The sound of yelling and clinking was loud as the small Chinese man ran through Birmingham's Chinese quarters. A young lady trailed behind him carrying a screaming baby in her arms. People stepped aside as they ran through the market.

"Hurry or they will kill us. Hurry" the man said in fluent Chinese, looking back at the woman.

They ran to a cloth stall where a young girl stepped up to the man and put her arms out. The lady with the baby stepped forward.

"Do your tits still have milk''?

The young girl nodded before an old, grey haired man stepped up behind her.

"Where are you going"? He asked.

"They have asked for her" He replied a sad look on his face.

The old man stood wide eyed and slowly nodded.

                                                                                           Birmingham 1919

The muck and mud off the streets cobbled road pushed through the cracks in the horses hooves but it continued alongside the rows of terrace housing. Completely silky black with not a speck of mud above the knee it looked out of place in this poor district. The man riding it wore a white dress shirt, polished shoes, Grey pinstripe pants and blazer plus a grey paddy cap.

As he continued through the street woman dropped washing and grabbed children before pulling them off to the side. The horse continued to walk through the street and the man atop looked down at the ground. The man atop was Tom Shelby. Wheels and carts were tipped in the rush to get out of the way and the horse trotted around them. Tom stopped the horse in the street as woman and children looked on from behind their hiding places.

As soon as he stopped the soft patter of feet could be heard around the corner and Tom watched on as a small Chinese man in a black suit ran towards him with a young woman in tow. The man stopped in front of Tom and looked him in the eye.

"Sir. This is her"

Tom looked down at the dimples of the Chinese woman, his expression unchanging.

"The girl who tells fortunes" Tom asked.

Tom sighed before reaching into his trousers pocket and pulling a small bundle of money out. The sky was grey and wind was picking up. The Asian man stepped forward and pocketed the money before Tom changed his mind.

The Asian woman pulled a small red bag from her pocket and stepped towards the horse. She poured a small amount of red powder from the bag and muttered words in Chinese under her breath. She raised her palm to her mouth and blew the powder at the horses nose. The horse took a step backwards and Tom had to pull the reins to remain in control.

A small boy behind a cart looked towards the rest of his mates.

"Their doing a magic trick I bet. To make the orse' win the race''

The Chinese man and woman bowed before running off in the direction they came from. Tom turned the horse around before addressing the people watching on.

"The horses name is Monoghinbough. Hempton, 3 o'clock Monday. You ladies have a bet yourself but don't tell anyone else''

 As Tom rode away the woman and children returned to the streets and muttered quietly about what had just happened.