Glass: Reader Requests

Holmes' Five

The Holmes kids all grown up.
for @aephereal

*

There was a queue lining the high street, snaking around the corner and leading into the bustling bookshop. The sun was beaming down on the people as they stood waiting, some clutching their well-loved books, others chatting excitedly about the ones they were going to buy.

A man was walking down the pavement beside the queue, attracting stares and second glances as he went, ignoring them as if he were used to it, or perhaps he simply didn't care. He was tall, with dark, wavy hair and eyes so blue they almost turned clear in the glare of the bright sun, his sharp jaw lined with stubble, full lips puckered around a cigarette.

He threw the stub on the ground as he approached the entrance of the bookshop, pushing his hands in the pockets of his jacket and glancing up at the large poster hanging in the window.

He bypassed the waiting crowds and pushed his way inside where the line of people continued, curving around the book stands and weaving between the shelves. But he carried on walking, brushing shoulders and apologising quietly until he reached the back of the shop.

There, a long table stood decorated with books, some piled into towers, others propped on stands showing the bold title and Sherlock Holmes' dark silhouette on the cover. John Watson was sat at the table, pen in hand, smiling as he signed a copy for a young, nervously giggling woman. He closed the book and handed it to her, giving her a nod of thanks as she walked away clutching her signed copy close to her chest.

John turned his attention back to the queue and smiled as the next person approached the table.

"I'm a huge fan," she said as she placed her book down.

"Ah, well thank you very much," he said.

"I used to read your blog."

"Oh really? Gosh you've been following our work for a while then."

She nodded. "Twenty odd years. I was gutted when the blog got taken down, but when I found out it was because you were writing a book, I was thrilled. Now here I am, I've got all four of them."

He smiled up at her. "What's your name?"

"Kelly."

He scrawled a message on the first page of her book and handed it back to her. "So, Kelly, do you have a favourite-"

"Excuse me, there's a queue!"