The smell of rotting sewage and standing water wafted in again from the wharf as Boy In A Dress
gathered himself from his jaunt and looked around. The distant sounds of metal being struck and
men shouting orders from the high warehouses on the river Thames were a backdrop to the sun
going down over Victorian London and setting the river's oily-surface ablaze.
Moving quickly towards a dilapidated shack that leaned worryingly over the edge of the quayside,
BIAD knew that his short dress and general appearance would draw more attention than he wanted.
The wooden structure looked like a place that was no longer in use and when the Man-Girl tried the
handle, the paint-bare door just fell in and was enveloped in a cloud of dust.
"Knock-knock" BIAD whispered to himself and stepped in.
The shadows of the high buildings along the river stretched further as Boy In A Dress rummaged
through the dirt-covered scene and with the discovery of a filthy long coat and moth-chewed trousers,
BIAD felt a little-more assured as he dressed himself.
"Hoi! What yer' doin' in there, Mister...?" a voice called from over BIAD's shoulder. He was still in
the shack and was deliberating about wearing a flat-cap he found beneath a pile of rodent-nibbled
rope. "...That's private property" the voice also warned.
Jamming the hat on his head and making sure his long hair was tucked inside the coat, Boy In A
Dress stepped out of the gloom of the hut and faced the man who had asked the question.
He was around fifty-years-old and wore clothes not dissimilar from the intruder he'd found skulking
around on the wharf.
"Are you in charge here?" BIAD said confidently and kept his stride towards the stranger at a pace
that hinted he was on official business. The puzzled-man put his hands on hips and took a slight step
backwards, a sign that the Man-Girl took as a positive.
Closing the space between them, BIAD moved his head to imply he was evaluating the area and that
the person who had interrupted his surveying could possibly be in trouble.
"I will not be asking again" the dark-clothed hermaphrodite growled.
Charlie Winston gulped and wondered what the hell was going on. When the company had took him
on two years ago, they'd told him to check for any vagrants looking for a place to sleep and to keep
the prostitutes away from the dockside and bothering the men.
This part of the wharf hadn't been used in months and with most of the buildings falling into disrepair,
Charlie had only given it a cursory glance. After all, what was he going to do, if there were more than
one tramp?
"Mister, 'Ah'm just a Watchman fur' the company and..." Charlie began and halted his explanation as
the oncoming figure waved a hand at him. BIAD quickly remembered that his fingers were red-nailed
and slipped them into the coat's pockets.
"Then the owners should of told you of our examination and that we would have full cooperation from
their staff, yes?" BIAD asked as he grasped an upright that supported a overhanging room connected
to the warehouse beside them.
"Just how long as this be property been vacant, Mister...?" he mumbled and shook his head to indicate
there was need of a possible upgrade. He was asking for his name and yet for a moment, it was if the
Watchman had been forgotten. "...This is going to cost a pretty-penny" he added with a sighing murmur.
"Winston... Charles Winston" Charlie answered and wondered whether he should doff his cap, it was
obvious this man was on official business and knew what he was doing. Boy In A Dress turned to face
the wide-eyed fellow and chanced a small grin.
"Well Charles, if In-A-Dress Shipping Chandlers decide to purchase this part of the Thames and increase
their operations in the East-End of London, may I be so bold as to ask if you would come along with us
and be able to monitor this wharf?" BIAD kept his tone easy, but the confidence remained.
Wringing the flat cap in his grubby hands, Charlie struggled to understand what the fancy words were
telling him. But he was at an age where he knew not to just say that he didn't understand.
"They didn't tell me yer' were comin' Mister" he answered softly and showed the last-few teeth he still
had in his head.
Boy In A Dress caressed a waist-high coil of dirty rope and this time, nodded out towards the sun-kissed
waters. "Well, they wouldn't. Not after what happened after we bought-out the East India Tea Company"
he said as if he was giving words to his own private thoughts.
Charlie stepped over to stand beside BIAD on the dockside and follow his gaze towards a passing barge
on the other side of the capital's major waterway. "Er... why, what happened?" the smaller-man asked
and followed it by clearing his throat and expelling whatever was dislodged into the river.
"It's the Watchmen who know how a ship-building company or a Chandlery should be really ran..." BIAD
said offhandedly. "...Our last man ended-up as a Supervisor" and sighed to himself in what he considered
later was a far-too theatrical way.
Charlie nudged the shoulder of Boy In A Dress and whispered "Yer' secret's safe wiv' me, Guvner" and then
turned away to commence his checking. BIAD smiled out at the smoggy industry of the river and sighed
again. This time with relief.
With the alleyways and narrow streets ahead of him, Boy In A Dress left the wharf and began his search
for Jack The Ripper.
gathered himself from his jaunt and looked around. The distant sounds of metal being struck and
men shouting orders from the high warehouses on the river Thames were a backdrop to the sun
going down over Victorian London and setting the river's oily-surface ablaze.
Moving quickly towards a dilapidated shack that leaned worryingly over the edge of the quayside,
BIAD knew that his short dress and general appearance would draw more attention than he wanted.
The wooden structure looked like a place that was no longer in use and when the Man-Girl tried the
handle, the paint-bare door just fell in and was enveloped in a cloud of dust.
"Knock-knock" BIAD whispered to himself and stepped in.
The shadows of the high buildings along the river stretched further as Boy In A Dress rummaged
through the dirt-covered scene and with the discovery of a filthy long coat and moth-chewed trousers,
BIAD felt a little-more assured as he dressed himself.
"Hoi! What yer' doin' in there, Mister...?" a voice called from over BIAD's shoulder. He was still in
the shack and was deliberating about wearing a flat-cap he found beneath a pile of rodent-nibbled
rope. "...That's private property" the voice also warned.
Jamming the hat on his head and making sure his long hair was tucked inside the coat, Boy In A
Dress stepped out of the gloom of the hut and faced the man who had asked the question.
He was around fifty-years-old and wore clothes not dissimilar from the intruder he'd found skulking
around on the wharf.
"Are you in charge here?" BIAD said confidently and kept his stride towards the stranger at a pace
that hinted he was on official business. The puzzled-man put his hands on hips and took a slight step
backwards, a sign that the Man-Girl took as a positive.
Closing the space between them, BIAD moved his head to imply he was evaluating the area and that
the person who had interrupted his surveying could possibly be in trouble.
"I will not be asking again" the dark-clothed hermaphrodite growled.
Charlie Winston gulped and wondered what the hell was going on. When the company had took him
on two years ago, they'd told him to check for any vagrants looking for a place to sleep and to keep
the prostitutes away from the dockside and bothering the men.
This part of the wharf hadn't been used in months and with most of the buildings falling into disrepair,
Charlie had only given it a cursory glance. After all, what was he going to do, if there were more than
one tramp?
"Mister, 'Ah'm just a Watchman fur' the company and..." Charlie began and halted his explanation as
the oncoming figure waved a hand at him. BIAD quickly remembered that his fingers were red-nailed
and slipped them into the coat's pockets.
"Then the owners should of told you of our examination and that we would have full cooperation from
their staff, yes?" BIAD asked as he grasped an upright that supported a overhanging room connected
to the warehouse beside them.
"Just how long as this be property been vacant, Mister...?" he mumbled and shook his head to indicate
there was need of a possible upgrade. He was asking for his name and yet for a moment, it was if the
Watchman had been forgotten. "...This is going to cost a pretty-penny" he added with a sighing murmur.
"Winston... Charles Winston" Charlie answered and wondered whether he should doff his cap, it was
obvious this man was on official business and knew what he was doing. Boy In A Dress turned to face
the wide-eyed fellow and chanced a small grin.
"Well Charles, if In-A-Dress Shipping Chandlers decide to purchase this part of the Thames and increase
their operations in the East-End of London, may I be so bold as to ask if you would come along with us
and be able to monitor this wharf?" BIAD kept his tone easy, but the confidence remained.
Wringing the flat cap in his grubby hands, Charlie struggled to understand what the fancy words were
telling him. But he was at an age where he knew not to just say that he didn't understand.
"They didn't tell me yer' were comin' Mister" he answered softly and showed the last-few teeth he still
had in his head.
Boy In A Dress caressed a waist-high coil of dirty rope and this time, nodded out towards the sun-kissed
waters. "Well, they wouldn't. Not after what happened after we bought-out the East India Tea Company"
he said as if he was giving words to his own private thoughts.
Charlie stepped over to stand beside BIAD on the dockside and follow his gaze towards a passing barge
on the other side of the capital's major waterway. "Er... why, what happened?" the smaller-man asked
and followed it by clearing his throat and expelling whatever was dislodged into the river.
"It's the Watchmen who know how a ship-building company or a Chandlery should be really ran..." BIAD
said offhandedly. "...Our last man ended-up as a Supervisor" and sighed to himself in what he considered
later was a far-too theatrical way.
Charlie nudged the shoulder of Boy In A Dress and whispered "Yer' secret's safe wiv' me, Guvner" and then
turned away to commence his checking. BIAD smiled out at the smoggy industry of the river and sighed
again. This time with relief.
With the alleyways and narrow streets ahead of him, Boy In A Dress left the wharf and began his search
for Jack The Ripper.
Edith Head Gives Good Wardrobe.