"Now, the ecosystem is the vital relationship between the environment and the species. Without it, there would not be life or even the planet Earth itself." Explained an elderly man in German with short grey curls and slim rectangular shaped glasses resting upon his nose. His grey blue eyes wandering at times through the glasses and over them towards the students.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgUe17QfXjx
Many students paid attention and wrote down notes while others fumbled about their smartphone under their desks anonymously or whispered few words about something else than biology.
I, one of many students paid attention to the lesson and took notes to what the teacher explained and understood what was explained.
I have very short cut, golden-brown hair (the only girl with very short hair in my class) and pale green eyes. I am not the best in class nor the worst, just average. Having my weakness and strength at certain topics and yet many avoid me for some reason.
There are many possibilities but the closest is that I think big at certain times, longing to see the world, finish a novel, know a lot of the basic knowledge, read plentiful books in English and German and am a respectable fan of Sherlock Holmes.
But I do not boast about it or only talk about him all the time, nope. Just trying my best to use his methods and logical thinking. Deduction.
Soon the bell rang and immediately all the students packed there things and walked ahead to the next classroom for the next lesson which is French.
Ironically I have French blood from my mother's side yet I first started learning French 5 years ago and not 7 like all the other usual (Swiss) students. Because I was in Sweden for 8 years due to a job offered by IKEA that my father took and along his family; therefore my English is far ahead than the others in class because I visited the International School. Besides my knowledge in French it also counts the same with German only advanced. I have trouble with the grammar at writing (although I am half-German). Well, as a bonus I know a bit Swedish.
During French lesson the teacher told us that we all should choose spontaneously an idol that we have for life and introduce that to the class. The most logical choice (knowing that I am a Sherlock Holmes fan) would be of course that fictitious man or the author.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5smzk0XbJ
The teacher called us up alphabetically by our surname and that my surname starts with a 'V', I knew I would be one of the last which is just annoying because that order appears too often in school.
With patience and some nerves I walked up the board and faced the class as it was my turn. I took a deep breath and began to tell in French without any funny accents and with a clear and audible voice about Sherlock Holmes (and multiple grammar mistakes). Hopefully many would understand me.
Suddenly my presentation was interrupted by a knocking from the door. One student who was closest to the door opened. A pale, clean-shaven, oval shaped manly face peered in the room. Slightly dark thick eyebrows rested on top of the man's big pale green eyes and had a slim hawk-like nose. His short dark hair brushed with gel giving a wet look and somewhat reminded me of the deceased actor Jeremy Brett acting Sherlock Holmes. I blinked as the thought came to me.
"What is it that interrupt's our lesson, monsieur?" Asked the teacher angered and annoyed.
"Thousand pardons madame. But I am looking for a student by the name ..." Responded the man in German with an English accent and a clear voice and similar like that of the actor.
As he spoke my name I froze of surprise. Everyone looked at me. Some gave glances of surprise, curiosity, disgust and jealousy. Quickly I walked out. Once I closed the door I gave a short sigh and faced the stranger.
"I'm very sorry to disturb you in this sort of fashion but it is urgent." Explained the man further in German. His black leathered gloved hands were holding with controlled eagerness at the rim of his black melon (hat). He wore a mocha-brown felt trench coat that had dark brown buttons and a belt but they were open. Under the coat I noticed a stone-grey tweed suit with a fitting waistcoat and a white shirt. My eyes wandered further down to the shoes, they were hand made in the finest leather in black and were fine polished too. At the toes the shoes were round shaped and due to the design they were without a doubt English or Irish. Why am I thinking that this man before me is Sherlock Holmes? Because I had a presentation about him just now? Is it because of the man's face that reminds me; or even both?517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6GgDXIXLqB
I gave a nervous nod to his excuse.
"Do you know who I am?" Asked the man looking into my eyes as if expecting something from me.
"I have few ideas who you might be but it is highly probable that they are wrong." I answered confidently in English.
"Pray tell." Smiled the man in British English.
"Are you sure you want to hear them?" I asked and raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"Are they offending?"
"Not really, they're rather strange." I gave calmly.
"Please." Gave the man with a friendly grin.
"Due to your clothes and face I have this impression that you are the deceased British actor Jeremy Brett who acted in the 1980s as Sherlock Holmes or you are just plain the character Sherlock Holmes." I answered directly and truthfully.
"I've never heard of the actor Jeremy Brett but Sherlock Holmes is very familiar to me." He noted.
"Who hasn't heard of Sherlock Holmes?" I grinned. "What brings you here that is urgent?"
"As a matter of fact, I AM Sherlock Holmes from Bakerstreet, London."
I blinked; wondering if this is a dream or is someone taking me for a fool?
"A note led me to you." Mentioned Sherlock and handed to me a folded piece of paper from his hat.
I unfolded it carefully, the paper was thick and the letters were hand written by a man with a broad fountain pen in blue ink.
'If you have reached this far and found no further leads, visit the town school by the initial NMS and look for the girl by the name ... She can help you find your way back.'
I bit my lower lip to be double assured if I was awake and in clear conscience. Without looking to Holmes I returned the note folded to him. I took a deep breath.
This is no fool standing before me! This is Sherlock Holmes; the greatest detective! "Right. In order to help you I need full information of what you know of your case and how you got here including where you came from."
Sherlock froze and stared at me for a brief moment in disbelief. "Although you don't know much of me; I see there is no sense of doubt or skepticism from you. As if you know I am telling the utmost truth. Why?" He paused. "Do you know who wrote the note?"517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO0Ip8ZHiOe
I shook my head. "No; I only know that the note was written by a man of wealth with a broad fountain pen and that you are not fooling about with your identity due to your body language, the tone in your voice and clothes in the finest detail. I know no one who can fool me that accurate and especially in this sense of humor."
"Then what gives you the confident feeling of relying me on every word I say?"
"Ironically I have trusting issuses with strangers but not with you. I know that you never guess and find good facts that I at times oversee; therefore as a woman I have my intuition that is very accurate and thus good at guessing." I clasped my hands together as if praying with out stretched fingers touching my lips. "Now my intuition says that I can fully rely on you, you are a trustworthy person with some similar common sense in possession as I do." I explained with a grin and led Holmes to the closest empty table and bench to sit down along the hall. With a gesture of my hand I offered him the empty bench opposite of me.
"Oh? What common sense do you believe you and I have similar?" Asked Holmes with a sense of doubt and seated.
"All in good time Holmes and the actions will speak louder than words." I continued to grin. "Enough with that; now pray tell me your story Mr. Holmes."
"As odd as it is usually I always ask for the clients' story, now it is the contrary." Holmes shortly chuckled.
"It all began few days ago as my colleague Watson and I went after a professor in Oxford who successfully invented a so called 'time-machine'. What has caused the disappearings of some students in college who attended to physics class. Some students strangely returned but totally confused or even mad.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjilw4Xsg23
The professor's name is George Olaf Hendson, a learned English professor in physics, mathematics and astronomy with background roots leading back to Sweden. As per usual Scotland Yard was helpless without my aid and so Inspector Lestrade consulted me.
Immediately Watson and I headed to the college to see the professor and found thus what I explained before but not the particular reason why. The professor never answered the reason, so I have to find out myself through the hard way. Last night or so it seemed to me due the time today, I broke into his study and examined.
Before he caught me red-handed in his study because he was working in the room next to the study upon his machine, I found this." Explained Holmes and fished out of his tweed jacket pocket a long golden chain of a necklace with a golden pendant and a golden ring.
The pendant was beautifully adorned with white pearls while the ring was plain gold, no diamonds or other luxury.
I immediately recognized from the design and the size of the ring it belonged to a man. "May I?" I asked politely.
Holmes placed it upon the table. Gently I took it into my hands and opened the oval shaped pendant, inside I found a portrait of a young woman and on the lid side a strap of perfumed hair. The air of fresh roses was hardly to ignore.
At the ring I found a printed name on the inside, Helen Svenia Björnson-Hendson. "Interesting, the wedding ring is his and due to the fine care he loves his wife very much. His wife must have died young or left him and therefore he wouldn't have invented the 'time-machine'. He wants to make amends in his frustrated, brilliant mind. Please continue." I noted and placed gently the necklace on the table.
Holmes stared at me for a brief moment and then continued. "As he caught me red-handed, naturally he became furious and lead me to the machine. Just before the professor was about to pull the lever to send me here another man interfered him in Swedish. There was a row and I tried to step in and stop but they were stronger than I had estimated and pushed me unbeknownst to the lever. Everything went black before me.
I don't know how long I was out but as I came to I had the feeling of nauseousness and disorientation. Soon I collected that I was in an abandoned building that was once a factory. I walked out and tried to gather where I was. I asked few playing children wearing strange clothes down a strange sort of street where I was, what time, day and year it is. They didn't understand English and asked me in Swiss-German. Immediately the best I could I repeated asking in German." Holmes paused. "Is it true that it is the year 2015?"517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6JZW16X7n
"It is so. The Victorian Era had its glorious days in England. Now the fashion has allowed women to wear trousers and in the politics allowed the women to vote and work like men if they want to. And more that you have to learn." I explained.
"It is absurd. A disgrace."
"To your opinion, Holmes." I corrected sharply. "Mind your tongue with me, I say women have the same right as men do no matter what and that is my opinion." I snapped and pointed a finger to him. "I have a sense of emancipation and pride." I paused. "Where did you find the note?"
"This morning after asking the children a man in a yellow and grey sort of suit driving a yellow van asked if I were Sherlock Holmes. To my agreement he handed to me the note." He paused. "I can bring all this darkness into light but I need time and your help to learn how the world ticks in this year in Berne, Switzerland."517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUFynwZpA6Z
"How long were the students missing until they returned confused or mad?" I asked worried.
"Between 19 and 34 days time."
"Then it would be best to stick to the time so that you remain sane when you return. Subtract one day ahead for the time you were unconscious to be totally sure."517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOP44cnLSs5
"Right." He sighed uneasy.
"We can start with the post office about the origin of the note, now." I remarked and stood up, ready to leave.
"Wait! Don't you have lessons to attend to?" Questioned Holmes, looking up to me with a questioning gaze.
"Actually I do but you don't know your way around here in this time. Secondly how can I concentrate now knowing you are here and thirdly I can always catch up the lessons and work from a few good friends. Come on." I grinned with a sense of excitement and walked ahead.
Holmes stood up and followed me hesitantly.517Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpI3ZpAgvP6
