It was a regular, typical sunny afternoon on Sesame Street. Residents of the street where outside watching the children play in the park, sitting and hanging out on the stoop of 123 Sesame Street, or having a bite to eat at Hooper's Store. Today, a little 10-year-old Muppet girl named Lexi was at the Arbor jumping rope with her two best friends, Elmo and Abby Cadabby. And since the three children were very young, they had to be supervised by an adult. So Lexi's mentor and homeschool teacher, Sherlock Hemlock watched them while sitting on the bench with his dog named Watson.
"So who's turn is it?!" asked Lexi.
"My turn next!" said Abby.
"Okay Abby," said Lexi. "But make sure you don't use your wings. Flying while jump roping is cheating."
"I know, Lexi," said Abby, going into the middle of the jump rope. "Thanks for telling me."
"Alright Elmo," said Lexi, grabbing one end of the jump rope. "Grab the other end and let's play again."
"Okay Lexi!" said Elmo, holding onto the other end of the jump rope. "Elmo's ready!"
"Great!" said Lexi. "Ready…Set…Go!"
Lexi and Elmo started to turn the jump rope around while Abby starts to jump in it.
"I had a little puppy. His name was Tiny Tim," said Lexi. "I put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim."
"He drank all the water. He ate a bar of soap," said Elmo. "The next thing Elmo knows he had a bubble in his throat!"
"In came the doctor, in came the nurse," said Lexi. "In came the lady with the alligator purse."
"Out went the doctor, out went the nurse," said Elmo. "Out went the lady with the alligator purse!"
Lexi and Elmo stop turning the jump rope as Abby reached the ground.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" said the kids, clapping their hands.
"Let's do another rhyme!" said Lexi.
"Sure Lexi!" said Elmo.
"Okay, who wants to go ne-" asked Abby.
"Hello everybodyyyyyyyyyy!" cried Grover, running to the group.
"Oh hello, Grover!" said Abby.
"Hi Grover!" said Elmo.
"Hey Abby! Hi Elmo! Hello there, Lexi!" said Grover. "It's your cute, furry little monster, Grover!"
"It's nice to see you today, Grover," said Lexi. "What brings you here?"
"Our favorite magician, the Amazing Mumford is putting on a magic show in front of Hooper's Store," said Grover. "Want to come see it with all of our friends on Sesame Street?"
"We would love to, Grover!" said Lexi, then turning to Elmo and Abby and saying to them. "Elmo? Abby? What do you say?"
"We want to see the magic show!" said Abby and Elmo.
"Let's go!" said Elmo. "Elmo wants to see some tricks!"
"To Hooper's!" cried Grover, pointing to the store.
The kids started to follow Grover.
"Wait Lexi!" said Sherlock, running after them. "Elmo! Abby! I don't want you three causing any mischief!"
"Woof woof!" said Watson, running.
"Slow down, Watson!" said Sherlock, catching up to his dog. "You're so fast for a little brown dog!"
At Hooper's Store, everyone sat down on set-up chairs or on the floor as Alan was giving out snacks and small drinks.
"And now!" said Gordon, in front of the store. "We present! Our favorite magnificent magician around here! The Amazing Mumford!"
Everyone clapped their hands. Then Mr. Mumford arrived at the front as Gordon stepped out of the way.
"Ahhh yes!" said Mr. Mumford. "Thank you! Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen! It is I, the Amazing Mumford! This will be a magic show that will blow you away! Now…Before I begin my first trick, I would like a volunteer from the audience."
"Oh oh! Me me me!" said Grover, raising his hand while jumping up and down. "Pick me! Pick me, Mumfy! Meeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
"You always assist me, Grover," said Mr. Mumford. "I want someone different. Someone who I never worked with before."
"As you wish…" said Grover, sitting back down.
"Hmmm…Let's see…" said Mr. Mumford.
He gasped, pointed to Abby, and said, "Ahhh you! Abby Cadabby! You seem like you can do magic tricks, too! Why don't you come on up and join me!"
"Yippee!" said Abby, flying to the front.
"Now Abby," said Mr. Mumford. "The first trick will be one of my old favorites. The disappearing trick! Hmmm…But what shall we use?"
"Here Mr. Mumford!" said Telly Monster, handing him a triangle-shaped wooden block. "You can use my toy triangle building block!"
"Why thank you, Telly," said Mr. Mumford, accepting the block and placing it on the table. "Now Abby, when you say the magic words, I'll make this triangle block…disappear!"
"Okay Mr. Mumford," said Abby, then pausing and saying, "But…Umm…What are the magic words again?"
Mr. Mumford whispers the magic words into Abby's ear.
"Oh Oh! Okay…" said Abby. "Okay, here we go!"
Mr. Mumford waved his magic wand around the block as Abby looked at the toy and said, "A la peanut butter sandwiches!"
Magic dust appears as there was a "Poof!" sound. But the building block was still there. Then the magic started hitting things as people tried to get out of the way. But instead of making things disappear, the magic was making things shrink. It shrunk a basketball, a chair, and a plate with a sandwich.
"Oops..." said Mr. Mumford, sweating nervously. "My trick when wrong again!"
"Hey Elmo," Lexi said to Elmo, when she noticed Sherlock wasn't next to her. "Where's Sherlock?"
"I don't know, Lexi," said Elmo, looking around. "He was here with you and Elmo a minute ago."
"Here's his magnifying glass," said Lexi, picking up Sherlock's detective item. "But where could he be?"
No one knew where Sherlock was. That's because he was hit with Mr. Mumford's magic and shrunk to the size of a finger. But since he shrunk in mid-air, he began to fall towards the ground below.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!" screamed Sherlock, then landing on the ground. "Oof!"
He gets up slowly and rubs his arms.
"Owww…" said Sherlock. "That awfully hurt."
He looks around and notices that the street was bigger than him.
"Huh?" said Sherlock, all surprised. "Gadzooks, what's going on here? Mumford didn't make the city bigger, did he?"
He then sees his magnifying glass on the ground next to him since it fell out of the detective's pocket when he shrank.
"My magnifying glass!" said Sherlock, looking at it. "It must have grown, too!"
He pauses for a second and said, "Wait a minute…That doesn't make sense…So what's the problem here?"
Sherlock thought for a moment and said as he gasped, "EGAD! I SHRUNK!"
He settled down and said, "How did I become smaller? Wait, I know! The magic must have turned from disappearing things to shrinking things! And it happened to hit me! But…I wonder if anybody else got shrunken down."
Sherlock looks at the people still watching the magic show and sees that no one changed size.
"Oh, no one grew small either. Everyone seems to be normal," said Sherlock, then sighing. "Oooooh, I do hope someone would start looking for me. They're probably starting to wonder where I am. And Lexi? Awww poor Lexi… She might be so upset right now. Yet…she may find me and bring me back to Mumford so I can return to my normal size. But that's just a maybe. So for now, I might as well look around Sesame Street at this height."
Sherlock tried to move his magnifying glass. But it was a little bit heavy to him since he was three inches high as well as suddenly starting to have light body weight.
"Ooooooooh!" said Sherlock, trying to pick it up. "Stupid magnifying glass!"
He then placed it back on the ground and said, "If I carry this by myself, I could break my back. Hey, wait a minute! Since I'm tiny, I can look around Sesame Street with my own eyes! I can see the small things on the ground now. My word, what was I thinking?!"
Sherlock starts to go around Sesame Street by himself so he can see the street differently at the size he was at.
Later, on the 9th floor of the Furry Arms Hotel, Lexi quickly ran into the suite she lives in since she still couldn't find Sherlock.
"Mother!" said Lexi, looking for her mother named Joyce. "Mother, where are you?!"
"I'm in the kitchen, honey!" said Joyce. "I'm making one of your favorite lunches! Grilled cheese!"
Lexi ran into the kitchen where she saw Joyce making a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove.
"Hi Lexi," said Joyce, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "Did you have fun with Abby and Elmo?"
"Yes mother," said Lexi. "But I have a problem right now."
"What's wrong?" asked Joyce.
"Well, while Abby, Elmo, and I were jumping rope in the courtyard," said Lexi, "Mr. Mumford was putting on a magic show for all of us to see. And when the magic trick failed…like always, I was ready to leave. But I couldn't find Sherlock!"
"What do you mean you can't find Mr. Hemlock?" said Joyce. "Wasn't he watching you and your friends play?
"He was," said Lexi. "But now, I don't know where he is. I think he's lost."
"Lost?!" gasped Joyce, dropping the hot pan onto the floor. "Oh dear! He could get hurt!"
"Will you help me find him?" asked Lexi.
"Of course I will, Lexi," said Joyce. "We must find your mentor. He has to homeschool you tomorrow."
She looked down at the floor and said, "But can I clean up this mess first? The cheese is oozing all over the floor."
"Yeah you should," said Lexi.
"Thanks Lexi," said Joyce, starting to clean up.
At the apartment building of 123 Sesame Street, after spending two hours looking around Sesame Street, Sherlock was ready to go back to his apartment room.
"I better go back to my room," said Sherlock. "Looking around was interesting with a new perspective, but I must be going back."
He started to walk. But then stopped.
"Huh?" said Sherlock, looking up at the apartment he lives in. "Ohhh nooo! My home is far away! If I walk or run there on my feet, it will take me hours to reach the front door! How am I going to get there?!"
"Need some help, sir?" asked a female butterfly, flying to the tiny detective.
"Who said that?" asked Sherlock.
"I did," said the butterfly.
"Oh!" said Sherlock, as he jumped. "Gadzooks!"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sir," said the butterfly. "Did I scare you?"
"Just a little bit," said Sherlock. "Say, can you-"
He noticed that she was a monarch butterfly.
"Zounds!" said Sherlock, all amazed. "Why you're a monarch!"
"And?" said the butterfly.
"You're so stunning," said Sherlock. "I love the species' colors. What's your name if I may ask you?"
"I'm Madam Lucia," said the butterfly. "How about you?"
"Sherlock Hemlock," said Sherlock.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Hemlock," said Madam Lucia.
"Please call me Sherlock," said Sherlock. "Anyways, I was wondering if there is a way I can get to my flat complex."
"Flat complex?" asked Madam Lucia.
"Oh sorry," said Sherlock, with a chuckle. "I forgot to tell you. I am part of the British decent. I'm from London, you know."
"But what's a flat?" asked Madam Lucia.
"That's how we people from the UK call an apartment," said Sherlock. "I lived in England for most of my young life. So I'm used to the English terms. Yet I'm trying to also use the American way as well. But seriously, can you help me get to my room?"
"Sure Sherlock," said Madam Lucia, opening her wings. "Here. Climb onto my back and I'll fly you to your apartment room."
"You will?" said Sherlock, climbing onto her back. "Oh splendid!"
"Just don't touch my wings," said Madam Lucia. "They're very, very delicate. Now hold on tight. Because heeeeeeeeeeeere we gooooooooooo!"
She flew off the ground and started to fly into the air.
"What a jolly good flight!" said Sherlock, looking down at Sesame Street below him. "By Jove! Sesame Street looks beautiful from up here."
"Which building do you live in?" asked Madam Lucia.
"That one right over there," said Sherlock, pointing to a second story building. "Above the Fix-It Shop."
Madam Lucia flies to the apartment fast and she stopped next to a window where Sherlock's room was.
"Okay ma'am," said Sherlock, getting off the butterfly's back. "Here it is."
He opens the window with his strength as he steps onto the windowsill.
"Thanks Madam Lucia," said Sherlock. "You were a big help."
"You're very welcome, Sherlock, sir," said Madam Lucia, patting his head with one of her arms. "Now I must be going. I have kids to feed. Goodbye Sherlock. You stay safe."
"Ta ta!" said Sherlock, waving to her.
Madam Lucia smiled as she flew away.
"Alright," Sherlock said to himself. "Now that I'm home, I must check on-"
He steps forward and slips as he fell off the windowsill with a loud "Oh!" as he landed on one of the cushions of the couch.
"At least I landed on something soft this time," said Sherlock. "Landing on the street ground hurt!"
Just then, there was the sound of scratching on the other side of the door.
"Who's scratching my door?!" asked Sherlock.
"Woof woof!" barked Watson, scratching the door with his paws.
"Oh, coming Watson!" said Sherlock, getting off the couch and runs towards the door.
Sherlock quickly stopped and said, "But how am I going to reach the doorknob?"
He looked around and saw his grandfather clock that was next to the door.
"That's going to be really high to climb," said Sherlock, looking up. "Hmmm…Maybe I should climb that chair first. Then I can reach the top of the grandfather clock and stand on it."
Sherlock runs to the tall chair and starts climbing up on it.
"This…is…torture!" said Sherlock, trying not to slip. "But it's the only way!"
3 minutes later, he reached the top of the chair, jumped as he grabbed onto the edge of the clock, and pulled himself up as he stood onto the top.
"Arwoooooooooooooow!" howled Watson.
"Patience Watson!" said Sherlock.
Sherlock ran as he jumped and quickly wrapped his arms around the doorknob. Then he placed his feet on the door and pulled himself backwards as the door opened after he turned it a few times to open it correctly. Then Watson came running inside.
"Watson!" said Sherlock, dangling from the doorknob. "Hey Watson! Can you get me down?!"
Watson sees Sherlock, thinking that he was a bug. So he started to growl at his owner.
"Huh?!" gasped Sherlock, getting nervous. "Watson! It's your owner, boy! It's me, Sherlock Hemlock! You know, the world's greatest detective?!"
Sherlock lost his grip of the doorknob and he slipped and fell into Watson's mouth.
"WATSON!" cried Sherlock, trying to open the dog's mouth. "WATSON, LET ME OUT! DON'T EAT ME! PLEASE!"
Out of nowhere, Lexi and Joyce quickly ran into the room as they suddenly heard the barking and growling as they were going to look for Sherlock at this apartment.
"What's going on in here?!" asked Joyce.
"Mmmmm! Mmmmmmm! Mmmmmmmmmmm!" mumbled Sherlock, still inside Watson.
"Watson, what's in your mouth?" asked Lexi. "I see a piece of clothing."
Watson looked at her.
"Spit it out, Watson," said Joyce.
Watson shook his head.
"NOW!" said Joyce.
Watson opened his mouth and Sherlock screamed and fell out as he landed on the floor covered in dog slobber.
"Uuuuuugh!" said Sherlock, lifting his arm. "Ewwwww!"
"Sherlock?!" said Lexi. "Sherlock, where are you?!"
"Down here!" said Sherlock, waving his arm around.
"Where?!" asked Lexi.
"Lexi, look down!" said Sherlock, tapping her shoe.
Lexi looked down. But she didn't see Sherlock. So she pulled out the detective's magnifying glass she kept and placed it near the ground. Then she saw Sherlock through the glass and said as she jumped back, "Oh! Mother look!"
"Oh my goodness!" Joyce gasped hard as she saw Sherlock at his small size. "Mr. Hemlock?! Is that you?!"
"Yes Joyce," said Sherlock. "It's me, Sherlock Hemlock, the world's greatest detective. Well…the world's smallest detective as of right now."
"What happened?" asked Joyce, going on her knees to look at him better.
"Lexi and I attended the magic show ran by Mr. Mumford with everyone else on Sesame Street," said Sherlock. "His disappearing trick somehow turned into a shrinking trick. And the magic happened to hit me! And now look at me, I'm as small as a birthday candle!"
"Well, did your detective clothes shrink with you?" asked Joyce.
"Yes thank goodness," said Sherlock. "And thank goodness my voice didn't change into a high pitch voice. Then I would sound funny."
"And your hat?" asked Lexi. "Your magnifying glass is still at the right size."
"Yes my dear Lexi," said Sherlock, holding onto his detective hat. "Because if it wasn't, I would keep my hands on my head and not come out."
"Why?" asked Joyce. "Are you afraid to show yourself?"
"No, I just don't want people to look at the rest of my head," said Sherlock.
"Like this?" said Lexi, taking Sherlock's hat off his head.
"Hey!" said Sherlock, covering his head with one hand and reaching for his hat with the other. "That's my deerstalker!"
"Ha ha!" said Lexi, starting to laugh. "You're bald!"
"Give it back, Lexi!" said Sherlock, trying to reach his hat by jumping. "Please!"
"Alright," said Lexi, putting the hat back on Sherlock's head. "Fine. Here you go."
"Thank you," Sherlock said as he made sure his detective hat was fully secured on his head.
He then groaned and said, "Don't do that again."
"Sorry," said Lexi, giggling a little bit.
"Be quiet, missy!" said Sherlock, in an angry tone. "It's not funny!"
"Now Mr. Hemlock," said Joyce, "Do you know where Mr. Mumford is?"
"No I do not," said Sherlock, shaking his head. "He left right after the show."
"So why don't you try looking for him?" suggested Joyce.
"No way, Joyce," said Sherlock. "I've spent at least two whole hours looking all around Sesame Street. And because of me being very little in size, it made me tired since it's more far away for me."
He paused and said," Also, while I was exploring with my new point of view, I overheard Mumford speaking to the adults that he forgot how to do the opposite of the shrinking trick. So I guess I'm not going to enlarge today."
"I kind of like you being teeny tiny," said Lexi, with a sweet smile. "It's cute."
"Lexi no," said Sherlock. "I don't like it. It's making me worried. Someone might step on me. Watson might eat me in my sleep. And I might not reach the toilet to go to the bathroom!"
"Mr. Hemlock, please," said Joyce. "Calm down. Everything will be all right. Say, if you're afraid of being alone at this height, why don't you stay with Lexi and I at the Furry Arms tonight until you change back to your normal size?"
"You really would do that?" asked Sherlock.
"Of course," said Joyce, nodding her head. "We don't want you to get hurt."
"Thanks Joyce," said Sherlock, then saying, "But where will I sleep?"
"You can sleep in one of my dolls' little beds," said Lexi. "It will be the perfect size for you right now."
"Awww thank you, Lexi dear," said Sherlock, with a smile. "I'll accept the offer."
"Yippeeeeeeeeeee!" said Lexi, clapping her hands happily.
"As long as you don't treat me like your little dolls and toys," said Sherlock. "Just remember I'm an alive Muppet."
"Don't you worry, Mr. Hemlock," said Joyce. "I will make sure Lexi handles you gently."
"I'll get Watson's leash!" said Lexi, grabbing the dog leash and hooking it to his collar.
"Okay then," said Joyce, heading for the door. "Let's go."
"Hey!" said Sherlock, trying to get the mother and daughter's attention. "Wait!"
"What's wrong, Mr. Hemlock?" said Joyce.
"Can you please carry me to the Furry Arms?" asked Sherlock. "I've already had a hard time just getting here on my two small feet."
"Oh my, I'm sorry," said Joyce, picking him up. "Please forgive me. Of course we'll help you get to the hotel easier."
"Where are you going to put me?" asked Sherlock. "In your trousers' pocket or your shoe or sock?"
"You're going in my purse," said Joyce, placing Sherlock into her pocketbook.
"But I don't want to go in your handbag!" said Sherlock, falling to the bottom of the purse. "Oof!"
"But that way you wouldn't slip out," said Joyce, closing her bag.
"Joyce, I can't breathe!" said Sherlock, gasping for air. "Can you at least keep the surface open a little bit?!"
"Oh sure," said Joyce, opening the purse halfway. "Sorry about that. Now, back to the Furry Arms."
"Come on, Watson," said Lexi, holding the leash.
"Woof woof!" said Watson, following her lead.
As Joyce closed the apartment room door, her and her daughter, Lexi left the building and started to head back to the Furry Arms hotel.
"Yikes!" said Sherlock, being bumped around inside the purse. "Joyce is a fast walker!"
Just then, a little tiny container of facial blush opened and spilled all over Sherlock.
"Ack!" said Sherlock, starting to cough. "A-A-Achoo!"
"Bless you!" said Joyce.
When they arrived at the Furry Arms hotel, Joyce, Lexi, and Watson went up the elevator to the 9th floor and entered their suite.
"Alright, we're home," said Joyce. "Now let's take Mr. Hemlock out of my purse."
But when Joyce opened her purse, she saw a lot of facial blush covering the inside.
"Oh dear!" said Joyce. "What in the world happened in here?! I better clean it up!"
She went to the bathroom and dumped out her purse into the sink as she saw Sherlock fall out still coughing and sneezing from the beauty product, as well as a few balls of dust.
"Oh my gosh!" said Joyce, running the sink water onto the blushy detective. "Mr. Hemlock! Are you all right?!"
"Bubububububub!" said Sherlock, as his voice bubbled into the sink water. "Careful Joyce!"
She stopped the water and wrapped Sherlock with a small unused washcloth.
"Thanks a lot, Joyce," said Sherlock, trying to breathe normally.
"I better get you some water," said Joyce, hearing his dry voice. "Some of those blush particles might have went down your throat."
She grabbed a liquid medicine dispenser, filled it with water, opened Sherlock's mouth, and slowly pours the water in his mouth as he starts to swallow it.
"Good…" said Joyce, smiling as Sherlock drinks the water. "There you go…"
"He's not a baby, silly," said Lexi.
"I know, but he can't pour himself a glass of water right now," said Joyce. "So this is an easy way for someone very tiny as a crayon."
Sherlock finishes the water and said, "Thank you so much, Joyce. I feel better."
"You're very welcome, Mr. Hemlock," said Joyce, then looking out the window as it became a little dark. "Oh. The sun's going down. Time for me to make dinner."
"What are we having, mother?" asked Lexi.
"Chicken, white rice, and broccoli," said Joyce.
"Okay I'll have the chicken and rice," said Lexi. "But not the broccoli. I don't like those little green things."
"Well, that's what we're having for dinner, young lady," said Joyce.
"But I hate vegetables," said Lexi. "Especially spinach. Yuck!"
"Lexi, you must eat your supper," said Sherlock. "Otherwise, you won't have any dessert."
20 minutes later, dinner was ready as everyone washed their hands and sat at the dining room table.
"Where am I going to sit?" asked Sherlock. "I'm way too small to sit in the chairs."
"Here Sherlock," said Lexi, placing a tiny table and chair from her doll playset onto the dinner table. "You'll eat here."
"Thanks Lexi," said Sherlock, sitting down. "Huh…It's not very sturdy. But I have to make the best of it."
"Here you are, Mr. Hemlock," said Joyce, serving him his dinner. "Enjoy."
She had to give him a grain of rice and cut the chicken and broccoli into extremely tiny pieces so Sherlock can have the right amount of food at the correct portion. She also gave him three drops of white milk into a tiny cup. And after he thanked her, Sherlock began to eat and drink.
"How is it, Mr. Hemlock?" asked Joyce.
"It's very good, Joyce," said Sherlock. "Thank goodness you gave me this much. Otherwise, I would have to eat a meal the size on what you and your daughter are having. And that will give me a bad stomachache since my now tiny stomach might explode from big food."
Lexi giggled.
"Lexi…" said Sherlock.
"I'm sorry," said Lexi, with a frown.
"It's alright," said Sherlock.
"Ruff ruff ruff!" said Watson, barking at his empty food dish.
"Excuse me, Lexi," said Sherlock. "Can you feed my dog? His food dish is empty. And I can't do it myself at three inches high."
"Okay Sherlock," said Lexi, getting out of her seat so she can feed Watson, as well as giving him fresh water.
After dinner, it was time to go to bed. So everyone got their pajamas on and did their personal needs. But Sherlock had to stay in his detective uniform and socks since his other clothes and pajamas were way too big for him since they are at the same size.
"Hi mother," said Lexi, entering her mother's bedroom.
"Lexi, go back to your room," said Joyce, "You need to go to sleep."
"I was going to set this here," said Lexi, placing one of the little doll-sized beds on the nightstand next to the bed. "It's a little bed for Sherlock until he grows to his normal size again. I don't want him to sleep on the floor or anything uncomfortable."
"Oh right," said Joyce. "I forgot about that."
She turns to Sherlock and said to him, "What do you think, Mr. Hemlock?"
"Hmmm…" said Sherlock, crawling into the little bed as he placed his head on the tiny pillow. "It's…It's comfy. This will do."
"Great," said Lexi, smiling. "Well goodnight mother. Goodnight Sherlock. Night Watson."
"Goodnight Lexi," said Joyce. "See you in the morning."
"Woof woof!" said Watson, curling into a ball on the carpet floor as he closed his eyes.
Lexi left the bedroom and walked back to her bedroom as she crawled under the covers of her bed and went to sleep.
"Have a good night, Mr. Hemlock," said Joyce, giving him a kiss on his head. "Sleep well."
"Same to you, Joyce," said Sherlock, then saying to himself, "Wow, that's what I call a BIG kiss!"
Sherlock pulls the covers over himself as he went sound asleep.
The next morning, while everyone was still asleep, Sherlock was taking a bubble bath in the bathroom sink since he couldn't use the actual bathtub because it was too big for him.
"Taking a bath in the sink is a little odd," said Sherlock, scrubbing his back with an unused toothbrush, "but I didn't want to bathe in the bathtub since it'll be like a swimming pool to me. And I must be clean and fresh."
While Sherlock was still washing himself, the doorknob turned.
"Wait!" said Sherlock. "Don't come in! I'll be out in a moment! I'm busy!"
The door opened and in came Joyce as she entered the bathroom. But when she went to the sink to brush her teeth, she saw Sherlock in the sink as she gasped and jumped.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" screamed Sherlock.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" screamed Joyce.
"My word, Joyce!" said Sherlock, covering himself. "Can't a detective take a bath in peace?!"
"I'm sorry!" said Joyce, feeling bad. "I couldn't hear you!"
"Joyce, I deserve to have my privacy," said Sherlock. "Now get out! Run along!"
Joyce groaned as she left the bathroom and closed the door.
After Sherlock was clean, he got out of the sink, dried himself off with a small piece of cloth, and put on his detective clothes and hat.
"Now I have to homeschool Lexi," Sherlock said to himself, putting on his socks and shoes. "But it might be a little hard since I'm still very small."
He got down to the floor as he walked out of the bathroom. Then he ran into Lexi's bedroom and saw her still asleep.
"Hey Lexi!" said Sherlock. "Wake up!"
Lexi was still sleeping.
"She probably can't hear me from down here," said Sherlock. "I'll try to get her attention this way."
He climbed onto her bed, stood on her chest, touched her nose, and whispered loudly, "Psst!"
"Huh? What?" said Lexi, in a tired voice as she woke up.
"Morning Lexi," said Sherlock. "Time for homeschooling."
"Aww Sherlock…" said Lexi, then pausing and saying, "Wait. You can't homeschool me today."
"Why not?" asked Sherlock.
"Because you're still tiny," said Lexi.
"Lexi, I may be small in size," said Sherlock, "but I continue to have my smarts. I'm still going to teach you whether you like it or not. Now hop out of bed and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you in the dining room. And if you don't show up by 8 o'clock sharp, there will be consequences. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir," said Lexi. "Clear as a bell."
After Lexi got dressed and ready for the day, she went into the dining room.
"Lexi, you're late," said Sherlock, standing on the table.
"But it's 8 o'clock," said Lexi.
"Correction," said Sherlock, pointing to the clock on the wall, "8:05. Now have a seat. We need to get started."
Lexi sat down in a chair.
"Okay," said Sherlock, grabbing a chopstick and holding it with both hands.
"What's with the chopstick?" asked Lexi.
"Since my fingers are too little to point to the words and pictures, I'm using this chopstick to point to them," said Sherlock, turning to a certain page and standing onto the book. "Now…Where on this map is the state of Arizona?"
"Here," said Lexi, pointing to New Mexico.
"No Lexi," said Sherlock. "That's the state of New Mexico."
He points the chopstick at the correct state and said, "Arizona is right here next to it."
"I'm sorry, I didn't know," said Lexi.
"That's alright, Lexi," said Sherlock. "I'll teach you about the different state shapes later."
"If there is a New Mexico," said Lexi, "was there an Old Mexico?"
"Just pay attention to the next question," said Sherlock. "Where is the state of New York?"
"I don't know," said Lexi.
"Lexi, you live there," said Sherlock. "You should know."
"I live on Sesame Street," said Lexi.
"Sesame Street is an address, not a state," said Sherlock. "We live in the city of New York City in the state of New York."
"Oooooohh…" said Lexi, sweating nervously.
"Here, I'll give you an easier question," said Sherlock. "What is the capital of New York?"
"Is it New York City?" asked Lexi.
"Sorry, you're wrong," said Sherlock. "The answer is Albany."
"Oh…Right," said Lexi, frowning. "Darn it!"
After hours of homeschooling, Sherlock and Lexi were done for the day. Lexi goes back to her bedroom to play with her teddy bear and her toys.
"I might as well go outside and find Mr. Mumford," said Sherlock. "I don't want to be this small anymore. I want to be big again."
Sherlock climbs onto the windowsill and opens the window with all his strength as he climbed on top of it.
"Oooooh boy…" said Sherlock, looking down and getting a little bit nervous. "It's a long way down. But I must find help right away!"
He sees a very long rectangular drain pipe on the side of the window outside as he grabbed onto it and slowly started to climb down. But after a few slides, his hands slipped as he started to slide down very fast.
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!" said Sherlock.
He reached the bottom of the pipe and fell into a pile of dirt below.
"Awww drat!" said Sherlock, trying to get the dirt off himself. "And I just took a bath hours ago! But since I'm already outside, I shouldn't be thinking about being clean. I should be thinking about wanting to grow back to my normal size."
So he started to walk around Sesame Street looking for Mr. Mumford. But after a few minutes, there was no sign of him.
"Hmmm…" said Sherlock, looking around. "Where is that silly guy? He must be here somewhere. Hey, do you suppose he could be-"
Without noticing, Sherlock somehow accidentally fell through an opening into a storm drain on the ground with a gasp as he started to fall far down towards the water.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" screamed Sherlock, seeing the water below.
He lands into the water with a "Splash!" as his head slowly rose up to the surface.
"Ooooh my!" said Sherlock, trying to stay afloat by kicking his legs and moving his arms around. "Where am I?"
He looked up and said, "Gadzooks! I must have fallen into the drainage well system! How am I going to get out?!"
Sherlock then saw a small concrete platform as he quickly swam to it and held on to avoid drowning.
"Hello?!" called Sherlock. "Anybody here? I need help!"
There was no answer.
"Sherlock Hemlock, what are you thinking?" Sherlock said to himself. "No one lives in the drain besides rats, raccoons, water snakes and spiders, and other dirty, nasty little creatures. I just hope I don't end up in the sewers."
All of a sudden, an underground pipe was sucking the water into the very bottom of the drain.
"Egad!" gasped Sherlock. "I've got to get out of here!"
But when Sherlock tried to swim away, the pipe sucked him in. Sherlock quickly grabbed onto the edges of the pipe so he won't be completely sucked inside. However, he didn't have much time left.
"OH NO! NO!" screamed Sherlock, getting very scared as he tried pulling himself up. "HELP! SOMEBODY HELP!"
His hands started to slip.
"HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" cried Sherlock.
Sherlock lost his grip as he was quickly sucked into the drain pipe.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Sherlock screamed, covering his eyes.
Since the water was being sucked so fast with Sherlock hitting the edges, the pipe turned. And at the end of the pipe that was supposed to end in the sewers, the water shot up into the air in a storm drain on another part of Sesame Street. The water was so forceful, the pressure made the cover come off and break as Sherlock literally flew into the air.
"WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAA!" cried Sherlock, as he started to fall back down.
He fell through some leaves in a tree as he was landing onto branch by branch on his way down.
"AAH! UGH! ACK! OUCH! OH!" said Sherlock, as he hit each branch then landing on the grass. "OOF!"
Hitting the ground, he closed his eyes and stopped moving as he fell into unconsciousness. Sherlock wasn't dead. But the hard fall blacked the detective out even though going through a tree broke some of his fall.
"What was that?!" asked Maria, hearing the ground being hit since she was nearby.
She runs towards the tree as she saw Sherlock laying there and gasped.
"MR. HEMLOCK!" said Maria, quickly picking him up. "SIR, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT?!"
Sherlock slowly opened his eyes and said, "Uuuuugggh…My head…What happened?"
"Oh, thank goodness you're alive!" said Maria. "I thought you were dead!"
"Huh?" said Sherlock, looking up and seeing her. "Maria? Where did you come from?"
"I heard a big thump and wanted to find out what was wrong," said Maria. "It's a good thing that I was able to find you, Sherlock. Joyce and Lexi were looking everywhere for you."
"Joyce? Lexi?" said Sherlock. "They were looking for me? Oh wow…Tell them to tuck me in bed. My head doesn't feel right after that fall."
"I'll call Joyce right now to let her know you're okay," said Maria.
She took out her cell phone, dialed the number to the suite Joyce and Lexi live in, and waited for someone to answer.
"Hello, this is Joyce," Joyce said through the other line.
"Hello? Joyce?" said Maria. "This is Maria Rodriguez."
"Oh hello, Maria," said Joyce. "Is everything all right? Have you seen Mr. Hemlock? I couldn't find him this morning."
"Thank goodness you brought him up," said Maria. "I called you because I wanted to tell you that I found him."
"You did?!" gasped Joyce.
"He was knocked out unconscious when I found him under a tree he fell through," said Maria. "But don't worry, he woke up. And he's fine, just with a minor headache."
"Oh thank goodness!" said Joyce, feeling relieved. "Can you please come to my suite and bring him to me?"
"Sure," said Maria.
"Thank you so much, Maria," said Joyce. "Goodbye."
She hangs up.
"Did someone find Sherlock, mother?" asked Lexi.
"Yes," said Joyce. "Maria found him near a tree. She's on her way up here now so she can bring Mr. Hemlock to us."
There was a knock on the door. Joyce looked through the peephole and saw Maria standing in front of the door.
"Oh!" said Joyce. "That was quick!"
She opened the door and said, "Hi Maria. Thank you so much for finding him. I thought I lost him forever."
"No problem at all, Joyce," said Maria, putting Sherlock in Joyce's hands. "Hey, wait a minute. I forgot to ask him this."
She looked at Sherlock and said to him, "Why are you so small, Mr. Hemlock?"
"Mr. Mumford shrunk me," said Sherlock.
"Mr. Mumford?!" gasped Maria.
"Who else?" Sherlock said as he sighed.
"Were you at the magic show the moment his trick went wrong?" asked Maria.
"Yes I was," said Sherlock.
"Then his magic must have touched you and shrunk you to such a small height in size by accident," said Maria. "Because yesterday when the show was still continuing, I kept hearing Lexi calling your name."
"That's because I couldn't find him, Maria," said Lexi. "I was very worried. But I was lucky enough to find him a few hours later with the help from my mother."
"Well, I'm glad you were able to find Sherlock," said Maria.
"Maria?" said Sherlock.
"Yes Mr. Hemlock?" said Maria.
"Have you seen Mumford today?" asked Sherlock. "We haven't seen him since the show."
"No, I haven't seen him," said Maria. "Why?"
"Don't you get it?!" said Sherlock. "Look at me! I'm so small! And I don't want to be like this anymore! I'm sick of it!"
"Calm down, Mr. Hemlock," said Maria. "It's going to be okay. Say to make you feel better, want me and the others to go look for Mr. Mumford?"
"Please do," said Sherlock, starting to frown. "I want to be at my normal size again. I'm sick of being such a teeny tiny detective."
"Don't you worry, Mr. Hemlock," said Maria. "I will make sure Mumford is in sight. You'll be back to your normal size before the day is over."
"Thanks Maria," said Sherlock.
Maria smiled as she left the hotel to go find Mr. Mumford. Then Joyce placed Sherlock on the table in front of the couch at she and Lexi sat down on the furniture.
"If only the magic didn't land on me," Sherlock said, getting teary. "That way this wouldn't have happened in the first place. Why did he have to shrink me?!"
He begins to cry.
"Awww Mr. Hemlock, don't cry," said Joyce, giving him a tissue. "I bet he doesn't know what the magic hit. And I'm sure it was an accident."
"I know," said Sherlock, wiping his tears with the tissue. "I just hope nothing else bad happens to me."
"What do you mean?" asked Joyce.
"Well, before Maria found me," said Sherlock, "I was looking for Mumford myself. And while I was looking for him, I somehow fell through the street drain without noticing. Then I was sucked into a pipe that was heading for the sewers. But the pipe managed to turn and shoot myself out of it. However, I hit the tree branches and had a hard fall, which made me motionless. But I was able to wake up after a few seconds."
"Wow," said Lexi. "That's impossible to survive something like that."
"I stayed alive because hitting the tree branches on my way down broke some of my fall," said Sherlock.
"Well, I'm just glad you didn't get killed," said Joyce, picking him up with her hand. "I was very worried about it. I'm so glad you're safe."
She kisses him on his two tiny cheeks. And Sherlock smiled as he sighed happily. Then Joyce brings him to her bedroom and grabs a dry and soft washcloth.
"Here," said Joyce, wrapping him with the washcloth. "This will keep you dry from the water."
"Oooo, this feels cozy and warm…" said Sherlock, as he is placed on Lexi's little doll bed.
"Why don't you rest for a while so you don't catch a cold from all that water in the drain," said Joyce, pulling the covers over Sherlock.
"Okay," said Sherlock. "Thanks a lot, Joyce. You're wonderful."
"You're very welcome," said Joyce, with a smile. "You'll be at your normal size very, very soon."
Sherlock smiled back as he got comfortable and went to sleep. Then Joyce and Lexi left the bedroom so they can let the tiny Muppet detective rest before Mr. Mumford is found to help him enlarge.
Meanwhile, on the streets, Maria saw the other adults on Sesame Street and quickly ran to them.
"Guys guys!" said Maria.
"What is it, Maria?" asked Bob.
"What's wrong, honey?" asked her husband, Luis.
"Have any of you seen Mr. Mumford?" asked Maria. "I need to talk to him!"
"What for?" asked Gordon. "Did something go wrong during the magic show?"
"Remember his disappearing trick went wrong?" asked Maria.
"Yes," said the adults.
"Well, the magic somehow made things shrink instead of vanish," said Maria. "And the magic happened to hit Sherlock Hemlock."
Everyone gasped and said all at once, "Sherlock Hemlock?!"
"The world's greatest detective?!" said Susan.
"Yep," said Maria. "That's why I'm looking for Mr. Mumford that way I can bring him to Sherlock so the Muppet can return to his normal height. Any of you guys seen him?
"We have not," said Gordon. "But we'll be on the look out!"
"He could be anywhere," said Bob. "So we've got to keep our eyes peeled."
So the human adults started to look around Sesame Street for Mr. Mumford. Then after 10 minutes, Maria finds the Muppet magician in Hooper's Store having a chocolate milkshake.
"Found him!" said Maria.
She enters Hooper's Store and sits next to Mr. Mumford on the stools at the counter.
"Mr. Mumford?" said Maria. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Oh why sure, Maria," said Mr. Mumford. "What is it you have to say?"
"We have a big problem here," said Maria. "Remember the magic show you put on for us?"
"Yeeeeeees?" said Mr. Mumford. "Why? Did I not do well?"
"Oh no, no, no!" said Maria. "You did a great job! It's just that the first trick you did went wrong."
"IIIIIIII knooooow…" said Mr. Mumford. "It always goes wrong the first time."
"It's more than wrong," said Maria. "Well, for right now. It's terrible. When your magic changed from making things disappear to making things shrink, it happened to hit one of our residents."
"It did?!" said Mr. Mumford, all surprised. "Who?!"
"You know, Sherlock Hemlock?" said Maria. "That's who the magic hit."
"Oh no!" gasped Mr. Mumford. "Why didn't I notice that earlier?! I'm the worst magician ever!"
"Don't worry, sir!" said Maria, trying to calm him down. "We'll go make him back to his normal size right now!"
"But where is that detective?" asked Mr. Mumford.
"He's at the Furry Arms Hotel, where Joyce and Lexi live," said Maria. "They're letting him stay with them until he grows back to his normal size. So let's go."
"Right Maria," said Mr. Mumford, grabbing his magic wand as he ran out of the store.
Maria and Mr. Mumford quickly ran to the Furry Arms, went inside, and went up to the 9th floor by elevator. They go to the suite of Joyce and Lexi as Maria knocks on the door. Joyce opens the door and sees Maria.
"Oh hi again, Maria," said Joyce. "Did you find Mr. Mumford?"
"I sure did," said Maria, pointing to the Muppet magician.
"Is Mr. Sherlock Hemlock here?" asked Mr. Mumford.
"Yes," said Joyce. "He's here."
She turns to Lexi and said to her, "Lexi? Can you go to my bedroom and wake up Mr. Hemlock, please? Let him know Mr. Mumford is here."
"Sure mother," said Lexi.
Lexi walks into Joyce's bedroom and sees Sherlock still sleeping in the little doll-sized bed.
"Sherlock?" said Lexi. "Sherlock. Wake up, Sherlock. Mr. Mumford has been found."
Sherlock turned the other way.
Lexi groaned and said, "Time to do this the hard way."
She goes to her bedroom, finds a small toy trumpet from her earlier childhood, walks back into Joyce's bedroom, and blows the fake horn at Sherlock. And that made him wake up since the noise to him was louder because of his tiny size.
"GADZOOKS!" said Sherlock, falling out of the bed and landing on the floor. "OWW!"
Lexi started to laugh.
"Lexi, why did you wake me up?!" said Sherlock. "I fell out and hit the ground."
"Sorry Sherlock," said Lexi, picking him up. "But the Amazing Mumford is here. He's here to change you back to normal."
"Really?" said Sherlock. "Who found him?"
"Maria," said Lexi. "Now let's go to the front so he can help you grow."
"Okay," said Sherlock.
Lexi goes back to the front and says, "Mother! Maria! Here is the world's greatest detective!"
She raises him up in front of everyone.
"Good Lexi," said Maria, grabbing Sherlock and placing him on the couch. "Thanks for finding him."
"You're welcome," said Lexi, with a smile.
"Hello there, Mr. Detective," said Mr. Mumford, walking over to Sherlock.
"Hello Mumford," said Sherlock, waving to him.
"For what I've been told," said Mr. Mumford, "it sounds like you don't want to be the size of a crayon anymore."
"You're right, sir," said Sherlock. "I don't want to be small anymore. I have already enjoyed my time being at this height during the past day, but I want to be the size I really am. I'm tired of being such a tiny little thing. It keeps me away from the things I like to do."
"I understand," said Mr. Mumford. "Now stay seated on the couch and hold still so I can do my magic."
"Okay," said Sherlock, doing so.
"Are you ready, Sherlock?" asked Mr. Mumford.
"Ready Mumford," said Sherlock, closing his eyes.
Mr. Mumford waved his wand above Sherlock as the magic started to float around Sherlock.
"A la peanut butter sandwiches!" cried Mr. Mumford.
The Muppet magician pointed the wand at Sherlock as the detective was zapped and grew back to his normal height and size.
"By Jove!" said Sherlock, getting off the couch and looking at his whole self. "What do you know? I'm at my normal size again!"
"Yay!" cried Joyce, hugging him tightly.
"Joyce!" said Sherlock, struggling to breathe. "I…can't…breeeeeeathe!"
"Oh!" said Joyce, letting him go. "Sorry. Are you all right?"
"I'm good," said Sherlock. "Now that I'm back to my normal size."
"I'm glad everything worked out the way you wanted it," said Joyce, giving him a kiss.
"Awwww…" said Sherlock, smiling as he kisses her in return.
"Mother?" said Lexi, walking into the living room. "Did everything wor-"
She saw Sherlock and said, "Oh my gosh! You're back to normal, Sherlock!"
"I sure am, my dear Lexi," said, picking her up and spinning her around. "Aren't you very, very happy?"
"Yes, and you're making me dizzy," said Lexi, with her tongue out. "Uuuuuhh…"
"Oops," said Sherlock, putting her down as he chuckled. "Sorry Lexi."
"Woof woof!" said Watson, running over to Sherlock as he knocked him down and started to lick him.
"Heh heh!" said Sherlock, chuckling a lot. "Hiya Watson! Hey boy! Glad to see me?"
"Woof!" said Watson, nodding his head.
"I'm glad to see you, too," said Sherlock, getting back up and petting his dog.
"Thanks for helping my mentor grow back to his normal size, Mr. Mumford," Lexi said to Mr. Mumford. "You're the greatest!"
"You're very welcome, little Lexi," said Mr. Mumford. "I'm glad my magic worked this time."
"So I guess that means Mr. Hemlock and his dog, Watson have to go back to their apartment, right?" said Joyce.
"Wait mother!" said Lexi, looking at the clock on the wall. "It's 5 o'clock in the evening. Can Sherlock stay for dinner? I'm hungry. And I'm not ready for him to leave yet since he just grew back to normal."
"Well…Okay," said Joyce, then turning to Sherlock and saying to him. "Mr. Hemlock? Would you like to have dinner with Lexi and I?"
"Sure," said Sherlock. "I would love, too. What are we having?"
"Something you've taught us to cook," said Joyce, with a smile. "Fish and chips."
"Mmmm yummy," said Sherlock, getting interested. "One of my favorite British meals ever."
"Yaaaaaaay!" said Lexi, clapping her hands. "Fish and chips! I love fish and chips!"
She pauses and said as she giggled, "Even though I'm not an English muffin…I-I-I mean Muppet! Hehehehehe!"
Sherlock and Joyce laughed at her minor mistake.
A few minutes later after a little more talking, Sherlock, Joyce, and Lexi sat at the dining room table and began to eat their fish and chips dinner. As well as Watson eating his dog food and drinking his water.
"Finally I can eat a regular amount of food again," said Sherlock, biting into one of the fried fish pieces.
"You sure can," said Joyce. "Aren't you happy?"
"Very happy," said Sherlock. "I would rather be at this height, my normal and real size. It's who I really am."
"I'm glad," said Joyce, with a sweet smile.
"Yeah," said Sherlock, looking at his food. "Oh! About the food…When I was tiny, since the food looked so big and that it seemed like a lot to me, it was like we were having a feast."
"But we weren't," said Lexi, eating some French fries.
"I know that, Lexi," said Sherlock. "Now the next big feast I have to look forward to is on Thanksgiving. Ooooh boy…"
Joyce and Lexi laughed. Never again did Sherlock Hemlock, the world's greatest detective wanted to be at three inches high. It was fun being at a different height with a new perspective for a while, but it's good to be back to normal. Height and size are some ways to show who you really are as well as having a good point of view of the world around you.
THE END