The Adventure of the Second Stain: The Nameless Decade

[vaysh]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Second Stain
Title: The Nameless Decade
Author: vaysh
Rating: G
Words: 60
Author's Note: This drabble is set on the evening of 1 August 1914, when Germany declared war on Russia.


This Saturday evening, I go through my old notes. A slip of paper falls from the diary marked 1881 - 89. In my friend's unmistakable hand it has the Kaiser written on it. For twenty-six years I held on to this memento from Holmes' most distinguished case. Today, with Europe on the brink of war, his supposition seems like prophecy.

Comments

[debriswoman]

I really like this scene...ties in so well with the secrecy surrounding the details of time and content

Very well done:-)

[vaysh]

Thank you so much. :)
These 60 words are the result of an hour-long research about the time of SOCO (July 1888) and the outbreak of WW1. Fandom is so very educational. ;)

[debriswoman]

It certainly is:-)

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Chilling, and I do like the idea of Watson reviewing his notes in anticipation of the world he knows completely changing.

[vaysh]

Apparently, Germany declared war on Russia at 7.10 pm on a Saturday evening, which feels like the oddest time to me. And yes, I can so see Watson going from the evening edition of the paper to his old notes and this case.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

What a fascinating detail to home in on. It's something I hadn't given much thought to - who was the "foreign potentate"? I so admire the way you've connected everything up. Really good.

[vaysh]

Thank you so much. I was very much intrigued that in the ACD story, Holmes writes the name of the foreign potentate on a slip of paper whereas in the Granada film adaptation, we never know for sure whether Holmes guessed who he was. I found several sources that agree that William II is the most likely candidate.