4th Dec Prompt From sirensbane: Watson takes a trip in a time machine.
I got a little carried away...and can only apologise
Both ACDoyle and HGWells lived in Southsea at some point; one in medical practice, one in a draper's shop...
A Trip to Southsea
You'll never guess!
You'll never guess!
A thousand times, you'll never guess!
Where Mrs H and I have been!
And all the wonders we have seen!
We've travelled in a time machine!
~0~
My tale began one day last week;
My manuscript required a tweak.
(The one with Mycroft's captive Greek.)
So I declared a break from toil;
A trip to see my agent, Doyle,
Who'd moved from London Town to coast
To take a Southsea practice post.
Dear Mrs Hudson overheard,
And stopped me for a quiet word.
She'd also like a little break;
She deals with Holmes, for goodness sake.
(A job not many folk would take.)
Some Christmas shopping by the coast
Was what she'd truly like the most.
Her need was plain;
A trip by train
And back again
Would keep her sane.
Her point was fair.
I'd take her there.
Ignore her pleas?
I wouldn't dare!
~0~
So off we went, both nicely dressed,
With Mrs H in Sunday best.
I told her I was most impressed.
The journey down was nice and calm;
No Holmes around to cause alarm.
No statement every other minute
That rural space had villains in it.
More villains here than anywhere!
All carefree travellers beware!
In home and farm and wood and field,
More villains than the cities yield!
With Mayhem, Death and Worse concealed!
Instead we gazed at pleasant views
And wondered which nice farms we'd choose.
A lovely time.
No talk of crime.
~0~
We disembarked at Southsea station,
And took a stroll, our destination
A place for cakes and scones and tea
With views of seagulls, sand and sea;
We spent an hour, delightfully.
Then off again, my notes in hand
To let my agent see, as planned,
My next adventure for "The Strand"
We'd reached a haberdasher's shop
When Mrs Hudson pleaded, "Stop!"
"I have a rather splendid hat,
They might just have a pin for that."
I followed Mrs Hudson in
To find her splendid hat a pin.
We did not know,
By doing so
What strange adventures would begin.
~0~
We viewed the goods on floor and shelf.
A salesman introduced himself
As junior draper, Herbert Wells.
He looked the type who smiles and sells,
And smiles and sells,
And smiles and sells;
But really he would rather not.
Each hand was marked with stain and spot;
His sleeve was edged with ink spilled blot
As though he liked to write a lot.
A pin was found, a price arranged,
And details of address exchanged.
He heard my name, his manner changed.
A spark appeared, immediately;
"Please, Dr Watson, come with me
There's something you should really see."
We followed him, obediently...
~0~
He pushed through satins, silks and more
To reach a hidden secret door;
He opened it and sidled through.
We did the same, as Holmes would do,
Not miss the chance for something new.
And then we stopped;
Our jaws both dropped.
We saw an oddly shaped machine;
The oddest I have ever seen;
Some knobs and lights, a large round screen;
A comfy chair and clock between.
Young Herbert grinned, he seemed quite keen;
To introduce his time machine.
Yes, Wells had built a time machine!
It's true! He'd built a time machine!
~0~
And what a splendid time we spent
In temporal experiment!
With Herbert in his element.
We all took turns on comfy chair,
And dialled our dates with thought and care;
And disappeared,
Then reappeared,
With scenes and wondrous sights to share
From rocket ship to dinosaur;
We saw it all and wanted more.
(We changed no lives; our acts, selective.
We all observed the prime directive.)
Alas, all things must reach an end
We had to leave our new found friend
And sort the manuscript I'd penned.
~0~
We thanked young Herbert, shook his hand
Then carried on our way, as planned.
Then looked behind.
What did we find?
No shop was there!
Not anywhere.
The draper's shop, it wasn't there!
We looked and looked most everywhere.
It really, truly wasn't there!
We shrugged, we really didn't care;
We still had wondrous sights to share,
And still had several hours to spare.
~0~
Later, on the London train,
We spoke of what we'd seen again.
We both recalled events, quite plain.
And Mrs Hudson's splendid hat;
She still possessed the pin for that.
Would Sherlock Holmes believe us? No.
Our secret would be kept, just so.
Back we went to Baker Street;
Her shopping and my task complete,
And one abandoned friend to greet.
Back to patients, care and crime.
~0~
A day to cherish
For all time.
~0~