a study in wizardry

Diogenes Club

narrator POV

The Diogenes club

I walked into a man in what Dad would call a 'penguin suit' also known as a tux. Apart from his shoes which proved just how serious about silence they are here, I mean seriously padded shoe covers? But then again, shoes like those do tend to make a lot of noise on wooden floors. I gestured to the man's feet and then my own, asking for a pair too. He smiled at me and handed me a black pair to match my own shoes. I smile at him gratefully and hand him the card Dad gave me to show who I wished to see. He led me past a room of old men reading newspapers, many offices, a kitchen and right beside the kitchen was Father's office. I should've known. The man leads me in and swiftly leaves. Father was sat behind a grand and intricate desk with a large apple computer. He was dressed in a suit with, one of Uncle Gary's ties? He'd just eaten lunch; a soup, crusty bread and had brought a slice of cake from home. 'Carrot if I'm not mistaken.' 'Of course Everett, with?' I take a sniff; 'Potato and leak, 2 no 3 slices of crust bread and you didn't go easy on the butter. You then took out the Tupperware and had carrot cake. And once you heard from the man in the Tux someone was coming, you had them take away the plates, clean the table and you sprayed deodorant and air freshener. Realising you had forgotten the Tupperware you shoved it in the top draw of your desk.'

Father nodded along then asked the most important question 'and you know this because...' 'We passed the kitchen coming up and they had just got a few dishes on the side, however, they hadn't got more, so they had to take away someone's dishes early...' Father interrupted 'Early?' 'Of course they were still making the pudding for the rest of the Club. I could see the soup still lining the bowl, but only a smudge so the person had bread with it. Then we came in the desk still had a wet smudge but it only lasted a second from when we came in so you had the desk wiped recently but not just as we arrived; unless of course, they needed to drench your desk but the papers are dry so that isn't possible.' He waved at me to continue 'the cleaners were good not a speck of food on the desk but there is some on the floor, maybe a new cleaner, anyway the crumbs on the floor, too many for one or two pieces but too little from four. There is also a smidge of butter on one, but it's on an edge piece so lots of butter. The place smells of deodorant and air freshener, this means used recently and from the tiny spot on your thumb, you used it.' 'That's all well and good Everett but how did you know the soup was mine and the Tupperware in the top draw?' 'The soup came with a nametag on the tray when you received it and you left it in your bin with a small spot of soup on it. And the cake? Well, Uncle Gary brought me some round because you had made too much and you still had your hand on the draw when we walked in, I saw everything else in the kitchen so it must be the Tupperware.' 'Well done. But it's Gregory or at least Greg.' He said with a fond look.  

'Yes, sure it is Father.' I rolled my eyes. He shot me a joking glare and gestured to the seat in front of him. 'So you have a while till I am finished, what's the plan?' 'Well, I thought I'd try some of that some meditating to reach the "mind castle".' Father just shot me a look, damn it Dad gave a much better reaction. 'Very well, good choice I'll allow you 5h maximum in there but after that, it starts to get dangerous, and that's if you even get there. I shall make sure no one distracts us and make the office another quiet room for everyone.' He points to the couch at the far end of the room and I lay down with my hands just like Dad does, it seems to help me concentrate too. I enter my mind...

I finally reach my mind Palace. I find myself in the sitting room of 221B, but instead of seats there are 7 eggs, however, they are dormant currently so I begin to look round the room closer, 7 doors are surrounding me, three have no locks but the fourth does, I must not have access to that side of me yet, I go through the middle of the three unlocked doors to find myself in a corridor just like the one Father has at his house, tall and grand. There are around 12 doors, I enter the first one to find the 221B sitting room once again, but it has strange blue orbs floating around and it has the sound of Dad playing the violin. I grab an orb, suddenly I am transported through time to me as a baby being rocked by Dad as he walked around the room, telling me stories of Thr Brave Captain Holmes and The Evil Pirate Myc. It's one of my favourite memories of life before Mum and Papa died. I am back in what I now presume is "Dad's room." That's when I notice the filing cabinets in the corner. I open the first draw and inside are files of information. I open the first file and it has all my observations on his relationship with Uncle John from his point of view. I put the file back and head for the door opposite. 

There playing was the grand piano from Father's house the music was Father's favourite Mozart song with more blue orbs and filing cabinets. So I guess this corridor is for my family but just in case I head down the corridor, right to the bottom where there are two doors right next to each other I walk into one to find a broomstick, stag, very small amount of orbs and a filing cabinet. Next door was pretty much the same but the stag was a doe and the broom a wand. I let out a tear; my Mum and Pappa's rooms. 

I make my way back to The sitting room and head through the 2nd door. Inside was a huge room with shelves filled with objects, I pressed the small piano model and a filling cabinet appeared in the centre of the room. I touch the piano again and the cabinet disappears. So this must be my general knowledge room. I go back to the sitting room and through the next door. 

This one had a large circular empty room, weird. I leave immediately. and head to the next room where just 2 file cabinets sit; I open the first and inside is all I know about Dad's current case. The other is labelled Mum and Pappa I run away not wanting to confront those memories again. The next door is actually labelled "Dungeons" so I pass over that one. The second to last isn't labelled so I enter and there are more blue globes but this time they make up the shape of people. I walk up to the first one but there is only one globe I touch it, it's the time I met Anderson. So this must be where I store my knowledge of other people I touch the outline accidentally and up pops an information sheet of all the things I know about Anderson. 

I run to the next door but it just leaves me in a blank place. Ah-ha! This must be were I leave those traps Dad and Farther was telling me to set. I think up a massive green hedged maze that has all dead ends. then from there, I think back to the Alice in Wonderland movie Uncle John watched with me so I make lots and lots of small doors around with a cake at the side saying eat me; none of those work they just send you back to the beginning. There's a hidden loft hatch with some hidden string to pull. Then at the very edge of my mind, I put a massive boarder of trees making it as wild as possible. I head back inside as the alarm for an intruder goes off but it's the friendly version, I head to the entry point at the tree line to see Father pacing trying to find a way in 'Father, I'm willing to bring you in but you must wear this blindfold till we get in?' He smiles in consent and I place it over him before bringing him through, when we get to my sitting room two chairs appear and I make him sit down then we hear a crack and the first egg hatches. I go let it out; inside is a baby aucasian eagle that nips me I pass it to father as the other eggs begin wobbling 

By the end, I have the aucasian eagle, an otter, a hedgehog, a silver fox, a doe, a stag and an egg that won't hatch yet. I turn to Father who is sat there shocked and slightly in awe. 'Everett do you know what this means?' 'Nope' 'Only very, very powerful wizards have mind guardians, merlin was rumoured to have 3 but you have 7!! This must be a secret between you, your Dad and I, ok?' 'Yes, Father. Do you have any?' 'I have also have an aucasian eagle. We should be going now, I know a certain Inspector is hungry and a different detective won't be too far behind.' 'Ok'