Okay, this story is totally dumb, but I can't help it. XD I was inspired in my Geography class. The teacher demonstrated the same concept as Holmes, only it didn't quite work. Lucky for Holmes, it did this time. Anyway, I had the image of Watson walking in on him doing it and it just would not leave me be. This is probably the only Sherlock Holmes fic I'll ever write or post, so enjoy it while it's here. ^_^
The days when Watson could hear strange, unfamiliar hissing sounds coming from a certain set of rooms in Baker Street were the days he wished fervently to turn around and sprint out of the building. Of course, the trouble was he equally wished to rush inside and discover exactly what fresh insanity Holmes had concocted this time. All of the other times he'd happened upon this situation flashed before his mind and Watson felt a sense of foreboding settle over him like a dark cloud.
With feet that had suddenly become the weight and density of lead, Watson edged forward and reached out for the innocently gleaming doorknob. A feeling of dread crushing his chest, Watson turned the knob, opened the door and then stepped inside. Strangely, there were no revolting smells nor clouds of smoke to greet him as he slowly closed the door behind himself. He frowned. Something was not right.
Instead of chaos, Holmes was sat at his chemistry table with a bubbling pot of water, a Bunsen burner, an empty glass bottle and a carton of eggs. Littered around Holmes' elbows and most of the available surface of the desk were little white bits of eggshell. Happily bubbling along in the pot along with the water were two eggs, seemingly normal and not at all appearing in any way sinister.
Holmes' head snapped up from where it was bent over the glass bottle, a ruler in his right hand and a slip of paper in his left. He turned in his chair, craning his neck to look over towards Watson. He grinned, eyes lighting up with crazed genius Watson knew meant he hadn't slept in two days. His hair was sticking out in every direction and his ratty dressing gown had an odd colored stain on the bottom that hadn't been there the last time Watson had seen the nasty thing.
"Ah, Watson! Just in time," Holmes turned quickly back towards his boiling pot of eggs and dropped the items in his hands, appearing as if he had just solved all the mysteries of the universe. Although, if he were to be believed, he'd already accomplished that particular feat.
"Just in time for what?" Watson asked cautiously, carefully stepping further into the room. His eyes narrowed as he inched across the carpet towards Holmes and his chemistry set that looked as if it had been converted into a kitchen.
"I've just concluded an experiment on air pressure. Would you like to see?" Holmes replied, twisting once again in his chair. Only, this time he'd managed to snatch up the Bunsen burner and the glass bottle. He held the two aloft like prized jewels for Watson's inspection.
"See what, exactly?" Watson's eyes narrowed further before widening comically. "That's not going to explode, is it?"
"No. Whatever gave you that idea, Watson?" Holmes seemed genuinely confused at Watson's question, which did nothing to ease the other man's apprehension at the sight of Holmes with a lit burner and a (hopefully) empty bottle. "Observe."
Before Watson could shout a warning or a protest, Holmes shoved the flame into the glass bottle. Watson relaxed back, resigning himself to having to pacify Mrs. Hudson when Holmes' experiment finally came to fruition. Strangely, however, nothing seemed to be in danger of exploding. In fact, nothing whatsoever had happened. The flame was burning away contentedly in the bottle and Holmes was just as content to let it.
Watson frowned. "What am I supposed to be observing, Holmes? The way light reflects from the inside of a bottle?"
"Not in the least." With that ambiguous statement, Holmes removed the flame from the bottle then quicker than lightning, snatched up a peeled and hardboiled egg.
He shoved the egg into the mouth of the glass bottle and held it out at arms length for Watson's approval. Watson watched with increasing shock as the egg slowly began to inch its way into the glass bottle as if it were being forced. The only problem with that image, however, was that no one was pushing it. Suddenly, as if the invisible man had become tired of being gentle, the egg was abruptly sucked all the way into the bottle with an odd popping sound.
Watson stood, mouth agape staring at an extremely smug Holmes and a boiled egg in the bottom of a glass bottle it had no business being in. "What did you just do?"
"I created a temperature imbalance to test the affects of unequal air pressure. By adding heat to the air in the bottle, I have decreased the pressure. You can thank Pascal for that little bit of insight. But, like all things in nature, even the air strives for equilibrium and I have just proved it. The difference in pressure was equalized when the egg was forced into the bottle by the air pressing down upon it." Holmes concluded his explanation, eyes glowing with satisfaction and no small amount of victory.
Watson still gaped on in silence. Abruptly, he broke out into relieved laughter, shaking his head in utter bewilderment.
Holmes glared at him affronted. "This is no laughing matter, Watson, I have-"
"No, I'm perfectly aware of what you've done, old man," Watson reassured him with a smile as his laughter tapered off slightly. "I'm just relieved that you hadn't devised some knew kind of loud, smelly, destructive explosive."
"Ah, well then, I suppose you can be forgiven," Holmes sniffed, sitting up straighter like a bird with ruffled feathers and dignity. He smirked, eyes glinting with a familiar light Watson knew meant trouble. "But, as for your explosive, that was next on my list, my dear Watson."
"Holmes!"
I have no idea if Pascal was alive then or not. All I know is he is the one to thank for the ideal gas laws (which I had to memorize and do endless math problems with, thank you Pascal! XD). So, ignore any historical inaccuracies, as I didn't feel like doing research for a 1,000 word story. Yes, I'm lazy, sue me later! Or better yet, tell me you liked it in a review! ^_^