I had long admired Holmes’ ability to distinguish the varieties of cigarette ash by sight, but it was not until the affair of Lord Bassington’s manservant that I questioned the origins of Holmes’ knowledge.
“Personal experience,” said he. “What may seem as trivial knowledge began, absent noble reasons, in my university days with the search of a tobacco that I would enjoy regularly. My scientific inclinations soon provided me — quite unintentionally! — with a wealth of datum on the colors and consistencies of ash. Naturally, a monograph followed, the definitive work on the subject — until revised, of course.”
Written for Holmes100‘s “Ash” prompt
Published by Allyn
A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.
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