Chapter 2: The Flying Barrel

Everyone sat down at dinner and served themselves by passing the plates. As Dr. Watson scooped potatoes and cut himself a piece of goose breast, he asked the twins, “Jimmy, Emma, how is your detective work going these days?”

“Dr. Watson,” Mrs. MacDougall snapped at him, “must we talk about their cases at the dinner table? You know how I feel about them telling you about their adventures. I don’t want you writing down their stories.”

Dr. Watson was known for publishing stories about Sherlock Holmes’s most famous cases. He always wanted to write down the mysteries that the MacDougall twins solved, but Mrs. MacDougall refused to let him. She did not want her children to be famous. She wanted them to have a normal life.

“You can’t blame me for trying,” Dr. Watson laughed, and he winked at the twins. He knew they wanted to tell their stories, but they respected their mother’s wishes.

“You still should bring the twins to my office next week,” Watson continued, changing the subject. “I haven’t checked up on them in nearly six months.”

“Oh, the kids are fine, Dr. Watson,” Mr. MacDougall explained. “Not even a skinned knee on Jimmy.”

“It is still wise to have them looked after by a doctor,” Sherlock Holmes said. “Sometimes small problems you don’t see turn out to be big problems later. This reminds me of the case of the Man with the Missing Right Hand.”

“They look fine to me,” Mrs. Hudson chimed in, interrupting the detective. She did not want to hear yet another retelling of a famous case.

“I can’t get over how much the twins have grown,” Mrs. Hudson said to their parents. “I’ve watched them turn from babies into a fine young man and woman.” Mr. and Mrs. MacDougall grinned at the compliment.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hudson. Now, no more talk of detective work,” Mrs. MacDougall firmly stated, glaring directly at Holmes and Watson. “Let’s enjoy this fine dinner and talk about happy topics, no robbers tonight please.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, although Jimmy frowned, wishing the conversation would be about robbers and crime. What is the point of eating dinner with Sherlock Holmes, he wondered, if I can’t talk to him about mysteries?

The dinner conversation continued pleasantly until…

“AAAHH!” came screams from the street.

“What is it?” someone else yelled. Sherlock Holmes dashed to the window. Everyone followed him. They all crowded around, looking out at the skyline.

“Emma, are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Jimmy asked his sister.

“Yes, Jimmy, I..I see it too.”

Floating above London was a strange, giant object. To Jimmy it looked like a giant flying silver barrel. It was the size of two busses put together, with great curved wings on its side, almost like someone put the barrel in the middle of an enormous boomerang. The flying object seemed to come straight out of space. It was slowly gliding over the buildings, causing shouts and cries from the streets of London below. Suddenly, the aircraft turned in the sky and swiftly swooped towards Baker Street.

“Goodness, Holmes,” Dr. Watson said. “It is heading straight for the street below.”

The detective motioned with his hand for his friend to stay quiet. He was observing everything, and he didn’t want to miss any details.

A giant crowd had gathered in Baker Street as the aircraft floated towards them. Some hansom cabs[1], a bus, and several people on horses stopped and joined the growing crowd, gazing up at the object. Some pointed, others talked. A few people fled as the object came towards them, blocking out the sun. Suddenly, the shiny silver barrel stopped right above the crowd. It hovered for a mere moment, then FLASH! A huge blinding light shot out from the bottom of the craft. Everyone screamed and scattered. The horses neighed and screeched, then bolted in opposite directions. Two hansom cabs flipped over as their horses bolted away from the blinding light. The bus flung out of control right below Sherlock Holmes and the dinner guests. The driver was able to regain control of the horses just as the bus almost crashed straight into 221 B Baker Street.

“Oh, those poor people,” Mrs. O’ Hare cried and turned away.

“At least they’re safe,” Mrs. Hudson consoled her.

“Look!” Jimmy called out. “The barrel..It’s going to crash!”

The barrel ship began to quickly lower itself onto the street below. Just as its nose was about to smash into the ground, the ship wobbled, and then, seeming to defy gravity, it suddenly shot back up into the sky. It bobbed up and down slightly, and returned to its journey above Baker Street.

“Oh! It is going to fly right by us,” Emma said excitedly.

As the ship flew up past the window, Emma got a good look at the device. Below the giant silver ship, there appeared to be a small cargo hold, with a man on what looked to be a pedal of sorts. The man seemed to be running and steering the mystery ship, as if it was a bicycle.

Just as Emma peered forward to get a better look, a blinding light flashed through the window. Everyone ducked down, moved away, and Mrs. Hudson shouted out in pain. No one could see anything. Suddenly, there was a sound of smashing glass, and something fell into the room.

1 Fun Facts: In the time period of this story, the automobile hadn’t yet been invented. Everyone traveled by train, boat, or horse drawn carriage. A hansom cab was a two wheel carriage driven by a single horse. A bus (or omnibus) was a long carriage, driven by two horses, with seats along the sides.