Seventh Deduction

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[Much to his private horror, Conan had had just woken up  with detailed memories of spending the last week as a toddler.  He remembered everything.] 

Sherlock Holmes often said that when you have eliminated the impossible whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.  But in this case it is just too impossible.  Think.  If a situation doesn't make sense, than either the hypothesis or one of the clues must be faulty.  Consider the facts.

Fact.  Such things as magic or miracles do not exist.  In the hundreds of times I've seen cases involving such superstitious features every single one was proved to be a hoax.  Some of them were very convincing, but they were tricks just the same.

Fact.  This is a kidnapping case.  Kidnapping is a crime.  And crimes are committed by humans.  An inanimate object such as a building cannot commit a crime.  

Fact.  The majority of the population here is convinced that the building itself is responsible for the situation.  So many people would not come to the same conclusion unless someone, for some reason, had set out to create this belief.

Fact.  Since I arriving here I have spoken to creatures who appear to be talking ponies, pink dogs, books and dragons.  They move in a manner too naturalistic to be robotic or animatronic in nature.  Their range of movement is too great for puppets.

Fact.  One of the other victims healed a deep cut that should have taken several weeks to heal in a matter of seconds.  With no sign of a scar, such as a wound like that should have left.  He never came into direct contact with the injury.  I inspected this myself.  There is no trick that could accomplish that.  One moment I was injured and the next it was as if it had never been there.

Fact.  I shrank again.  From my memories it seems that I spent the last week as a toddler with no memory of myself or my current situation.  More importantly, there was no pain to the change.  And it lasted longer than any of the temporary cures have.  Does this mean the culprits have access to a variation of that drug?  Or is this something unrelated? 

But how does all of this fit together?  There must be a logical explanation.


[Conan pauses as he finishes writing, and quickly flips over to another page.  He quickly scrawls down another question.]

Does anyone remember speaking to me in the last week?

[And with that he leaves his room and heads straight for the gym.  Anyone who wants to speak to him today can find him determinedly kicking a ball against the wall as he turns all of these facts over and over in his head.]

Comments

[kindnessing.livejournal.com]

[...] I don't recall hearing you in the past week, actually... I was sort of wondering where you'd gone. [guess who never picked up on the whole toddler thing??]

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Nowhere I'd intended to be.

[kindnessing.livejournal.com]

[...] May I ask what happened?

[bitenotbark.livejournal.com]

[So it had been him, and not a younger brother?]

I believe I did.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[And there was the confirmation.]

So it wasn't a very bad dream.

[bitenotbark.livejournal.com]

I am still unsure that this whole experience is a comatose dream.

[mal-addict.livejournal.com]

I remember a very small you not leaving me alone.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

I think I remember that. You looked much different from that angle.

[mal-addict.livejournal.com]

Well, considering when you met me before, the castle had turned me human, that's not a big surprise.

[guyofgisborne]

I think I did. Or maybe it was a week and a half ago - I can't really recall.

[He smirks. He's starting to get used to his squeaky kid voice.]

So, how are you enjoying the magic castle, mate?

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

That was over a week ago. Not in the time period I'm interested in.

It isn't magic.

[guyofgisborne]

[Guy rolls his eyes.]

Then what do you suppose it is? I've lived in a castle before, and it takes a lot to keep one running: nobles to oversee everything, servants, guards, lots of funds from taxes to keep it well-defended. And yet, there's nothing like that here. There's no taxes - there's not even a functioning economy. Things appear when we wish for it, the food and water are in seemingly endless supply - plus, the castle itself serves no strategic or defensive point, it seems. There are no siege weapons, no outer defenses and our enemies can waltz right on in here whenever they wish.

[He sighs.]

You say it's not magic. Fine. Believe what you want. But you cannot ignore that something very odd is going on here that defies explanation...

[heart0fsword.livejournal.com]

[:| if he recognized your handwriting, Kenshin would totally let you know.]

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[That's okay, Conan remembers the entire meeting with Kenshin in detail. And knows exactly who it was. Even here there aren't that many guys with red hair running around in Meiji era clothing. He's just not quite sure what to say about it yet.]

[kindnessing.livejournal.com]

[...] I don't recall hearing you in the past week, actually... I was sort of wondering where you'd gone. [guess who never picked up on the whole toddler thing??]

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

Nowhere I'd intended to be.

[kindnessing.livejournal.com]

[...] May I ask what happened?

[bitenotbark.livejournal.com]

[So it had been him, and not a younger brother?]

I believe I did.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[And there was the confirmation.]

So it wasn't a very bad dream.

[mal-addict.livejournal.com]

I remember a very small you not leaving me alone.

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

I think I remember that. You looked much different from that angle.

[guyofgisborne]

I think I did. Or maybe it was a week and a half ago - I can't really recall.

[He smirks. He's starting to get used to his squeaky kid voice.]

So, how are you enjoying the magic castle, mate?

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

That was over a week ago. Not in the time period I'm interested in.

It isn't magic.

[heart0fsword.livejournal.com]

[:| if he recognized your handwriting, Kenshin would totally let you know.]

[modernholmes.livejournal.com]

[That's okay, Conan remembers the entire meeting with Kenshin in detail. And knows exactly who it was. Even here there aren't that many guys with red hair running around in Meiji era clothing. He's just not quite sure what to say about it yet.]