The Amazing Airship Adventure by Derrick Belanger

Chapter 1: Dinner with Sherlock Holmes
    Sherlock Holmes heard a loud, “knock, knock, knock,” at the door of his home. With a smile, the great detective rose from his favorite easy chair, and went to personally greet his visitors. “Mrs. Hudson and Dr. Watson,” Sherlock called to his landlady and his good friend, “do be so kind as to let me answer the door.”
    Mrs. Hudson was working very hard in the kitchen, making sure the potatoes were not overly done. Dr. Watson was checking on the goose they were having for dinner. Mrs. Hudson gave Sherlock a quick nod of her head in approval, and then she went back to checking on the gravy.
    Sherlock Holmes had special guests tonight, two of the best detectives he had ever worked with. These two twins, Jimmy and Emma MacDougall, had helped Sherlock Holmes send the art thief Byron Von Trapp to prison. It did not matter to Mr. Holmes that the twins were only ten years old. They were honest, brilliant, and brave.
    Sherlock opened the door and greeted his friends warmly. “Hello, hello, please do come in,” he said to everyone.

    The family was standing at the entryway. Mr. MacDougall felt very uncomfortable because he was wearing his best evening dress. He was a head chimney sweeper, and he preferred being in dirty clothes rather than dressing up for a dinner party. As he walked in, he said, “Hello, Mr. Holmes. Very gracious of you inviting us over like this.”
    â€œNedley,” Sherlock said to him, “It is my pleasure. I see you were working on State Street today.”
    Mr. MacDougall looked surprised. “Why Mr. Holmes, how do you know? I washed up proper.”
    â€œOf course you did,” Sherlock said. “Still, the color of the ash on your thumb, mixed with the smell of soot in your hair, leads me to only one conclusion about your work location.”
    â€œAnd Frances,” he said to Mrs. MacDougall. “I see you were working on a new quilt today.”
    Mrs. MacDougall smiled and entered the house in her flowing gray dress. “That’s right, Mr. Holmes.” Mrs. MacDougall didn’t want to hear about how Sherlock Holmes knew about her sewing. She did not like that her children were friends with the detective. They were always getting into trouble, and she was afraid one day they would get hurt.
    Next came the guests of honor. Sherlock stared at the two twins. Jimmy and Emma were not identical twins, but they looked remarkably similar. Both had freckled faces, smooth fiery red hair, and sparkling blue eyes. They were both tall for their ages. Jimmy stood at five and a half feet tall, and Emma’s height was just over five feet. Both wore dark clothing, Jimmy in a black suit and Emma in a long sleeved dress.
    â€œI see you have been practicing the violin today, Mr. Holmes,” Emma said, showing Holmes that she also could use the power of deduction.
    Sherlock grinned. “Is it because of the way I am holding my left arm?”
    â€œNaw,” Jimmy added, “It’s because we could hear you playing all afternoon.”
    Sherlock laughed. Emma had the brains and skill to be just as good a detective as Mr. Holmes. Jimmy was the joker, and while he was good at using deduction to solve crimes, he preferred going undercover to catch a thief.
    Suddenly, they all heard a shout of, “Don’t stand there at the door. Dinner is served.”
    â€œWe must not keep Mrs. Hudson waiting,” Emma said, and the three entered the home.
    â€œI guess this will be a bit of a boring night,” Jimmy said to Sherlock. “No cases today.”
    Sherlock laughed. “One never knows when a case might turn up.” Little did Mr. Holmes know that a case was just about to begin.

Chapter 2: The Flying Barrel
    Everyone sat down at dinner and served themselves by passing the plates. As Dr. Watson scooped potatoes and cut himself a piece of goose breast, he asked the twins, “Jimmy, Emma,