The Adventure of the Speckled Band that of Dr Roylott. Holmes and Watson arrange to spend the night in Helen's room. In darkness they wait; suddenly, a slight metallic noise and a dim light through the ventilator prompt Holmes to action. Quickly lighting a candle, he discovers on the bell cord the "speckled band"—a venomous snake. He strikes the snake with a stick, driving it back through the ventilator. Agitated, it attacks Roylott, who had been waiting for it to return after killing Helen. Holmes identifies the snake as a "swamp adder" and reveals to Watson the motive: the late wife's will had provided an annual
The Homecoming (short story) The Homecoming (short story) "The Homecoming" is a 2011 science fiction short story by Mike Resnick. It was first published in "Asimov's Science Fiction". A man who has had himself surgically transformed into an alien comes home to visit his mother, who is dying of an ailment that causes dementia. "The Homecoming" was a finalist for the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Short Story. Jim C. Hines noted that the story "had a lot going for it", but also that its conclusion "felt too quick and easy", observing that it could be read as "a metaphor for a father unable