Chapter 2 (Strangers on the River Bank)
She was sure she was running alongside Lilly and the Doctor, but when she turned to look they were nowhere to be seen. She had hit the line of trees and headed into a denser section. She cursed her shirt skirt as the twigs snapped and slashed against her bare legs.
“Keep running,” she heard the Doctor shout from somewhere over to her right.
The dogs were still barking and were getting closer. She remembered back to when she was little when she lived beside the old railway. In front of their house was a large, green area, which the kids in the neighbourhood used to play on. For a good few years there lived an old woman at the end of the avenue who owned two Doberman dogs. She used to be terrified of them as they’d always stand and bark at her and her friends as if they were guarding the area.
She was getting flashbacks to that, but this time it was even scarier. She had no house to run into and no mum to hide behind.
And then she felt herself falling. Her foot had become snagged on an entanglement of twigs and bushes and she had gone face-first.
But instead of hitting the ground she felt herself falling further forward. She hit her face and side and then found herself rolling. She was rolling down a muddy bank.
And she could hear the sound of running water.
“Doctor!” she shouted as she rolled off the bank and into the river at the bottom of it with a splash.
She tried to get her head above water and heard two more splashes a little way behind her. She could swim - that wasn’t the problem - but the current was pulling her along and she couldn’t get a grasp of anything.
The dogs were fading now into the background and the sky had turned a dark blue colour. After surviving zombies, prisons and aliens, she was determined that she wasn’t about to drown in a normal river.
And then she saw the tree branch sticking out of the muddy bank. There had been a landslide and a tree had partially slipped down and become buried in the mud.
She stretched her arms out and managed to grasp hold of the slippery branch and stop herself from being dragged any further down stream.
“Holly!” came Lilly’s voice. She turned to look as the blonde girl, covered in mud and soaked to the skin, floated towards her.
“Grab me!” shouted Holly.
Lilly sailed on past and reached out for Holly’s leg, grabbing hold of it tightly.
Holly winced as she tried to maintain her grip on the branch.
“Where’s the Doctor?” said Holly.
“He was…right behind…me,” said Lilly, trying to catch her breath. “We were running in the same direction…and…fell into the river.”
“At least the dogs are gone,” said Holly.
“For now,” said Lilly.
“Try and swim to the side,” said Holly.
Lilly, using Holly’s leg to pull herself along the strong current, managed to grasp and grab until she was level with Holly. She reached up and put her arm around Holly and then virtually climbed up the struggling woman until she was level with the branch.
“The current’s too strong,” said Lilly. “I can’t pull myself out of it.”
Holly sighed and closed her eyes. “Don’t give up.”
“Give me your hand,” came a different voice. The two girls looked up and the man in tweed was standing on the edge of the bank, reaching down to them. The dogs were tied to a nearby tree.
Holly helped Lilly to reached the man’s hand and he pulled her up onto the bank. Once Lilly was safely up and out the way, he edged himself down to reach Holly and hefted her out of the water and onto the side.
When the two girls had gotten their breath the man took off his jacket and waistcoat. He put the coat around Lilly and the waistcoat over Holly. Lilly looked to be the colder of the two.
“Thank you,” said Holly, shivering. It had turned a little chillier now the sun had gone in.
“Don’t mention it, young lady,” said the man.
“Did you find the man we were with?” asked Lilly, hopefully.
“I’m afraid not,” said the man. “He must have been washed down the stream.”
“But we would have seen him. He would have floated past us,” said Lilly. “He was with me. We were both behind Holly.”
“We’ll send out a search party in the morning,” said the man, “but for now I think we should get you both inside and get you dry. And I’ll also be needing some answers from the pair of you.”
“But our friend -” said Lilly.
“Lils, we’ve gotta get inside. It’ll be dark soon. Wherever the Doctor is I’m sure he can look after himself.”
The Doctor was struggling. His coat had snagged on a tree branch and halted his progress down the river. But he had been faced with a dilemma. Did he slip out of his coat and follow Lilly downstream and risk further complications, or did he just stay tangled up and hope against all hope that Lilly had found her way out?
And he had no idea where Holly was.
“Need a hand, old boy?” came a voice.
The Doctor looked up. There was a man and a young woman standing on the other side of the riverbank. The man was dressed in a brown suit with a shirt and tie. The woman in a flowing, black dress that looked oddly out of place amongst the trees,
“That would be nice, yes,” said the Doctor.
“Hold my umbrella,” said the man, handing the woman the thin, black umbrella.
He reached down towards the Doctor who managed to reach and grasp his hand.
“You’ll need to slip out of your coat, old man,” said the man.
The Doctor, unable to pull the coat away from the branch, reluctantly slipped out of it and then scrambled up the bank, helped by the man.
The Doctor looked down at the coat as it remained stuck on the branch.
“River’ll eventually wash it away,” said the man.
“I’ll miss that old coat,” said the Doctor. “It was a present from Lennon. Bought it on Saville Row.” He turned to face the couple. The man had jet-black hair which was neatly gelled into a side parting. He had a pencil thin moustache and small, gold-rimmed glasses. He looked to be in his late 50’s.
The woman had long, flowing red hair and a striking figure. The Doctor wasn’t an expert on woman’s clothing, but he was certain that the women of this era covered up a little more than she did.
“What were you doing in the river?” she asked with a confused smile on her face.
“Surely you heard the dogs barking,” said the Doctor, taking off his shoes and wringing out his socks.
“We heard them,” said the man. “Norman Hunter only sends the hounds out if there’s an intruder on the grounds.”
“Yes, you caught me,” said the Doctor, irritated, “I’m the intruder. Now who are you two?”
“Name’s when we get you inside and in the dry,” said the man.
“Oh, come now, father,” said the woman, “surely we owe the man our names at least.”
“He’s an intruder, Eleanor.”
“Ah,” said the Doctor, clicking his finger, “are you sure your name’s not Captain Mainwaring?”
“Funny,” said Eleanor.
The Doctor arched his eyebrows and looked at Eleanor suspiciously. “So you, good lady, are Eleanor. What about the grump?” he said, jabbing his thumb towards the man.
“My father, Reginald.”
“Good to meet you, Reg,” said the Doctor, offering his hand.
“As my daughter said - it’s Reginald.” He looked down at the Doctor’s hand with disdain.
“Reginald it is then,” said the Doctor, lowering his hand.
“Would you like to come back to our cottage for a hot drink?” said Eleanor, smiling at him.
The Doctor raised his head and eyed her up. There was no warmth in that smile. “No. Thank you very much, but I must find my friends.”
“They’re most likely dead,” said Reginald bluntly.
“Perhaps,” said the Doctor. “But I’d rather find out for myself.” He looked back across the stream. “Is there a way across?”
“Do you even know where you are?” asked Eleanor.
“I’m afraid I don’t, Eleanor.” He frowned at her. “Have we met before?”
“I don’t recognise you,” said Eleanor.
“You’re in the grounds of Happerby Orphanage.”
“An orphanage!” said the Doctor. “How lovely!”
“My daughter, here, is one of the nannies,” said Reginald.
Eleanor smiled. Again - no warmth.
“Our cottage is situated within the grounds, therefore you are within the grounds.” He looked back down the stream. “There’s a small bridge that way, but you really shouldn’t be here.”
“Well I need help to find my friends. They could have been injured badly.” He peered into the gloom. The sky was almost dark. “Where does the stream come out?”
“A lake beyond the walls,” said Eleanor. “I can take you there if you want.”
“No need,” said the Doctor. “Like I said, I need help first. I’ll go up to the house and see if someone can help me. Unless you’d care to help me.”
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. “It’s so very chilly.”
“It is indeed,” said the Doctor, fastening the buttons on his blazer. “I could have done with my coat really.”
“You must be freezing,” said Eleanor. “You need to come in and get warm. Get dry.”
“I’m sure the orphanage can help me to dry out,” said the Doctor.
“Eleanor, we need to go,” said Reginald, gently touching her arm.
“Are you sure you won’t come back with us?” said Eleanor, her eyes wide as she stared right into his own eyes.
“Absolutely sure,” said the Doctor, refusing to blink.
Eleanor exhaled and stepped back from him. “Be on your way then. I’m sure we’ll meet again.”
“I’m sure we will,” said the Doctor. He gave them a quick smile and then made his way along the banks of the river.
When Reginald was sure he was out of earshot he grabbed his daughters arm and span her around. “What are you playing at?!” he spat.
“He’s a Time Lord,” she said, longing in her voice.
“I know that,” said Reginald.
“I - we - need him.”
“All in good time, Eleanor.” Reginald watched as the Doctor disappeared amongst the trees. “All in good time.”
To be continued...
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