Told through John's blog, this short takes place about six months before the Fall. 'The Sign of Three' references this case briefly during Sherlock's best man speech. This one will only last a few chapters, meant to be short, concise, light-hearted, and a bit quirky. Enjoy!:)

24/3/13

The Elephant in the Room

I suppose there really isn't a way I can go about saying this without elaboration, or ease around the undeniable truth. Unusual things have happened here at Baker Street, but never has there been anything stranger than the day we walked in to 221B and found an elephant in the room.

It started when Sherlock and I returned home from a trip to the morgue and found Mrs. Hudson waiting on the front steps. He seemed in shock, but she couldn't wipe this eager smile off of her face. She told us that we had a client waiting upstairs. When asked why she let them in, she simply replied, "You'll see," and proceeded to laugh her way back to her room.

We opened the door to the flat, expecting a client to be seated in front of us. Instead, we only stood in the doorway, our eyes fixed on the enormous animal standing in the middle of the room. There were several moments of silence (once interrupted by a loud trumpet, courtesy of the elephant), and to be honest, neither of us knew what to do. An elephant was standing in the room. It was a baby elephant, judging from its size, but it was still an elephant.

It took us a while to ease into the room and examine the rest of the room, looking for an actual human. We found a man in the kitchen, sipping some tea and holding a half-eaten biscuit.

He introduced himself as Kyle, the elephant's keeper. He worked at the London Zoo, and was one of three handlers for Hathi (the elephant was named after the Rudyard Kipling's character).

Sherlock, to put it simply, lost his temper (well, he didn't actually speak. He sort of turned red and was breathing heavily). Even though Hathi was still small, he had already knocked over one of the side tables and his skull. He demanded that Kyle leave, but I was more interested in how he had gotten a baby elephant up the stairs and into the flat. When I asked him, he didn't go into as much detail as I would have liked. He only said, "It was quite the escapade."

After some negotiation, Sherlock reluctantly agreed to hear what Kyle had to say. I half-listened, too preoccupied by the elephant. In the room. There was an elephant. In the room. Hathi stretch his trunk towards me allowed me to pet him.

It turned out that Hathi was our client. At that point Sherlock stood and began to escort them out. Kyle was begging Sherlock to hear him out, and eventually, I convinced him to just listen.

The night before, there was a murder at the zoo Kyle worked at (this caught Sherlock's attention). One of Hathi's handlers had his head smashed in as he was feeding him. Based on the state of the body, it looked as though something had stepped on him. When the body was discovered, people just assumed that Hathi was the killer (Sherlock rolled his eyes). Because of this, the police weren't called in until it was 'officially' declared as a murder. Kyle, who was concerned for Hathi's life, helped him escape the zoo before the police arrived. Having no where to go, he came to Baker Street. He had heard about Sherlock on TV, and decided that this was the best place he could go. He was afraid that someone would accuse Hathi, and maybe even hurt him. He had to bring him somewhere safe.

Sherlock was listening with 'dubious' written across his face. Frankly, I didn't believe him at first either. Escaping a zoo with a baby elephant? It sounded ridiculous. Then again, he did get him through the front door...and up the stairs...and into the flat.

There was a long silence. Hathi wandered behind Sherlock and wrapped his trunk over his shoulder. He tried to shoo him away, but Hathi kept ruffling his hair and poking his face. Eventually, Sherlock stood and turned to face Hathi. "I'll take the case," he said and held out his hand. Hathi held out his trunk, which Sherlock shook.

I watched the entire scene with a gaping mouth and wide eyes. Sherlock must have really wanted to take the case if he was willing to vindicate an elephant.

Kyle was incredibly grateful, and wouldn't stop shaking Sherlock's hand. Annoyed, Sherlock broke away from his grip and pulled me into the kitchen. We both knew that we couldn't keep an elephant in the flat. He called someone on his cell phone asked for some help, but he didn't mention the elephant. Apparently, he had called Mycroft. We were taking Hathi to the Diogenes Club.

We informed Kyle of our plan, which he agreed to. If anything, I was anxious to see how we were going to get him downstairs.

After careful maneuvering, squeezing through doors, and stumbling backwards, we were able to get Hathi out the front door and onto the street. Luckily, the street was empty, so no one would see the legendary Sherlock Holmes pushing a baby elephant out the door.

We took the inconspicuous route, going down alleys and behind buildings. I don't think anyone saw us, but if you happened to see an elephant on the street last Wednesday, you have a great story to tell.

When we finally arrived at the Diogenes Club, we decided to bring Hathi through the back entrance (the members wouldn't have appreciated an elephant disturbing them). There was a large storage room in the back, a comfortable size for Hathi. Kyle and I waited with him while Sherlock looked for Mycroft. When he returned with his brother, Mr. Holmes reacted the same way as he had when we walked into the flat. He silently studied the animal, looking between Sherlock, Hathi, and myself. I've never seen a speechless Mycroft, nor have I ever seen such a bewildered, perplexed, and at the same time, poised expression on any man's face.

Sorry. Have to go on a milk run. Sherlock's gonna have a complex. I'll post the rest of it next time.