 |
| Illustration of Sherlock Holmes by the famous artist, Sydney Paget |
The site also has tons of stories and videos to watch.
Click HERE to go to The Baker Street Universe.
Enjoy!
John
Saturday, April 25, 2015
The site also has tons of stories and videos to watch.
Click HERE to go to The Baker Street Universe.
Enjoy!
John
(New) The Philosophy of the Empty Castle A Sherlock Holmes Story By John Pirillo
The Philosophy of the Empty Castle
Sherlock Holmes
By John Pirillo
"Mister Holmes," the Proctor said quite sternly.
"I assure you with my uttermost belief that deduction is not enough to
solve all problems."
Sherlock, swept his long hair from his eyes, his craggy
face, youthful with a dry sort of enthusiasm, paced back and forth in front of
a mesmerized classroom of sixth graders, who hadn't the slightest clue what was
going on between him and the Proctor, whose name was Thomas Headley, a man
about town who had settled down with a wife and four sons near to his father's
town home.
He and Thomas Junior, a friend he had made through his
father's visits to Mister Headley, often times spent hours at the dale nearby,
examining the tiny lake with its flourish of small gray birds that landed on
the logs that stuck up here and there, and called to each other in small bursts
of language that both claimed to understand, but neither could admit they
hadn't a clue.
Thomas Junior sat in the back of the classroom hiding his
eyes with the palm of his hands, hoping no one would think he was friends with
this young man challenging his father. His father shredded more young minds
than any other Proctor in the school, even the son of his best friends.
"Indeed, I think you do believe that, Proctor, but I
have another theory."
Sherlock paused for effect. It was something he had learned
from watching Shakespeare, at that time a meager few years above his teens, as
he performed in the Globe Theater, a beautiful establishment his father and his
friends took them to for entertainment when they went into the city of London.
Breathing steadily, Sherlock went to the blackboard, where
he picked up a piece of chalk and wrote the number one.
"Number One. If you cannot analyze the substance of a
problem you seek to solve, then you miss the foundation of reason, which is
based on that which is provable."
"But my dear Holmes." The Proctor said, a crafty
look on his face.
He took a chalk and made his own number one. "Number
One. Then how do you prove the improvable?"
"Number Two." Sherlock went on, as if nothing had
altered a single thought on his mind at that time. "That which can be
broken down into pieces, can therefore later on be pieced back together to come
up with a greater amount...which is the whole picture."
"Number Two." The Proctor chalked on the board,
his face filled with delight at the challenge this young sixth grader was
providing him. He took a quick peek at the back of the class and saw his son
hiding behind his hands. He almost laughed, but went on to say. "Number
Two, the sum of the pieces does not always add up to the whole."
"Number Three." Sherlock added immediately.
"Correct, they often times equal something greater than the whole, which
gives the larger picture, and thereby makes the deduction no longer a shot at
something perhaps dimly seen, but resolutely picture clear."
The Proctor stood stock still.
The class froze.
They were waiting for his characteristic explosion of anger
for being talked back to.
Instead, he relaxed, put his chalk down on his desktop, and
then gave Sherlock a half bow. He signaled his son. "Come Thomas, I think
it is time for me to retire and us to take a long vacation."
And he did so.
Sherlock may have triumphed in the classroom, but he broke
his heart at the same time, for he would never be as close to another young man
again, until later in his life when he room mated with a temptuous young medic
named John Watson.
"Father." He asked at the dinner table that night
as his father stoked his pipe with a fragrant tobacco from the India Isles.
"Son."
"Is it true that all men have the same gift at birth,
but some despoil it with lack of toil and earnest development?"
His father lit his pipe, which was a meerschaum pipe, then
took several quick puffs. He rolled his eyes thoughtfully, his vision fixed on
a point only he could see. "It is the fate of both great and small men,
that many do not use what God has gifted them, Sherlock."
Sherlock dabbed at his mouth with his napkin, and then
pulled back from the dining table. He normally would have waited for his mother
to leave first, but she was off in Chelsea with some friends, preparing to go
to the Opera there. His father despised Opera, so she never attempted to suade
him to go, knowing already what the outcome would be. A dismal night for both.
"Excuse me, father, but may I borrow the use of your
library this evening?"
"You have finished your studies?"
"Before I left the school grounds."
His father's eyebrows rose. "I didn't realize you had
such time."
"I don't. The work they give me is quite elementary. I
can pretty much deduce the answer to any question they arrow in my
direction."
His father's eyebrows rose further. "Even
history?"
"Father." Sherlock said with a sardonic smile.
"Everyone knows history repeats itself, and that no one learns from
it."
"You may use my library."
Sherlock turned to leave their humble dining room, as Mrs.
Molly Dandridge came in with a plate filled with scones and tea.
"No desert, young Sherlock?"
Sherlock put a hand on her arm and gave her a smile. "I
would be most happy to sample your splendid gourmet gift before I retire for
the evening."
She smiled and patted his hand. "I'll see to it."
He exited the room and laid the plate on the table, placing
several scones on a small plate before Thomas and a cup of tea to his left.
"That young man never fails to surprise me."
"Nor I, Mrs. Dandridge. Nor I."
Sherlock entered his father's den, and looked to the small
library on the left. Two walls filled with shelves of ancient literature, mythology,
poetry and more importantly scientific journals. But as he browed them, the one
thing he saw that he hadn't before, perhaps because his interest was less
elevated, was a small book titled "The Philosophy of the Empty
Castle."
He took the aged tome from its place on the right shelf, and
pulled a leather bound chair next to the bay window that overlooked their small
garden of flowers. He eyed it a moment, admiring the grace and sweep of the
small pond his father had personally designed, and the perfect symmetry of the
stars, which formed a perfect pentagon about it.
That was when he realized that the book also had a pentagram
on it.
He immediately began shifting pages rapidly. He never had to
spend much time reading. He had trained himself at the age of three to rapid
read with perfect retention. He never forgot anything. Not a thing.
His eidetic memory was flawless. As the sun was spoiled by
sprays of gray clouds shifting through the sky to cover it up for the night, he
had finished reading the book.
He closed his eyes.
He imagined a tiny path before him, with bright flowers to
the left and right. The path ran into a forest with fresh green trees. Tall
Spruce and Juniper Trees and Evergreens, which were completely out of place in
London, but which he loved for their beauty. He stepped onto the path and began
walking into the forest. The path narrowed, but he didn't lose it. He followed
it over a rise of earth that had a tunnel with swift water babbling beneath it,
the along a shorter path strewn with aging wood and large mushrooms.
Finally, he pushed his way through cobwebs of some extent
draping a passage of trees, and emerged before an ancient castle. He could tell
right away that it was empty. He approached it and as he did, the huge
drawbridge ramp swung down noisily, making way for him. He entered the castle
and rather than be frightened by the grotesque shadows and obscure pieces of artwork
that resembled fairy tale monsters, he went deeper into the courtyard until he
saw a fountain of pure water arcing into the air.
He sat beside it and closed his eyes again.
This time he allowed his mind to synchronize with the flow
of the water and as he did he had this most peculiar vision.
He saw his father and Thomas walking through a field of
pockmarked land, with great bursts of light exploding about them. They leaned
on each other, as if with a great weight, but continued. When they reached half
way, they became consumed by a huge explosion of light and vanished.
He was so shocked by the explosion that he was startled into
falling from his chair. It was so loud when he landed on the floor that his
father came into the room, alarmed and fearful for his son's life. He looked
around, but seeing no threat, immediately gathered Sherlock up into his arms
and lifted him as gently as a baby.
Sherlock had lost consciousness.
His father sat with him for seven straight days. His mother
didn't know about the accident. His father feared making her afraid, and had
asked her to stay longer in the city with her relatives, which she had seen as
his own needs to be more alone and had agreed to, as she seldom had that much
freedom to wander about without his somewhat stern hand upon her actions.
Sherlock wandered through a maze of visions in his mind,
stirred up from time to time by a voice that would shatter his visions and say,
"Remember the Philosophy of the Empty Castle."
He would ask. "But there is no philosophy."
The voice would vanish and Sherlock would be lost in more
visions and fantasies.
His father, meanwhile, lost much weight in his fear for
Sherlock's life. His mother, her intuition much stronger than her husband
realized, plunged back into the small town they lived in and found out what had
happened. They had a horrible fight, but it all ended when Sherlock's eyes
fluttered open and he sat up in his bed, smiling at Ms. Dandridge, his father
and mother, who were still fighting.
"I have solved the mystery."
Everyone watched him, as if stunned by his sudden words. But
what stunned them was that he looked no worse for his contusion and his face
was alive with color and health. He rose from his bed and hugged his father and
mother. "Thank you both."
He did the same with Mrs. Dandridge. "I could really
enjoy one of those scones now."
She hugged him back and to his delight had a whole plate of
them on a small lap table near the bed with a cloth over them. "I've baked
them fresh for you every day."
That day Sherlock had solved his own question about
deduction. "The Philosophy of the Empty Castle." To understand what
you do not, you must empty your mind of all preconceptions and open it to the
greater wonders of the universe. And so began a new chapter in the young life
of Sherlock Holmes. For one of his visions at that time of his father and friend
had come to pass in his later years. Both were sent off to war and both died in
an explosion.
He had also seen something wonderful though. He had seen
himself smoking his father's pipe and seated at a fire with a splendidly sharp
young man with a bristly mustache and sharp eyes. Even though his vision did
not give him any names or dates at that time, he knew he had something special
to look forward to in the years ahead.
Milton the Monster Cartoon
Milton the Monster
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Milton the Monster Show | |
|---|---|
Milton, although he's a monster, he's just a big kid.
|
|
| Genre | Animated Cartoon |
| Created by | Hal Seeger |
| Directed by | Hal Seeger |
| Voices of | Bob McFadden Beverly Arnold |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Hal Seeger |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Production company(s) | Hal Seeger Productions, in association with the ABC Television Network |
| Distributor | CBS Television Distribution |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ABC |
| Picture format | Color |
| Original run | October 9, 1965 – September 8, 1968 |
Contents
Overview
The series starred Milton the Monster, a Frankenstein-looking monster with a flat-topped, seemingly hollow head which emitted various quantities of white steam or smoke based on his mood or situation. He was created by mad scientist Professor Montgomery Weirdo and his assistant Count Kook, who lived in a haunted house on Horror Hill. Milton is a smiling, good-natured fellow, thanks to the Professor using too much "tincture of tenderness" as explained in the opening theme of each individual Milton the Monster segment. Milton was created not of individual body parts, but rather in a mold from such liquids as "essence of terror" and "sinister sauce." Out of fear of his creation destroying him, Professor Weirdo intended to add just a few drops of the aforementioned tincture of tenderness to the mold, but Count Kook bumped the Professor's elbow, resulting in too much of the tincture being added to the mix. Milton's voice, which was based on the southern accent used by Jim Nabors in his television role as Gomer Pyle,[1] was provided by Bob McFadden who also provided voices for Professor Weirdo's resident monsters:- Heebie - a skull-faced, top hat-wearing ghoul with a Peter Lorre voice
- Jeebie - a slow-witted, cyclopian, hairy green creature with a single sharp tooth that was often used to open soda cans
Other features
Other features on the show included:- "Fearless Fly", starring an insect superhero similar to Hanna-Barbera's Atom Ant. One of the most popular segments of the Milton the Monster Show, Fearless Fly was in reality Hirem, an ordinary housefly who, when danger threatens, ducks into a nearby matchbox, dons a red sweater and, in a reversal of Clark Kent, changes into the superhero Fearless Fly by putting on a pair of super high-powered glasses that "provides millions of mega-tons of energy through the sensitive muscles in his head." FF, according to the opening, is more powerful than a speeding rocket and faster than a beam of light. No flypaper can hold him and no insecticide can stop him. Fearless Fly's only weakness is losing his glasses, which happens in just about every episode. To bring the point home, Hirem bemoans his fate by telling the audience, "Without my super high-powered glasses I'm helpless!" His chief nemesis is the 900-year-old Fu Manchu-inspired Dr. Goo Fee and his sidekick Gung Ho. Occasionally, Milton the Monster's Professor Weirdo makes an appearance to threaten Fearless Fly. Specifically, the episodes "Fearless Fly meets the Monsters" and "The Spider Spiter." The "Fearless Fly meets the Monsters" episode appears to be an early pilot for Milton the Monster. We see Professor Weirdo creating a monster similar to Milton. The same tincture of tenderness mishap occurs, but this creature's name is George. He basically looks like Milton, but with the Frankenstein Monster's hairstyle, has a deeper voice that sounds nothing like Jim Nabors, and a scar across his forehead. Heebie and Jeebie are present, but have different voices. Heebie's voice sounds more like Jeebie's, while Jeebie's design is basically unchanged, except he has a full set of fangs instead of just a single sharp tooth and sounds like Peter Lorre. Also present is a robot that appears to be an early version of Mechanical Mike, a character that appears in the Milton the Monster episode, "Monster-Sitter." The actual Milton the Monster makes a brief cameo in the episode, "Ferocious Fly" as a mirage Hirem hallucinates while lost in the desert. When Fearless Fly is in the guise of Hirem, he hangs out at the Sugar Bowl with his girlfriend Flory (not Flora, as cited in other reference sources). Hirem's chief antagonist at the bistro is the bullying Horsey the Horsefly. Flory's voice was provided by the un-credited Beverly Arnold. Bob McFadden usually provided all of the voices, including the female ones, such as the seductive Lady Deflyah.
- "Flukey Luke", with a cowboy detective and his Irish-accented Native American companion Two Feathers. Flukey Luke was so named because of his dumb luck that allowed him to get the upper hand despite being incredibly inept.
- "Stuffy Durma", starring a nouveau-riche hobo who resisted the attempts of valet Bradley Brinkley to get some culture and breeding.
- "Muggy-Doo", featuring a sly boy fox who often gets into trouble with his get-rich-quick schemes.
- "Penny Penguin", starring a bratty aquatic bird.
Episode list
Episode 1- Fearless Fly: Trick or Treatment
- Flukey Luke: Loot Pursuit
- Milton the Monster: Zelda the Zombie
- Fearless Fly: Horse Shoo Fly
- Muggy Doo: Gogh Van Gogh
- Milton the Monster: Boy Meet Ghoul
- Fearless Fly: Fatty Karate
- Muggy Doo: You Auto Be in Pictures
- Milton the Monster: Monsters for Hire
- Fearless Fly: Captain Fligh
- Muggy Doo: Doo Or Die
- Milton the Monster: Who Do Voodoo?
- Fearless Fly: The Goofy Dr. Goo Fee
- Muggy Doo: From Riches To Rags
- Milton the Monster: The Pot Thickens
- Fearless Fly: Sly Fly
- Stuffy Derma: From Wrecks to Riches
- Milton the Monster: Medium Undone
- Fearless Fly: Throne For A Loss
- Flukey Luke: Missin' Masters
- Milton the Monster: Monster Mutiny
- Fearless Fly: The Bomb's Rush
- Penny Penguin: There Auto Be A Law
- Milton the Monster: Ghoul School
- Fearless Fly: Fly Hijack
- Flukey Luke: Tired Gun
- Milton the Monster: Hector the Protector
- Fearless Fly: Si Si Fly
- Flukey Luke: Palace Malice
- Milton the Monster: Horrorbaloo
- Fearless Fly: The House-Fly Guest
- Muggy Doo: Fortune Kooky
- Milton the Monster: Goon Platoon
- Fearless Fly: Invincible Vs. Invisible
- Stuffy Derma: Suit Yourself
- Milton the Monster: The Dummy Talks
- Fearless Fly: Fly By Might
- Stuffy Derma: Hobo Hootenanny
- Milton the Monster: A Pie In The Sky
- Fearless Fly: The Sphinx Jinx
- Penny Penguin: Penny Ante
- Milton the Monster: Monsterous Escape
- Fearless Fly: The Spider Spiter
- Penny Penguin: Sickened Honeymoon
- Milton the Monster: Abercrombie the Zombie
- Fearless Fly: Fearless Fly Meets The Monsters (Pilot)
- Muggy Doo: Crumb-Bumming
- Milton the Monster: V for Vampire
- Milton the Monster: Monster Vs. Mobster
- Fearless Fly: Martians Meet Their Match (Pilot)[citation needed]
- Milton the Monster: Witch Crafty
- Milton the Monster: Camp Gitchy Gloomy
- Fearless Fly: Lets Phase It
- Milton the Monster: The Hearse Thief
- Milton the Monster: Boo To You
- Fearless Fly: Under Waterloo
- Milton the Monster: Kid Stuff
- Milton the Monster: Horror Scope
- Fearless Fly: Lady Deflyah
- Milton the Monster: The Flying Cup & Saucer
- Milton the Monster: Monster-Sitter
- Fearless Fly: Robinson Shoesole
- Milton the Monster: The Moon Goons
- Milton the Monster: Think Shrink
- Fearless Fly: Private Fly
- Milton the Monster: Skullgaria Forever!
- Milton the Monster: Crumby Mummy
- Fearless Fly: Stage Plight
- Milton the Monster: Fort Fangenstein
- Fearless Fly: Safari Harry
- Stuffy Derma: Nuggets To You
- Milton the Monster: Batnap
- Milton the Monster: Dunkin' Treasure
- Fearless Fly: Ferocious Fly
- Milton the Monster: Monsterous Monster
- Fearless Fly: Napoleon Bonafly
- Flukey Luke: Violin Violence
- Milton the Monster: The Mummy's Thumb
DVD release
On March 20, 2007, Shout! Factory released the complete series on a 4-DVD set.Notes
- Hollis, T. (2008). Ain't That a Knee-Slapper: Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi. p. 192. ISBN 9781604739534.
References
An interview with Sherlock Holmes, Harry Houdini and Doctor John Watson is posted at my The Baker Street Universe blog.
It is a romp of words and actions that speak much to the characters of these people who inhabit the Baker Street Universe.
You can enjoy this interview by double clicking HERE or The Baker Street Universe.
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