Story 26: The Basil Twins' First Day at Kingswood Academy
221B 1/2 Baker Street, August 31st, 1913
It was the night before the big day for the Basil twins, John and Leana, as they were prepared to start their first at Kingswood Academy, a primary school for children with higher than average intelligence.
The last few weeks of summer went by quick, but the twins and their parents, the famous detective Elliott Basil and his wife Olivia had a rather fun and interesting summer this year. Basil, however, was not feeling excited, as he was suffering from shaky nerves. He did want his children to remain close by, but they were growing up quick and needed to get an education.
Leana was the most excited, but her brother John was not too eager about school as he preferred to play or be at his typewriter.
On the night before the first day of school, Basil watched as Leana prepared her school bag, but John didn't pay much mind to his school bag until later. "Are you sure you have everything?" he asks, but his daughter looks up at him with scolding face.
"I have everything, so does John," she replies and Basil takes a deep breath to try and calm himself, but the little voice inside his head was agitating him once more. He does his best to ignore it, even when his children settle in their beds, but Leana was hyper about going to school come morning. He hears her whisper some things under her bed covers, but couldn't make them out.
Basil joins Olivia in the living room and she notices the look on his face. "Elliott, I know it'll be difficult to get use to a empty house during the day, but this is what you've been looking forward for John and Leana. You do want them to get an education and leave a mark on the world," she said and kneels beside him at his chair.
"I know and you're right, it will be difficult to get use to an empty house and plus, not having them tag along on my cases. I remember not being excited in going to school most days, but then for some reason I was excited when I went to London University. I guess it was because Henry went there," Basil replies and he lets out a sigh.
Then, Olivia stands to her feet, then rubs her back as her stomach was heavy, and she leans into her husband's ear. "You know, after the baby is born, we could get more intimate, but the twins will have to be out of the house," she whispers and that got Basil's mind going.
"Yes, I did say something like that while in Scarborough," he replies and was about to pull her into his arms, but then thinks for a second. Surely his chair would not support the two of them, or three in this case as Olivia was heavy. He stands to his feet and they retreat to their bedroom. They kiss and touch each other, but did not engage in intercourse as Basil wanted to be on top and Olivia's stomach prevented him from doing so.
Olivia would probably crush him with her stomach, so they perform some foreplay before wandering off to sleep. "I believe both Dawson and Mrs. Rachel should leave the house on the day we want to get intimate. Maybe have Emma or Penelope take care of the baby for a few hours," Basil suggests, but Olivia shakes her head.
"I don't want them to feed our baby any infant formula, I don't trust anything other than my own milk," she replies, but then realizes something and Basil notices. "Do we still have that pump? The one I had to use when the twins were infants. Oh, I'm remembering the horrible times, again; pumping my milk for them was the most uncomfortable," she adds.
"Well darling, new ones are being made, but let's not think about that now. We have a big day tomorrow," he insists and they try their best to fall asleep, but Basil had the most trouble as he was anxious about his children going to school.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
In the dream realm, the agitating voice inside Basil's mind was calling out to him, urging him to take the twins out of school and keep them home. He does his best to ignore it, but his family and friends, including Toby the Basset Hound did notice his frustration.
"Oh Elliott," Hiriam said, "You remind me of myself when Olivia started school when she was little. I was suffering from separation anxiety for the majority of the first semester, but she actually didn't last long."
That surprised the others, including the twins, "What happened at the school you went to mummy?" Leana asks Olivia.
"It was difficult because the majority of the courses I had to take were mostly on how to attend to a household, but I wanted to get into the classes that boys took like math, history and even science," she replies and Hiriam, her father lets out a frustrated sigh.
"I remember having arguments with the headmistress and teachers of the girl's school Olivia went to. Good Lord, those women were dense. They reminded me of Aunt Sophie, following the old ways and that girls were not eligible to get a higher education. So, I took it upon myself to educate her at home and hire a few tutors when the money was good. She really excelled on such tough subjects that boys are supposedly smart in.
"When she was about to turn 20, Olivia said she wanted to go to college, but lets just say I wasn't too eager for her to leave and stay at the dormitory at Westfield," Hiriam explains and his wife offers a comforting hand. "However, I am and will always be proud of what she accomplished," he adds and Olivia hugs him.
"Well, be thankful of the times," Tsura said, "With some schools integrating both genders, these two will be seeing each other and make new friends, perhaps with some of the opposite gender."
Basil didn't like the sound of that; he didn't want to think about his children falling in love too soon as they were still pretty young. His main concern was that they might be taken advantage of and be ill-treated by some who would claim to be their friends.
"Calm yourself Mr. Basil," Fonso, Lulu's cousin insists. He had been making some visits when the Basil family would drop in and see their deceased friends and relatives. Basil was not sure of trusting Fonso as he had a history, according to Lulu and Tsura.
"Your children are very smart and they would know who to trust and who is not worthy of being their friend," Fonso said and everyone looks at him.
"Well, you're right about that, dear cousin," Lulu replies, "John and Leana have spent time with some nasty folks, so they know how to take care of themselves."
"Thanks Lulu and Fonso for those words of encouragement," John said and Fonso chuckles a bit.
"Oh and one last bit of advice," he said and looks at the twins, "Don't fall in love with a total stranger without getting to know them. Why some rodent folks may look beautiful or handsome, but they might actually be serial killers," he whispers the last part.
"And I'm going to stop you there," Tsura said, "You said they are smart and-" "Now hold on Madame Tsura," Fonso cuts in, "When you're a child, it's easy to detect who is a bully, but when you're an adult, they can hide it real well."
That made Basil feel more concerned for his children's well being. It was true that some adult rodents hid their dark intentions with their charms. "Now why don't we leave these folks alone, it'll be a big day come sunrise," Fonso suggests and both Lulu and Tsura did agree to this. The two witches give their young friends some hugs for encouragement before they departed to do their duties.
"That Fonso is a strange character," Dawson comments after they left.
"Indeed, I still would like to know more about his history," Basil said and Olivia and their children nod.
"He did serve time in Hell, I'm guessing as a form of prison," Hiriam replies, but his wife Leana then urges everyone to stop thinking about Fonso and what he said.
"Why don't we have some fun? Like riding with Argus? Make most of our time before the big day," she suggests and her grandchildren smile.
"Actually, why don't we watch daddy ride on Argus? He did seem to enjoy the jumping," Leana Basil replies and her father thinks about this.
"It's true, riding and jumping does put my mind at ease," he said and Hiriam prepares Argus for his son-in-law. "You know, maybe you should bring in more horses? The twins and Olivia love riding, too," Basil suggests and his father-in-law begins to think.
"Well caring for one horse is a lot of work, but seeing that we don't have to worry about finances here in the Heaven realm, I'd say bringing two or three more horses should be all right. Argus could use some companionship," Hiriam replies and brings the Shire horse out.
Basil lifts himself off the ground and onto the saddle on Argus' back. It was a little strange to get use to riding on a horse as they were much larger in the mortal world and Basil was more use to riding dogs, more specifically Toby when he was alive.
"Why don't you take a leisure ride?" Olivia asks, but her husband stares at her in surprise.
"Hmmmm, looks like he could use a good stroll with Argus," Sarah, Basil's mother replies. Hiriam opens the gate that lead out towards the dirt path.
"Are you sure?" he asks his in-laws.
"We trust you with our daughter, so we trust you now with Argus. He does prefer to run, so be prepared with the wind in your face," Hiriam warns and Basil commands Argus to walk out towards the path.
"I'll see you in a bit," Basil tells his family and friends before Argus goes into a gallop. The horse runs down the pathway towards the edge of the forest where many secrets are yet to be discovered, but Argus remains on the dirt path.
It felt good to Basil as the wind hit him in the face and the annoying voice inside his head was silent for the moment. "You're a beautiful animal Argus!" he comments to the horse. The detective briefly thinks about the humans, who had all the time in the world to ride these lovely creatures in the mortal world.
"At least I get to ride here in the Heaven realm," he said to himself once Argus goes into a steady trot. Basil takes a moment to look into the think line of trees, these were a little different from the ones in the Memory Forest. The trees in the Memory Forest were giants, but these looked to be of average height, at least from the ones Basil would see in London.
The mouse detective pulls on the reins, forcing Argus to a stop and Basil breathes in a little. His mind was replaying all the memories he made with Olivia and their children. "You know Argus? I feel bad for Mr. Holmes," he tells the horse, referring to The Master. From what Basil can recall, the famous human detective never settled with a family, at least not yet. Even if he did, he would probably be a terrible father, but then again, Basil was an immature father himself, often putting his children in dangerous situations and often overlooking his wife's predicament, especially with her being pregnant.
Basil then urges Argus to a walk and they head back to the Flaversham homestead. During the ride, the detective did notice a rather peaceful feeling inside; it usually meant that he was ready to take on another day.
The horse and his rider made it back to the Flaversham homestead just before the sun would rise. As Basil commands Argus to go to the barn, they notice new horses in the pasture and the Flaversham and Basil families were attending to them.
"Elliott! Look here!" Olivia calls out, pointing to the new horses. They were three of them, but of different breeds from the looks of them. The first was a chestnut colored mare, with the second having a black coat with a white star and the third was small with brown and white fur.
"Say hello to the new additions," Olivia's mother Leana said as Basil dismounts from Argus. The Shire horse looks at the three new horses curiously and Hiriam takes him to remove the saddle.
"What do you think? Hiriam liked your idea of having new horses to befriend Argus and for the others to care of, including the twins," Leana Flaversham adds and Basil walks up to examine the new horses closely.
"Hmmmm, this one must be a Shetland pony," he points to the small creature and sees it was female.
"Grandmummy named her Hermina, from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. You know the quote? "Though she be but little, she is fierce!"" Basil's daughter, Leana said in a loud voice.
Hermina lets out a bellowing neigh and Basil laughs. "Indeed she has that spunky personality like your mother and grandfather," he said to Leana. He then looks at the chestnut mare and the black gelding.
"We haven't really picked names for these two, but we want names that sound bold and perhaps daring," John explains and his father nods in agreement.
"If I recall correctly, some Thoroughbred racehorses in America are given some rather unusual names," Henry Walker said and summons a newspaper out of thin air. It was a New York Times paper, which featured the year 1908, the year the twins were born.
"The winning horse from your birth year was named 'Stone Street'," their father's mentor said and he shows a black and white photo of the winning horse.
"That is rather a unusual name, but doesn't seem to fit our gelding here," Leana Basil replies and Henry sends the newspaper away.
"Quite right," he said, "Some humans do give their pets strong names like 'Maximus' or 'Mark Anthony'. I'm pretty sure you'll find suitable names for these two real soon," he finishes.
Then, the clock struck 6:15 in the morning, the sun would be rising shortly and a new day would begin. The twins received loving hugs from their grandparents, who offer their best wishes for their grandchildren's first day of school. They also bid Hermina and the two nameless horses goodbye, but would return later in the evening.
"Hope you make some new friends," Sarah Basil tells them and kisses the top of their heads. The Basil family and their good friend, Dawson give one final wave goodbye before leaving the dream realm.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
Basil and Olivia were awakened by some cries of excitement coming from their children's room. Leana obviously wanted to get a head start of the day, but school was not ready to start until 8:30, which was roughly 2 hours away.
They then take in the smells coming from the kitchen, Mrs. Judson and Rachel were preparing breakfast for them and Basil leaves the bedroom. He enters the kitchen and opens the ice box, "Don't mind me ladies," he tells the housekeepers. He retrieves a small metal box and opens it to reveal a strange liquid in a tube.
"What's that?" Rachel asks.
"An invention of mine to keep their lunches cold, I always hated those room-temp sandwiches Mrs. Judson would make, no offense to my faithful housekeeper," Basil said, but Mrs. Judson gives him a scolding look.
"Well I hope that is not toxic," she replies, retrieving some flour to make some cheese crumpets.
"As long as this tube doesn't break, then it'll be all right," Basil answers and puts the tube back in the box. Mrs. Judson had prepared bacon sandwiches, with some fruit mixed in a sweet yogurt with oats and some juice for the twins' lunches.
"Ah, it feels wonderful to be preparing school lunches, again, even though I'll be leaving soon for my retirement," the elderly housekeeper said and her daughter gives her a quick hug.
After hunkering down some of the breakfast food, Leana jumps off her chair to dress into her uniform. "Slow down Leana," Olivia said, "You don't want to get a stomach ache." The little girl mouse didn't seem to listen and dresses into the school's uniform. It did include a straw hat with a blue ribbon and she looks longingly in the mirror.
Her brother, John didn't seem very much elated like her, but does his best to look cheerful. Basil and Olivia also dress in their best as parents of first years were allowed to stay and watch the welcoming ceremony.
"Now you two listen carefully," Basil tells his children, showing them the coolant, "This is very toxic chemical, but it'll keep your food cold until lunchtime. If it breaks and spills onto your food, don't eat it, understood?" he asks and they nod. He places two of the coolant tubes in their lunch bags, which was made from the best cloth by Mrs. Judson.
The weather outside was a bit overcast, but no rain, and the sun briefly broke through the clouds a few times. The walk to Kingswood Academy was not too far from Baker Street, but Leana would run ahead of her family. "Slow down!" Basil calls after his daughter, "We don't want to get caught!" he warns.
The school entrance for the rodent children was almost identical to the human entrance as they displayed a plague of the school's crest above the door, along with the school's motto: Aude pervenire ad caelum
"Dare to reach for the heavens," Basil translate from the Latin. "Hmmmm, the founder must've wanted youngsters to go above and beyond," he adds and a male mouse, wearing a fine suit chuckles as he heard the detective.
"That is what we hope to achieve with every new generation that comes here," he said. The male mouse had white fur with light blue eyes and his feet were big, which was very typically with male mice. He clears his throat and outstretches his hand to Basil, "I'm Headmaster Laurence Thornton, but some children like to call me Mr. Laurie, from the book 'Little Women'. I always admired a female author," he said and the detective shakes his hand.
"I'm Mr. Basil of Baker Street, although I'm sure you heard of me," he replies and Mr. Thornton looks down at the twins.
"Well hello there, you must be Mr. John and Miss Leana, we're happy to have you here," he said and they nod. Mr. Thornton then steps aside for them, "The auditorium is just down the hall, the ceremony will commence shortly," he informs them and they proceed down the hallway.
The auditorium was full of new year students, roughly the same age as the twins and they find some empty seats, while their parents join with the other adult rodents. One teacher comes up with a stool with a cushion, "Here, it's not much, but it's better than being on your feet in your condition," the female teacher said to Olivia, who thanks her.
Then everyone goes quiet when Mr. Thornton appears on the stage. "Welcome first years!" he said in a booming voice and the children were a bit startled, including John and Leana, "Do pardon me for being loud, but I am just happy to see new faces here."
He clears his throat and continues, "Here at Kingswood Academy, our motto is Aude pervenire ad caelum, 'Dare to reach for the heavens'. I understand that some of you might not have a dream on your mind, but I'm sure during your time here, you will decide in becoming a doctor, or perhaps a writer, or pursue something far greater than anything else.
"It is our solemn duty to shape your minds and perhaps open more doors of possibility for all of you. However, there is one thing we don't tolerate, which is dishonorable behavior. We value honesty and trustworthiness, therefore if one is to cheat his or her way to the top, then you're just hurting your chances in achieving the dream you desire.
"Without further ado, I welcome you to Kingswood Academy! And just to add some spice to the occasion, 'Knock em dead!'" Mr. Thornton finishes in a happy tone and the children laugh a little, then give applause. One of the teachers, however, didn't seem pleased with the last part and told Mr. Thornton, who scoffs at her.
The first years give a brief goodbye to their parents; John and Leana do the same before they were escorted to their first class of the day. Luckily, they had Classic Literature together and they settle with a few other first year students.
The teacher takes roll-call and some of the students were shocked when John and Leana's names were called. "Those are the Basil twins?" one of the students whispers, but the teacher hushes everyone and finishes roll-call before they begin the lesson.
Basil and Olivia made it home as a chilly wind blew in. They enter in their home at Baker Street, but it was empty and rather silent as the twins were not there to entertain them.
They dress in their robes and settle in their chairs in the living room. Basil takes out his violin, playing a sad melody, while Olivia finishes a baby's shirt. "Oh it's not the same without those two," the detective said and his wife looks at him with a sad face.
Then, there was a knock at the door and Rachel, who was attending to some window cleaning opens it to reveal Dawson and a young male mouse following behind him. "Basil, this young man needs our help," the doctor said.
"Oh? And what services does he require?" Basil asks, putting down his violin. He looks at Olivia with a bit of a smile as today was going to be different and it would be different for some time, but he was eager to help out any rodent in distress.
()()()()()()()()()()()()
The twins were happy after finishing Classic Literature; John was mostly happy as the class would discuss some Gothic novels such as 'Frankenstein' and the American novel 'Moby-Dick', which he heard was about a legendary white whale being hunted by a deranged human.
Leana went to her French class, while John had beginners math. They met up for their physical exercise course, where the teacher distributes the students' work-out uniforms. The students were taught a stretching routine as it would be crucial before running or exercising. During their stretching routine, the twins notice a rat girl with pretty black curls and dark brown eyes.
"Come on Miss Fernsby, you can do a little better than that," the male teacher tells the rat girl.
"I know, I'm just so hungry," she replies, but the teacher ignores her excuse and orders her to continue stretching. For some reason, Leana did feel something sad inside this rat girl and then the children were told to run a few laps.
Both John and Leana proved to be fast; they even nearly beat the school's track record, which surprised the teacher, Mr. Cushing. He told them that with extra practice, they could beat the track record within a few weeks. They did notice the rat girl red in the face and taking deep breaths. The students were then escorted to the showers to wash off the sweat and dry off before the class ended.
Lunchtime rolled in and the twins met in a shady part of outside, watching a few peers play some games. "Say, my lunch is still cold, what about yours?" John asks his sister, who discovers her lunch was still cold.
Before they start eating, they hear some laughter and a girl's voice pleading to stop. The twins look around and discover the source; the rat girl was being teased by three female mice, students who were a few years older than them.
"Why are you here? Why don't you go back to your sewer hole?" a mouse girl with light brown fur and blonde hair asks.
"I don't live in a sewer," the rat girl replies, trying to eat her meal in peace.
"Oh yeah, sure you don't. All rats live in the sewers," the same mouse girl said, while her friends laugh. Then, she takes the rat girl's lunch and teases her with it. "What's the matter? Can't reach?" she mocks the poor rat.
"HEY!" a voice calls out and a male mouse with slightly dark brown fur appears, "You give my sister her lunch back!" he orders.
"She's your sister?" one of the girl mice asks and then the bullies laugh.
"Your parents must be an odd couple," the leader of the three replies. The twins decide to put an end to this and they step into the tension bubble.
"Um, hi," Leana said, "My brother and I would appreciate it if you give the girl's lunch back," she insists, but the older girl mouse laughs.
"Oh really, what are you going to do? Call a teacher on me?" she asks, but one of her friends whispers something into her ear. "Wait, you're John and Leana Basil? The detective's children?" she asks and they nod. "Well, just so you know, you don't want to make friends with the wrong sort, like the Romney family, as they brought a rat into their clan. Why don't you join us? We can show you who is the best around here," the mouse girl said, but the Basil twins shake their heads.
"Actually, I think we know who is the 'wrong sort' here," Leana replies, looking at the older mouse girl in the eye, and she got the message.
"You just made a grave mistake," she whispers in a warning tone. She drops the rat girl's lunch bag on the ground, but then stomps on it, crushing the food in it. The three girl mice walk away and John and Leana assist the rat girl and her companion.
"Um, thanks for that, but I had it taken care of," the boy mouse said, although clearly he didn't.
"Sorry, but we tried to be of assistance," John replies and helps clean up the mess. The food was squished, leaving nothing to salvage, "Who were those jerks?" he asks, referring to the mouse girl and her cronies.
"That was Suzette Easton, she's in year three, but I hear that she's mean to every rat who comes here," the boy mouse answers and looks at the twins, "You're John and Leana Basil, the detective's twin children?" he asks and they nod.
The boy mouse then squeals and the girl rat laughs a bit. "Sorry, Milton here is an admirer of your father's," she said and she adds, "I'm Winifred Fernsby by the way, we're in first year like you."
"Please to meet you two," Leana said, but notices Winifred's droopy eyes. "Are you all right?" she asks.
"She has low blood sugar, which means she can't function well without a full stomach," Milton said and Winifred did seem out of sorts. The twins look at her ruined lunch and then at theirs. They decided to split their sandwiches for her, then offer some of the fruit yogurt and they evenly divide their juices.
"Oh thank you," she said, "And you can call me Winnie, I always like that better," she adds and takes a bite of the first half of sandwich. "Mmmmmmm!" she smiles and says, "This is good, what meat is this?"
"Bacon, our mom has been having cravings for it, so our housekeeper Mrs. Judson makes a lot of things with pork," John answers as they eat their lunches. "By the way, that Suzette Easton mentioned you're not related, mind if we ask?" he adds, but his sister gives him a warning look, "What? It's out of curiosity."
Both Milton and Winnie look at one another, then Milton explains, "Winnie's parents were good friends with my parents, but her mom suffered from diabetes. After she died, my parents took Winnie in as her dad didn't..." he trails off as he didn't want to upset Winnie.
"My father was heartbroken and he decided to leave me with Milton and his parents," she said and produces a locket, which had two photographs, one featured a lovely looking rat woman and the second showed her with the infant Winnie and a male rat.
"Oh we're so sorry. Your mother looks pretty," Leana said and gives Winnie a comforting rub on her back.
"Some rodents were not happy with my parents adopting a rat as they think mice and rats don't get along, but it's obvious that they're wrong. I always thought Winnie as my sister, hence why I call her that," Milton said, placing a protective arm around her.
"We do agree, some rats are not evil," Leana said and adds, "A friend of ours said Ratigan and his family give rats a bad name. By the way, mice are just as capable of committing terrible things."
"That's true, which is why I'm elated to finally meet you, as your dad killed that sick, mean rodent," Milton replies and they finish their meals as the bell rang for the second half of the day.
"Thanks for the food and juice, I'm hoping to see you around," Winnie said as they head back inside for their afternoon classes.
"Why don't we invite you to our home sometime?" John suggests and Milton and Winnie became excited. They decided to think about a date later as they went to their first afternoon classes. John was excited to be in the Greek language class as he was hoping to go to Greece one day. Leana and Winnie shared the same physics class and they sat next to each other.
Their last class for the afternoon was European history and they were happy to see Milton and Winnie in the same classroom. During roll-call, the twins were surprised when they hear "Nevaeh Easton".
A girl mouse with light brown fur and blonde hair shoots her hand up, "Present!" she calls. The twins look at their new friends with confusion as she did look like a younger version of the bully they met earlier.
"Suzette's younger sister," Milton says quickly in a whisper, just as Winnie's name was called. The class period went by rather quickly and then, the first day of school was over.
Many of the students rush out of the school, but John and Leana stay behind for a bit to talk to their new friends. "Usually the school clubs don't commence until the second week of school, but you're welcome to join our 'Detective Appreciation Club'," Milton said and the twins got excited.
"We mostly discuss old cases that Mr. Henry Walker and your father solved, but we like to crack some hard puzzles or codes that might come in handy in the future," Winnie adds with a chuckle.
"We would like to join your club sometime," Leana said and then they notice Nevaeh with her older sister, Suzette and her gang of bullies.
"Oh, you happen to be with the rat loving folks," Suzette said to her sister, "Well at least it's the last class of the day," she adds, while patting the top of Nevaeh's head.
Both John and Leana introduce themselves to Nevaeh, but she rolls her eyes, "Yeah, I know who you are. You like to hang with a rat and her deranged adopted family," she replies, but that made the twins feel angry.
"Just so you know, not all rats are bad and Winnie here is a sweet person," Leana insists, but Neveah and her sister dismiss Leana's words.
"I'd say you watch your back; Winifred Fernsby might eat you alive, like that Ratigan would. Same goes to you, Milton Romney," Neveah said before leaving with her sister and their goons.
"She's just as bad as Suzette," John said to his sister, who did agree. They turn back to their friends, who urge them not to listen to the Easton sisters and that karma would serve justice to them sometime soon. They then bid goodbye and were looking forward to seeing them tomorrow. The twins were surprised to see their father and their good friend, Dawson outside, eager to bring them home.
They jumped into their father's arms, who laughs happily and gives them a squeezing hug. "How was your day?" Basil asks, but then adds, "Oh wait! Don't say it just yet! Your mother would want to hear it, too."
"We can't wait to tell you, although it was pretty terrible most of the time," Leana replies and her father looks at her in shock.
"Oh? What happened?" he asks as they make the walk back home.
"There are these two sisters, Suzette and Neveah Easton, who were pretty mean towards our new friends, one of them is a rat girl named Winnie Fernsby," John explains and Dawson looks at them in shock.
"Easton you say? They wouldn't be related to Josiah Easton?" he asks, but they weren't sure.
"Who is Josiah Easton?" Leana asks them.
"He is, what I call the richest and perhaps the most egotistical mouse in London. He has sent some rather mean-spirited letters towards rats to the newspapers, in which they published, on how 'untrustworthy' rats are," Basil explains.
"That does fit Suzette and Neveah's behavior; I wouldn't be surprised if Josiah is their father," John said and Leana nods at her brother.
"There's nothing worse than a parent who passes their distasteful behavior onto their children, but I am glad that you made a friend with someone who is longing for a companion," Basil replies and asks, "And who else did you make friends with?"
"Winnie's brother, Milton Romney, but he's not really her brother. His family adopted Winnie after her mother died," Leana answers and she explains of Winnie's family situation, which shocks her father and Dawson.
"Oh that poor girl," Dawson said in a tearful whisper. The four mice enter through the front door of their home at 221B 1/2 Baker Street and Olivia was happy to see her children.
"Come here! I've missed you!" she exclaims, opening her arms for a hug and the twins give her a loving hug. "Now let's sit down and you tell us about your day, the same with your father here," she said, looking at her husband with a grin.
"What happened to Daddy?" Leana asks. Basil and Dawson explain to the children and Olivia about their client, who was searching for his father's suspected murderer as the client thought he died from poison. It turned out that the client's father was in a feud with a neighbor over property value and the neighbor slipped arsenic in the father's drink.
"You have all the fun," John groans, but his sister nudges him.
"It's not true, you had fun in exercise class and you did like that classic literature," she replies and they tell their parents about their classes, which did excite them. The twins then tell their mother about their new friends, Milton and Winnie and of the Easton sisters who were bullying Winnie for being a rat.
"I know what it's like to stand up to bullies," Olivia said, "I remember being teased by some girls who made fun of my feelings towards your father after the first time we met. I did beat up one of the girls and I did receive a scolding afterward by the girl's family and from Daddy," she explains, but Basil was surprised at this.
"You never told me that," he said, "I thought you were home-schooled."
"I was, but sometimes I went to my tutor's home where there were some other students from different schools," Olivia replies and looks to her children, "I don't like bullies, but standing up to those kinds of children and even adults can be difficult in my opinion, although I think it's a natural part of life."
The twins give their mother a loving hug, "Daddy always said to have compassion, but always stand up to what is right. He did say that karma will come and bite tormentors in the behind, even if it would be years later, but they will get their due," Olivia tells her family, to which the twins already knew about karma.
"Oh, Milton and Winnie did invite us to their 'Detective Appreciation Club'," Leana tells her parents and Dawson.
"A 'Detective Appreciation Club'?" Dawson repeats the words and John explains what Milton and Winnie told them about the club.
"Sounds something that you might enjoy, in fact I would like to see this club for myself someday. That is, if they welcome adults," Basil said to his children, who smile at him and they settle down for the evening.
After having a pleasant dinner, the twins began to start on their classic literature reading, which they would first read the first few chapters of 'Don Quixote' and discuss the character Sancho later in the week.
"You know, Sancho is like the noble friend, but tries to knock some sense into the hero," John said to his sister, who agrees on the main character.
"I think that's what we should call our black gelding, Sancho," Leana suggests, "He is like a noble friend," she said, but John shakes his head.
"No, I want something that sounds like a fighter or maybe a scary creature," he replies and they get ready for bed. Their parents follow suit and the four of them wander off to sleep. awaiting to start a new adventure with their deceased loved ones, but were eager to take on another day.
()()()()()()()()()()()()()
The Basil family and Dawson arrived at the Flaversham homestead, where the Flavershams' and the Basils' were with the two new horses, the black gelding and the chestnut mare. The twins did mention that they still hadn't decide on names.
"I just realized that they do look like Black Beauty and Ginger, from that Anna Sewell book," Basil comments while grooming the black gelding. "He has a beautiful coat, black as ebony, but soft like a baby's skin," he said and the gelding listens to him.
"I think he likes you Daddy," his daughter replies and the detective feeds him some oats. Dawson decides to help groom Hermina, the Shetland pony as she was small enough for him to brush.
"This is what I like about having horses," Hiriam said as he cleans Argus' hooves, "Brushing them and cleaning them, there's always something about it that calms me down, but riding is always the best part."
While grooming the horses, the twins share their experience of their first day of school, including the Easton sisters who were picking on Winnie Fernsby. "That poor girl," Sarah Basil said, "It's a shame that most children are blinded by the actions of their parents and become terrible people later in life," she adds, referring to the Easton sisters.
"Oh, mom!" John exclaims, nearly startling everyone, even the horses, so they hush him. "Sorry!" he whispers, "Mom, why don't you show us that memory of beating that girl who teased you?" he asks his mother, who blushes a bit.
"Oh I remember that day," Hiriam said and the memory begins to form before them. It was a cold, but sunny day in winter from the looks of the bare trees and icy sidewalks. At a brownstone house, Olivia was writing on a piece of paper, minding her own business when a girl mouse a little older than her snatches it out of her hand.
"Who are you writing to Flaversham?" the girl mouse asks and passes it around her friends, who giggle while Olivia struggles to get the piece of paper back.
"To my hero," one of the girls speaks in a romantic voice, "I will never forget the time you saved me and my father from that ugly rat. Even though I thought I was going to lose you, you came out of the clouds and-" Suddenly, Olivia throws a punch at the girl's face, but then the girl tries to punch back. Olivia jumps on the girl, pulling at her hair and trying to get the paper back.
A moment later, both girls were sitting in the parlor of the tutor's home, both bruised and scratched. Olivia stares at the floor, listening to her father talk to the girl's parents, who were calling his daughter horrible names. Hiriam does his best to keep his composure intact, but the tutor makes a statement that if Olivia were to fight with anyone else in the house, she would be banned and that other tutors would be told of her behavior.
The girl's parents decide to remove their daughter and not return, mentioning that they would find another tutor. The present Basil walks up to the ten-year old Olivia, she had tears in her eyes, but she was doing her best to not cry.
The memory changes to Hiriam's toy shop, where he made some soup for Olivia, but she doesn't eat it. "Oh my Bairn," he said in a comforting tone, "I know that you don't like it when others nose into your business, but that's not the best way to ease the situation."
"They started it and they refused to give back my letter," Olivia replies and shows it to her father, who reads it, a look of surprise on his face. "I miss him Daddy, I miss Mr. Basil. Why hasn't he come to visit?" she asks. The present Basil pulls the present Olivia in his embrace while the memory continues to play.
"He is a detective and he must be busy with many cases," Hiriam said, but it didn't do any good. "Olivia, maybe someday you will go to him for help, although I'm not sure what kind of help," he adds, "You know, I believe he could use some help, although he has Dawson, but Mr. Basil might welcome help from a brave lady like you some day. You got to be intelligent like him," he encourages and a big smile forms on her face.
"I do want to be smart like him," Olivia replies and then features a face that the present Olivia chuckles a bit. "That's what I'll do, I'm going to study much harder than any of those other girls or boys, and maybe get into a big university," she tells her father, who seemed surprised when he hears the last part.
"Let's take it one day at a time sweetie," Hiriam said, but his daughter was determined. Then the forms of Hiriam and Olivia began to age; the little mouse girl became an adolescent, surrounded by piles of paper and books, and the memory slows to feature Olivia, roughly 18 or 19 at a desk.
Basil peeks over her shoulder and notices that it was a test of some kind, but couldn't make it out. However, the Olivia in the memory finishes the test and then delivers it to a male mouse, a tutor perhaps and the memory changes to that of a summer day. Olivia walks through a door with an envelope in hand and Basil realizes it was from Westfield College.
She opens it and reads it, a look of shock and happiness forms on her face. "Daddy!" she calls out and Hiriam appears from the back room of his shop. "I got in! They accepted me!" she exclaims, which only confused her father, but she gives him the letter. His face features mostly shock, but he pulls her into a hug.
"I got accepted into Westfield and I was to start in the autumn of 1907, but..." the present Olivia trails off and the memory begins to fade away. "It was the time that Rosenberg put his revenge into motion. If only I had thought of going back on that Friday, then-" Hiriam stops her from talking any further.
"Don't give it another thought, because we are here now and look what you accomplished, although I was unsure of how the outcome would be as she was at the age of marriage and I was getting old. I did want someone to take care of her before I passed, but Elliott fulfilled my wishes after I left the mortal world," he tells her and he and Olivia's mother, Leana embrace her. They share a sweet moment before getting themselves together and Hiriam and Leana take their grandchildren and son-in-law in their arms.
"You know, I have a feeling that something big is going to happen to you two while at Kingswood, might be bad or good, but it's going to be big," Leana Flaversham tells them, "Just do what your mother and father did, impress everyone with your intellect. I do believe Sarah did say something to your father one time," she adds, while looking at her son-in-law's mother.
"It's true, I did encourage Elliott to stay in school and make it into London University where his mentor, Henry had gone," Sarah Basil replies, "You know, that 'Detective Appreciation Club' sounds like it's up your father's alley. I hope you two have fun in that club," she adds and then they hear the clock strike 6:15 in the morning.
"Oh why does the night go by quick?" John complains and his grandparents laugh a little.
"Very soon it'll be winter, the hours of darkness will be longer," John Frederick tells his grandson, "However, I am looking forward for the new addition to arrive," he said to his daughter-in-law.
"You two protect your new friends, make Winnie feel special when others don't welcome her," Hiriam tells his grandchildren before they departed the dream realm and start a new day.
From the author: What do you think? I was planning to make the story a bit longer, but I figured to stop here and make a new story on the twins while at school, along with their new friends and new enemies.
See you soon!