Can you tell me a bedtime story?
Of course, dear anon! :) Although I’m sorry it turned more into an actual story than a bedtime story! I apologize for any errors there may be. Here it is: One day a young boy was sitting alone in the playground. His favourite spot was at the top of the slide where the birds flew just overhead and the sun gently warmed the wood. At the top of the slide, the boy felt he could see the whole world. It was beautiful, and it was all his own.
That day, as the boy was sitting in his favourite spot, he heard a soft voice calling up to him from below.
“Mind if I join you?” The young boy looked down at another boy about the same age. The boy’s bright blue eyes looked back up at him hopefully. Taken by surprise, the boy wasn’t sure how to respond. This spot had always been just for him. He liked being alone, only himself to keep him company. How would this other boy’s presence change that? Reluctantly, the boy at the top of the slide nodded. The look on the other boy’s face glowed as a beaming smile broke across his face. The boy began the climb up to the top.
When he reached his destination, he eagerly plunked himself down next to the boy at the top of the slide. The first boy cast this new acquaintance a reproachful glance. The new boy smile and looked around him.
“Wow,” he said, “sure is nice up here.” The boy sighed with relief at the approval of this new…friend? Yes, he thought. He would like that.
“Awfully lonely, though.”
“I don’t really mind it,” was his response.
“I think,” the new boy observed, “you’re just saying that. Not to worry! I’ll keep you company up here!” The boy’s initial surprise was soon replaced. He felt a spot that had once been so empty fill with warmth. He couldn’t stop the oncoming smile.
“You certainly don’t say much,” the kid continued. “I think you’re afraid. Are you afraid?” The boy glanced away, unsure of the answer. A small, reassuring smile tugged at the corner of his new friend’s lips.
“Well don’t be. The name is Sherlock Holmes. And yours?” The boy smiled. Sherlock? What a peculiar name. Grinning, the boy looked into the electrifyingly blue eyes of his new friend.
“Well, John, would it be alright by you if I accompanied you up here?” John didn’t even have to give a reply. Sherlock could read the answer in the boy’s dark but excited eyes. The two smiled at each other and looked back out at the scene around them. Side-by-side, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Best friends, playground mates, school buddies, and soul mates, stuck together for the rest of time.
And that’s the way it should be.