A terraced house bubbling with siblings, an expansive wasteland perfect for playing, and the mouth-watering smells of Ma's home baking wafting through the Four Streets - what could be more idyllic for a young boy from Derry?
But a strict authoritarian da, fierce sibling rivalry and the smoky-grey skies of the Troubles pierced every sinew of his skinny frame.
Fear didn't just visit him - it was part of him. Only his own imagination offered some escape.