The house was very old with small green rotten windows, inside there were four rooms two up and two down, the lower rooms had large uneven paving slabs for floors, with walls that had beads of water running endlessly down them, some stopping for a brief moment before they took flight to end in splatter on the cold floor slabs,  such damp created a sweet smell in the air giving one an urge to cough and expel the malodorous aroma from the lungs.

One of the lower rooms centred a small cast Yorkshire range its oven door twisted to one side holding on by one hinge,  the embers of a coal fire flickered in the small grate as a small boy laid snugly on an old rug in front of the hearth - there was nothing else. In the back room a sound of over exertion could be heard which was made by a tall thin woman who was leaning over a brown pot sink pushing an old iron handle to pump water into a large iron saucepan, she stopped for a moment to wipe her sweating brow and then her wet hands on her pinafore before she lifted the heavy blackened pot out of the sink with a painful groan. Walking very slowly in effort to stop the water sloshing over the edge of the pot she entered the front room "Alex sit back I have told you before - the fire will burn you" she said angrily to the small boy,  quickly she placed the heavy pot on the trivet with a hefty thud,  and then swung the trivet across the fire with an heavy push of her foot which caused the saucepan to spill some of its contents onto the fire,  the hot coals spat back at her in resentment.

" Its time you were in bed my lad ", she wiped her wet hands once again on the front of her pinafore and then picked up the small boy carrying him towards the planked oak door which in turn led up a twisted stone narrow stairway culminating into other doorways, pressing down one of the latches she opened a door  then entered in, her heels clicked on the bare boards as she walked across the long room towards the old single Iron bed which had a thin mattress partly covered with a coarse army blanket and a heavy old overcoat for a cover, the boy was placed on the bed - he sat motionless as she pulled off his rolled up trousers and then swung his legs under the heavy coat draped over the bed.

Picking up a small box from a side table she took out a long thin match which she quickly struck against its side, creating a brilliance of light as the phosphorous ignited into a mini explosion and then eventually died down leaving a puff of rising smoke,  a faint hiss could also be heard as she pulled down on the gas mantle chain before presenting the lighted match to the mantle which in turn ignited with a small audible pop into a light barely illuminating one corner of the room, blowing out the match she dropped it into the old brass tray to rest with the other used matchsticks" Alex go to sleep now I will turn out the light later when your father comes home"  then bending over the boy she kissed him on his forehead and left quietly  shutting the old door with a rattle behind her.

Laying there quite but alert he waited for the lights to appear, in the distance the sound of a piano rang out accompanied by the out of key singing of drunken people coming from the Brown Cow Pub just down the road from easy street on crown corner, the boy lay very still only his blue eyes and curly blonde hair could be seen peeking out of the old brown overcoat, he wasn’t afraid of the lights they came nearly every night sometimes for only a fleetingly moment, then other times for long periods on such occasions he watched them until he fell asleep.

His eyes darted quickly from side to side watching the room intently - waiting for them,  then from within the dark of one corner appeared a faint light, the boy stirred with excitement curling his toes from underneath the heavy overcoat, the shape transformed into an iridescent bright hemisphere about the size of a ping pong ball, slowly it rolled up the wall wobbling slightly from side to side while creating a pathway of light as a snail leaves its track on an old stone wall, then onto the ceiling it rolled slowly above the boys bed, then came another, and another, until there was hundreds or more the boy could not contain his exhilaration - he giggled nervously.

One by one they floated down at first holding in mid air around the boys head, he quickly sat up holding out his small hands as the spheres drifted downwards resting on his palms moving back and forth gently caressing and emotionally stroking his fingers, he smiled his eyes wide open in excitement mirroring the pageant of light in his pupils, the dark bedroom now became an incandescence of gleaming swirling light- hundreds of globes trundling and twirling along his shoulders and upper body created a scene likened to a swarm of bee's, the boy tilted his head upwards towards the ceiling which was now also a sea of moving light, the scene held the boy in transfix, and for a brief moment - time was no more.

The luminescent lullaby made the boys eyes heavy he slowly laid back and drifted into deep sleep, then above the boy one by one the floating spheres melted and burst into a thousand stars, likened to glittering dust trapped within a sun beam, the room grew dark once again, the faint gas light flickered in the corner and the distant singing from the pub could once again be heard.

Part 2; Moor Crescent, Mosborough Sheffield 1962.

The Photograph;

The door flung open out ran a young boy up the back garden path towards the rear field, it was early morning the cold March air leaving a frost sparkling on the Hawthorne hedge, hung from his shoulder was a cheap plastic camera bouncing as his strides became more erratic trying to negotiate a path between the old cabbage patch and the coke pathway, the odd bird whistled under the grey overcast morning sky and a cock crowed in the distance proclaiming his territory, the boy hastened now quickly he sped under the hedge into the old orchard to the rear of the public house stopping in a skid on the pebbles at the back door.

His knuckles hurt as he rapped the large Victorian green door hoping someone would hear on his first attempt his excitement now to much to bear,  surprisingly the door opened 'hello Alex' said the woman, clutching a tea towel in one hand and a wet pot in the other, 'Mrs Dixon is your Stuart in' said the young boy hoping that she would reply yes, ' he is but he cannot come out until he has done his chores' replied Mrs Dixon,  Stuarts head popped around the doorway inside the room inquisitively trying to find out what was going on at the back door, 'Look Stuart I have a Camera and its got some film in it lets take some photographs' shouted Alex, 'wait for me in the orchard I will come out after I have done the bottles' Stuart replied, Alex was used to this reply Stuart always had to do the bottles moving the empties to the stables and restocking the shelves in the Pub with new, Alex had helped him sometimes when Mr or Mrs Dixon allowed of course and sometimes they were allowed to take a bar of Highland toffee each for their work from the sweet shelf.

Now Alex walked more slowly kicking the odd stone with his worn shoes as he headed towards the orchard occasionally lifting the Camera to his eye aiming at a branch or a bird pretending to take a photograph, Alex never had or used a camera before it was a present from his rich auntie in London she came up every six months or so to see his mother  and always brought presents for the children, Alex was the oldest and aunt Bet thought something so technical could not be given to the younger children, so he got the camera.

He climbed the old apple tree and sat on a branch and waited, He liked the camera it was black and oval in shape with Kodak stamped on the front,  the white rewind knob and the silver lock screw made it look like an instrument from a Dan Dare film he had once seen at a matinee, his mother had warned him to look after it and not to lend it to any anyone.

Alex now climbed higher into the old apple tree and sat on the old twisted branch near the top, the orchard was a great place - all of the Mosborough kids met there mostly lads and once every Friday afternoon a great football match was held sometimes with as many as 40 players, the goals posts were between 2 apple trees and two pear trees even some of the older boys came who were at work at the local pits - a game could last for 3 or 4 hours, Alex was thinking now of the great goal he scored dribbling past Mick Havenhand, and shooting past Tony Gregory the best goalie in Mosborough,  all of his side cheered when it happened it really was a great goal.

And then there was Bonfire Night - wood was collected from early as August it was so big the fire had to be lit in stages and it lasted until the early hours everyone came Mothers & Fathers, people out of the Pub even from far away Chesterfield came to see the spectacle, bangers were very loud and they only cost a penny you could carry loads in your pocket and it was great fun lighting them and placing the in cardboard boxes and milk bottles waiting for  them to explode, the next morning was good to, finding all the unexploded fireworks in the orchard and sitting around the still burning embers chucking the unexploded finds onto on the hot coals so they went off with a loud bang throwing dust and charcoal everywhere into the air.

Alex sat there on the branch still waiting for Stuart - a kestrel dropped out of the sky onto the floor in the orchard cloaking its wings around its prey before flying off into the nearby field while clutching the small mouse in its talons. The orchard was very still and nothing stirred anywhere - apart from a distant sound that seemed to be jingling of bells in a kind of echo sound,  then without warning the tree tops started to shake and vibrate as though there was a sudden strong wind -  the boy now had to hold on tight to a branch to avoid being flung from the tree to the floor - then without warning it became dark as though it was instant night time,  at the same time the boys hair and clothes was being sucked upwards as if he was being dragged up within a tornado, suddenly a dazzling bright light stronger than any light Alex had ever seen lit the whole orchard, the grass seemed to turn a funny bright yellow colour, and the trees trunks looked as though they were a purple colour, it was so bright it hurt his eyes and he had to place one hand to his face to cut out the light, while he hung on to a branch with the other hand - then as quick as it came it suddenly left and the orchard was again back to normal,  frightened he quickly got down from the tree and ran home to tell his mother.

Molly his mother was baking bread and had numerous bowls stood in front of the fire with towels over the top awaiting the dough to rise, Alex came in a such speed he nearly ran into the china cabinet on the other side of the room, 'slow down' his mother said 'what's the matter you have you seen a ghost'  trying to compose himself he started to tell his mother what had happened ' the whole orchard went black and then a very bright light lit it up' he said ' then winds tried to blow me out off a tree' Molly looked at him in disbelief and said ' I have told you before not to climb those tree's its dangerous, if your father found out you had better be ready' Alex knew that his climbing exploits had recently ruined his shoes and tore many of his clothes, he had promised never to climb the old trees again and here he was admitting he had done it again 'but mother you don't understand' he said hoping the tree admission would be forgot due to the gravity of his recent experience, 'Alex go outside and clean those boots now before your father sees them' said his mother, 'but mother' Alex protested - but it was no good his mother with her finger pointing to the door was in a stern mood, Alex knew if he carried on she would involve his father and that was something he did not want.

He walked outside and headed back for the orchard with his heart in his mouth and the new camera still hung from his shoulder, he arrived at the edge of the orchard and looked inside very carefully to make sure that no re-occurrence of the last experience might happen, it was very quiet and not even a bird was to be seen, bending down he pushed his way under the old broken hedge back into the orchard,  he immediately sensed a funny smell that was in the air  - almost like the smell of fireworks after bonfire night - it was not an unpleasant smell and all of the experience was quickly forgotten..

'Alex where are you' a distant voice shouted 'here' replied Alex,  and soon they were both examining the new camera in detail taking it in turns to look through the Eyepiece and itching all the time to press the white button to take a photograph, not long after another friend arrived called David who joined them with his pet dog called Shep, and the party set off to go into the old black current field at the back of moor crescent where there was plenty to explore and perhaps photograph.

' Why don't you take me jumping off that old gate post like Hodgkinson the goalie from Sheffield United'  said Stuart,  soon  he climbed the old stone gate post and stood balanced on top, 'are you ready' said Alex 'then jump' - Stuart flung himself into the air from the top of the post while he also opened his arms to make out he was saving a goal just like the Sheffield United keeper, Alex pressed the button and was sure he had Stuart right in the middle of the viewfinder when he clicked the button, Stuart hit the floor with a thump and then fell down onto his knees.

'Look!' one of the boys exclaimed 'look over  there' in the sky in the direction of the orchard was five dark objects just hovering not moving, the boys stood in disbelief as they looked at this strange sight without even talking to each other, it was so impressive that they could not take their eyes off the presence  and soon the objects started to discharge round bright light hemispheres into the air -  the light was so intense it hurt their eyes - some of these bright lights rose upwards and some fell downwards, some changed shape into oval or a disk,  as a droplet of oil changes shape in suspension of water - the lights dispersed and melted into nothing soon after they had appeared from the objects and no sound was evident at all, Alex quickly put  his Brownie camera to his eye and took a shot of the objects- then they were gone backwards at immense speed into nothingness, 'I got a photograph' shouted Alex but it fell on deaf  ears and in reality the boys discussed it very little between themselves, everyone was too interested in having the usual fun and exploration that a normal day out comprised of - so on it carried with more photographs until the film was used up - and  the exploration went into Eckington woods where the old rope swing next to the stream could once again be tested by all.