Watson’s Morning Paper

 If you missed the previous episodes of this Time Travel mini-series, please click here for the first, here for the second, here for the third, here for the fourth, and here for the fifth.

Holmes (as modern day Arthur Doyle) walked briskly past the rows of antique hospital beds to the back corner of the Charity Ward. Sherlock was reminded of the typical hospital beds and décor of a hospital ward from his own century: “Striking isn’t it?” he asked of Julia as they approached Watson.

 

“What do you mean, Arthur?” Julia responded, quickly casting her eyes around as if to see what caught Doyle’s attention.

 

“The beds and the furniture in the charity ward sure do look like leftovers from a former time,” was his reply

 

“They have limited funds I suppose, for caring for the indigent,” spoke Julia.

 

“My friend Dr. Watson is not indigent,” he protested forgetting his assumed identity. He caught himself as Julia scolded him for being delusional. Then he added, “The good doctor was one of the best in his field. He is an old acquaintance of mine fromEngland. He has been visiting me this past weekend when you were off. I forgot to tell you he was coming.”

 

Julia snorted in disapproval. She was quick to point out that a background check done by the authorities led to nothing, not to mention the lack of identifying papers. She also scolded him about the silly costumes they were found in but stopped short of mentioning her deepest worry: that Arthur may have been playing out some weird fantasy game when they were injured.

 

Just then Arthur greeted Watson, “Hello, old friend. In what predicament do we find ourselves embraced today?” He studied Watson’s face, which was sort of peaking out from a bulky bandage that circumnavigated his head in multiple layers. He was conscious and bore a grim look on his face. That shape shifted into a broad smile when he recognized Holmes.

 

“Sherlock, they have arrested me and I am under guard. I am accused of breaking into the house of Arthur Doyle and stealing a file from his desk. Strange as in may sound to you, it was a file on Moriarity!”

 

Doyle held his finger to his lips as a signal to say no more. Then he took over the conversation explaining to Watson the apparent misunderstanding by the authorities and how the basilar skull fracture Watson sustained had caused him to have delusions about who they both were. He pointed out that the doctor had mentioned the shared delusion might reflect some research they were sharing before the accident. During his monologue he spoke fast so that Watson, usually glib, would not butt into the conversation. All the time he was talking he held a wink of his eye for Watson to see but in a way not visible to Julia.

 

The newspaper Watson was holding had bold front page headline: “Moriarity Missing: Files Stolen, Suspects Arrested.”

 

Holmes scanned it and understood Watson knew the parameters of the predicament. He also knew the game was afoot!

 

Scanning the front page for more clues he saw a minor headline: “Scientists find missing particle: Higgs Boson and its counter part the Higgs singlet.”

 

Reading further he discovered that in the recent week, at a place described as a linear accelerator, a tiny particle of an atom was discovered that may hold the key to travel into the fifth dimension. Further explanation in the article indicated that by using this particle and sending it into the fifth dimension it may be possible to travel ahead or back in time.

 

“Awesome, Watson,” declared Holmes. “Science has invented time travel. It almost makes me boil over with anticipation. I wonder what will happen next?”