Sherlock returned to Baker Street after a 48 hour trip to Devon, he'd been chasing a jewel thief who had returned to his native Bovey to escape the law. He was tired not that he'd admit it, and grumpy and frankly although he would deny it to the ends of the earth, starving. So he was delighted when on climbing the stairs to 221b his olfactory hypersensitivity picked up the smell of fresh vegetables.
"John?" he called "Whats for tea?"
"Oh your back" John called from the kitchen, "I haven't made anything yet? Are you hungry?" Sherlock entered the kitchen to find john standing over the kitchen table, an assortment of spoons, knives, nails and other sharp implements spread around him. On the floor there was a large vegetable crate filled with pumpkins, gourds and squashes.
"What on earth are you doing?" Sherlock asked, watching his flat made slice into a particularly large pumpkin with a carving knife.
"It's Halloween on Monday Sherlock, you do know that, right?"
"I am aware of the feast of all souls and the traditions surrounding it, but I thought it was traditional to have, one carved pumpkin. He gestured at the kitchen which was full of carved heads.
"Yes well I did one for us, and one for Mrs Hudson, but she put it in the cafe window, and well the word spread."
"Word?"
"I'm somewhat of a celebrity on Baker Street" John explained, "apparently years of slicing up humans with a scalpel has made me rather good at carving"
"How many have you done?"
"This is the third case since Thursday" John explained, "they look quite good don't you think?" Sherlock shook his head, now he had time to observe he noticed, bats, wolves, cats and rabbits all intricately carved into the fruits. There was real delicate beauty to them, especially the less traditional shapes.
"What's this one?" Sherlock asked pointing at a long thin squash a human face delicately carved, light and shade had been created using thin scalpel slashes and what he assumed had been a potato peeler, the face was handsome and picked out by a halo of deeper slashes, making an almost 3d image.
John laughed, "Don't you recognise it? I'm quite proud of that one, I've done it for your brother."
"But who is it?" Sherlock asked again, studying the familiar jawline carefully.
"It's you!"
"..."
"Don't you like it?"
"John...I don't know what to say...it's, well it's.."
He was interupted by a hammering on the front door.
"Oh that will be the next crate, be a dear and run and get it for me" John supplied distracted once again by the gourd below him.
Happy Halloween!
Jas xx