Love and lots of poison

Have you ever been trapped in one of those nightmares, you know. the one that's not going so well and you just want to wake up. There I was reading the, Mammoth book of the new chronicles of Sherlock Holmes, and fell asleep in the midst of, The adventure of the tomb on the hill. So now I dream of being The Woman. The woman in his life. But does he even see me. No. He goes off and falls for that beautiful bewitching harlot Irene Adler. How many years have I worked by his side, being his conscience, keeping him on the straight and narrow and always at his beck and call. He is so clueless, sometimes I want to throttle him myself, place my hands upon his neck and just squeeze.

I have done something far better though. I laugh maniacally as I recall what I had done. This will show him. You see I am his dream Watson, but I'm a girl Watson. Stupid faithful girl who fell in love with a narcissistic and love clueless genius of a man. Oh, how absolutely gorgeous he is.

I kidnapped and poisoned the witch, placed her on a train speeding to hell. The irony is that the train took off before I could get off. So now we are both bound to hell, unless the genius who caused all this problem in the first place can figure out how to save his damsel before time runs out. Will he save me too? We shall see, won't we.

Her story.

I awake on a strange train hurtling at breakneck speed at a rattlingly unsettling velocity, having no idea why I am on a train in the first place. Wait a minute, Is Sherlock on this train? I remember going to his flat on Baker's street. This is so confusing. Where exactly am I going, and why? This situation is very strange, and I have a bad feeling in my stomach. I feel jaded and nauseous. Get your act together and look around, no pipes, or opium or any mind numbing drugs of any sort, though they are utterly disgusting, he would have some around. I need something to help me cope right now. Ok. Maybe just a spot of weed to take the edge off.

"Don't bother trying to find him, he is far away from here"!

"Hello, who is speaking to me, where are you? Is that Watson? Are you in my dream, am I dreaming, I can't be sure?

"I'm your conscience, there is no Watson, get up and get dressed".

"I cannot, there is no luggage or anything". She replies.

"Well, it's just as well, dream people do not need to change clothes.".

Suddenly, there comes a rat-a-tat at the door. I'm not sure if it's my real door or a door in my dream. "Come in", I say for some reason which I don't understand, probably my darned Watson moral conscience making me do things I don't want to do. I don't really want to see anyone right now. It opens and a frightened young woman enters. Definitely a dream door. She is dressed in 18th century clothing, green floor length voluminous dress, trimmed with pink ribbons and cinched at the waist, with a wide hat with feathers and bows and everything. The train lurched and shook as she grabbed for the seat that was offered to her. We are on the train yet also in Sherlock's living room at 221B Bakers street in London. I felt real smart and competent, yet a little bit of Sherlock's narcissism is in me, which is a very necessary evil if I am going to be him in my dream.

The strange young woman walked towards the window, peeling off her white lace trimmed gloves, and stood staring out at the misty and faint strobing blur, seemingly trying to collect herself mentally. The speeding train made it almost impossible to calm one's nerve, or even obtain a good view of the landscape to ascertain where we were at least.

After a few impatient minutes on my part, she turns around to speak. "Please excuse my poor manners Ms Watson, my name is Emily Bronte". She offered her hand daintily after wiping her brow with a pink handkerchief. I shook her hands halfheartedly, I had no time for this right now. Her story had better be good.

Ok. So my dream is warped and confusing, I am both him and me. I think that I may have gone mad. Did I harm Sherlock, because my reality is beginning to enter the realm of total insanity. Interesting. Also I am entertaining a famous novelist and poet, I do so love poetry and a good book, let's see where this goes.

"Please do not distress yourself my dear. Take your time to collect yourself and tell me what is troubling you so badly". I offered, trying to console the young lady.

I sat in my favorite chair by the fire, drumming my fingers a little impatiently on the arm. "This damsel in distress had better hurry up before I lose my patience, I need to go find out what is going on and what I am going to do to get off this damned train". I know that I am not doing justice to Holmes' usual thinly veiled, held in, patiently feigned composure, but I don't want to wake up before I solve my case.

"Calm down, and listen patiently". Darned dream conscience. Taking a deep breath, I sat back in the rocker, closed my eyes, interlaced my fingers, just like Sherlock would, I would kill for a reefer right now, but I waited for the damsel to begin her story.

"Ms Watson, I woke up this morning on this train with no recollection of the circumstances or the reason why I am on the train. I have no luggage, no ticket and no money with which to purchase one. I asked around and no one can give me an answer. They told me that you are a famous detective and maybe you can help us".

"They, who are they"? I asked puzzled. "Famous"? This to myself.

"Why, the other people on the train who all have the same problem". She replied seeming puzzled.



"Look. I am not sure that I can help, but I will get back to you as soon as I have a clue about this whole situation, I will send a note when I have something concrete to report".

"Alright, I am in cabin twelve. Thank you".

I bundled her out of the cabin unceremoniously, after all, I was in the same pickle that she was in. I May have poisoned a whole bunch of people.

"You are so crass and rude". Said my Watson conscience. "By the way, no one sends notes anymore, they text each other".

"Bite me stupid conscience. I need to think".

I sat in my thinking chair for a while, finally enjoying a few puffs to calm my nerves. Nothing came to mind, so I decided to go take a stroll around the train. There were people here and there on the seats looking at me with great suspicion, not really seeming lost or confused at all. I headed for the dining car and obtained a cup of coffee. I guess Mrs. Hudson would not be popping in any time soon with a cuppa. I drank my coffee and looked around for someone in authority. Finding a porter would be a great relief, at least I would know where I was or where I was going. Luckily for me, here comes one right now.

"Be careful, he hissed, they are here to harm you"! His name tag read Sam, as he hurried past me, shoving me out of his way roughly. But I cold swear that he put something in my coat pocket. I stuck my hand in and sure enough there was a small folded piece of paper. I hurried back to 221b on the train, so very weird. I retrieved the paper from my pocket and read the message.

"The red robin sings at the edge of the world"! Huh!

"It is a rather large train Shelly, perhaps you should disguise yourself and go take a leisurely but careful tour".

"Since when are you the smart one. It is my dream, so I guess I made you smarter than me, darn it".

"Hello, is anyone there, may I have some water."? Called out Irene.

I guess I will have to give her my antidote since we all seem to be in the same pickle.. Darn it. I filled a glass and emptied the packet of medicine in. You will live to be bad another day Ms Adler, I thought while opening the door to let her out.

"Why was I locked in Watson, I do not trust you, I am aware of your feelings for Sherlock".

I handed her the cursed antidote, made sure she drank it, then turned abruptly and walked away without answering, she had no idea just how close to death she had been.

"Why am I on the train, where are we going"?

I kept going.

Dressed in a porter's uniform, (I swear it appeared out of thin air), I gingerly peeked left and right before exiting the room, who knows who may be watching. An itinerary was posted some way down in the next two cars. There was a lounge on the train called World's end. Before I could move towards the door someone grabbed me by the neck from behind, I was quick, and with one deft movement jerked free of the choking hold, planted my feet firmly, grabbed the person by the arm and flipped him over. A swift kick to the groin doubled him over while he winced in pain. I hurried along to find the lounge.

"Well done", conscience Watson applauded.

I did a small curtsy. I must have been working on a case that someone didn't want solved. I'm sure that I did not owe anybody any money. At least I hope not. I proceeded to the lounge and sure enough the neon sign read 'Robin Redd, tonight's songbird'.

Robin Redd looked quite familiar, she was obviously in disguise herself with that awful red wig. Suddenly a memory clicked and I knew who she was, in reality she is my sister Jadalyn Holmes or Watson, or whatever. What was she doing in my dream. We never got along in the real world. She finished her song and with an imperceptive turn of her head, she signaled me to follow her. We always did that as children when we wanted to make trouble for others. We could never fool each other no matter what disguise we chose to wear.

I met her back in her tiny dressing room in the back of the lounge. "Hello Jadalyn, I see you are now moonlighting as a singer, not bad at all, I must say. Pays better than your secret government job, does it"?

"Shhhh! Keep your voice down. Why are we on a train seemingly from hell, and catapulting at such a rapid pace towards God knows where Shelly? I figured if anyone would know it would be you. Also, have you seen Irene Adler, we need her, she is essential to solving this case".

I swallowed loudly and adjusted my glasses.

"I am just as much in the dark as you are apparently, was hoping you knew something. Somehow I can't remember if I had been working on a case. Do you happen to know about something I am working on which would make people want to hurt me, I was just attacked before coming in here".

"Ahh! They must have gotten to something you drank and laced it with X10-4, a new memory drug that causes temporary amnesia. You were hired to find out where the rogue Secret military group kept it after they stole it. Experiments on lab mice showed that after the temporary amnesia passed, confusion and death will follow unless you got the antidote. The real military is trying to get it back from the militant group who are threatening to release it into the water supply of their enemies. They could release it anywhere and at any time. That is where you came in".

"None of this rings any bells. How is it that I can remember you"?

"I think it just affects your short term memory".

"Shelly, you have to remember, you have to fight it, almost everyone on this train is a part of the plot. Do not trust anyone. I will try to secure a vial of the antidote, I do not know exactly how, it is guarded tighter than Fort Knox. Also, this is not an ordinary train. I think the X10-4 is on this train being transported somewhere. We have to find it. I have to be on stage in a few minutes, I suggest you take that time to peruse the comings and goings on the train and see what you can find out. Meet me in cabin 44 at 7pm tonight".

''By the way Shelly, you only have a twenty four hour window to live after X10-4 is administered, Jadalyn said urgently, looking at her watch, twenty now, you had better hurry"! "Find Sam, he works for me, you can trust him only".

So let me get this straight, while I was busy poisoning my nemesis as Watson, for the love of a man who was incapable of truly loving either of us, someone else was poisoning me as Sherlock so that I would not solve a very high profile case.

Karma is a bitch!

My dream is messed up. This is more like a nightmare of immeasurable and unfathomable proportions.



"Great, even in my dream, I can't catch a break. Ok, what would the real Sherlock do, think"? First, he would case the joint, try to ascertain the identity of the people on the train. I had to locate the passenger list.

On exiting the lounge, I saw a small gathering peering into one of the train's compartments. I walked over hurriedly, after all I am a porter, the crowd parted to let me through. Ms Emily Bronte had been murdered. She obviously had been genuine about her case, I feel badly for having been so cavalier about her request. Someone did not want her talking to me. I dispersed the crowd and closed off the compartment. Clues must be ascertained before the authorities arrived. The place had been wiped clean.

After a quick look around, I deduced from the footprints that two people had been in the compartment with Emily. A small struggle had ensued, during which time she had been forced to consume a second lethal dose of X10-4, the fact that she too had amnesia meant that they had already given her the first dose. During the struggle the glass had broken, but had been cleaned and cleared away. However, lying flat on my stomach and examining the floor thoroughly, I found that a tiny fragment had lodged itself in the far corner of the back seat. She had been frothing at the mouth, a strong indication of some type of poison. I quickly secured the tiny bit of broken glass for testing.

There appeared to be a lot of poisoning going around on this crazy train.



"Very Sherlockian"! Cheered conscience Watson. I decided to ignore him from now on.

I found Sam and together we located the passenger list. Only twelve people were on that list, I did not recognize any of them Impossible since the train was practically full. Obviously they were hiding something.

"There is actually a whole section of the train that is locked off to everyone except a special group that secretly boarded the train. We actually had to let them on first and secure the area"

"Show me".

We walked briskly past a great many compartments until I realized that someone had followed us. I alerted Sam and we slipped into an empty room. Two men with guns entered slowly, careful to not make a sound. Sam grabbed one while I grabbed the arm of the other, knocking the gun out of his hand. He landed a punch to my face. I staggered from the blow, ducked his next punch and got him square in the gut, he doubled over and I grabbed his gun from the floor and clipped him over the head , knocking him out. Sam had made short work of the other. He was obviously a professional, he had thrown the man to the ground and kicked the crap out of him.

Both men had keycards and uniforms, we took both and shoved then into the room and locked it. There were at least a dozen guards in the room when we entered. They saluted when we entered. Salute, Sam said under his breath, your uniform, superior. I gave my best fake salute.

"As you were". I commanded.

There in the center of the room were the X10-4, labeled, the other clearly said Antidote X10-4. How very convenient.

"Do not leave this room until we bring these containers back"! I barked in my best military voice.

"Sir, Ma'am"! They saluted again. So did I.

Sam and I walked purposefully out of the room and closed the door behind us, then we took off running. Luckily for us, death did not come in large containers It was almost seven o'clock, so we went directly to Jadalyn's room, thankfully we didn't see anyone on our way. But we had to move fast, they were watching us. I'm surprised that no one stopped us. Jada opened the door immediately we knocked, her face showing total shock. Sometimes dreams give you a break. Jadalyn handed me the antidote. Over in the corner Irene Adler sat looking none the worse for wear. I really dislike the woman quite immensely.

There came a sudden knock at the door. Jadalyn grabbed her sword, she was an adept swordswoman. Sam had a very serious looking gun. I grabbed a poker from the fireplace, a fireplace on a hurtling train, nothing surprised me anymore in this dream. Irena just sat there looking pretty and smiling. I wanted to smash her face with the poker. The knock came again. No one moved. The doorknob started turning slowly and deliberately. Everyone raised their weapon.

In strolled Sherlock Holmes.



"Sherlock, what the hell". I yelled. "We could have killed you".

"We wouldn't want that now, would we"? He smiled at me.

Walking purposefully over to me, he grabbed me, embraced me and kissed me so totally and completely that the world stopped spinning and all the lights everywhere went directly to black.

Still I slept. You would think that this is when I would wake up.

When he finally released me my knees went weak. I know Sherlock, he is only playing with me, toying with me. BUT DAMN! He helped me to a chair, smiling. The cad.

"Hi Irene'! She got up and abruptly left the room without answering. As I said, he toys with our feelings. Still we love him dearly.

It turns out Sherlock had been busy solving problems and making things easy for us on the train while we were just doing the easy parts. I get it now, everything had seemed far too easy to snatch away from trained government militants. DUH!

All the people on the train who had been kidnapped and poisoned because of their involvement in the making of the highly dangerous X10-4 were given the antidote. The only casualty was poor Emily because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. People were arrested and locked away until the train should stop. If it ever stopped. I have no idea what part Irene played in this whole dreamscape, Maybe she was just there to torment me.

After all the explanations, Sherlock came to sit by me on the sofa, placed his arms around me, whispered, "I'm glad you didn't kill Irene", and promptly fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. I smiled contentedly.

I felt wrapped in a cocoon of clouds and warmth as I slept on, the train careening headlong into the night. The men and women in black had been taken care of, and all was again well with the world.

Surely the train must stop at some time!

Please do not awaken me!

I w as exactly where I wanted to be. I hope this train never stops!

N.A.