a/n: Responses to a December Calendar Challenge; devised by Hades Lord of the Dead. This first prompt is from sagredo:-
"mistletoe; as a poison."
Holmes and companions do not belong to me.
A drabble in verse.
Mistletoe
Blackmail;
Such a pitiless crime.
The grip on the victim relentlessly tightens;
She pays every time.
~0~
Exposed;
Every secret laid bare.
The victim diminished by every dark detail
He threatens to share
~0~
Mistletoe;
Supreme parasite.
Roots penetrate straight to the heart of the host;
Drink deep and hold tight.
~0~
She studies
The mistletoe bough.
A life, looking over her shoulder at shadows,
Unless she acts now.
~0~
Crime scene:
Spilled cup on the floor.
A body, sprawled lifeless, his features contorted;
Blackmailer no more.
~0~
No words
Really need to be said.
Holmes glances from teacup to mistletoe bough,
Freshly cut, overhead.
~0~
a/n 2: European mistletoe is poisonous, causing, amongst other things, abdominal symptoms and convulsions and can prove to be fatal.