feared the law, so he keeps the bulldog in his side, and
carries a walking stick that he can depend on.
So the two lived
on with their roles, and one may have regrets on the journey, but her vow to
serve and cherish was not to be broken. For the other, his vow to love and
protect; this was the only works he knew to bring in the money for her.
Many asked the
reason for Bill to kill Nancy, but he did it reluctantly as she has betrayed
her vow, and he cannot have it either way. So he took her life in his anger at
that betrayal.
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