Sherlock, Watson and the elusive dragon

Sherlock was bored. All day he had been perusing the papers and nothing interesting jumped from the pages to get him seeing the faintest light of the thrill of the chase. He lounged carelessly across his favorite chair, pipe in hand, staring up at the ceiling, the smoke swirling in wisplike tendrils across the book strewn living room.

Watson clomped loudly up the stairs carrying a load of medical journals. He opened the door and gasped, stopping his breath for a few seconds. The apartment smelled like an apothecary shop in which an animal had died.

"Hell's bells, Sherlock, what in thunder are you smoking". He roared, placing the books on top of the mantle and quickly covering his nose and mouth".

"Hello there Watson. My dear fellow I will have you know that this is the latest rave in the cannabis world. It may smell like a dead animal, but it is quite effective in stimulating the brain and mind. I see you got that job that you sought, you also met someone, a new amour, maybe".

"I did get the job actually, but how did you know about me meeting someone"?

"Come on John. A small, hand-crafted cologne case from 'Lambon & Flynn', accompanied by a jaunty step, whistling and a devil may care air of a date upon the wind".

"Never mind that. I actually heard of a case you might be interested in". He walked swiftly over to the window and flung it open, sticking his head outside to take a fresh breath of air.

"Put out the infernal pipe Sherlock, we may be having some visitors momentarily".

"Pray tell, John, I am climbing the walls looking for anything to be afoot".

"A dragon in Montegory Forest, found a child five years ago, the lad has been living in a cave with the dragon. Now the parents want the child back"

"Wait Watson, did you just say dragon with a straight face"?

"I'm serious Sherlock. Look, you remember the movie Jurassic Park ? Well, apparently they made dragons in a lab somewhere, using the same concept with DNA found at an ancient dig site. The dragons that they created were extremely smart, they engineered their escape. People were hurt, but strangely they did not kill anyone. Maybe that is because the lab did not yet get to the stage of creating the really dangerous dragons. They are planning, however, to go ahead despite the escape and the outcry of many people who are concerned with this new threat to humanity".

"Where exactly is this laboratory you speak of. I did hear a kind of rumor of prehistoric creatures, a joke is what I thought it was". Said Holmes.

"I met the parents today at the library. They were trying to find someone to help them recover their child from this creature. I volunteered you and I. They will be here within the hour to explain. May I suggest some more suitable attire than the rather revealing robe that you now lounge so idly about in".

"Surely you are presumptuous today Watson. Why would I be interested in a fairy tale about a dragon. Ha, ha, ha. Dragon indeed, you got me there Watson"! Sherlock doubled over with laughter, holding his pipe up to the light and peering at it curiously, as if he were seeing it for the first time. He did really need a distraction from the insufferable ennui of the past few days.

There was evidence of Holmes' state of mind everywhere. Papers and books were thrown carelessly across the floor and tables. Remnants of the strange substance he was smoking was in a tray nearby. At some point he had been experimenting with dead bats and some other winged creatures in jars and bottles of foul smelling liquids. His violin was standing in one corner, sheet music nearby, both silently observing the mad preoccupations of it's owner. John had just enough time to make the place as presentable as possible before the visitors showed up.

Exactly one hour later the distinctive purr of an expensive vehicle could be heard pulling up outside. Sherlock, on Watson's insistence, had gotten dressed. His friend could be very persuasive when he wanted to. Usually it was he who picked the cases, but John seemed to have quite outdone himself by the look of things. They both went to look out the window at the sound of the approaching motor.

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Turquoise the dragon:

Did her best to camouflage herself among the many trees in the forest. She had sat perched atop a great oak observing and listening to the sounds of the world around her. She was only a few months old, but had matured quickly with the experiments by the people who had brought her to life in this place. They had trained the creatures of her kind well. They spoke the language of the creators, they had knowledge beyond that of just mere beasts, They were highly intelligent, well formed, and were made for a purpose which the dragons had yet to understand. All the dragons were dark in color with green tinted telescopic eyes, highly sensitive to sounds, extremely alert and fast. The only distinctive quality were the colors at the tips of their wings, every creature had a different shade at the borders. They has simply named them by the colors of their wing tips.

The little child had skipped into the forest, passing beneath the tree that she had been comfortably relaxing on. He stood looking up between the great green branches and saying "dwagon, dwagon, dwagon", over and over, while clapping it's hands in glee and giggling. How in the name of dragolord had the child seen the dragon, Turquoise wondered. Two huge dogs, hearing the sound, emerged from the bushes and were slowly approaching the toddler. Turquoise swooped down from the top of the tree so quickly that the dogs yelped in surprise and, tail between their legs, dived back into the undergrowth and disappeared. She had no wish to be discovered by the humans, and the child was in danger. She did the only thing that she could within the moment. She scooped up the giggling child and flew up into the open sky, soaring high and fast, all the while hoping that no one had seen her.

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A sleek, long limousine had pulled up close to the sidewalk of 221b Bakers Street, and a handsomely dressed couple stepped out of the doors which were held open by the chauffeur. They stood peering up at the open window as if contemplating whether or not to enter the premises. After a few words to each other, they said something to the driver and proceeded to approach and knock on the door. John had descended the stairs in anticipation of the knock, and he threw open the door to invite them inside. He ushered them up the stairs as Mrs. Hudson peeked her head inquisitively out her door. Before they even got inside the door she appeared behind the group.

"Tea please, Mrs. Hudson, if you could be so kind". Sherlock ordered with a knowing smile.

"Sherlock. I am your landlady, not your maid". She reminded him for the thousandth time. Nevertheless she went quickly to make the tea, and returned a few minutes later with tea and biscuits.

"Thank you, Mrs. Hudson. We will speak to you later". She reluctantly withdrew, Sherlock was never unkind to her, just very firm about his desires.

Introductions had been made. They were Calvin and Sylvania Rousseau. The elegant guests had been seated, John was standing by the mantelpiece, while Holmes sat in his favorite chair, eyes closed, fingers interlaced and ready to hear the story. Taking a dainty sip of her tea, and placing the cup on the saucer on the side table, the pretty fair skinned woman, grief apparent in the depths of her gray eyes, the constant interlacing fingers and the smoothing of her dark green belted and pleated dress, began the woeful tale.

"Five years ago, we were picnicking in the lovely Montegory forest. Damiani had been playing nearby, at two years old he was already so very curious. He had such an imagination and he loved books about dragons. We had been relaxing and reading and he was saying "dwagon mama, dwagon in the bushes". We thought he was joking, so we just let him run and play. After a little while, I suddenly realized that I was no longer hearing him". She took out her handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "He must have strayed away, we just took our eyes off him for a few moments, and he was gone. He must have run into the bushes".

"Calvin and I ran into the thicker parts of the forest, we shouted and looked everywhere. It was then that we saw this huge winged thing rise into the sky. We could swear that it had Damiani clutched in it's claws. We reported this to the authorities, but although they did not outwardly laugh in our faces, we knew that they did not believe us. They did however, search for many days, I believe it is only because our family has a lot of influence in our town. We have not been able to locate him since. Believe me, we have spared no expense in the quest to find our son". Here Sylvania paused and turned to her husband who clasped his arms around her.

Calvin, dressed in a dark suit to match his dark unfathomable eyes, then continued the story. "There have been rumors of many sightings of dragons in different cities in, around and indeed much further afield than London. It is said that some have started to feed on people in some of the more rural areas. Closer to home, some say that they have seen a child riding on the back of a dragon. It is now being dealt with as a serious matter by the government and the relevant departments as a matter of national security. This is only after some of their own have gone missing after they were sent to investigate. No one knows for certain where they lab is located, or who is actually in charge of operating such a monstrous undertaking".

"We want our son, Mr. Holmes". Said Sylvania, regaining her composure. "We are prepared to pay handsomely for your services, we have heard of the good work that you and Mr, Watson are doing to offer help when there is nowhere else left to turn".

Sherlock's interest was peaked at this unusual case. He had hunted hounds, chased would be werewolves, there were even the occasional vampires; but dragons. This was a novel idea that he was quite eager to get to the bottom of. He promised the couple that he would do all that he could, and hurriedly sent them on their way. There were preparations to be made. He must hurry. But first he must reluctantly give his brother Mycroft a call. If anyone knew anything about these dragons, he would, nothing happened that he did not know about, his job in the government service gave him a very long reach.

"Be ready in the morning at 7pm sharp Watson. Tonight I shall go make some enquiries". With that Holmes grabbed his coat and hat and was gone before Watson could ask where he was off to. John knew that whenever Sherlock had locked onto a case, he was like a bloodhound. He had to follow his lead in his own unique way.

The Montegory forest was located three towns over in Dribsdale Surrey. Holmes had to catch the evening train, then get an Uber the rest of the way. On foot he then headed into the heart of the forest, his only weapon was a can of mace and a flashlight, maybe he should have let Watson come along, at least he had a gun. There were animals rustling in the bushes, but nothing dangerous confronted him. He knew that if he were this dragon he would certainly be out at night. Dressed completely in black, he found a good sized tree and waited for the evening to get darker. Unfortunately, his brother still had not located the laboratory where the experiments were happening. He fell asleep for a while, but awakened to the sounds of loud flapping of wings as the thing landed atop a huge tree. Holmes waited.

Thinking the coast was clear, the dragon gently landed with the young rider upon it's back.

The full moon shone down suddenly, bathing the night with yellow and blue lights, illuminating the forest as bright as day.

Sherlock jumped down from his hiding place and accosted the dragon, mace in hand. He wasn't sure how much damage that would do, but it was something at least. He was a little apprehensive as to the temperament of this creature. To his amazement the beast appeared quite friendly, and was very amused when it spoke to him as clearly as if it were a human.

"Have you finally come for the child"? The voice was calm and a little sad.

"I have. His parents have been searching for him for a long time".

Turquoise was quiet for a moment. "They lie. They are the ones who operate the labs. This child was made just like I was. He is their creation. We are all just their experiments. I stole the child after I realized what he was and what they were doing. They want him back, but they have no idea where we are. He carries the means to make others like him in his genes, without him they cannot proceed with their plans. Somehow Holmes thought that the story made more sense after hearing the other side of the puzzling conundrum.

"Do you know where the lab is......what name may I call you"

"I am called Turquoise, and this is Damiani. Yes. I can take you there".

"Hello". Said the young child. Holmes did not answer, he was wary of young children.

"Can you take me to the laboratory now"? He asked the dragon, thinking it almost laughable to be speaking to this great beast facing him,

"Certainly". Said Turquoise. Sherlock and Damiani jumped upon the back of the dragon and together they flew into the soothing moonlit sky.

Sherlock held on tight. Somehow, really deep within his soul he knew that he had never felt so free. The magic of the night and the absolute fairytale aspect of the whole affair was shaping up to perhaps being the best night of his life. They flew high and far into the night. It seemed like they were in the sky forever before the dragon finally slowed down and flew low enough for them to see a sprawling compound with many buildings and men with guns milling around. Sherlock, after acquiring a momentary signal, plotted the co-ordinates on his phone and sent it to his brother. They may not get along, but this was more important than sibling rivalry. After arranging plans with Mycroft and Watson for the next morning, Sherlock spent the night in the Dragons cave. He found it extremely educational, if a bit smelly. The child had adapted surprisingly well to the cave lifestyle. There were some humans who had worked at the labs, but who had quit and were secretly working with the dragons to stop the production of the evil dragons that were being made and sold for profit. They were helping Turquoise with the upbringing of the young lad.

Watson had flown in with Mycroft and the government team to a landing spot close by. Many more men arrived by other official vehicles. The whole place was soon surrounded. Huge green military helicopters came flying loudly overhead. They started shouting to the occupants of the facility that they were surrounded and needed to come out with their hands over their heads. The guards were warned to drop their weapons or get shot. They obeyed and quickly raised their hands.

Calvin and Sylvania were also in the chopper that brought Watson in. Sherlock had specifically told John not to disclose to them where they were going. Just that they had located the child. Sherlock, Damiani and the dragon came flying in.

"Come Damiani, come to your mother". Sylvania called out, no longer sounding grief stricken, but more like a bad stepmother.

"So, no pretense any longer, is there my dear". Holmes said sarcastically.

"Sherlock, how can you be so rude to the child's mother, you should apologize this instant"!

"She is not it's mother. These two are actually the owners of this facility. They need the boy for experimentation purposes. My friend Turquoise here has brought me up to speed with the whole illegal operations of this place. "Have at them Mycroft, they are all yours". He told his brother who had been listening to the entire conversation.

Sylvania lifted a whistle to her mouth, no sound was heard by the human ears, but a great dragon dropped down out of nowhere and thundered towards Holmes, spitting fire. Turquoise flew towards the dragon, flinging people in all directions before they could get hurt. The fire scorched the earth and the dragons collided in mid air. Both fell senselessly to the ground. Damiani ran to Turquoise, while the couple with the whistle was ordered to stand her dragon down.

In the end, the government took over the labs. They continued with the experiments. No persons were actually arrested, apparently an agreement of sorts was reached. The facility now seems more secretive than when the original owners operated it. The dragons, as is the general belief, are still being made so that they can be of healing, friendship and peaceful benefits to the world. The evil ones are being rounded up for more research and understanding. Will we ever be sure?

The dragons however, are biding their time for when they will again walk the land in freedom.

As for Holmes and Watson. One was a dragon rider and the other is arranging and awaiting his turn to soar into the skies.

N.A.

N.B - Holmes, Watson and Mycroft are characters from Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books.