Hello. This is Mycroft. I'm doing the next part because I don't think John wants to, and anyway I haven't talked about it much except with Mummy, so perhaps I should.
After I got back to the hall, I went upstairs. I meant to go to my room, but I heard an odd noise. It was a sort of thumping. When I got closer to the attic door, I could hear a man's voice as well, although not what he was saying.
I thought it had to be Hudson, and he shouldn't have been in the attics. I went up to tell him to leave. He was going through a trunk of our grandmother's things. He hit me on the head, and I don't remember very much for a time after that. I remember little bits in between, but they're mostly dark. I think he must have either blindfolded me or put something over my head. Or perhaps I was in a sack so no one would see me. There was a sack on the floor when I woke up.
I was tied to a chair in a stone room. There was a lot of computer equipment and printers, and there was also a cage with two large, black dogs in it. Hudson said he would feed me to them. He said a lot of unpleasant things.
My head hurt and it also itched, which was annoying because I couldn't scratch it. It wasn't very long before he blindfolded me again and tied a rag over my mouth and went outside. I tried to think of something to do, but I couldn't think of anything. I'd told him he was behaving stupidly, which was perhaps not the right course of action in retrospect, but he was, and I still can't think of anything I could've said that would've convinced him to let me go.
John came in then and took the blindfold and gag off, but he didn't get to untie me before Hudson came back inside. He had a shotgun and told John to move away from me. John gave me his gun to hold behind my back. There was a lot of shouting, and John kicked him in the knee, but then some men with guns came and they had Lestrade and Sherlock with them.
I don't remember the next bit very well. My hands were very cold and I was trying not to drop the gun, and then I gave it to Sherlock to give to John, and then they took John and Lestrade outside. They were going to kill them, but they didn't manage it. John and Lestrade came back, and there was a lot of fighting and some people got shot, and then everyone ran outside after the man who was in charge, but Hudson stayed behind because of his knee.
Hudson got his shotgun. He was going to kill us, and I shouted to John. John was halfway up the hill, but he heard me, and he shot Hudson. He told us not to look, but we did. I wish I hadn't. I don't think it bothered Sherlock.
And then Mummy came with a lot of people and helicopters and sorted everything out.
After I got back to the hall, I went upstairs. I meant to go to my room, but I heard an odd noise. It was a sort of thumping. When I got closer to the attic door, I could hear a man's voice as well, although not what he was saying.
I thought it had to be Hudson, and he shouldn't have been in the attics. I went up to tell him to leave. He was going through a trunk of our grandmother's things. He hit me on the head, and I don't remember very much for a time after that. I remember little bits in between, but they're mostly dark. I think he must have either blindfolded me or put something over my head. Or perhaps I was in a sack so no one would see me. There was a sack on the floor when I woke up.
I was tied to a chair in a stone room. There was a lot of computer equipment and printers, and there was also a cage with two large, black dogs in it. Hudson said he would feed me to them. He said a lot of unpleasant things.
My head hurt and it also itched, which was annoying because I couldn't scratch it. It wasn't very long before he blindfolded me again and tied a rag over my mouth and went outside. I tried to think of something to do, but I couldn't think of anything. I'd told him he was behaving stupidly, which was perhaps not the right course of action in retrospect, but he was, and I still can't think of anything I could've said that would've convinced him to let me go.
John came in then and took the blindfold and gag off, but he didn't get to untie me before Hudson came back inside. He had a shotgun and told John to move away from me. John gave me his gun to hold behind my back. There was a lot of shouting, and John kicked him in the knee, but then some men with guns came and they had Lestrade and Sherlock with them.
I don't remember the next bit very well. My hands were very cold and I was trying not to drop the gun, and then I gave it to Sherlock to give to John, and then they took John and Lestrade outside. They were going to kill them, but they didn't manage it. John and Lestrade came back, and there was a lot of fighting and some people got shot, and then everyone ran outside after the man who was in charge, but Hudson stayed behind because of his knee.
Hudson got his shotgun. He was going to kill us, and I shouted to John. John was halfway up the hill, but he heard me, and he shot Hudson. He told us not to look, but we did. I wish I hadn't. I don't think it bothered Sherlock.
And then Mummy came with a lot of people and helicopters and sorted everything out.
66 comments:
Wow, Mycroft. That sounds absolutely terrifying. I can see how it's hard to talk about for you. I'm so glad John was able to save you.
You said yo hadn't talked about it much with anyone except your mum. Do you think you could talk to John, if it still bothers you? Sometimes, someone who's been in the same situation, or similar, can understand things like no one else.
I hope you all have a wonderful day, and thanks for continuing with this and letting us know how it turned out.
I have talked to him a little about it, but it's hard to know how to start.
I wasn't really afraid when it was happening...or I was, but I didn't feel it as much until afterward? Things just kept happening, and I couldn't think why Hudson was being so stupid, and my head hurt. That's mainly what I remember. I was a lot more scared when it was all over even though that doesn't make any sense.
Mycroft, I don't quite know what to say, except that it must have been terrifying and I'm very, very glad you all came out of it safely.
It sounds like you were very brave and very sensible (and often those two things don't go together) and you're right, there probably isn't anything you could have said that would have made Mr Hudson let you go.
I think you're also very wise to now wish that you hadn't watched when John shot Mr Hudson - I can understand why you did, but it's a terrible thing for anyone to see...not just Mr Hudson getting shot, but also that John had to do it to protect you and Sherlock...
Anyway, I'm glad it ended safely for all four of you and I hope that talking about it like this (which is also a brave thing to do) helps you, even just a little...
OMG Mycroft I don't know if writing that down will have help but I hope it has, I've always thought you a very special young man but to have come through that and still be the wonderful person you are is absolutely amazing!
I'm glad you are all together and safe now and I hope, if you want to, that you find a way to talk it all through with someone who can help you deal with it. I know John and Lestrade will do anything they can to help and Sherlock will probably want to discuss it all at some point, probably completely out of the blue like it's something that happened on telly because that's how kids brains work, so hopefully they can help you work through anything that still bothers you when you're ready :-)
I hope you're having a nice time at home and enjoying your summer break.
Imachar: I wish John hadn't had to do it, too. And I'm not sure if I was being sensible or just not thinking very clearly. It might have gone better if I hadn't inadvertently antagonised Hudson.
Anonybob: Thank you. I don't know if Sherlock every thinks about it or not, but maybe he will when he's older.
Sorry. That was me, not John.
Mycroft, I know exactly what you mean about not being very scared while it was happening. You were hurt, and focusing on staying alive. You're attention was on the present, on trying to escape and protecting Sherlock and John as best you could. When it was over, then your brain had time to process everything, and you felt safe enough to let the fear you were ignoring come out.
You really are very brave.
He might never want to talk about it or even think about it you're right Mycroft and in a lot of ways that might just be better for all of you as long as you have someone to talk to when you want to :-)
Having been knocked on the head and tied up in a sack I think you can be forgiven for not thinking clearly.
I'm sure everyone wishes none of it had happened. But you were all there for each other then, and are there for each other now, and when life throws stuff at you that you wouldn't wish for that's about the best you can do: be there for the ones you love.
Thanks for doing this part, Mycroft. I know John didn't really want to. I hope it maybe helped a little.
Not something any of us want to revisit in our minds too much, I think. But at least the four of us can talk to one another whenever we want, if it helps.
Can you ask Sherlock and John if they have any plans for tomorrow, and perhaps make some, if not?
Wow, Mycroft, that's so vastly more than most adults have ever had to deal with. I severely doubt that anything you said to Hudson made the situation much worse, he obviously wasn't thinking clearly at the point at which he decided to take you, it's just very, very good that John and Lestrade were there.
As Anonybob said don't be surprised if Sherlock does want to talk about it at some point and don't be surprised if he doesn't, five as he was then is a very black and white time for a kid, good and bad, right and wrong, no grey areas (and mustn't that be wonderful?).
As several other people have said, you are amazing.
Lancs. Anon
Kholly: I think you're right, yes.
Lancs. Anon - (and mustn't that be wonderful?)
Yes. I do think that would be helpful sometimes. And perhaps you're right. I think Hudson may have been mentally unbalanced.
Lestrade: Sherlock, in a shocking turn of events, would like to get ice cream. He also asked about a place you told him about that has fountains he could run around in? I don't know where he means though.
Ice cream sounds like an excellent plan...as for the fountains, also sounds like fun, but aren't you all wet enough from all the rain? I don't suppose that's quite the same from Sherlock's POV...
It doesn't sound like an enormous amount of fun to me at the moment, but I think Sherlock would be happy to run around in the rain all day and jump in puddles if John would let him.
Well, we all have our ideas of fun! (I'm big on getting wet, myself--but I prefer to be dressed for the occasion. :))
I hope laying that out for us helped, Mycroft. I can't really imagine what it must have been like, and I found it quite terrifying to read about, even knowing you are all fine so it must have ended well--something that you all clearly could not know as it was happening.
I was a lot more scared when it was all over even though that doesn't make any sense.
Well...it does make sense, really. Even leaving aside your having had been knocked out, that's the way some people react to emergencies. Whether a person goes hysterical, or totally calm, or something in between seems to be wired into the brain (although hysteria can often be trained out of a person to an extent). And saving the being scared for later is a good thing, all in all, you know!
Mycroft, tell him I'm not even sure they're turned on in weather this dire.
It does seem like they'd only be contributing to the problem.
Could we go to the Hunterian Museum? It has half of Charles Babbage's brain and a giant skeleton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunterian_Museum_at_the_Royal_College_of_Surgeons#Hunterian_Museum
Mycroft, as others have already said, I'm totally impressed with you; both in your behaviour at the time, when you did your best and also now, by writing up something and so saving John having to do it. I'm sure you'll go far at whatever you decide to do.
Mycroft, that sounds like a great idea - I would think the Hunterian is right up Sherlock's alley - even more fun than fountains in the rain...and dry for the three of you that would rather not be splashing around outside.
I've got to say that ever since I read about the Hunterian museum in Bill Bryson's 'Short History of Nearly Everything', I've wanted to see it. It sounds right up Sherlock's street!
Lancs. Anon
Look at all the things in jars!!!
It does look like a things-in-jars heaven, Sherlock!
Good find, Mycroft! :)
(Is this something you particularly wish to see as well?)
Thanks, Mycroft. This was...really, really kind of you. And if you want to talk about it more, we can, on here or wherever.
And thanks for the museum suggestion as well. It looks really interesting as well as distracting Sherlock from fountains and other water sports.
John, I can certainly see how this would be something you'd find hard to write about. But I also don't see that you had any choice--and thank G-d you had the ability to act as you did (and somehow I suspect that it all took FAR more skill and courage than is immediately obvious).
You did Good.
That giant skeleton in the photo on Wikipedia is every bit as impressive as the plenitude of things in jars!
Actually, Sherlock, you would really enjoy A Short History of Nearly Everything, it's full of extremely interesting facts about all sorts of sciences. You can read about someone who won a natural history museum in a raffle for instance!
(Parkinson of Parkinson's Disease)
Lancs. Anon
It really is a great book, Lancs! (I really like almost everything Bryson has written. :))
How could he win a whole museum! Was it a big one? How did he get it home?
Do you know the book doesn't say, which is a glaring error I agree. It was in Leicester Square and I think he won the building as well and probably didn't need to take it home. He kept it for twenty years and then had to sell the things in it because he couldn't afford to keep everything properly. The book is available online I have just discovered:
http://www.huzheng.org/bookstore/AShortHistoryofNearlyEverything.pdf
And should you have a long journey planned at any time then it can be bought from www.audible.co.uk but it would have to be a very long journey, it runs for 19 hours!
Lancs. Anon
It was a raffle for the whole building and its contents, Sherlock--the Leverian Museum. You can read about it on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leverian_collection.
(Although the Wikipedia article says it was a different James Parkinson than the doctor, and when I checked the endnotes in A Short History of Nearly Everything, there is no note for that factlet, so I don't know if it was the famous Parkinson or not!)
(Mmmmm--Correction: I don't know if he won the whole building or not. He did win the whole collection, and he did keep the museum open to the public in the original building, but I can't find anything on whether he ended up owning the building or not. *heads back to the internet*)
Aha, success! No, he didn't win the building, just the collection--he rented the building the museum originally was in, until he decided the rent was too high and built another building for it. A museum is an expensive thing to own! (Or at least, that's the case according to Wikipedia)
Sorry for the digression to whoever couldn't care less. :)
Sorry, Myc, will look later. Sure we can. Am now getting soaked. Hope you all enjoyed dinner and left me some
Sorry for calling you Myc Mycroft
Mycroft, I don't think there was anything you could have done which wouldn't have antagonized Hudson. If he was fool enough to kidnap you, with the kind of backing that your mother has, he was probably already beyond the point of reason. You did very well to stay alive, to hang on to John's gun, and to pass it to Sherlock.
As for feeling scared afterwards -- that I understand completely. Adrenaline is strange!
I don't know if Sherlock was old enough to realize all of the possible outcomes, but I'm sure you were. I think, now that you've managed to write about what happened, you and John can probably talk about it. Maybe Lestrade can help there.
I'm glad John and Lestrade were there to rescue you. I hate to think what would have happened if Hudson had decided to take you before John came.
*whew* And having said all that, I think that museum looks excellent. I just made the picture from Wikipedia be the desktop on my computer here at work and I've already had three kids ask me if they can visit there.
Stay dry, if you can!
rsf
Amazing, Mycroft. You really held it together in a tight spot! Hard not to try to second-guess yourself after the fact, and it can be a good way to learn for the future (although I hope you're never in a similar situation again), but certainly sounds like you did everything you could.
Glad you all ended up safe.
Enjoy the museum and possible ice cream!
ryo
(who is retracting the recommendation for The Ghost Map, primarily because the author keeps going off into tedious digressions designed to celebrate his own intelligence)
seriously Mycroft the fact that you have continued to be such a lovely and thoughtful boy after going through something like that is a miracle. The odd freak out would be more than understandable and yet you always seem to be so in control of yourself, I hope you have somewhere that you can let things out when they invade your head and won't go away.
John, Greg and especially Sherlock are very lucky to have you in there lives and we're all very lucky that sometimes you want to talk to us :)
HM
Guess what? All that rain in the UK and the heat waves in the US? Are all signs of climate change caused by global warming: http://youtu.be/OA98hl7Q5dQ. (Also, those bog mummies? At least two are composites!)
Is that a show for kids? I can't cope with the choppy edits.
The second we have even slightly odd weather here al the news programmes bring out the climate change scientists. Very interesting. The jet stream certainly has it in for us right now.
I don't think it's aimed specifically for kids, although it's reasonably kid-friendly. (There is some use of mild "language" and some might object to some of the subject matter for children.) But yeah, it's VERY fast moving! I like it a lot, though. (And I think Sherlock would be really interested in the big people story. :))
Weird weather all around, and it does seem like these sorts of extremes are going to be the new normal if we don't get ourselves together.
...bOg people story... *sigh*
Weren't we meant to be having a drought a few months ago? I'm sure someone said that on the news. Unlikely as it seems now and in fact seemed at the time.
Think some places still are. Although more hosepipe bans got lifted this week... so we're slowly coming out of it ;) good to know, eh?
The words hosepipe ban scared the Sun away John! Wettest drought I've ever seen ;-)
And in my region, we had a VERY wet and warm winter and early spring--and now they're starting to talk drought. o_o
Ryo, I still like the Ghost Map -- I'm interested in how people think and come to their conclusions, and how their research progressed. (Helps me poke holes, when necessary!) But I invariably give blanket permission to readers to skim read digressions anyway, so that's probably why they don't bother me.
L - I wish the US media would mention climate change when we get this kind of weather more often! Might get through a few thick skulls with repetition.
rsf
John, your question about drought reminds me of the first time I visited England. The newspapers were talking about a drought because it was only raining at night. Coming from Colorado, that amused me all out of proportion -- Denver boasted of getting ast least a few hours of sun more than 360 days in a year! But someone explained to me that the lower rainfall was actually stressful to crops and buildings, even if it all did look very green to my eyes.
rsf
rsf -- I do like the book in many ways. As you say, its really interesting to see how the various people were looking into it, Snow in particular. I just wouldn't rec it for Sherlock.
I'd love it if we got some more rain here -- but it'd probably just lead to flash floods the ground is so hard and dry. Weather...
ryo
Summer has just barely started up in the past couple of weeks where I live. Spring lasted all the way through June, which is fine by me. Summer weather gets so boring after a while.
Oregon Anon
Mycroft, can I ask what made you want to keep the dogs?
Lancs. Anon
John - I think the drought was caused by two years of drier than usual winters, so reservoir levels just got lower and lower (so a sort of creeping drought situation, rather than the sort of drought where it just stops raining completely for a month or two).
I'm finding the constant rain quite depressing, but if it hadn't happened, we'dve been in a drought until the end of the year at least.
I suppose this is what they mean when they talk about the Olympic "home advantage" - our athletes are used to competing in the rain :-p
Lancs. Anon: He was so mean to them. He kept them locked up all the time in that little cage except when he was hunting with them, and he kicked the cage and poked them through the bars with a stick and said he kept them hungry all the time. They didn't know what they were doing was wrong, and they were going to be killed for it. It wasn't right.
I need to rephrase that. They were scared of him, and I was scared of him, and I got to go home, and they were going to be killed. That's why.
You're a very compassionate, thoughtful young man, Mycroft.
You are a very lovely young man Mycroft, I'm glad you were able to save the dogs, not many people would have given them a thought given the circumstances you were in.
I hope you're having a nice and not too wet day today :-)
It has barely stopped raining since 9. Tomorrow, they say, will be better.... we shall see.
Was there really an oped in the Times saying that the rain must stop?
Do the dogs like the rain, Mycroft? I'm glad you were able to save them.
(And Ryo, I have great faith in Sherlock's ability to detect and skip any boring parts in any book!)
rsf
They love it as much as Sherlock does. They'd like to play in it all day, and they try to bite it, which doesn't work very well.
I used to have a dog which would try to eat soap bubbles (he made really funny faces when he succeeded!) but I've never seen a dog try to bite rain. Sounds awkward.
Have you taken Sherlock and the dogs out in the rain today? Or did you find something less muddy? And has Sherlock dragged you over to see the frogs and newts in the school pond yet? I bet they like the rain, too!
rsf
Mycroft, when I was younger my family had a dog that liked to try and bite the rain, too. He loved to play outside, and when it snowed, we would throw snowballs to him to try and catch.
He was a doberman, so although he looked ferocious, he really was the sweetest, silliest dog ever. I'm glad you were able to save the dogs, you're a very compassionate young man.
Pip: We threw snowballs for them, too, when it snowed. It was funny to see them catch them and then wonder where they'd gone.
RSF: I've never tried blowing bubbles for them, but they'd probably like that too. I did take Sherlock and the dogs outside. They all jumped in as many puddles as possible, and Sherlock always managed to do it so that the majority of the water ended up on my trousers.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. Your ability to empathise in that situation shows what a good person you are.
Lancs. Anon
Pip - I think the dogs have a bit of Doberman in them. Bit of lots of very large things...
John's trying to send me to bed, and I don't want to goooooooooooo
My dog loved soap bubbles. Even after he knew what they tasted like! I'll bet your dogs will too. (I don't know if degus would like them, though.) I hope you managed to splash Sherlock back, even if he probably liked it.
L - you sound like Sherlock! Maybe if John tells you a bedtime story that will make things better.
rsf
Haven't had dogs who like bubbles, but I have some special catnip bubble stuff that my cats enjoy. I love to sit there and blow bubbles at them and watch them slowly wind themselves up.
Mycroft--I believe that is the best reason for adopting an animal (or animals) I've ever heard.
It was also good of you to indulge the the dogs and Sherlock in, er, their water sports. I hope you managed to get some fun out of it, too. (I confess that watching Gene Kelly's famous number in Singing' in the Rain always makes me want to find some serious puddles to splash in, myself. :))
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