Where the gutter folk lived was like a vast wasteland of anything goes. Even the Sluice Watcher’s Guard rarely went into that part of town. They had little, aside from the clothes on their bodies—that’s if you could even call them clothes—more like strips of cloth. Most of which wouldn’t be fit to cover a cat. Gutter folk didn’t qualify for rations, so they often begged or did whatever they could for food.

“Good day, isn’t it Nick Wells? Did I tell you that my son Jerimiah was one of the lucky ones picked as one child that will get to go on the Sluice Watchers field trip tomorrow?”

“No, you don’t say. Congratulations on your family’s fortune. I know you must be a proud father, for sure.”

“I always knew my kids w...

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