Day 4 - From Book girl fan: A pipe is the answer to everything.
.
.
Sherlock leaned back in his armchair, pipe dangling from his lips as he watched the bees crawl on the glass panes of the observation hive carefully. "They are escaping from the bottom left corner, Watson," he said after a long pause. Smoke lazily trailed from the end of his pipe.
"Are you certain?" I asked, leaning as near as I dared to the humming hive of potential escapees, which was closer than I would have dared a week ago. After one week of occasionally picking up stray bees scattered across the room, listening to Holmes logical explanations, and not being stung, I had come to the conclusion that the bees bore me no ill will. At least not when Holmes was around. I peered at the hive where Holmes had indicated, seeing nothing that stood out aside from the multitude of bees that clinked hundreds of tiny feet against the glass. "I can't see any hole or opening."
"Ah Watson, but you do not think like a bee," said Holmes, smiling to show his remark was at least part in jest. "There is a small imperfection in the wood in that corner," he continued, "and it allows a minute gap, barely large enough that a worker bee will occasionally find it and pass through."
Thus explaining his findings, Holmes stood up, pipe in hand. He bent over near the aforementioned gap, and blew a few generous puffs of smoke inside, which the bees di not appreciate, as evidenced by the increase in volume of their humming, and scattered fleeing in a direction opposite the smoke. "It reminds them of fire, Watson," he said, indicating the agitated bees. "However, a small amount of smoke won't harm them, and will keep them out of mischief while I patch their home." Saying this, Holmes tore a small sliver of paper from one of my manuscripts, and folded it over many times, then inserted it at one side of the glass. "That will hold them for a short while, I'll make up a plaster later for a more permanent fix."
His work finished for the day, Holmes settled back into his armchair and placed his pipe in the side of his mouth. "I daresay Mrs. Hudson will be pleased when no more bees appear in her kitchen."
