The snowy cobblestone street is packed with vendors, stalls, patrons, and carriages. Shawl-wrapped women brandish roasted chestnuts in bundles of newspaper, crying, “A shilling a piece.” Men in black silk top-hats push their way through the crowds, eager to return to their business while children scamper from one end of the road to another, laughing and shrieking in play. As the road widens and the market fades to the distance, the sound of the children’s boots smacking on cobblestone slows, then halts. A lone, hunched, and gnarled figure hobbles across the street, causing the children to retreat as quickly and … Continue reading →