by A. J. Low
Jimmy and Nazhar came out of school. “Have you guys seen Watson?” I asked, getting worried.
“I saw him in class earlier today,” Jimmy said, “but not after that. That’s really strange! Doesn’t Watson know that he’s supposed to go home with you, Sherlock?”
Then I saw Eliza coming out of school, and I walked straight towards her.
“What have you and James done with Watson?” I asked.
“What are you talking about?” Eliza asked. “I didn’t do anything.” She seemed genuinely surprised.
“Sam, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Dad said. “Watson may have gotten held up. Remember that time you thought he’d been kidnapped and he was actually just helping Mr Lim tidy up the classroom after you all rushed out?”
I then saw Moran walking towards us. “Special delivery for Master Sherlock,” he said.
His chestplate opened and a box slid out on a tray. Moran picked it up and handed it to me. “Have a nice day, Sir!”
Using his rocket-powered skates, Moran left as I opened the box. There was a note inside:
There was something else in the box, underneath the note. I didn’t recognise it at first, but Dad did.
“Oh, no!” he said.
Nazhar and Wendy both gasped.
“He wouldn’t,” Eliza said. “I swear I don’t know anything about this, Sherlock!”
“I believe you,” Wendy said, putting her hand on Eliza’s shoulder.
Jimmy jumped up and down, trying to look inside the box. “What’s in the box?” he asked. “What’s in the box? Tell me what’s in the box!”
I let Jimmy look inside the box. He almost passed out. Nazhar had to catch him.
It was one of Watson’s hands! James had cut it off!
AUTHOR’S NOTE:
INVESTIGATING A TV SERIES!
Lots of TV shows are made all over the world, and lots of different people work on each one. There are writers, directors, actors, and producers like we’ve mentioned in this story, but there are also a lot of technical people who don’t get mentioned very often. They are just as important. Some examples are: camera operators, costume designers, and sound and lighting technicians.
The production of a TV show usually starts like this: producers, the people who finance the show, hire artists and writers to create the story and the characters. Often, the original producers need to look for other producers because it takes a lot of money to make a television show. Once this has been settled, the writers start writing scripts, the casting directors start hiring actors, and all the artists and craftspeople start creating the set and designing the costumes. These are just a few things that need to be done before the actual filming can start. Very importantly, once the scripts are done, the actors read through them and “get into character” so that they can start behaving like their characters.
Then the actual filming starts. The director is in charge of making sure the actors do a good job, and rewriting the script if necessary. The director also makes sure that the camera operators get the best shots for all the scenes to be filmed. Once filming is complete, sound technicians then add in music and sound effects.
Only after all this work (and a lot more that we have left out!) can a show finally be aired on television. Every one-hour episode that is shown on TV could take weeks to create!
GLOSSARY
Anagram—A word or sentence formed by rearranging letters from another word or words.
Artisanal Bread—Bread hand-made by a craftsperson using traditional methods. The opposite of factory-made bread.
Atas—A Malay word meaning “upstairs” that is commonly used in Singapore as slang for snobbish.
Asimov’s Laws—Also known as the Three Laws of Robotics, Asimov’s Laws are rules developed by famed science fiction author Isaac Asimov. The three laws state:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Chin Mee Chin—An old-fashioned bakery located in Katong, famed for its traditional pastries, cakes and kaya toast.
Dos Mujeres, Un Camino—A popular Mexican television drama starring Erik Estrada.
Food Fight—A television series made up by A.J. Low, where people throw food at each other and then run away.
Golden Age of Malay Cinema—Spanning the end of the 1940s to the early 1960s, this period saw more than 300 films made by two prolific local studios—Shaw Malay Film Productions and Cathay-Keris Studio. It was also during this period that the actor P. Ramlee’s career really took off.
Kopi-O—The local way of ordering black coffee.
Koyok—A medicinal plaster used to treat muscular aches and pains.
Loy Kee Chicken Rice—Started as a small stall located at Raymond Market, Loy Kee now has two branches: one in Balestier and the other in Woodlands. It is one of the best places in Singapore to eat traditional Hainanese chicken rice.
Masters of the Screen—A television series made up by A.J. Low. The title is inspired by Singapore’s very first full-length TV series that was produced locally in 1994, called Masters of the Sea.
Mee Siam—A Malay and Peranakan dish made with thin rice vermicelli. Usually served with spicy, sweet and sour gravy, but can also be served dry. Felicia’s mother makes the best dry mee siam this side of the multiverse.
My Little Pony—Created in 1983 by toy company Hasbro, the property was turned into an animated TV series. Its most recent version, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, has become very popular.
Nash Equilibrium—In simple terms, players in a game are in a Nash equilibrium if all players are making the best decision they can, by themselves. They need to do this while keeping in mind the decisions other players are making.
Nasi Lemak—A Malay dish of rice cooked with coconut milk and pandan leaf, commonly served with ikan bilis, roasted peanuts, a hard-boiled egg and chili paste.
P. Ramlee—A beloved Malaysian actor, director, singer, songwriter, composer and producer who is often seen as an icon in the Malay entertainment industry. P. Ramlee’s grandmother’s house, where he grew up, is a popular tourist attraction in Penang.
Pilates—A type of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates. Pilates is supposed to improve flexibility, strength and endurance, and requires a lot of focus.
Run Run Shaw—A Hong Kong entertainment giant and philanthropist who founded Shaw Brothers Studios alongside his three older brothers. Together with his third eldest brother, Runme Shaw, he also founded Malay Film Productions (MFP). MFP produced over 160 films, many of which were directed by P. Ramlee at the 8 Jalan Ampas studios.
Sambal Belachan—A Malay and Peranakan chili paste that is made with chillis, shrimp paste, lime, salt and sugar.
Sayang—An affectionate term meaning ‘dear’ or ‘sweetheart’ in Malay.
Script—The written text of a television show that includes dialogue and stage directions. It is what the actors study from while performing.
Shaw Brothers Studios—In 1925, Runje, Runme and Runde Shaw founded Tianyi Film Company. They then established a base in Singapore to distribute films. This company later became known as the Shaw Brothers Studios, and was run by Run Run and Runme Shaw.
Sing Hon Loong Bakery—A traditional bakery on Whampoa Drive that is also known as Ghee Leong. One of the oldest bakeries in Singapore, it makes delicious bread on a daily basis. They also supply bread to coffeeshops around Singapore.
Star Trek—A long-running television series and movie franchise, it has also spun into other mediums, including books, comics and radio. The property has been revamped for the big screen using the characters from the original series, including Captain Kirk, Mr Spock and Dr McCoy.
Star Wars—A sci-fi film trilogy from the late 1970
s and early 1980s about a rag-tag group of strangers who join a rebel alliance and fight against an evil galactic empire. Some people claim that there are six movies. Ask your parents for more information.
Teh-C-siu-dai—The local way of ordering tea with evaporated milk and less sugar.
Telenovela—A type of soap opera that is popular in Spanish-speaking countries. The word combines tele, which is short for ‘television’ in Spanish, and novela, the Spanish word for ‘novel’.
“Wonder Siblings powers, activate!”—The Wonder Twins were Zan and Jayna who appeared in the 1980s animated TV series Super Friends. In order to activate their powers, they would bump fists and say, “Wonder Twin powers, activate!”
ABOUT THE CHARACTERS
SAMUEL TAN CHER LOCK a.k.a. SHERLOCK SAM
A 10-year-old detective who tends to bite off more than he can chew, Sherlock Sam loves superheroes and comics. His heroes are Sherlock Holmes, Batman, Agent Coulson and his dad. Exceptionally curious and intelligent, Sherlock cannot resist a perplexing mystery, not even when it can get him in trouble.
WATSON
Less than two years old, Watson behaves more like a grumpy old man though he has remarkable similarities to a sulky toddler. He is often reluctantly drawn into Sherlock’s misadventures. Watson secretly wants to join S.H.I.E.L.D’s Science division and create an army of like-minded robots.
WENDY
Wendy, Sherlock’s 11-year-old sister, can be a tomboy. Her arch-nemeses are mosquitoes and snooty, spoilt classmates. She is a talented artist and her favourite colour is green. Her Chinese is terrible.
JIMMY
Sherlock’s classmate, Jimmy, seems to have the super power to fall down without injuring himself. His enthusiasm for everything is infectious and no one can stay mad at him for long (that might be his other super power).
NAZHAR
Nazhar is a bookish boy who loves reading about history and is the big brother of the group. He is trying to learn more about the outdoors from Eliza but, unfortunately, Nazhar has a horrible sense of direction.
ELIZA
Eliza is an only child. Her parents are often away on business, leaving her to her own devices. Though sometimes sarcastic and mean, Eliza secretly enjoys going on adventures with Sherlock Sam and his friends. She really loves My Little Pony and neat hair.
DAD
A brilliant engineer, Sherlock’s dad is constantly working on top-secret experiments. He cannot concentrate unless he is chewing on Red Vines, a twisty licorice candy. He has never stopped reading superhero comics because he thinks that everyone needs heroes, no matter how old they are.
MOM
Sherlock’s mom is half-Peranakan and a genius in the kitchen. She loves reading books by Jane Austen and enjoys watching superhero movies more than she lets on—especially those featuring Black Widow.
OFFICER SIVA
Officer Siva is an experienced and insightful police officer with the Singapore Police Force, but he cannot work without his morning kopi. A trusted ally of Sherlock Sam, Officer Siva is studying Spanish because he’s addicted to telenovelas. He hopes they’ll be the new Korean dramas in Singapore.
JAMES MOK
Born and raised in London, James has only recently moved to Singapore with his parents. James’ intellect rivals Sherlock Sam’s genius, but he cannot be distracted by delicious food. He enjoys cream with his scones and Earl Grey tea, hot.
MORAN
Not much is known about Moran other than the fact that he is very polite and obeys orders without question. Unlike Watson’s robotic voice, Moran sounds almost human. He also has an amazing moustache.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
A.J. Low is a husband-and-wife writing team!
Adan Jimenez was born in the San Joaquin Valley in California to Mexican immigrant parents. He became an immigrant himself when he moved to Singapore after living in New York for almost a decade. He has worked for comic book stores, bookstores, gaming stores and even a hoagie sandwich shop once. He loves comics, LEGOs, books, games (analog and video), Doctor Who and sandwiches.
Felicia Low-Jimenez has been a geeky bookseller for most of her adult life. She has bought books, sold books, marketed books and now she is trying her hand at writing books. She loves to nap and eat chocolate. She spends most of her free time reading, and, when she can afford it, she travels, usually to look for beautiful bookstores around the world.
Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong won the International Schools Libraries Network’s Red Dot Award 2013-2014 in the Younger Readers’ Category. Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning took third place in the Popular Readers’ Choice Awards 2013 in the English Children’s Books category.
You can find them at sherlocksam.wordpress.com, facebook.com/SherlockSam Series and [email protected]
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Andrew Tan (also known as Drewscape) is a full-time freelance illustrator and an Eisner-nominated comic artist. He illustrates for print ads and magazines, and also enjoys storyboarding and illustrating for picture book projects. During his free time, he’s always creating his own comics for the fun of it. In his home studio you’ll find an overflow of art tools of all kinds as he loves experimenting with them. He already has too many fountain pens and tells himself that he will stop buying more. Andrew published his first graphic novel, Monsters, Miracles & Mayonnaise, in 2012.
ALSO IN THE SERIES
Sherlock Sam and the Missing Heirloom in Katong
Sherlock Sam and the Ghostly Moans in Fort Canning
Sherlock Sam and the Sinister Letters in Bras Basah
Sherlock Sam and the Alien Encounter on Pulau Ubin
Sherlock Sam and the Vanished Robot in Penang
Sherlock Sam and the Cloaked Classmate in MacRitchie
JEOPARDY IN JURONG!
Look out for Sherlock Sam and the Fiendish Mastermind in Jurong as the adventures of Sherlock Sam continue!
Sherlock Sam and the Supper Club have reunited. With their combined powers, no mystery is too big or too small for them to handle. But one of their own has been abducted and is in grave danger! With the Fiendish Mastermind always a step ahead, will Sherlock Sam be able to decipher the nefarious riddles his arch-nemesis has set in front of him...before it’s too late? Or will Sherlock’s trusty teammate be lost forever? Discover what happens in the exciting conclusion of the Fiendish Mastermind Trilogy!