Lost and Found

[capt_facepalm]

Title: Lost and Found
Author: capt_facepalm
Rating: PG
Fandom: Sherlock Holmes (Gaslight ACD)
Characters: Dr John H, Watson, late of the Army Medical Department, Mr Sherlock Holmes
Summary: A package arrives for Watson on the 10th anniversary of the Maiwand Disaster
Warning: (none)
Word Count: 100
Author's Notes: July 27th 2018 prompt: Treasure Island: A character has lost something they value.

.oOOo.

Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr John Watson returned to their Baker Street flat. The detective picked up a handful of items from the mail salver.

‘Mundane correspondence for me, and an intriguing package for you, Watson.’

Watson didn’t recognise the small, flexible brown paper packet so he took it upstairs to the sitting-room where the light was better. When Holmes hadn’t heard from his fellow-lodger for several minutes, he became concerned.

Watson, ashen-faced, sat at his desk staring at a small, battered, blood-stained notebook.

‘I say! Is that your war diary?’

Watson nodded. ‘I lost it ten years ago today.’

.oOOo.

Please sign the guestbook

---

Supplementary Notes: The Battle of Maiwand was July 27, 1880.

Comments

[donutsweeper]

Ooh nice!

[capt_facepalm]

Thanks! Poor Watson lost this in the battlefield at Maiwand. Amongst his mundane entries, it held the names and/or numbers of the casualties he encountered and aided that day.

[gardnerhill]

For any writer? Something like this is like getting your soul back.

[capt_facepalm]

Poor Watson thought this was lost forever on the battlefield. Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

Goodness...

Mrs P

[capt_facepalm]

Thanks, Mrs P!
Watson is dealing with a lot when this item reappears.

[bwblack]

Very NICE

[capt_facepalm]

Thanks! Although it is more about finding this item, the loss is referred to. (No prompt bending/breaking to see here!)

[med_cat]

An excellent take on the prompt; I would love to hear what happened to the diary before, and perhaps to see some excerpts from it...

(also, I was relieved to see the package was not something akin to the one from Culverton-Smith, I thought it might be)

[capt_facepalm]

Thanks! I concentrated on it being found, with the loss of it implied.

[med_cat]

:)

[pompey_01]

Yeah, I'm a little creeped out by the diary's sudden return. I'm glad for Watson's sake that he has it again but . . . where's it been, who sent it, and why now?

[capt_facepalm]

Thanks! Watson's diary is actually a journal that officers were expected to keep. It would contain information on his day-to-day activities such as: treated 5 footsores; 3 cases of clap; 1 heat exhaustion; 4 dysentery. (As apposed to "♥♥♥ Someday, I hope to return to London and find true love ♥♥♥")

His last entry was a running tally of the dead and wounded.