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The Case of the Aerial Feline
By Taleya
Watson dropped his paper in disgust. "That damned cat is back again."
"Ignore it." Holmes mumbled, shoving his face deeper into the cushions of the
couch.
"But where does it come from? Where does it go?" Watson watched the cat do
another circuit of the room, tail brushing against tassels of a lampshade. "For
that matter, how the blazes is it doing that? Is it possessed? Are we
possessed?"
Holmes snorted and shoved himself upright, reaching for his pipe, ducking past
the aerial feline as it swung over the couch. "You're far too fanciful."
"It's not natural." Watson recoiled as it came past again, drifting past
his face this time, one paw batting lightly at his moustache. "And it's
certainly upsetting Gladstone." The pup made a small socially embarrassing noise
in agreement.
Holmes shot the dog an evil look and lit his pipe, shaking out a match and
tossing it randomly over his shoulder. "My dear Watson, there is no event, no
matter how bizarre, that cannot be explained by rational means."
"Such as? Wings? Wires? Invisible pixies with a penchant for tormenting alley
cats?"
"Not at all. It's a simple play of light and air, exacerbated by a state of
mental confusion."
"Explain."
"Well I've certainly indulged in far too much wine and solution this evening.
I'm frankly surprised the cat is all I'm seeing." He puffed contentedly on his
pipe, head lolling back against the couch, watching the eddies of smoke waft
above, split and circling around the trail left by the cat as it swung past
again. "It's actually rather soothing, all things considered."
"Well that certainly explains you. But why am I seeing it?"
Holmes shrugged, one hand working briefly under his nose. "Well then, my dear
Watson. I can only conclude its a hallucination brought on by too. Little.
Sleep." he tapped his pipe on the ashtray, the brief pipping noises a
counterpoint to the words. "Probably caused by infernal nocturnal activities. I
told you that damned wife would be the death of you."
The cat swung past the neatly thrown boot and continued on its way.
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