Fic: Mad As: Gen

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Title: Mad As
Length: 221
Characters: Bessie the Housemaid, Mrs. Hudson
Rating: Gen
Content Notes: at the end.
Notes: For the monthly prompt & the Watson's Woes monthly prompt of 'contagion.'


“Mrs. Hudson! Mrs. Hudson!”

Mrs. Hudson shrewdly commandeered the tray of collected breakfast things first before asking the pale, panting Bessie, “What is the matter, my dear?”

“The gentlemen have taken ill!”

Mrs. Hudson frowned, then turned her head and glanced at the calendar. “How so?”

“Mister Holmes, all of sudden, jumps up and starts boxing the coat rack! Or perhaps not boxing but doing that—what do you call it?” She waved her arms in the manner of a frantic windmill signaling distress.

“We do not speak of the bartitsu, Bessie,” said Mrs. Hudson with formal disapproval. “It is not a sanguine subject.”

“Oh, well, while he was doing that, Doctor Watson was jumping straight up like a spring!” She gave an imitation. “Then each put a slipper on his head, and they went marching ‘bout the room like the King’s men, or rather prancing like the Queen’s stallions! Gave me such a fright, it did! Must I go back up?”

Mrs. Hudson shook her head. “No, I’m afraid I must ask you to leave straight away—with half wages, of course—and not return until April.”

“Oh, Lord, Mrs. Hudson!” cried Bessie, hand to her forehead, “Is it catching?”

“No, my dear,” replied Mrs. Hudson with a weary sigh. “It’s simply the beginning of a long season of breeding.”

---
Note: Wikipedia entry for "mad as a March hare" says: A long-held view is that the hare will behave strangely and excitedly throughout its breeding season, which in Europe peaks in the month of March. This odd behaviour includes boxing at other hares, jumping vertically for seemingly no reason and generally displaying abnormal behaviour.

Comments

[mightymads]

Such an amusing one-shot! Those two, of course they are two peas of the same pod, even if the Doctor occasionally might seem more sensible XD

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I can't imagine something infecting one without the other. Yes, two peas in a pod.

[smallhobbit]

Poor Mrs Hudson - I sense a double order of gin is about to be placed.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Yes, it's going to be a very long March. She'll feel like Alice by the end of it.

[debriswoman]

Such a great image:-)
Poor Bessie

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I was having a bit of trouble with the prompt so I had to go surreal.

[scfrankles]

She waved her arms in the manner of a frantic windmill signaling distress.

“We do not speak of the bartitsu, Bessie,” said Mrs. Hudson with formal disapproval. “It is not a sanguine subject.” ^________^

I had to stop for a while at that line to let the laughter abate ^___^ Excellent stuff ^__^

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Bartitsu will never not be funny to me. And you should've heard a bit of the Jeeves voice in Mrs. Hudson's reply to Bessie; I was definitely channeling him there.

Thank you very much! *bows*

[luthienberen]

This is hilarious! Poor Mrs Hudson! Really not surprised that both men are effected, if one goes 'mad' then the other would too. :D

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! And absolutely. Madness is contagious at 221b.

[luthienberen]

It is indeed - let that be a caution for any daring to enter! :O

[gardnerhill]

Why, Bessie, you little old matchmaker you. Was that a Freudian slip when you referred to "Dr. Hudson"?

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

No, just typo! Fixed!