The Decision

A long time ago, my brother made the decision to look after me as I grew up. When you have parents who are always out at "Just another work party, darling" someone needs to take charge. Every "upper class" child knows that parents don't want children who "Almost broke my antique vase Harold!", they want polite little children who speak when they are spoken to and "Don't crease my new dress darling". For these very reasons my brother kept us in check. We never had a nanny so it was him who made sure that that our parents never caught me playing pirates with father's rapier or playing hide and seek in mother's wardrobe.

One grey winter's evening, Mother and Father walked into the drawing room together, something that was very usual to say the least. As my brother kicked my wooden popgun under the writing desk my parents turned to face us. "Darlings" Mother rasped as father scrutinized us both closely, "We will be taking one of you the winter ball next week. Sir Thomas Redfile will be attending and as he is a friend of your fathers, he has agreed to take one of you to Oxford so that you can take your entrance exams."

I observed my brother's eyes light up. This was what we had both hoped for. We had to take these exams so that we could follow our father into law and then into the Government.

Mother looked between us both before her eyes finally rested on my brother, "We have chosen to take Mycroft because you are the eldest and have studied the hardest…"

The words bounced around my head before turning into a blank monotonous blur. My brother agreed instantly- the decision wasn't hard for him. He wasn't the one who was going to be alone. He couldn't have loved me at all if he was just going to get up and leave after looking after me for 10 years.

Everybody leaves. This was the moment I realised that caring doesn't change that. I would have to look after myself.

My brother and I never spoke again.

I wrote this story in answer to one of the questions in a mock exam last Christmas. The title was "Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. Describe a decision that you, or someone you know, had to make and explain the consequences."

Reading it back, I realised just how much it sounded like what I think Sherlock and Mycroft's childhood would have been like.

I haven't made any changes from the original story apart from changing the older brother's name from George to Mycroft.

Thoughts? :)

Enjoy, - ριяяιρ x