By Anubhav Kumar Das
Opening my eyes, I found myself in truly anonymous room. A room full of scattered papers and files. Waking in such an environment is truly a spooky fact. I sprinted to the nearest window pane and observed the environment outside. The weather outside was chilling and I could see men in chariots were dashing through the streets. I perceived the old architectural style of house building which was quite popular in the eighteen century. I was stunned on watching the landscape outside. I got cold feet and felt perilous to move down. Opening the window showing, I eluded from the residence. I got down on the streets and ambled through the narrow paths. Just then I got a call from back. A man came to me and holds my shoulder in a friendly way and called me ‘Holmes’ .I was totally taken aback and then I suddenly realized that my dress style had totally changed. I ‘m not the man I know. This is really a weird fact. What’s the status of the new case? Said the young man. I appreciated that I have come into the world of Sherlock Holmes and I myself is Holmes. Holmes are you alright, said the man in a tense voive.You are not responding my questions. To manage the situation I ultimately responded, No good news yet. Why the man replied surprised. You said me last night that you had get hold of a prime suspect of the case. And thus I brought this piece of news to you to see. The young man handed over a piece of newspaper to me and I read it aloud. The news ran something like this:
ANONYMOUS DEAD BODY ‘S CASE HANDED OVER TO SCOTLAND YARD
An anonymous dead body has been found near Baker Street, London. A well-dressed man with a pistol in pocket has been found lying on the streets last night. The body is around six feet tall and well framed body, dark in colour and brown hairs. A street hawker has first discovered it. The case has been handed over to Scotland Yard Police and we might be watching Mr. Sherlock Holmes taking over the case soon.
Is ‘nt he the man you described me last night, said the young man in intense excitement. May be! I replied. I assumed the man to be Dr.Watson. But if I want to overcome my problems I first have to know and solve the case. And surely after that I could talk to Dr.Watson about the matter, but till that I have to solve the case at any cost. I rushed to my house at Baker Street, I was guided my Watson rather because I don’t know the way. I made a frantic search of all files, paper and letters to ensure whether Mr. Holmes had left any proves of the case. Luckily I found a letter stating that Mr. Holmes had a visitor last night. I assumed the dead body to be the visitor and that states that he was murdered while returning his place and that also states the case is extremely serious. In the stories the author states that Holmes had a notebook where he used to write down the important points. Meanwhile Watson was out to collect some details of the dead body. After playing mind games for a while I tried to ask and answer the basic things first like why, when, how, who…… From my childhood I had a wish to become a real time detective thus Sherlock Holmes, Feluda, Bomyesh were always the in my wish list. But I was surprised when my first case could be so big. But suddenly I heard a knock at my door. Standing close to me was a tall and thin man, dark in colour and quiet big hairs which was not so popular at that era. That clearly told me that the man is from a distant land, possibly Africa. What about my case? Asked he. Yes, I know but I‘ll be glad if you recite me the story from the roots. Okay, said the man we were the hunters of Africa. I and my brother and a new boy has joined us recently, he holds our accounts and joins us at shooting some days. Some weeks before my brother informed me that he has got something very secret which can lead us to a great sum of money, but I thought something to very weird and warmed him not to connect with any illegal matter. He promised me and said that he is not doing anything like that but instead he is pulling out the curtains from one of them. That was the last time I meet him and the helper went vanished till that day. Now I request you to find out my brother Mr.Holmes. Sure but can you describe the look of the helper please. Giving the description he went with a sad face. The description was almost the same as mentioned in the newspaper. I soon found the notebook and opened it wide Fell down some news piece stating some criminals of Africa. The whole case was pen downed on the notebook and after reading the papers it took me some minutes to declare criminal. The proves on the paper laid something like this:
As stated by Mr. Hendy he had two helpers before two years. Both were very efficient in their work. Their opponent was Mr. Robert who was a hunter of America migrated to Africa in greed of money. My till the helpers were present the efficient income was not possibly. Mr. Robert tried few times to buy both with around some hundred pounds. But both refused. Once when both of them were not present there was a hose break in Hendy’s house and some hundred pounds with a stone was found to be stolen. He said that he got the stone from the stomach of an unknown animal. Actually Robert was successful to make a helper in their team and told him to steal the stone and kill the other helper too. But the helper stole the stone with some money and went to America to sell it. He was caught by Robert and thus he was murdered. Having a rich buyer Robert is now on the way to kill everyone who knows this.
I rushed to The Scotland Yard department to lay the prove before them. I went there and handed over all evidences to them. I was told to wait some days to get the results. While returning through the dark streets I saw some people on the lanes continuously looking me. I got the inkling that they might be here to bump off my life.. One of the person marched towards me and raising his shiny knife he hit me on my back and with a loud shout I opened my eyes in my school library holding a book of SHERLOCK HOLMES.