A Study in Scarlet, Part II: The G in GPS stands for God

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Story: A Study in Scarlet, Part II
Rating: Gen
Summary: There’s faith and then there’s cartography.
Author’s Note: In which the author feels somewhat vindicated for having once put a porcupine in an English forest. Reportedly, when Sir Arthur was told that he put the Rio Grande very far from where it actually flows, he replied, “These little things happen.”

“Where is that mighty majestic river? Where the legendary Rio Grande? It was said to the right of the Sierra Blanco, but we have passed peak after peak and I see nothing.”
“Where is your faith?”
“But on the map—. Shouldn’t it be somewhere—?”
“Maps? Oh, these little things happen. On to Zion! We shall see it there!”

Comments

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this enjoyable 60 - Oh, these little things happen.

Porcupines are charming, anyway.

edit: Sharon Penman once put a grey squirrel in fifteenth century England, so you've more than one in your best company.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Hee, hee. I learned a humble lesson that what constitutes 'woodland creatures' is very much a local subjective thing, and the birds *smacks head* I won't even venture there. If it's not a woodcock on a plate with a glass of Montrachet, it's not going in my story.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Well, if you do need to put in a bird, remember Sellar&Yeatman's 'important rule': in case of doubt the answer is probably a starling. There were a lot of sparrows in those days, too.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

I was ignorant of this rule, but now it's engraved on my consciousness, along with 'streets not blocks' and the whole 'suspenders' vs. 'braces' hieroglyphic and, of course, the always-ignored 'no whistling tea kettles.'

[thesmallhobbit.livejournal.com]

Maps are mere trifles in the dessert of life.

Do you think such a well travelled porcupine would be interested in making the occasional contribution to the Marylebone Monthly Illustrated?

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Ha, ha. I see what you did there.

Re: porcupine. Sure! I mean you have a mouse and an ocelot, so I guess there's room. He'll pack his jump rope and be on the first ferry over.

[scfrankles.livejournal.com]

ACD certainly had a lot of self-confidence ^_^

Very amusing, madam ^^ I love your title.

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Hee, hee. He's more of a concept man, left the details (like the dates!) for the small minds.

Thank you!

[gardnerhill.livejournal.com]

"I see it - the Grand Canyon! Can Niagra Falls be far behind!"

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

They're going to drop in the Pacific (or the Gulf of Mexico) before too long.

I also learned last week that Doyle hadn't even lived in London when he started writing the Sherlock stories, so you know what? If I didn't bother him, why should it bother me?

[debriswoman]

Wonderful:-)
Little details...:-p

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yes, Doyle was never one to let geography (or timelines) get in the way of a good story. Bless his heart.

[sanguinity]

Heh. Having spent a month on the PCT trying to find water sources via out-dated maps, I assert with authority: you should never ever confuse faith and cartography.

And I'm sure that porcupine had a perfectly reasonable backstory explaining how it found itself in an English forest that day. ;-)

[okapi1895.livejournal.com]

True, although I have been known to answer the question, 'What should we do NOW?!' with 'one should never underestimate the power of prayer.' Most people don't find it as funny as I do.

Ah, the porcupine! He haunts me still. But now he's got a job (see above)!