Shorty July: The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Aha! It has been a while since I wrote anything about Sherlock Holmes, right? I mean, I love him so much, and yet I don't talk much about him. But today, for the Shorty July and Short Stories on Wednesday this week, I'd like to write about The Adventure of the Dying Detective, which is Sherlock Holmes, by Conan Doyle. As usual I will write in two languages, so here we go.

In Bahasa:

“Ia sekarat, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

Hanya dengan kalimat sederhana itu Mrs. Hudson membuat panik para Sherlockian yang membaca cerita ini untuk pertama kalinya. Bagaimana bisa kita membayangkan Sherlock Holmes, terbaring pasrah di ranjangnya, sekarat, menit demi menit menanti ajal menjemput? Tidak terbayangkan. Namun itulah yang Watson dapati terjadi pagi itu.

Kisah ini diawali dengan deskripsi singkat mengenai Sherlock Holmes sebagai “anak kos terburuk” di seluruh Inggris. Bagaimana tidak? Holmes memiliki berbagai kebiasaan-kebiasaan aneh nan menyebalkan, seperti menembaki pintu dan dinding kamar, melakukan eksperimen-eksperimen aneh (yang seharusnya dilakukan di laboratorium) di dalam kamar, dan main biola subuh-subuh. Tapi, bukankah keanehannya ini yang membuat banyak orang menyukainya?

Kalau pembaca menganggap bahwa berurusan dengan Sherlock Holmes yang sehat sudah cukup menguji kesabaran, silakan coba berurusan dengan pria ini sewaktu sedang sakit. Dijamin, pengalaman itu akan menjadi uji kesabaran yang tidak terlupakan. Detektif sekarat itu, bukannya menerima kebaikan hati temannya, malah menolak semua nasihat medis yang Watson berikan, bahkan meragukan kecakapan sang dokter dalam bidangnya tersebut. Bukan itu saja, dia malah memberikan perintah ini itu pada sang dokter, sambil mengoceh tidak jelas tentang koin, kerang, dan hal-hal lain. Seolah belum cukup, dia juga sempat membentak Watson hanya gara-gara perkara sebuah kotak kecil.

Ya sudahlah. Cerita ini pada dasarnya menonjolkan kualitas-kualitas seorang teman yang sangat baik dalam diri Watson. Dia sabar, perhatian, dan rela melakukan apa yang diminta Sherlock tidak soal seberapa menjengkelkannya temannya itu. Dan soal penyakit Sherlock Holmes, dapatkah Watson menemukan “obat” yang cocok bagi temannya?

In English:

“He’s dying, Dr. Watson.”

Jeremy Brett and Edward Hardwicke
as Holmes and Watson

Alright. Those words are enough to make any Sherlockian tremble in fear when he reads it for the first time. To think about Sherlock Holmes, lying on his bed, half-dead, counting his last minutes on earth would be terrifying. But that was exactly how Watson found Holmes that day.

I don't want to give any spoiler, because perhaps some of the readers have this story as a part of their to-read list, but let me tell you this: this is a beautiful story. In this story we can see how irritating Holmes could be, and how patient, kind and loyal Watson was to him.

Even at the beginning of the story, Sherlock is described as the “worst tenant in London” with his mad, annoying habits (note that I'm using plural) such as shooting the wall, playing the violin at dawn, and doing scientific experiments in his room, while such thing should be done in laboratory. And yet, that's exactly what we love about him.

The doctor, on the other hand, is perhaps the best and kindest man anyone could find in London. Sometimes I pity him being so close to Sherlock Holmes instead of some less eccentric being. But he loved the thrill of adventures that surrounded the sleuth, and had proven every now and then that he was a valuable partner and a loyal companion of him.

And in this short story, Watson proves himself to be a great, kind, and long-suffering friend. How so? Well, just imagine. If you think dealing with a healthy Holmes is trying enough, you should never consider getting near the house when he's ill. Being almost dead, Holmes became so absurd. He wouldn't let Watson touch him, and refused any kind of medication, even doubting Watson's medical capability. He talked about oysters, coins, and other crazy stuff, while giving Watson specific instruction about the man he wanted to come to cure him. And to add on more thing on the list of his oddity, he even got mad over just a little box.

Would he die? Or would Watson find the sole remedy for his illness?