Keeper (221b, Holmes Minor October 2018 Prompt) (Rated: PG, Horror)

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Title: Keeper
Author: gardnerhill
Form/Wordcount: 221b
Characters/Pairings: John Watson, Sherlock Holmes, James Moriarty
Rating: PG (Implied violence, horror)
Warnings/Content: Implied violence. Horror.
Summary: "Mischief" has several meanings.
Author’s Notes: For the Holmes Minor October 2018 prompt: Mischief.

***


"Where's your brother, Jackie?"

The grubby 6-year-old boy beamed up at his mother.

Eliza Watson fought not to laugh at the mud-covered older boy slogging his way out of the thicket moments later.

"Liar!" Henry roared. "There was no pirate treasure in the creek!"

#

"Where is your brother, Sherlock?"

The 10-year-old lad sat up in the saddle and looked over his shoulder. "He ought to have been right behind me, Father. I did tell him it was an absurdly simple course."

With a crash and crackle of foliage, the older larger boy broke through the hedge on his larger broader horse. Mycroft said nothing, but his expression was darker than the louring rainclouds that threatened overhead.

"Of course," the younger lad mused, "I may have miscalculated the width of the paths. A pity I am not as astute as you, brother mine."

Squire Holmes bit down hard on a grin. "You'll be grooming Bayard as payment for that prank, young man."

 #

"Oh, Jamie. Where's thy brother?"

The 8-year-old only stared at Mummy, his eyes shining and expressionless as glass. "Dunno. We were playing in the garden. He went away."

A chill ran up Elsa Moriarty's spine once again at those empty eyes – but at the horrified cry from the groom shining a lantern down the well, her mind went black.

Comments

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

There's boyish mischief and there are signs of the man to come.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Exactly. (I had the toughest time coming up with what kind of prank young Sherlock would pull.)

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

I really like the structure of this. The adorable six year old Watson with his innocent lying - making up a story about pirate treasure. You would have to be a child yourself to fall for that one. And then there's the more considered lying and naughtiness of the ten year old Sherlock.

The final section makes for such a horrific contrast - an illustration of what it truly means to be 'bad'. And there's the added irony that little Jamie is perhaps the only one that isn't really lying. Dunno... He went away. Who indeed knows where someone goes after they die?

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

It helps that "mischief" can mean both lighthearted naughtiness and wicked harm ("doing someone a mischief").

I knew what I wanted for Watson and Moriarty - but coming up with the kind of prank young Sherlock would pull took longer!

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Ooo! Lovely study of three youths & their families! You say a lot with very few words.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I've always written short and dense. (Which probably explains why I've never been able to write a novel.)

[debriswoman]

Eerie contrasts of intent and outcome.

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

Yeah - the boisterous or quietly-mischievous lads doing boy-type pranks contrast with the silent eerieness of the conscienceless face of evil.