The Speckled Band (1931 film) Rylott screams. Holmes, Watson, and Helen enter his room and discover Rylott dead from a snake bite. Holmes forces Ali, the servant, to charm the snake so they can put it in the safe. Violet's last words about a "speckled band" were in fact describing "a swamp adder, the deadliest snake in India." The venomous snake had been sent to Violet's room by Dr. Rylott to murder her for her inheritance. Rylott had intended to do the same to Helen. The movie ends with Holmes conducting an experiment in Baker Street. Watson arrives dressed for a wedding, and Holmes therefore
What If (story) What If (story) "What If—" is a fantasy short story by Isaac Asimov that was first published in the Summer 1952 issue of "Fantastic" and reprinted in the 1969 collection "Nightfall and Other Stories". The story was inspired by the author's wife, who challenged him to produce a story based on a train trip they were taking to New York. A married couple is traveling on a train from Boston to New York City. They meet a mysterious silent man known only as Mister If, who shows them a small portable television-like device about in size. (Mr. If's first name