from Dr J Watson to Sherlock Holmes Esq:

Holmes,
It has been two full days since your last letter and as I am unable to leave Mrs Watson’s side without a jolly good excuse, I am curious as to how the situation vis-à-vis The Children is progressing. I trust things are in hand with the weird beings?

On the subject of strange creatures, I had a correspondence from our old acquaintance P.T. (Plonker Twatface) Barnum this morning. It seems he has heard of our investigation and is keen to learn the outcome (if any) of the current state of affairs in Midwich. Apparently, there are a great many ‘openings’ for a group of ‘white-haired, smart-alicky, freaky little kids’ (his words) in Barnum’s particular line of work (dwarves, two-headed men, bearded ladies, cat-faced women etc).

Mrs Watson’s ailment has, sadly, returned and she regaled me this morning on the virtues of fresh milk – a speech that began while I was at my toilette and continued during dressing, breakfasting, and throughout my morning surgery. I can only say that I am now well-versed in the health benefits of this traditional, bovine-generated drink.

If you could see your way to requiring my assistance as a matter of some urgency, I should be heartily grateful.

Yours, milkily

Watson