The Adventure of the Cardboard Box: Recollection / Furnace

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
Title: Recollection
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: memories of war
Author's Notes: Two again this week. I seem to end up with two for weeks I find challenging. I start writing one, am not enormously enthused about it, start another, am not enraptured by that one either. So then I end up with two, neither of which is completely satisfying for me. But there are some decent qualities to both, so here they are.


I can see it in his eyes; he is thinking of the war. In his mind, he is there, hands caked in blood and sand, struggling mightily against desperate odds to save as many shattered lives as he can.

Watson never speaks of it. With me, he doesn't need to. Perhaps that helps explain why he remains by my side.

---

Canon Story: The Adventure of the Cardboard Box
Title: Furnace
Author: spacemutineer
Rating: PG

"What is the meaning of it, Watson? What object is served by this circle of misery and violence and fear?”

I wanted to tell him. I wanted to explain that it’s love that drives men mad. Love that makes men miserable and joyous. Love that inspires violence, fear, passion, devotion. The furnace of souls burns hot for all but himself.

Comments

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

Second one in particular is satisfying to me! Have to lag behind a bit on account of only having just got back from seeing Dr Faustus at the Globe...

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! Glad at least one of them had a good enough hook. And don't worry about your timing -- have fun! Sounds like you definitely are, at the Globe and all! So cool. Can't wait to see what you've got for us this week when you get a chance.

[methylviolet10b]

I think you're being too hard on yourself, because both of these are lovely. You play up two of the most poignant moments in this story - Watson's reminiscences on the futility of war in the beginning, and Holmes' musings on the futility of the crime in the end - and tie them together with ease. Both of these are haunting and powerful and explore the various aspects of these two characters nicely. Well done!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

You're always so kind, Violet, thank you. I'm so glad to hear you liked them. I think I looked at them too long, and if you do that, eventually everything starts to look problematic. Thanks for the sweet words; I really appreciate it. :)

[hardboiledbaby]

Oh, I especially like the second, but both are quite good. :)

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

Wow, thanks! I'm very happy to hear that you liked them!

[tweedisgood.livejournal.com]

Sorry that my first, rushed comment was lukewarm, it shouldn't have been, because that line "the furnace of souls burns hot for all but himself" is actually a bloody brilliant one!

[spacemutineer.livejournal.com]

It is so kind of you to come back to an old comment to add that! And I very much appreciate it. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're really doing a good job with wording and phrasing, so I am always ecstatic to hear something worked, especially from someone as gifted with the turn of a phrase as yourself!

Have to confess, though, that I came up with that line at literally the last minute. I just couldn't get the 60 where I wanted it, but finally the furnace bit popped into my head. Wish that would happen more often! (Well, the good line randomly appearing anyway...)