So many people ask how I got Brooklyn. How could scrawny little, shit-for-brains, Spot Conlon get control of Brooklyn one street at a time? How the fuck is it possible?

I mean I look down into the waters of my river. Yeah My river. I own them. The street kids know it too. I look down into the waters and think "How the fuck?" I know I'm scrawny, my arms are like tooth picks. Maybe not so much now as when I was younger and my da used to tell me that if I was bad he'd break my arms or as he said "Snap those fucking tooth picks! How the hell do you live your so skinny? That bitch never feed you? OR what your too dumb to feed?" He did break my arm and left it to heal, badly. Now I can tell when its gunna rain from the ache. But I look at myself and wonder, just like everyone else "How the fuck?"

Maybe its my good looks. That's what some say. I sweet talked my way into it. I lay low and then while no one thinks the stupid boy with the pretty blue eyes is gunna do any thing I beat em. Some think I gain the leaders trust sleepen' wid em like a dirty whore. Ain't my style. I don't try to do that. I've heard tales that I would bed a leader and while fucking him I would shove a knife into him. I don't stop the tales like that. Keeps everyone cautious, and I'm a leader, so it's a good thing.

I listen to all the tales. The Legend that I am becoming I sit silently above the newsies in the warehouse. A warehouse that I found. I a shipping company owns it. But they use it about once a year. So for us on the docks all it takes is a little cash, or to send out a girl when the watchman comes along and we have a home. So I sit and watch them they hardly notice me, thinking me to be screwing someone in my room. Hell knows that if I chose I could have anyone of them, and more want me. But I don't care. I watch the Newsies and the dock workers as they play poker and black jack. The occasional game of rummy or marbles is brought up by either and ambitious or younger boy. I watch the girls laugh and flirt with the boys and from where I sit I can see the way that they lead the doting boys off. I'm a leader it pays to know what my boys are doing.

So I sit and watch, listening to the snippits of conversation. This is how I keep my throne on the dicks, how I keep the streets of Brooklyn safe for myself. Its simple really. All I do is the most basic thing. I know what's going on. I know who Cards slept with last night, I know that preacher is guiltily catching looks at the couples. I know what church each belongs to and whose skipping out on paying the nickel a night that I charge as hush money too the coppers on the beat around here. I'm not going to do anything about any of this. But it always helps to have information. It helps to know whose on your side and who thinks Jack Kelly is a better leader. Because when hints of a revolution start up you can smash it down.

So you wanna know why I'm the king of Brooklyn? Why I can walk on its streets unafraid? Because I learned how to lead the way I lead. Know everything. I sat from fire escapes watching the previous leader play marbles, heard him complain about a weak knee. Saw him draw his girl up tight against him and whisper in her ear. Then I would follow him to a bar where he would pay for a drink, then another then he would trick someone into buying him liquor when his change ran out. I learned what he did. Habits and the sort. I wasn't no one.

Then I killed him. Took my cane to the back of that weak knee and blew it out. Pushed him into my river let the waters rid Brooklyn of its past leader. So I rule Brooklyn.'

I encourage the legends. Because I know it'll only be a little till some kid realizes how I do it and challenges me. And a little more until I get my scrawny ass whooped. So I let the kids talk about how I beat off a thousand men from the door. Let them talk about how I single handedly won the strike for Brooklyn.

Because in a hundred years, all there will be is stories

Author's notes- LOOK I WROTE SOMETHING! Okay now I actually have an idea for more of this tell me if you want it.

Cards on: Silly putty I LOVE IT GIMME MORE!