An Incident in Baker Street

The Thoughts of Doctor Watson.


Holmes and I had spent the evening discoursing pleasantly as befits old friends, we had touched on cases old and new and digressed to take in the history of Venice, the tragedies of Shakespeare and vegetable gardening. I then settled down into that familiar cosy armchair to immerse myself in a sea-faring tale.

No sooner had I done so than my ears were assailed with an irritating high pitched whining noise. I looked at Holmes who was looking down into the street no doubt trying to identify the source of this droning.

I heard a movement at the door and a light seemed to come through the closed door, the light grew and became brighter until the door could no longer be seen. We both shielded our eyes from this unnerving and unnatural light and when it was on the point of being absolutely unbearable it suddenly disappeared and in its place stood a man, strangely attired, but undeniably a man.

" Hello folks," he said " forgive the somewhat bizarre entrance."

We overcame our puzzlement and greeted him cordially and awaited an explanation from our visitor.

" Well, it worked." he said to himself.

" What worked my good man?" asked Holmes.

" My experiment, no, more than that, my life's dream......to be able to travel through time."

" Your.......what ??!" I asked.

" Yes I know it's not easy to believe, but allow me to explain."

This he proceeded to do and in doing so lost me completely with talk of thermo-nuclear physics and the like. Holmes was listening attentively, earnestly and asked questions of our visitor incessantly. From what I could understand so much energy had been expounded in propelling our friend back to our time that most of the world of his time had been destroyed and he was asking whether we thought he was still justified in his action.

I poured a brandy and soda for each of us and asked a question that had not seemed to occur to Holmes.

" Tell me, you say the world of your time is now no more thanks to your time travel."

" Yes or pretty much most of it anyway."

" And how far in the future have you travelled from ?"

He glanced at his watch, " Oh, about fifteen minutes."

Exiled................

IN EXILE

The newly harrowed fields
were sown with birds,
which fluttered into life
as I passed by.
Like waves of corn
as the wind blows
through it.
A feathered crop of gulls,
whose wheeling flight
and harsh calls
transported me homeward
to the widest skies
and the cold dark dampness
of sand painted a tone darker
by the returning tide.
homeward to the memory
of gritty sandwiches
on the breezy dry sand
at tea time,on a summers evening.
homeward to the fresh sharp seaweed scenting
the turn of the tide.

Ghost

GHOST


You slipped away.

A grey ghost in the twilight.

Swallowed by the mist.

I watched you go and thought

That was it.

But I was wrong.


For you return when least expected

A loving ghost

Gentle, watchful

Smiling benevolently

Never intruding or trying to speak.

Nor do I speak to you.


There's nothing new to say to one another.

In the silence we understand without words

And it was always that way.