Monday, January 02, 2012

Sherlock Holmes and the Mysterious Patient

Sherlock Holmes is sitting in room number 221 in a five star hotel of Lahore. He along with his friend and colleague, Dr. John Watson, is on vacations. Dr. Watson is reading local news on his iPad while Holmes is busy staring down the windows observing the people in the street below. The intercom rings and the operator says that there is a Mr. Rana Mujeeb wants to see him. Both men look each other with surprised expression and then tell the operator to send the man in. Mr. Mujeeb is looking pale, is about 60 year old and visibly rich but worried. He barges in to the room and asks almost pleadingly for help to Mr. Holmes, but upon seeing another man in the room, he stops midway through his sentence.

Holmes: Mr. Mujeeb, this is my friend and colleague Dr. Watson and you can say anything in front of him as you would privately to me. 

Mr.Mujeeb: Well, Mr. Holmes, I am here with great hope that you would help me.

Holmes: Pray be seated and tell me everything. Every minute detail.

The man begins telling his story.



He is an industrialist and also patron of a large private hospital. Few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness. The doctors told him that he had maximum of 20 days left. But since then it has been almost 2 months and he is still alive.

Holmes: And where did you go for the diagnosis?

Mujeeb: to the very hospital of which I am the patron. It is the best in the country, Mr. Holmes.

Holmes: And what happens to the hospital if you die?

Mujeeb: Well, according to the conditions of the trust, the next senior most member of the board will be the chairperson.

Holmes: And I gather that the man responsible for your diagnosis is the senior most?

Mujeeb: Yes, she is.

Holmes: She! This is interesting, Watson.

Mujeeb: So you will help me?

Holmes: Can I have your visiting card?

Mujeed: Takes out his wallet and hands over a visiting card to Holmes.

Holmes: I shall think over it. 

Holmes: (As if an afterthought) Mr. Mujeeb, you walk a lot?

Mujeeb: Yes I do but how do you know?

Holmes: Never mind. Have a good day.

After Mujeeb left, Holmes asks Watson what he thinks about the man.

Watson: Well, he seems well to do, probably afraid for his life and apparently without children.

Holmes: Excellent Watson. But he is not without children. You did not observe when he narrated the last part of his story? A she? There was a certain agony in his voice and he lowered his gaze, probably ashamed or ruing. I think the same doctor was his beloved and for that reason, his wife and probably children left him. Now he realized his blunder that he ruined his family life for someone who is after his life.

Watson: So the doctor is involved?

Holmes: And the ring on his left hand finger, with strange numbers carved. Most probably, he is a member of a secret society. And I would say, an influential member, quite high up in the hierarchy.  His collar is a little loose which shows he has lost a few pounds in the last couple of weeks. A note of 20 Kronas in his wallet means he has been to Sweden recently. Why? We don't know yet.  The little splashes of dust on the sides of his boots and trousers shows he traveled in an auto-rickshaw and walked quite a distance on foot. While a ticket of the local bus in his purse shows he rode it recently, most probably today or yesterday. Now why would a man with so much money hire an auto-rickshaw or use public transport instead of taking his own car? His card has only a land-line which is quite odd given that almost anybody here owns a cellular phone.

Watson: Very odd indeed.

Holmes: And he was wearing his watch on his right hand instead of left.

Watson: Does it signify something?

Holmes: Yes very much. I wear my watch on my right hand.


Watson: What is your theory then?

Holmes: I simply don’t have enough facts to construct a theory. Come along.

Watson: To the hospital?

Holmes: No. To Mr. Mujeeb's office.

Cramped inside an auto-rickshaw, Watson says to Holmes that why not hire a Sedan or may be a Limousine? To which Holmes replies that he is a consulting detective and not a politician who would throw away money on unimportant things.

The office of Mr. Mujeeb is located on Mall Road. The exterior design is very mysterious. A lot of symbolic work.

Holmes: Freemason! That is important.

Watson: Does it have anything to do with the murder plan?

Holmes: With a conservative country like this where Freemasons are considered as the follower of Satan, what do you expect?

There in the office they meet with Mr. Mujeeb's secretary. He is about as old as Mujeeb and knows everything about his life. He tells them that the wife and son of Mr. Mujeeb are still there, living in Anarkali Bazaar. 

Upon getting the address, Holmes and Watson go towards Anarkali. The address is that of a small restaurant on the farthest end of the Food Street. Holmes is dressed in Shalwar-Kameez and looking more like an Afghan. One of the usher in the Street even asks him in Pashto: "Raza kena der kha khurak de" (come and sit, the food is good). Unable to understand, all Holmes manages to do is a smile. And here they realize that it is not London and they cannot do anything without an interpreter. They are in luck as sitting in one of these restaurants is a group of students conversing animatedly in accented English. These are Dr. H.M.Khan along with Zeeshan and other fellows and are readily willing to assist Holmes in his task. Taking them along, they reach their destination. At the restaurant they ask for the man they are looking for and find him. The 20-something lad is busy in dealing with the customers. He does not show any reaction when Holmes mentions that they are here on behalf of Mr.Mujeeb. Probably he never knew who his father was. They meet his mother, an old lady who had been through hard times. She says that yes she left her husband after she knew he did not love her anymore. And since that day, she never seen or talked to him ever.

On the way to hospital, Watson asks Holmes about the lady.

Holmes: She was lying.

Watson: She is not his wife then?

Holmes: She is. But she was lying about her not speaking to or seeing of him. You observed the table lamp, a quite expensive piece. It is the same as the one present in Mr. Mujeeb's office. And the shoes? Made in Italy. Watson, she still receives gifts from her husband. But she is concerned about her son's reaction and that is why she is probably silent. 

Both Holmes and Watson go to the hospital. Dr.Saleena Merchant is about 50 years old but with her refined looks and dress, she is looking a lot younger. It is quite understandable why a man like Mr. Mujeeb would leave his family for her. But is she really capable of murdering someone?

Holmes: I am Sherlock Holmes, consulting detective and this is my friend and colleague Dr. John Watson.

Dr.Merchant: How may I help you?

Holmes: Well, we are here to investigate about the illness of Mr.Mujeeb and his mysterious recovery.

Dr.Merchant: Everybody is surprised at his recovery. The board responsible for his diagnosis and our colleagues abroad had the same opinion that the illness was terminal. The only difference of opinion at the time was that we thought of 20 days while our foreign friend thought maximum of 18 days.

Holmes: And I presume you are working in this hospital since long?

Merchant: I am one of the founding members of this hospital Mr. Holmes!

Holmes: Remarkable! That would be 15 years I understand?

Merchant: 16.

Holmes: Can you describe what the illness was?

Merchant: It is called microvasocardioencephalo...

Holmes: I was expecting English!

Merchant: Oh, my apologies. In simple terms, Mr. Mujeeb has or had a condition which is very rare. In this condition the body is unable to support the normal metabolic processes.

Holmes: So you are sure there is absolutely no cure for this?

Merchant: Well practically yes.

Holmes: Practically?

Merchant: Yes. Theoretically there is a cure but that cannot be done. 

Watson: And that is?

Merchant: Human meat.




(Read Part 2)



(P.S. With apologies to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who invented the character of Sherlock Holmes. The story is based largely on local folklore. Hope you people are able to solve the mystery. Otherwise, come back here when all will be revealed. Happy New Year)

(P.S.S. As regarding the last post about NTS-GAT, many people asked about my competence of giving those tips. So my locus standi is that as far as I can remember, I have appeared in at least 15 times in that test which gives me sufficient experience. :P The grades and the result of those 15 attempts is an entirely different matter and should not be discussed in public :P :P :P )

66 comments:

  1. Human meat.....which parts exactly...hehe ;)

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    1. come on... you can do better than that...guess :)

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  2. interesting! :)
    waitingggg fr d nex part.
    n yes i find it odd y u always use a present continuous tense of narration. d last story- dr ayesha thingy- got messed up wid dat tho dis tym its close to perfectttt!
    evrythin u write has one common feature fr sure- quality in the thought process...keep it uppp! :)

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    1. welcome back after a long long time...

      thanks for liking and hope you will like the next part too :)

      the last time i used past tense in that virus post...

      see i am not a professional writer so you can expect follies :P

      i wished to write a short story but then i had to contract it into one or two posts so i used the dialog format and present tense :)

      i am glad you liked it and appreciated... do come again here :)

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    2. and i realized how close the name of the doctor resembles your name :P

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  3. hahahahaha Holmes :D

    its very interesting - i appreciate your ideas :)

    love x

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    1. thanks grumpy face... i hope i shall write something on you as well :P

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  4. i have never read anything this interesting for a long time, atleast after i kept aside the last sherlock holmes book down.. great , great and brilliant

    i am waiting!!!

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    1. wow...thats some compliment... :) thank you so much for liking it...

      and you know what? I have never read any of Holmes stories!!! but i did watch the tv series "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" starring Jeremy Brett... all 7 seasons :)

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  5. Oh, what a tale you do weave, Muhammad Israr! Honestly, I was with you in every word and seeing it all as if a play on a stage. Very compelling story. Then we came to the puzzling end and.....well, perhaps because I am not at all familiar with the local folklore upon which it is based.....I am mystified as to what "human meat" means! Do tell, once you have sufficient comments with guesses.
    Happy, Happy New Year to you.

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    1. ah..Lydia...happy new year... :)

      I am glad you captured it and felt it...
      yes i can understand...but folklore is folklore and which may not be necessarily true but never the less... we have a story...and i hope i solve the mystery in the next part :)

      do come by here next monday :)

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  6. you know what em reading The Adventures of Sherlock holmes for the 5th time these days..and I was thrilled to see the title of your post..it was damn good khan sab..loved it..and guess what..I kinda know the end too..hahahahha..and em feeling like writing it here..but I wont spoil it for you..so will see ya in part 2 then:)

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    1. wow...for the 5th time!!! i didnt know you are into detective fiction :) i am glad you too read detective work though i have never read any of these stories!!!
      hahaha..you are a genius and i know you have solved it... lets see in the next part how much you are correct :)

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  7. Superb write. The ending is priceless. I really loved this.

    A great and glorious new year to you and yours.

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    1. happy new year to you too :)
      and i am glad you liked it... your comments are much appreciated :)

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  8. Nice, interesting :) Brilliantly written :)

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    1. thanks for reading and liking :) Happy new year..

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  9. I'm obviously going to have to come back for the reveal!

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    1. ahan...so you liked it? thanks :) and yes do come next week...i hope you will like it... :)

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  10. Hello Israr. Happy New Year!
    I'm not much of a book reader, but I do love Sherlock Holmes movies whether they be the original with Basil Rathbone or some of these newer versions.
    Excellent storytelling, even if the ending has me intrigued. I think I've figured out the "human meat", but I won't be a spoilsport & tell!

    You are the KING of fiction, my friend. None can compare to you! Keep it up!

    Thanks for sharing & visiting. You had me laughing with your comment. Always a pleasure to have you stop by.

    A Poet's Immortal Thoughts

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    1. happy new year...
      haha..I have not read any of these books..but I have watched the movies and my personal favourite is the TV series "Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" with Jeremy Brett... i have watched all the seasons and it is superb...

      i am glad you figured it out... lets see what happens in the last part :)

      now thats a very very generous compliment... :) thank you so much...

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  11. The ending was indeed the best!! Happy New Yr!!

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    1. ahan...thanks for liking it... Happy new year... :)

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  12. Brilliantly written, and the ending is soo good!

    Wishing you a wonderful new year Israr x

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    1. happy new year...
      i am glad you liked it... do come next week for the last part :)

      Delete
  13. THATS total SUPERB WORK Israr !
    Ta kho dera zabardast writer jora shwe dy ao der zar ba da Sir Arthur Conan Doyle zai onesi ... derrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Aaala piece of literature i found today :) keep it up !

    Marvelous job writer of all weathers :)

    and the most interesting thing i found in it is that Sherlock Holmes wears wrist watch in right hand just like me :P but their isn't any mystery in my case coz m left handier so wear wrist watch on right hand.

    so you discovered S. Holmes in Lahore than you are the James bond of Pakistan :P :D

    i really enjoyed the treatmandent in the ending lines ;)

    keep writing and sharing :)

    Best wishes :)

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    1. hahaha... so you learnt pashto? great... :) as Shakira would say "you make a man want to speak pashto" :P

      I am glad finally you are introduced to Sherlock Holmes :)

      hahaha...so who knows may be one day you also become a detective :) you have some qualities of sherlock holmes :)

      yes sherlock holmes is in lahore these days..and hope next week he will be able to solve the mystery so do come next week :)
      happy new year...

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    2. and Almas Kiran was asking about you and kiran that why you both are not blogging?

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  14. Nice boss. will wait for......

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    1. thanks dear...yes do come next week for the last part :)

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  15. dude seriously, you have an amazing sense of humor. and i'm guessing your general knowledge isn't bad either.

    you never fail to amaze me. awesome, man! seriously AALA!

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    1. thank you so much for reading and liking...

      well i do read random stuff about everything and i guess my general knowledge is not that bad as one would expect :P

      I am glad i did not disappoint... :) hope you will like the last part next week as well :)

      Happy new year...

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  16. Very interesting! But I'm curious about the human meat. A carnivore? Oh no! :p

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    1. welcome back after a long long time... :P

      hahaha... wait and see...what is the human meat... :) you will know by monday :)

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  17. Wonderful and very imaginative. I love detective stories and humor and this was a good combo. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. welcome to our blog and thanks for following..

      i am glad you love detective work and you liked my little effort :) hope you will like the next part as well... :)

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  18. so I 've to come on monday
    Right
    Atleast I know when :)

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    1. its detective fiction..so who knows what happens on monday :P

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  19. Replies
    1. ahan... now the expectations are raised..lets hope i succeed :)

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  20. Ah Israr - fine story but the ending has me stumped! Been a good detective and googled Pakistan folklore - but to no avail!

    I shall be a good detective and await the secret from the excellent author and learn!

    Anna :o]

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    1. hahaha... you wouldnt find much on google or internet about our folklore :) so at least you have one reason to come back :)

      have a nice weekend :)

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  21. Oh that's so so interesting! And you left me in suspense! Please post the second part as soon as possible! A fabulous thrilling piece from you in this new year! By the way wishing you a happy new year! And I guess my expulsion would be cancelled;P Sorry professor....should I present the medical certificate:p? (I was actually looking for an appropriate mood to plunge to your post:))

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    1. I am glad you liked it :) and suspense is good so that you would come back for the reveal :)

      the second part will be up on monday so come here :)


      Happy new year to you and may all your wishes come true in 2012...

      ah...so you came or else you would have been expelled today :P

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  22. so isn't rana mujeeb cured because he's been eating human fles. i dunno whether its figurative or literal. either way, it could be true.

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    1. lets see whether its figurative or literal... :P monday 12.05am is the time :)

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  23. If you don't see me here next Monday, leave a one-word comment at my blog to remind me! "Reminding" is a word that will do the trick!

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    1. ok i would definitely remind you :)

      Reminding :P

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  24. Hello Israr. I came by to see if my assumptions were right, but I see you are still keeping us in suspense! No matter, I will check back again with everyone else on Monday.

    Wishing you all the best finding that special love to impress her with YOUR poetry...LOL!
    See you soon, my friend!

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    1. hahaha... but you never told your assumption so :P

      lets see if you were right or not... only a few hours away from now :)

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  25. Sometimes it pays off to be late in reading a post . . . now I have the instant gratification of reading part two TODAY! However, I may save it for tomorrow if it's too long :P

    Wonderful writing and imagination, as always, Israr!! :-)

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  26. waaaah..
    P.S the GAT part is interesting of all!!:P

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    1. Thank your for reading and liking...

      P.S. the GAT post was an old one but i posted again keeping in view the january 2012 GAT :)

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  27. @Fiona...


    this is not fair :@ there were times when you would be the first one to comment on my posts and now :(

    thank you for reading and liking... no post is complete without your comments :)

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    1. Hey, we get to reply in a different way! :P I could write a book here now and I think you would be the only one to receive it in your inbox? :P 'Tis a shame too because most people beg for my book commentaries :P

      First of all, life isn't fair :( I remember you being one of the first too :) Life gets in the way sometimes which isn't a bad thing. I think you were sort of absent for quite some time and you were missed :) It doesn't matter if one is first, last or late . . . everyone is always welcome at my blog anytime and they don't have to be present at every post :

      "no post is complete without your comments :)"
      Aww, that's really nice ~ thanks, Israr! I feel the same way about your comments too :) Have a great day!

      P.S. ~ I've been knocked off of your commentator list because of my name change :'( Life isn't fair . . . :)

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    2. Yes yes you could write a book here and I would love to read it :) or you could comment in poetic lines :P

      Yes life isnt fair but a princess should try to be fair :P or else shrek the ogre will come and kidnap you :P

      yes but due to multiple problems, like power outages which are 12-18hours in a day, Unavailability of internet, and Lab work, I find myself unable to come on bloggers as frequently as i would like... i like to read posts by you people and gain a lot and learn...

      But princess should be the first one to comment and to lead from the front :)


      Have a nice weekend :)

      oh... i was wondering why your name is not in the commentators list even though you are regular commentator.. so now i got the reason... see one should not change their name or else one lose :P

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  29. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  30. Very nice bro

    Sorry i was little busy in projects and assignments.
    but i am glad that i didn't miss this post.

    very very interesting

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    1. Thank you bro..

      Yes i was thinking that you were busy somewhere..hope everything went fine... :) glad to have you back here :)

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  31. Excellent work :)

    Always a pleasure to meet a Sherlockian!

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    1. welcome to our blog... thank you for liking the post :) hope you keep visiting :)

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