Father had a quick temper, which would spring up without cause. Just another merciless effect of the Holmes brain chemistry, I imagine. I remember that, while I was still quite small, when he flew into a rage without provocation, sometimes he would shut me outside. Like a disobedient pet.
The last time he did it, Sherlock was about two years old.
Though it wasn't uncommon for Father to lock me outside when he was angry, recently he had begun including Sherlock in this so-called punishment. One windy October afternoon, I found myself staring at the outside of the back door, my baby brother standing silently beside me.
I made a quick circuit of the house, checking the doors and windows as I always did, but he rarely forgot to lock any. Sherlock jogged after me, a stoic little shadow, but despite the exertion, he was shaking with the cold by the time I had tried the last window.
The entire situation was unacceptable. Thus far, I had tolerated my father's whim to treat me like a pet when the mood took him. This was the third time he had shut Sherlock outside, and it would be the last.
I scooped Sherlock up in my arms and bundled him into my jacket. He shivered violently, and his wide eyes simply reflected the cloudy sky when he stared back at me. He only wanted to be warm. Holding him tightly, I struck out down the lane.
I walked as quickly as I could, but soon Sherlock began to grow heavy in my arms. His little head fell to rest against my shoulder, but still he shivered. Steeling my resolve, I fought my way against the wind.
In my memory it seems that it took hours to reach the neighbor's house, though I know even a nine-year-old can make the walk in about twenty minutes. I rang the bell, and she answered almost immediately. She swept us inside, sat us by the fire, and plied us with hot tea. I lied to her, saying that it must be an accident that we had been locked out. Sherlock clutched his tea in silence, his busy gaze taking in our surroundings.
The neighbor phoned Mother, who actually answered. Sherlock and I had just thawed when she came around to pick us up. She scolded us for our carelessness, but I knew already that something had changed. Be it ever so slightly, the balance of power had shifted.
In my favor.