For the Sherlock Challenge October prompt: Plant. A double drabble at 200 words.
'Did you know that there are over 400,00 different plants in the world?'
Without looking up from the paper he was reading John replied in that tone of voice that any sane person knew meant they weren't really listening.
'Really?'
Sherlock ploughed on regardless.
'There are over 70 species of tobacco alone.'
'That's interesting.'
'I, myself, can recognise all of them.'
'Very helpful.'
'And I can identify many poisonous plant-based toxins by smell and symptoms.'
'That's just great, Sherlock.'
There was a pause and John looked up. He couldn't see his friend, but with suddenly indistinct muttering coming from the kitchen, he twisted to look over and see what the man was doing.
Sherlock was standing at the sink, staring at the windowsill, hands grasping the worksurface.
'I have a great mind. I can deduce from the smallest clue.'
'Yes you can. I've seen it.'
Another pause began to make John feel uneasy. They hadn't had an interesting case for days and Sherlock was going up the wall. When that happened, he tended to do stupid things, like shoot faces into walls.
The next words were wailed.
'Then why can't I keep this cyclamen alive, John?'
Time for an intervention.