Antidote to Sorrow -- Part 3

[w_a_i_d]

December 26th, 1893

It had struck me when I was out at Harrods that keeping poor Alice and Mrs Glenny hostage here for Christmas Day away from their families, to wait on one man who had no intention of marking the season at all, was neither kind nor rational

.

I sent Alice off in a cab to her parents on Christmas Eve. Mrs Glenny had been

Comments

[tweedisgood]

Woot! Reading now.

ETA: But it has been such a mocking kind of shadow-company, that creature nothing in its veins but memory and ink. And however lifelike it may perhaps remain to anyone else, to me that last story has left it forever embalmed in the act of falling.

YES. I can't quite get the "writing about Holmes made him immortal" theme. To Watson he was still dead, both in 1891 and (assuming Holmes wemt first) subsequently too...

[w_a_i_d]

Noooooooo Watson dies first. He just gets to, after all that. Sorry, Holmes.

[snarryfool]

Oh, you're back! I'm so relieved; I was beginning to worry that something in RL had gone badly awry. I haven't even read this yet, just wanted to say hello and and welcome your return.

[w_a_i_d]

Hello! (Uh, although I've already talked to you!) Sorry about that. There are some things afoot in real life, though really the delay had more to do with just really wanting to get the story through Christmas and into Easter, so we're "up to date", so to speak.

[ketchup_fights]

It's so great to have you back, and with a slice of Christmas... um... cheer.

My camp by the fireside had seemed a small, hidden enclave of warmth and quiet, and now through Lestrade’s eyes, I saw it as the wretched burrow of a wounded animal.

Oh, poor Watson. Withdrawing into his own private bunker. It's such a natural reaction, but of course it's really only going to make him more sad and isolated.

Thank god for Lestrade. I love the two of them awkwardly fumbling to connect. And plucky detective Watson, solving the case and being all humble and aww, shucks, it just needed another pair of eyes about it! So lovely.

And an entertaining mystery to boot!

[w_a_i_d]

Thank you! I was far too fond of the image of Watson having the loneliest, angstiest Christmas in the world before Lestrade turned up to rescue him, and I wanted to show Lestrade's awesome side after he was pretty useless in Winter in London. And it was quite fun writing Watson's modest suggestions -- I'd draft them all more Holmesian and LESTRADE, CHECK OUT THE HOUSEKEEPER and then see how many "terribly sorry, probably wrong, just a thought" disclaimers I could get in.

[jenlee1]

But it has been such a mocking kind of shadow-company, that creature nothing in its veins but memory and ink. And however lifelike it may perhaps remain to anyone else, to me that last story has left it forever embalmed in the act of falling.

God, but that's gorgeous - and really, that's the great curse of the thing, isn't it? Poor Watson.

On to the next bit...

[w_a_i_d]

Thank you.

[rabidsamfan]

Utterly absorbing. I love the way Lestrade and Watson have to find a path out of the silence. And the mystery is well done. I like the exchange of telegrams. Watson, you've always been cleverer than you think you are!

[w_a_i_d]

Thank you. And yes, the silence -- I feel there's something suggestive in the fact that the first post-Reichenbach story is called "The Empty House".