December 27

From W. Y. Traveller: Good omen

Holmes and Watson hurried into the flat. It was raining outside. As usual, Holmes neglected an umbrella for protection from the elements; Watson, having more respect for what a cold soaking in the rain can do to the body's immune defences, shared with his partner. They were only half wet.

As Watson slid the umbrella back into it's corner, the handle slipped from his moist hands.

Holmes lightening reflexes instantly saved it from falling.

"Thank you," Watson gratefully smiled at his friend. "Wouldn't want it to hit the ground. I have enough to worry about without waiting for a murder within this very flat. Best to keep the crimes outside our home (1)."

~0~

The two men settled next to the fireplace to dry off and warm their toes. Watson chose to delve more into his reading articles. Holmes wandered off into his head.

"It's a good thing your family name has an 's' on the end."

"Why?" Holmes turned to Watson, mildly curious.

"Well, apparently, if you have 13 letters in your name, you'll have 'the devil's luck'."

"Superstition."

Watson shrugged. "Well, Jack the Ripper might disagree (2)."

~o~

Holmes wandered over to the front window. The rain had lessened and he noticed a couple magpies perched on the street lamp. An old nursery rhyme echoed from deep within his brain attic.

One for sorrow

Two for joy...

Holmes smiled. Joy would be nice for the season. He recalled with a twinge of regret that day he'd spotted an entire flock of 7 magpies (3)

~o~

Watson coughed in the corner.

"Sorry to disturb your meditation. I'm sure it's nothing serious," he hastily added when Holmes looked over, alarmed.

"I suppose, I could use one of my hairs and make a sandwich of it with buttered bread. Guaranteed to cure me if Toby eats it."

Holmes grimaced. "Might not be good news for Toby though."

Watson nodded. My grandmother used to swear by such. Dogs never seemed to suffer though. I think they rather liked the bread (4).

~o~

"It appears you are on the topic of superstitions and omens," Holmes lamented. "I might, therefore, add my own observation. I place little belief in such ancient tradition; but, in line with your concern about the umbrella, I thought it might reassure you. In some cultures, it is believed that a bat's highly refined sense of smell can "sniff" out locations with an auspicious chi. Therefore, if a family of bats comes to nest in the eaves of a house, that place will experience good fortune (5)."

"Interesting," Watson nodded, cautiously.

"I would like to inform you, therefore, that a family of bats has just last week taken up habitation in the attic."

"That is somewhat reassuring in light of what you've just explained." Watson said hesitantly. "Let's not tell Mrs Hudson though."

Although neither man was completely convinced on such harbingers of good fortune, the bats were left undisturbed. Holmes suddenly had a break in his case and captured the troublesome gang of smugglers. Several other minor burglaries were solved in record speed and a murder case unsolved for a year was remarkably wrapped up.

Neither felt the feathered whisper of the wings of an unlikely pair, an angel and a demon, flutter over them while they reminisced*.

A/N: Silly compilation of various omens… both good and bad. Also couldn't pass up a little reference to the television mini-series *"Good Omens" staring the characters, Aziraphale and Crowly, from a book written by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman title, Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990)

(1) Dropping an umbrella on the floor means that there will be a murder in the house.

(2) If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck. For example, Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo

(3) An old nursery rhyme with many variations states one's luck will be determined by the number of magpies seen:

One for sorrow

Two for joy

Three for a letter

Four for a boy.

Five for silver

Six for gold

Seven for a secret, never to be told

(4) To cure a cough: take a hair from the coughing person's head, put it between two slices of buttered bread, feed it to a dog, and say, "Eat well you hound, may you be sick and I be sound."

(5) In some Chinese traditions, it's believed that bats nest only in auspicious places. Therefore if bats come and nest in the eaves of a home, that family rejoices because this heralds good fortune