"Mish?" John called out. "Mish? Where'd you go?" He stepped in the empty room surveying it. Rumbled sheets and discarded books, clothes and toys scattered the floor. "Hamish Watson Holmes, answer me." John called out, his voice a little louder, a little sterner. Nothing. He felt a stab of panic in his chest as he searched the closet and under his bed.
The floor creaked as it always did when someone walked across it and something cold and hard pressed into the small of John's back. He froze. A raspy voice, growled at him.
"Do. Not. Move" The voice commanded.
John swallowed hard. What had this man done with Hamish? Who was it? What did they want? John found his voice slowly.
"Where is my son?"
"Turn around Doctor Watson"
Turning slowly he stared ahead to, nothing? What? Glancing down John saw Hamish laughing at him holding the thick end of a kitchen spoon out at him.
Letting his breathing return to normal John shouted at his son. "Hamish Watson Holmes! What do you think you are doing?!"
Still snickering Hamish spoke in his fake raspy voice, "It's an experiment!"
Glaring at Hamish he let a laugh escape and he let the anger pass. "Hamish it's not nice to scare me like that! What were you trying to prove?"
"Father said I couldn't scare you...I proved him wrong! He owes me ice cream!" he chirped in a singsong voice.
"Hamish that is not an experiment, that's a bet. I will give you Ice cream and take out for dinner tonight if you don't tell your father that you scared me."
Hamish thought it over and stuck his hand out, "Deal!" with that he launched himself into John's arms. Catching him and laughing they made their way to the living room to call for pizza.