THE NORTH RIDING PROJECT

There’s Sparky “the twocker” (car thief), Tyson the dog, Thieving Little Simpkins, Kara and Molly (“the strangers to logic”), Skeeter (“who’ll thump you”), and Pixie, (“who’ll hump you”).  That same afternoon, Urban tried to electrocute a heroin addict, accidentally sliced open another boy’s hand with a machete, and coaxed Hare into a stolen car, which Sparky then raced through traffic at 90mph, before setting it alight.

Masters/Guardian, 2005

A police car, blue lights flashing, drove into the park at the bottom by the railway.  We ran back along the service road and cut through the bowling green, which seemed like a bad move to me because it had only one entrance and was surrounded by a three-foot-thick privet hedge.  We ran across diagonally, disturbing two youngsters, barely into their teens, who were having full sex in the middle of the green.  The girl’s long blonde hair fanned out across the grass, her top was pushed up over her breasts, her yellow summer skirt was round her waist, while her knickers and bra had been flung to the side.  Ignoring us, the boy moved in and out enthusiastically, with his trousers round his ankles.  Sparky and I ran either side of the obstacle, but Urban leaped over the top, calling, ‘Hiya, Molly,’ as he passed.  I noticed that Molly still wore her dazzling white ankle socks, which were even more startling now, attached to naked, wriggling legs against a dark-green background.

Hare/Urban