Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the First Unicorn

By Lidia Svec and Joseph Svec

Sherlock Holmes agrees to solve the greatest mystery of all time: What ever became of the very first Unicorn? Along the way he encounters an eccentric inventor who claims that his invention simply walked out of the lab, a Scotsman whose lochs have somehow vanished, a mysterious lady in search of a missing journal, an ages old, secret society involved in Alchemy, Astronomy, and Horology, and more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MX Publishing
• Release date: Nov 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781787053441

Book preview

Sherlock Holmes

and the

Mystery

of the

First Unicorn

20.jpg

By

Lidia Svec

&

Joseph W. Svec III

2018 digital version converted and published by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Copyright © 2018 Lidia Svec and Joseph W. Svec III

The right of Lidia Svec and Joseph W. Svec III to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1998. All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without express prior written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted except with express prior written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1956 (as amended). Any person who commits any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.

The characters portrayed in this book are fictional and resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

MX Publishing

335 Princess Park Manor, Royal Drive,

London, N11 3GX

www.mxpublishing.com

Cover design by Brian Belanger - chapter header images by clipart.com.

The authors may be contacted via their web page, www.pixymuse.com or via their Facebook page www.facebook.com/sherlockgrinningcat.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to Laura Simmerman, friend, big sister extraordinaire, nurse, and Alaskan pioneer.

A Note to Readers:

The following story, Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the First Unicorn, in truth, begins with the conclusion of the final events of the Sherlock Holmes and the Missing Authors Trilogy. While that trio of narratives is somewhat unusual by Sherlock Holmes’ standards, this tale leads Holmes and Watson off on one of the most uncanny adventures ever recorded by the stalwart Doctor; a search to solve the disappearance of the very first unicorn ever to grace this planet.

Unicorns hold a special place in myth, legend, and literature. And as such, you may have preconceptions regarding this magnificent creature, based upon what you have already read on the subject. And it is highly possible, that they may differ from certain facts recorded by Dr. Watson. However, I assure you, that this manuscript is accurately reproduced, just as it was found.

As with the previous manuscripts, Dr. Watson had requested that this story not be published until seventy-five years after his passing. Once again, as this document was lost for many years and has just recently been recovered, the requested amount of time has more than passed, so this story may be published and presented for your consideration.

Prologue

Memorandum:

To: Whom it may Concern

From: Dr. John Watson M.D.

Subject: Sherlock Holmes and the Mystery of the First Unicorn

Date: February 1898

I have recorded many of the more notable and unusual cases of Sherlock Holmes, and as a result, have been accused of slight exaggerations, and perhaps at times, even sensationalism. However, as his close friend and biographer, I can assure you that the story contained in this manuscript is most certainly presented exactly as it occurred.

Having just completed a series of adventures involving missing authors and their literary characters coming to life from the pages of their novels, it seemed as if almost anything were possible. And it must be said, when a unicorn enters the equation, I assure you it certainly is. This tale is without question, the most unusual adventure of Sherlock’s that I have recorded.

That being said, in consideration of Sherlock’s reputation as a consulting detective, and to protect my own medical practice, I must request that this manuscript not be published until seventy-five years after my passing. Your compliance in honoring this request is appreciated.

Dr. John H. Watson MD

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Chapter 1.

An Explanation, of how Sherlock Holmes Found Himself Outwitted. (And by a mythical, supposedly nonexistent creature at that.)

I will be the first to say it. It is not very often that the great detective, Sherlock Holmes finds himself outwitted. Oh, I will say, that at times during some of his more challenging cases, he has been quite perplexed, temporarily stymied, or on infrequent occasions, at a total loss as to which direction to turn. However, no matter how long he sequesters himself in that private den of calculations, hidden deep within his cave of concentration, he has always rallied to the occasion, and come up with the right answer. After endless hours of utter silence, usually filled with the noxious fog of pipe tobacco, or occasionally endless violin music, he will suddenly stand up, and without a word of explanation, tell me to gather my coat and service revolver, and we will be off to bring another case to a successful conclusion.

During his stellar career, he has matched wits against some of England’s most notoriously clever and devious criminal masterminds, and successfully out-thought, out-calculated, out-reasoned, out-played, out-foxed, and utterly vanquished them. During our Adventure of the Grinning Cat, he had even solved the unsolvable ultimate logic puzzle that was created by the Guardians of Time, themselves. So, you will see that it is with great reserve that I begin this adventure by stating that Sherlock Holmes had definitely been outwitted, and by a mythical, legendary creature, that most would say does not even exist. They would say that it was purely imaginary and stop right there. That would be the end, and it would be a rather brief narrative. But I can attest to you. I was there, and I witnessed the entire exchange. It was a genuine, real unicorn, that had accompanied us on a rather odd journey to save England’s Poet Laureate, Alfred Lord Tennyson, and along the way assist the legendary King Arthur, and Merlin himself, in resolving certain issues with Morgan le Fey. Yes, I do understand. That sounds even less plausible than a real unicorn, but again, trust me, I was there. It was as real as could be imagined.

Actually, we had previously encountered a unicorn during our Grinning Cat adventure, but I had rationalized that entire experience, as a part of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and its associated creatures coming to life as a result of Carroll’s dealings with the Time Guardians. It made logical sense, as much as it possibly could, all things considered. That particular unicorn was one of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland characters from his novel, Alice Through the Looking Glass. Wonderland and its fictional inhabitants had been somehow brought into existence by the Time Guardians, which means the unicorn was also brought to life, so there you have it, a logical explanation for the presence of a live unicorn.

But, returning to the matter at hand, during The Round Table Adventure, Sherlock and I had actually, traveled back in time through a portal in the standing megaliths of Stonehenge, to the era of King Arthur and Camelot, and I assure you, that in that time period, unicorns, and even dragons, mind you, really did exist. While Sherlock was successfully able to deal with a multitude of less than logical situations, and unusual creatures of that era, and he continuously solved every challenge, conundrum, and enigma that we came across, at the very end, he apparently did let his guard down.

As we were preparing to return to present-day London, the unicorn had mentioned that he was trying to resolve the "greatest unsolved mystery of all time," one that would be a significant challenge even for the great detective, Sherlock Holmes. Of course, Holmes casually dismissed the notion, saying that he could quickly solve the mystery in his spare time in between cases and that it would present no problem to him, whatsoever at all.

Interpreting Holmes’ reply as an affirmative agreement, the unicorn then responded with profuse thanks and appreciation for Sherlock’s offer to solve the mystery. The creature stated that it had been a great honor to assist Holmes in the matter of Lord Tennyson, and he would be even more honored, to have the assistance of Sherlock Holmes in solving this ultimate, unsolvable mystery. The unicorn then happily cantered off to make arrangements to accompany Sherlock and me back to present day London, to begin our new adventure. It is true, the creature had provided invaluable assistance in rescuing Alfred Lord Tennyson, and Sherlock did say that he could quickly solve the problem in between cases, with minimal effort, so the outwitted Sherlock Holmes reluctantly agreed to help solve The Mystery of the First Unicorn.

And that is how it came to be that we have a unicorn in the enclosed garden in back of Mrs. Hudson’s Lodgings, here, at 221-B Baker Street, in present-day London. Fortunately, the garden is well sheltered, providing a goodly amount of privacy, and most people living today, having lost their sense of wonder and imagination, do not even notice the horn of the creature. (Excuse