Dr. Who and the Men in the Moon (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2 (Crash Landing on the Moon)

Some say that the moon used to support life millions and millions of years ago. Others say that it used to be part of another planet in the solar system that broke apart with one part becoming the moon and the other Mars. Some say that there’s a man in the moon. Some say that it’s actually an egg.

And some say that it’s just a dead, lifeless rock.

There was nothing on the TARDIS scanner to support any theories other than the last one. The Doctor and Holly stood by the console watching the dull, grey dunes – no life. Nothing.

“How boring,” said the Doctor glumly.

“Boring? It’s the moon, Doctor!” said Holly. “How can it be boring?”

“Holly,” he said, turning to face her, “you’ve visited countless different worlds. Why would the moon excite you?”

“Because,” she said, pointing to the scanner, “that’s my moon. The moon. I’ve never ever been here before.” She walked a little closer to the scanner and gazed up at it. “I used to lie out under the stars with Foxy and Roxy and gaze up at it trying to imagine what it’d be like to actually stand on it; to actually meet the man in the moon.”

“Oh, there’s no man in the moon,” said the Doctor. “In the future there are maybe Humans on the moon, but definitely no men on it now.”

“Well it’s still exciting to me,” said Holly, folding her arms.

A jet of steam erupted from underneath the console. The Doctor howled in pain and dropped to his knees, craning his neck to see under the console. “No!”

“What is it?” asked Holly, dropping to her knees and looking for the source of his worries.

“The fluid link’s gone again!”

“The fluid link?” asked Holly as they both got to their feet again. “Not that old thing again? It’s always on the blink.”

The Doctor flicked a few switches. “I knew it. I knew it!”

“Knew what?” asked Holly. “Calm down for a moment, Doctor.”

“I haven’t restocked the mercury supplies again,” he said, rubbing his forehead in frustration. “And this time I’m not fibbing. Will I never learn?”

“This time?” asked a confused Holly.

“And we’re stuck on the moon with no way of getting to any supplies.”

“Except there,” Holly said, pointing to a 3D map of the Moon. A red dot was flashing amongst a large collection of buildings.

“What in the world...?” said the Doctor, peering at it closely. “The TARDIS must be struggling to pick up the lifesigns.”

“It looks like a city,” said Holly. “On the moon!”

“Impossible,” said the Doctor. “It’s only 2006. There was a moonbase a few decades after, but not a city.”

“Well there it is,” said Holly, pointing to it again. “A full-blown city. Looks about the size of Birmingham.”

“Impossible,” said the Doctor again.

“Well instead of scratching your head and wondering how it’s possible, why don’t we suit up and get over there? We might be able to find some mercury.”

“Good idea,” said the Doctor. “Let’s go and try and work this one out.”



Tom and Louise had said their goodbyes at the party and the rest of the guests were leaving. Barbara and Ian were stood beside the door waving everyone off and Dr. Who and Susan were looking impatient beside the entrance to the study.

When the last guest had finally left Barbara shut the door and then leant against the door. “Goodness me, I’m shattered after that.”

“Well there’s no time to lose,” said Dr. Who, excitedly.

“You’re telling me,” said Ian. “Bed time I think.”

“And I need to get out of this wedding dress.”

“Tell them grandfather,” said Susan.

“You can’t go to bed because you haven’t had your present from myself and Susan yet,” said Dr. Who.

“You bought us that new car, remember?” said Ian, confused.

“Not that, lad,” said Dr. Who. He clapped his hands together gleefully. “I have received a letter from the Time Kings of Gallifrey - a planet in the far reaches of space. They want me to visit them and become one of them.”

“Well that’s great, grandfather,” said Barbara, walking over to him, “but how is that a gift for us?”

“Because I am taking the two of you there for your honeymoon.”

Ian looked a little bit worried. He always looked nervous. Ever since his first encounter with the Daleks. Even a kiss from Barbara back on the day he first set foot in the TARDIS made him nervous.

“Don’t look so worried, lad. It’ll all be okay,” said Dr. Who, as if sensing his worries.

“Grandfather,” said Barbara, “while I’m grateful for this gift from you, we already had a trip planned to Morocco.”

“Come on Barbara,” said Susan, a twinkle in her eye, “why would you go to a place on Earth when you can go to another planet?”

“And end up on a planet like Skaro again?” said Ian, stepping up, “And I do think it’s something we need to discuss.”

“Well don’t take too long,” said Dr. Who, waggling his finger at them, “we don’t have any time to lose.”

“Please say you’ll come,” said Susan.

“Let me get out of this dress and I’ll see.” She looked across to Ian. “We’ll see.”



Only thirty minutes later and they were standing on board the TARDIS. Dr. Who had done a little bit of redecorating, painting the interior a black colour and tidying away some of the loose wires and scattered equipment, but it still looked as crazy as usual.

Barbara walked in holding Ian’s hand. She had changed into a white polo-neck jumper with black leggings, whilst Ian had opted for an open-neck white shirt and suit trousers.

“It doesn’t change much, this place, does it?” said Ian, looking around him nervously.

“It’ll be fine, sweetheart,” said Barbara, tapping him on the arm.

“I’m so very glad you could both make it,” smiled Dr. Who, clapping his hands together. “I promise you we’ll go straight there. No detours.”

“And what exactly is it you have to do when you get there?” asked Ian.

“Well I expect I will have to pass some tests, so you two can enjoy a good few days resting and relaxing whilst I’m put through my paces.”

He activated a few switches and then went to a large, red lever set in the centre of the room. He pushed down on it and the lights dimmed to signify the TARDIS was in flight.

“Here we go again,” said Ian, ominously, remembering the last time he was in the ship and trying to fight off a hoard of Roman centurions.

“Do you know anything about these Time Kings?” asked Barbara, settling herself down on a fold-out chair beside the lever.

“Nothing at all I’m afraid. I’ve heard a few legends, but nothing concrete. They live at the end of time in giant, crystal castles.”

“And they watch over everyone, making sure everyone obeys the laws of time,” said Susan.

“So you do know quite a bit about them then?” laughed Barbara.

“Well, we’ve done our research, haven’t we, Susie?” said Dr. Who giving the girl a little hug.

Ian had his arms folded. “As long as we’re straight there and straight back I -”

As if to stop Ian from saying anymore the TARDIS lurched to the side and the four occupants were thrown in different directions. The lights flickered out and Barbara screamed. Dr. Who dragged himself across the floor and reached out for the red lever. He pulled himself up onto his knees with great difficulty (his legs were definitely failing in his old age) and switched the lever into its former position.

With a thud the TARDIS came to a stop and the lights slowly flickered back on.

“Is everybody alright?” asked Dr. Who.

“Fine, grandfather,” said Susan.

“Alright over here,” came Ian’s voice. “Barbara too.”

“What happened?” asked Barbara.

“I’m afraid I have no idea. It’s as if we were dragged off course,” said Dr. Who getting to his feet and checking the readings. “Most exciting!”

“What is it?” asked Susan. “Are we on Gallifrey?”

“No,” said Dr. Who, a twinkle in his eye.

“Why am I not surprised?” said Ian, leaning against the doors and giving a knowing smile.

“We’re in the year 2006.”

“The future!” said Barbara.

“More precisely – the moon!”

“Lunar City Alpha,” said Susan, looking at the readings. “It looks like a giant, man-made city for Humans to live on.”

“Can we go and have a look around?” asked Barbara.

With that the doors swung open and Ian, his back still against them, fell backwards out of the TARDIS.

“Ian!” said Barbara, rushing to his side.

The TARDIS was sat in the centre of a large area. Crowds of people hustled and bustled past it. It was a huge, open-area in a dome-like room with beams and arches stretching up to the domed roof. Large, curved windows occupied intermittent panels along the walls looking out on the lunar landscape. Spiral staircases and glass lifts led up from the perimeter of the area giving access to other floors, gantries and doorways to other sections of the city.

Dotted around the area were various market stalls and booths. To all intents and purposes this was a market place.

Barbara helped Ian to his feet as they were joined by Dr. Who and Susan, who looked around in wonder.

“Well,” said Barbara, “it’s not the planet of the Time Kings, but it’ll do,” she smiled, giving her grandfather a hug.



Somewhere, not far away, an object had entered the solar system. A large, blue, white and green planet moving, inexplicably, towards Earth. And on the planet cold, dead eyes watched for signs of life. Signs of technology.



They were coming.

To be continued...

Dr. Who and the Men in the Moon (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1 (A Letter from the Time Kings)

November 23rd, 1966

Dr. Who settled down into his favourite armchair and eyed up the cream cake in his hand. He smiled at it and savoured the strawberries and cream aroma that was coming from it. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth and prepared to take a bite.

“Grandfather,” came the young girl’s voice.

Dr. Who opened his eyes, the cream cake in mid air. Standing in front of him was a young, dark-haired girl, probably around 12 years old and wearing a white and grey chequered dress. She was frowning at him.

“Ah, Susie,” he said, looking sheepish. “I just needed five minutes away from all of the hustle and bustle.”

“But Grandfather, its Ian and Barbara’s wedding day. You were supposed to make speeches.”

“And I still will,” he said, smiling at her frustrated face, “but we still have to wait for Tom and Louise to arrive as well.”

“I know you,” said Susan, coming over to him and sitting down on his lap, “you’ll be in here for two minutes and then you’ll fall fast asleep.”

“Oh, Susan, my child,” he laughed, “I’m not getting any younger, you know?” He tapped the end of her nose and she looked sad. “I’m an old man. I need my rest.”

“I know,” she replied, looking sad, “I just want you to have fun.”

“And I am having fun,” he smiled. “Never think that I’m not having fun, but time is moving on for me. I won’t be here forever, you know? It’ll be up to Ian and Barbara to take care of you when I’m gone.”

“But Grandfather-!” she said, concerned.

“Ah, hush now,” he said, putting a finger to her lips. “There’s still a lot to do before then, my dear.”

“Excuse me, Doctor?” came a voice.

Ian Chesterton was quite a short man with short-cut brown hair, brown eyes and a kindly face. Barbara had fallen in love with him the day she met him. He was funny and clumsy, but he was also very brave when he had to be. It had only been a few months since he had been introduced to Susan and her grandfather, but they had all become close on their trip in TARDIS to the planet Skaro.

Ian had proposed to Barbara when Susan and Dr. Who had been far in the future – 2150AD.

“Run out of cakes already, lad?” asked Dr. Who. “I only took the one.”

“No,” Ian laughed nervously, his face peering around the door. “Barbara says Tom and Louise are just pulling up into the drive.”

“Oh, excellent,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to seeing young Tom again after nasty business in the future.”

Dr. Who took Susan’s hand and followed Ian out of the drawing room and into the large living room. There was quite a sizable crowd attending the wedding reception. Barbara was stood talking to a friend.

Dr. Who stood back for a moment and smiled at her. She was truly beautiful. He was so proud of her and was pleased she had met a decent man like Ian. Almost as though she sensed his eyes on her she turned to face him. She was wearing her blonde hair a little longer these days and brushed it out of her eyes. She put down her wine glass and hitched up her wedding dress, crossing over to her grandfather.

“You still look beautiful, my dear,” he said.

“Thank you again, grandfather, for letting us use the house for the reception,” she kissed him on the cheek.

“Nonsense,” he said, with a wave of his hand, “this place is your home as much as it is mine. It always has been.”

There was a knock on the door and Ian went over to answer it. Standing in the doorway was a woman with long, dark hair wearing a black dress and clutching a white envelope. She was strikingly beautiful with dark eyes and high cheek bones. Standing just behind her was a kind looking young man with short-cropped curly brown hair and rather sad looking eyes.

“Louise!” beamed Dr. Who, throwing his arms around his niece. “And PC Campbell,” he said, shaking the man’s hand.

“DI now,” said Tom Campbell, rather sheepishly. “That business with the robbers, you know...”

“I knew you’d make it,” smiled Susan.

“Hey, how you doing kid?” he said, picking up Susan and giving her a hug. “Still looking after the old man?”

“That she is,” said Dr. Who.

“Louise,” smiled Barbara, walking over, “I’m glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Louise, hugging her. “I’m just sorry we missed the wedding.”

“Your father still giving you mountains of work?” asked Ian, shaking Tom’s hand and handing both of them drinks.

“You know what things are like at the research centre,” said Louise, rolling her eyes. “He’s always got his head buried in books.”

“Yes,” said Dr. Who, looking frustrated and sad at the same time. “I would have thought my own brother would have at least come along to the reception though.”

“Well, I asked him,” said Louise as she and Tom stepped through the doorway and into the hallway, “but all he did was put his pen down, take off his glasses and tell me that sometimes science outweighs everything.”

“He’s just mean,” said Susan.

“Now, now, Susie, dear,” said Dr. Who, “we may not understand it ourselves, but Magistrates Inc do some very important work for this planet. We must try and respect his decisions.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll pop down eventually,” said Barbara, realising she didn’t want a family argument erupting in the middle of her wedding reception. “Come through to the living room, you two. There’s plenty of food.”

“Oh, excellent,” said Tom, removing his overcoat, “I’m starving.”

“Oh, before I forget, uncle,” said Louise. “I found this fixed to the front gate.”

She handed him the letter. It was pure white with gold, embossed letters. On it the words simply read:

“FOR THE ATTENTION OF DR. WHO. FOR HIS EYES ONLY.”

“Thank you, my dear,” he said, taking the letter from her.

“What could it be?” asked Susan.

Dr. Who looked towards the room filled with guests and then across to the drawing room. He crouched down, a cheeky smile playing across his face. “Let’s find out, shall we?”

“But it says for your eyes only.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t,” he said with a chuckle.

Susan smiled as they both led each other into the drawing room.



Susan settled herself down into her grandfather’s favourite armchair, whilst Dr. Who grabbed a letter opener from a side cabinet. He fiddled with the opening for a moment and then slid the opener under the envelope flap. It opened with a satisfying slice and he glanced at Susan who was looking excitedly at him.

He pulled out a folded up letter on what looked like very thick and expensive paper. He unfolded it. It was blank.

“What does it say?” asked Susan.

He frowned. “Nothing. There’s nothing on it.”

Susan looked dejected, but then to both of their surprise the letter began to glow gold. Dr. Who threw it to the ground immediately. It gently floated to the floor and landed in front of the fireplace, and then, from within the letter, a glowing, golden image of a man in a hood and robes appeared in the living room.

Susan gasped and jumped up to stand beside her grandfather.

“This is a message for the man known as Dr. Who,” came the booming, god-like voice from the golden man. “For many years we have watched your progress with the mechanics of time and have seen your invention, TARDIS. This invention and your dealings with the Daleks has piqued the curiosity of my people, the Time Kings.”

“They’ve been spying on us,” hissed Susan.

“Hush, Susie,” said Dr. Who.

The figure continued. “My name is Rassilon. I am the Emperor of the Time Kings. I hereby invite you and your family to visit our planet, Gallifrey. Should you pass our tests you will be granted the full power and knowledge of time travel and will become one of the Time Kings.”

“How exciting,” said Dr. Who, looking very happy with the message.

“Should you decide to take us up on our offer then simply insert this device into the control mechanism of your time ship.” A small, golden rod appeared from thin air and floated towards Dr. Who, who took it without hesitation. “Within it are coordinates that will lead you to Gallifrey.”

“Thank you very much,” he said, knowing full well that this was just a recording and that Rassilon couldn’t hear him.

“I bid you farewell, Dr. Who, and hope to be seeing you very soon.”

The golden man faded and the letter crumpled up and burnt away to nothing. Dr. Who looked down at Susan who was looking surprised.

“Wasn’t that fascinating, Susan?”

“Are you going to go?”

“Hmm,” he said, turning the golden rod over in his hand. “I think we should exercise caution, but I see no reason why we shouldn’t at least go and investigate.”

Susan’s face broke out into a beaming smile. “I’ll go and pack the bags.”

He watched her go and then looked back at the golden rod. “And maybe Ian and Barbara can have their honeymoon as well.”

To be continued....

Dr. Who and the Men in the Moon (Prologue)

Prologue

Holly leant back on the sofa and stared up at the time rotor as it gently rose and fell signalling the TARDIS was in flight. She looked across the console where the Doctor was busy examining their flight plan and making the occasional adjustment. She was missing Lilly, but now they were heading back to Gallifrey to see her she wasn’t exactly sure how she was going to react.

Lilly had left on her own accord, but with a promise that they’d be reunited one day. She was worried that Lilly would be angry if they returned before she was ready. Then again Lilly had spent most of their early days being angry, so there wouldn’t be much change there.

“Won’t be long now,” said the Doctor, looking up from the console.

“I hope Emily and Eve are going to be okay,” said Holly, thinking back to the mother and daughter they’d just left in the 1980’s.

“They’ll be fine,” said the Doctor. “They said they were heading into town to visit an estate agent.”

“Good,” said Holly. “That house was always going to be full of bad memories.”

“Well, we put it right; or rather Eve put it right. All is sorted now.” He smiled at her. “Time to sort you out.”





“Are you sure you don’t want to wait until first light?” asked Alice as she helped Lilly back into her strange suit.

Lilly shook her head. “I’m fed up of waiting. Plus the longer I’m gone the more chance there is that my father will know I’ve left.”

“But this is time travel we’re talking about,” said Alice, frowning.

“Yeah, well, it all gets a little bit screwed up sometimes. I only borrowed this suit. I fully intend to take it back. That’s if it stays intact.”

“Say hi to him when you see him, won’t you?” said Alice. Although she was happy to be making a future for herself, her future husband and her baby, she still missed the Doctor.

“Will do and thanks for the tea. I needed it.” She pulled on the gloves and then finally the helmet. She looked down at the device on her wrist and smiled. It was beeping.

“Got a fix?”

“Yep. He’s in the vortex. Oh, Jesus, the silly idiot’s heading for Gallifrey! I’ve gotta stop him before he ruins everything.”

“Take care, won’t you?”

“I always do,” said Lilly, as Alice opened the door and let her out into the garden. “Wish me luck!”

“Good luck.”

Lilly pressed a button on her wrist device. The suit started to glow orange. Lilly turned around and ran at the garden fence. Then, when the power in the suit had reached the highest point she jumped in the air. There was a flash and she disappeared leaving nothing but the faint smell of burning.

Alice shook her head as she shut the door. “It’s never a dull moment with the Doctor.”



“Not long now,” said the Doctor, as he smiled, flicking a switch and then taking a seat in an armchair he had dragged through the corridors to sit beside the console.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” said Holly, laughing at him as he opened a crumpled old newspaper. “Anything interesting?”

“Not really. December 1986. The Snow Cap Base had some trouble.” He looked closer at a picture of a grainy black and white image of a figure in a particularly strong blizzard. “Goodness me, I think I was there.”

The TARDIS shook ever so slightly.

“What was that?” said Holly.

“Turbulence I suspect,” he said, glancing up from his paper.

“Turbulence? Last time we had turbulence we were hitting those time speed bumps and landed in Edwardian times.”

“This is nothing to worry about,” said the Doctor, disappearing behind his paper and giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

“As long as you’re sure,” said Holly. He ignored her. She picked up a green jelly baby from a sweet tub beside the sofa. “Hey!” she said, throwing it as his paper.

The jelly baby hit the paper with a papery thud and fell to the ground. “Not the green ones, Miss Dangerfield,” he said, looking at the jelly baby on the floor. “They’re my favourite.”

“Oh, there’s plenty more where-”

Holly didn’t get to finish her sentence. The TARDIS lurched forward and threw her from the sofa. The console room momentarily went dark and then emergency lights flicked on as the TARDIS rattled and hummed.

“What the hell...?” she said.

The Doctor was already at the console, darting around and checking readings. “Something hit us.”

“In the vortex? Was it another time machine?”

“I don’t know,” he said, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “Some kind of object. It must have been travelling at some rate to knock us off course.”

“Knock us off course?” said Holly, disappointed.

“It’s shunted us elsewhere. Actually through the walls of the vortex.”

“The vortex has walls?” said Holly. “I thought it was just a big cloud of colours.”

“Yes,” said the Doctor, checking some more readings. “If you want to be literal we’ve just been pushed through the walls. I’m surprised we’re not as damaged as we could have been.”

“So we need to put down for repairs?”

“I’m afraid so, at least just to check we’re okay. But unfortunately I don’t know exactly where we are.”

“I don’t understand,” said Holly, scratching the back of her head.

“Neither do I,” said the Doctor, “but we’ll soon have the answers we need.” The time rotor was slowing down. “We’re about to land.”



In the vortex the unconscious Lilly floated aimlessly through the time tunnel in her specially designed suit. No life. No movement.

To be continued....

Story 14: Dr. Who and the Men in the Moon

"My name is Rassilon. I am the Emperor of the Time Kings. I hereby invite you and your family to visit our planet, Gallifrey."


En route to Jacarthia the Doctor and Holly are knocked off course, slipping through the walls of the time vortex and landing on the moon. The year is 2006 - and Luna City Alpha is about to come under attack from above and below.


Meanwhile, Dr. Who is celebrating the marriage of Ian and Barbara when a mysterious letter arrives inviting him to travel to the planet of the Time Kings. If he passes their tests he will become one of them.


Their adventure takes them to Lunar City Alpha. Whilst Ian and Barbara try and enjoy their unplanned honeymoon, Dr. Who and Susan become embroiled in an invasion from outer space.


Can Dr. Who and the Doctor join forces to defeat the evil from above?




This is the fourteenth in a series of adventures starring James McAvoy as the New Doctor and Felicity Jones as Holly Dangerfield.

Short Story: Picnic Problems

The picnic area was situated in a lush green meadow. On one side a line of trees which hung over them, keeping them in the shade. On the other side was a big, beautiful lake. A fishing boat was bobbing up and down a little way down the bank, but there was no sign of an occupant.

“Isn’t this nice?” said the Doctor, sitting down cross-legged on the patchwork blanket.

“I think it’s lovely,” said Caleb, brushing his hair back and rubbing his hands together.

“Wipe the smile off your face,” said Lilly, dumping the picnic basket down in front of the Doctor and Caleb and sitting herself on the grass with a thud.

“It’s not a crime to smile, Lilly,” said the Doctor.

Caleb grinned wider. “I think the universe could do better if it smiled more.”

“Urgh,” said Lilly, rolling her eyes at his optimism. “How can someone who’s lost his father and mother be so bloody cheerful?”

The smile disappeared.

The Doctor looked horrified. “Lilly!”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” said Lilly, “but life isn’t all puppies and kittens and happy smiley people you know?”

“I know that,” said Caleb, “but it doesn’t mean that we can’t strive for it. After all, that’s what you’ve always wanted, isn’t it, uncle?”

The Doctor looked to Caleb and then nodded. “Oh yes, of course it is. It’s what I do this for. I like righting wrongs.”

“At the risk of this turning into a bad 1980’s sci-fi show, old man,” said Lilly, “do you mind if I eat? I’m starving.”

“Ooh, no, of course not, Lilly,” said the Doctor, rubbing his hands together.

“Hold on,” said Lilly, sighing deeply, “I’ve forgotten the drinks. Don’t start until I’m back. I’ll just get them.”

“Hold your horses, Caleb,” said the Doctor, holding a finger up. “Your stomach will have to wait.”

Caleb rolled his eyes.

Lilly got to her feet and walked back over to the TARDIS, which was parked under a low-hanging willow tree.

“Okay, Caleb, what’s wrong?” asked the Doctor.

“Nothing,” he said.

“Come on,” he said, looking at him. “Fellow Time Lord, remember? I can sense your moods.”

Caleb shook his head. “It’s her. Lilly. I’m just…I’m finding this hard.”

“Nobody said it would be easy.”

“I know that, but every day I put on a front. I try and make her feel welcome and that I enjoy her company, but she’s unbearable. She’s impossible. That incident with the ice cream….she’s unstable.”

“It’s her body’s way of adjusting, Caleb,” said the Doctor.

“But how much longer do we have to wait?” He rubbed his forehead. “We should go back to find my parents.”

“You know we can’t do that with Lilly in tow. We can’t let the Master take her, which is why we have to keep moving.”

“But she’s not settling down,” said Caleb. “How much longer do we wait?”

“Do you want to leave?” asked the Doctor. “Do you want to leave the TARDIS?”

Caleb was almost shocked at the directness of the question. “No,” he said, “it’s all I’ve ever wanted since before father and I went missing.”

“Then what is your solution?”

“I don’t have one,” he said dejectedly as Lilly emerged from the TARDIS carrying three plastic beakers and a bottle of lemonade.

“Then we must persevere,” said the Doctor, giving a little wave to Lilly. “In time you will adjust and she will adjust and it will all work out.”

Caleb nodded, but refused to meet the Doctors eyes.

“Nobody’s touched anything, have they?” asked Lilly, as she sat down and opened the bottle, pouring them a drink each.

“Not yet, but we were tempted, weren’t we, Caleb?” said the Doctor. When Caleb didn’t reply he nudged him.

“Oh, yeah, tempted. Definitely, sis,” said Caleb.

“Well,” said Lilly, opening the picnic basket, “tuck in.”

The Doctor and Caleb both looked into the picnic basket. Inside sat eight lonely cheese sandwiches wrapped in cling film. Caleb frowned and the Doctor looked a little sad.

“What’s up?” asked Lilly.

“Nothing, it’s fine,” said the Doctor.

“Just cheese sandwiches?” asked Caleb, as he pulled one out.

“Should there be something else?” asked Lilly.

“You’ve never been on a picnic before, have you?” asked the Doctor.

“I didn’t get much chance up in sunny old Scotland,” said Lilly, looking sad. “I thought sandwiches would be okay.”

“And they are,” said the Dsoctor, tucking into one of the squashed lumps of bread. “Mmmm.”

“Do you have any lettuce?” asked Caleb, peering into the basket and expecting it to magically appear.

“I’m sorry,” said Lilly.

“What for?” asked the Doctor.

“For everything. For how I am. For everything I do and say and all the mistakes I make.”

“None of us are perfect, Lilly,” said the Doctor, “and you have a huge amount of problems to work through.”

She rubbed her eyes and shook her head. “I used to dream that my life back in West Pilton was a nightmare and that one day I’d wake up. Except when I woke up nothing was better.”

“But surely it’s better than what happened there?”

“Physically, yes, but psychologically…” she exhaled and looked up to the skies, watching as a strange, blue bird with four eyes fluttered around in the branches. “I feel like a half-baked bit of bread. I’m not dough but I’m not bread. I’m a gooey mess in between.”

Caleb looked at her sadly. For the first time in a long time he was beginning to feel sorry for her. He’d gotten fed up of her rants and her outbursts, but this was something different. Lilly was so close to being complete, but she needed more time.

“Can you remember when we went to the Terrorcon Fault?” asked the Doctor. “Can you remember your wonderment at those colours and lights and shapes?”

Lilly looked at him and smiled at the memory. “There was a colour. A colour I’d never seen before. It blew my bloody mind.”

“That’s right,” said the Doctor. “But you were so happy. You were smiling the whole time we were there and just for once you’d forgotten about how bad things felt in your head.”

“I felt at peace,” said Lilly.

“It’s because you were doing something you always needed to do – you were exploring yourself.”

“I don’t understand,” said Lilly.

“What the Doctor is saying is that you need to let go of what you were and what you think you should be.”

“You’re not West Pilton,” said the Doctor, “and you are most definitely not the Master. You are Lilly. Not Illithia or Lilly Galloway. You’re Lilly.”

Caleb leaned forward. She was smiling. “Only when you let yourself be free of those titles will you be at peace with yourself.”

“It’s exactly what I did,” said the Doctor. He couldn’t help but smile at Lilly’s smile – something he had seen so rarely that he’d nearly forgotten what it looked like. “I wasn’t a boring old Time Lord confined to a single place and time. I was an explorer, an adventurer. So that’s what I became.”

Lilly had tears in her eyes as the little blue bird fluttered down and tweeted around her head. It wasn’t afraid of her at all. It was singing for her. She was reminded of an old animated film she saw at primary school all those years ago.

And then the smile faded as the bird drifted off back to its branches. The sun became obscured by some large, fluffy clouds. The meadow by the lake seemed a little more sinister without the golden sunlight shining on it.s

“You okay?” asked Caleb.

“I understand everything you’re saying,” said Lilly, her face looking stony again. “So if I understand everything you’re saying then why do I still feel the urge to hurt you, Caleb?”

Neither the Doctor nor Caleb responded. They had become so close to breaking through to her. Instead the three of them sat in silence and finished off their picnic.

Not long after, they departed. With the TARDIS dematerializing from the meadow, the blue bird began to sing again and the sun re-emerged from behind the cloud.

But on board the time machine the darkness was about to rear its head again and Caleb was about to feel its force.



The End

Short Story: My Ice Cream Hearts

I’m sick of it. Absolutely sick to my back teeth of it. He’s like a pestering little dog obsessed with wanting my attention. I get it, I really do. I get how he’s feeling. He’s just found me – his long-lost sister that he never knew he had. He wants to get to know me. But why me? Why would he want to get to know me? I’m broken. I’m twisted. There’s nothing in here to get to know. Nothing worth knowing because it’s all wrong. Dead and wrong.

So I’ll just sit here eating this ice cream. This lovely, mint ice cream. It reminds me of the summers I spent with Craig, bunking off school and buying ice cream with what change we could cobble together from Mrs. Knight’s Sweetshop. She never told anyone that we were bunking off. She covered for us. I remember crying when Mrs. Knight died.

It makes me laugh actually. When Mrs. Knight died her shop was taken over by Mrs. Day. We laughed about it for ages.

Oh, here he comes again.

“You alright, Lilly?” I hear him say. I can barely hear him over how good my head is telling me this ice cream tastes.

I look up at him. His fringe is flopping down over his forehead again and I smile. He’s quite attractive really. Handsome. He’d make quite a good boyfriend to someone if he actually worked himself out. I laugh as his hair flops down over his right eye.

“Nice to see you laugh,” he said.

“Bugger off,” I say, licking the spoon.

I’m sat cross-legged in the TARDIS kitchen, a room bigger than my house in West Pilton. It’s filled with all manner of cooking implements. I’ve counted fifteen microwaves, ten cookers and a giant popcorn machine. It’s like Willy Wonka on a smaller scale. I wonder if the Doctor is Willy Wonka. Maybe he’s James Bond as well…

“No need to be like that,” says by pain-in-the-arse brother.

He goes to sit down beside me.

“Don’t bother,” I say, pointing my spoon at him. I don’t need it.

“Sorry,” he says. God he sounds so scared of offending me all the time. Jesus.

“Don’t worry,” I say, scooping out another dollop of cool ice cream. I try to shove too much in my mouth at once and it dribbles down my chin. I laugh as I wipe it up with the back of my hand. I’ve never eaten so much ice cream before.

“Nice to see you enjoying it,” he says, ripping me from my ice cream fuelled dream.

“There’s plenty of tubs in there. Don’t throw up though,” I say, pointing towards the huge, ten-foot by five-foot silver and black freezer.

“My favourite’s rum and raisin.”

“Might have known,” I say. “You’re a bit of an odd collection of items, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?” he asks, pulling up a stool from beside a large pine table and sitting on it.

“Look at you. You don’t know where to put yourself.”

“I’m just…figuring you out.”

“Don’t,” I say, licking my spoon and then digging in for more. “There’s no bloody point. I can’t work myself out so how do you know that you can work me out?”

“I thought I was getting through back at the caravan site. Maybe you should…” he trailed off.

“What?” I ask, my mouth full of ice cream, a frown on my face. If he’s about to say what I think he’s about to say I might just frakking scream.

“Maybe it might be wise…I mean, the Doctor thought…”

I laugh at him and throw my head back before returning my concentration to the ice cream.

“Maybe your real family may be able to help you.”

“You mean my floppy haired brother, psychotic father and wet mother? Why not throw the weird, adopted uncle in for good measure. Have I forgotten anyone? Oh yes, your own father. How screwed up can one family be?”

“It’s better than what you had,” he says. I notice a twinge of frustration in his voice. “We can all be a family.”

I laugh again.

He gets mad and stands up, towering over me. For a moment I’m reminded of my other brother back in Edinburgh when he would go off on one and beat me up. Then I realize Caleb isn’t like that. He’s just a wet blanket really.

“It’s not such a bad thing, is it?” he asks, shrinking back into himself again.

“It’s a frigging terrible idea,” I say, scooping out a huge, huge amount of ice cream.

“Why?”

“What’s the point? What’s the point in any of it?” I can feel the tears welling up again. The Doctor at first thought my mood swings were part of the process of my body changing to Gallifreyan, but I don’t know now. I just think I’m screwed in the head. And I’m getting worse.

“Because we can help mother. We can save her from the Master. Father too.”

“Help mother. Help father,” I mock, making a silly-looking sad face. I don’t want to do this, but he’s doing my sodding head in.

“Please, Lilly. You can be Illithia at last.”

“I’m not Illithia!” I shout, my face almost cracking under the anger. I can feel my heart pounding. I don’t even know why I’m so angry. I’m gripping the spoon, the handle turned towards him. I want to strike with it.

“I just wish I’d die. I just wish they’d die,” I hiss, hardly able to breathe.

“Lilly…”

I suddenly freeze and look down at the spoon dripping with the gooey green ice cream. “Have your ice cream, Caleb!”

I flick the remains of it at his stupid, grinning face. It splatters in his eye and in his hair. He doesn’t know what to do. He sits there, his face dripping with melted ice cream looking in shock.

I should be embarrassed. I should be ashamed. I’m not. I burst out laughing, throw the half-empty tub to the floor and run for the exit.

And I run and run and run. I can hear him shouting after me as I blindly fly through the corridors of the TARDIS.

And I start crying. I wonder if anything – or anyone – will ever help me to understand this. I wonder if anyone will ever melt my hearts.



The End

Short Story: White Rose

"I love the sea," said Caleb, his legs drawn up to his chest, his chin resting on his knees.

"I can't say it's ever something that's caught my eye," said Lilly, sat cross-legged on a small dune next to him.

"There's just something about it. It's mysterious. The sea I mean."

"It's just water," said Lilly. "Just another big vast area of nothingness."

Caleb turned to her and smiled. "It's not nothing," he said, shaking his head. "There's life underneath those waves."

"There's death as well," said Lilly, ominously. "It's dangerous out there."

Caleb was going to speak again to defend one of his favourite parts of the landscape when they heard a child cry in the distance. The two of them turned. There was a small, dark-haired girl, maybe around five years old, playing with a kite, the northern wind wipping it up higher and higher into the sky. She was followed a few feet away by a couple – presumably her parents – who were laughing at their daughter playing with the kite.

"Why are we here again?" asked Lilly as her eyes followed the kite as it arced and curved through the sky.

"Because the Doctor said there was something suspicious in the caravan park."

"Then why aren't we there with him?"

"Sometimes he likes to do things alone." He turned back to her again. "He said he wouldn't be long. Do you fancy going to get an ice cream or something? I mean I know it's not exactly the warmest day of the year, but-"

"No," said Lilly. "I just want to sit here."

He sighed and looked away from her. She had only been with them a few weeks since the accident and she was struggling to adjust to this new life. A few weeks ago she had been a healthy, human girl – now she was a Gallifreyan and had been shot through her heart. The surgery had reconstructed it, but Caleb suspected that her injuries were more mental than physical.

"Look, sis-"

"Will you shut up calling me that," she said, still refusing to meet his gaze.

"But you are my sister."

"Half sister," she snapped quickly. "I'm your half sister."

"We're still blood. I still care."

She turned to face him, angry that she had to take her eyes off the beautiful, red kite. "I didn't want this. You survived without me for long enough."

"If I'd have known you existed-"

"But you didn't. None of you did. Only my father knew that and he turned out to be a psychopath." She returned her eyes to the kite. "Now just let me sit here."

Caleb shook his head. He didn't know what to expect from her really. He didn't think it was going to be easy, but at the same time he hadn't expected it to be so hard. He thought she would have enjoyed the fact that she had a real family and that she was away from the fear and the loneliness. Instead she just seemed to have sunken further and further into herself.

"I still think you should have an ice cream," he said quietly. "It's just an ice cream."

Lilly looked at him, her green eyes looked dark as the wind blew her hair back. Caleb suddenly felt very afraid. "I don't want an ice cream. I don't want anything from you or the Doctor." She got to her feet and started to march away across the sand. "Just leave me alone. Please."

"Lilly, come back," said Caleb.

He got up to follow her. She was already walking at quite a pace over the dunes, her flip flops flicking up the soft sand. Caleb had to nearly jog to keep up with her.

She turned back to face him. "I told you to leave me alone!" She pushed at his chest and he stumbled backwards.

"I'm just trying to help," said Caleb, his arms outstretched. He felt helpless.

"I don't want your help. There's no one out there that can help me," she shouted, her voice carried on the wind. Back towards the sea the storm clouds were gathering.

"Listen," said Caleb, stepping forward one pace, "I know you don't want it, but you have to know that I am here. The Doctor is here as well. We're family and we will help you with anything you want, even if you don't see it now."

"I will never see it, Caleb," said Lilly. She looked past him towards the clouds on the horizon. "Everything that I knew about myself, no matter how bad it was, was a lie. It was a fabrication. And now I discover I'm some sort of alien from another planet with a murderous dad."

"I know how bad that sounds now, but-"

"It's almost like I've lost one bad life and replaced it with a whole different kind of bad." She closed her eyes as the first droplets of rain began to fall. "I don’t know who I am. I don't know what I am. I feel completely lost."

Her eyes opened again and she saw the red kite bobbing up over the dunes followed by the string and the little girl. Her parents were not far behind. The little girl stopped and looked between Caleb and Lilly and smiled.

"Come here you," said the man, taking the little girls hand.

The little girl had something in her other hand and opened it up to Lilly. It was a small, white rose. It was a fake, but it looked real. She held out her hand to Lilly and offered it to her.

"I'm sorry, she does like to make new friends," laughed the girls mum. "She pulled it off a shop display back at the camp site."

Lilly looked down at the little girls hand and the knelt down in front of her, taking the fake rose flower from her. "Thank you," she said, managing a gentle smile.

The girl smiled back and then ran off again in the direction of the campsite, pulling her parents away.

Lilly looked down at the fake rose. "My life is like this rose. It was all fake. Not real."

"But it still made you the person you are today. Whatever physical changes you've had have not altered the person you are inside. It all helped to make you who you are."

"Which is an ugly, screwed up mess," said Lilly.

Caleb smiled and shook his head. "That rose is fake, but it meant something to that little girl. And that little girl gave it to you to make you happy. It doesn't matter if it's real or not. It means something."

Lilly looked at Caleb and then shook her head. "I'm off back to the TARDIS. Are you coming?"

"Depends," said Caleb, walking behind her as she clambered over the dunes.

"Depends on what?" asked Lilly.

"On whether we get an ice cream on the way back."

Lilly tried to laugh, but she couldn't. No matter how much Caleb tried to help her she still felt lost. She still felt damaged, and laughing would mean that it was all okay again. She looked at the rose and then put it in her jeans pocket.

"Maybe ice cream would be nice."



The little girl was still running and almost collided with the strange, bearded man as he unlocked the odd, blue box that was standing on the edge of the campsite.

"Steady, young lady," said the man.

"What have we told you," said the man, chasing after his daughter.

"Sorry," said the little girl as she grinned up at him.

"I'm sorry about that," said the woman. "She can be a bit of a handful. Always out on an adventure."

"Not to worry," said the man as he opened the doors and stepped inside. "Nothing wrong with a bit of adventure."

The little girl laughed at the man and then bolted away from her parents again.

The father rolled his eyes. "Will you come back here," laughed the parents as the little girl scooted off towards the caravans. "Come back here now, Holly."



The End

The Haunting of Mrs. Webster (Chapter 11)

Chapter 11 (Quick)

The Doctor, myself and Holly were sat on the small wall at the front of our house, the three of us leaning in to look at the live video on the telephone. I looked across at the Doctor who was deep in concentration. He really did come from another time. Certainly somewhere further away than the 1980’s.

“Mum,” came Eve’s voice on the video.

“Yes, sweetheart?” I said, glad to still be hearing her.

“Something’s not right.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“It’s getting cold in here. The lights are flickering.”

“We can see, Eve,” said the Doctor, pointing at the lamp beside the armchair as it sporadically dimmed again and again. “Just try to remain calm.”

“She’s not going to hurt you,” I said, although I didn’t fully believe it.

“Listen,” said Holly, “when all this is over your life will get back to normal. You’ll be able to live happily in this house again.”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “Even if we sort this out now there’s no way we’re staying here. I don’t care what Miss Quick is, but it’s tainted this house. It’ll always be evil.”

“Mum, can you see that?” asked Eve, “in the middle of the room? It’s like a shadow?”

The three of us peered closer. Sure enough there it was - a very slight, thin shadow, the height of a small Human being, starting to form in the centre of the room.

“Try to remain calm, Eve,” said the Doctor, going into his pocket and taking out a notepad and pen.

“It’s freezing in here,” said Eve, rubbing her arms to keep warm.

“It’s the atmospheric disturbance,” said the Doctor, the pen top in his mouth. “She’s trying to manifest.”

Now the shadow was wider and resembled a person – the silhouette of a person.

“This is amazing,” said Holly. She suddenly noticed the fear on my face. “That’s if it wasn’t so scary for Eve.”

“It’s scary for me, Holly,” I said. “I just want a normal life.”

“Eve...” came a crackling, distant voice on the phone followed by a worried yelp from the teen.

“That was her, wasn’t it?”

“Eve,” said the Doctor, dropping his notepad and pen and leaning in even closer to the phone, “talk to it.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Anything.”

“Hello,” came Eve’s nervous voice.

“I am here to rescue you,” came the whispering voice. It was starting to sound more like an old ladies voice now.

“I...I don’t need rescuing. My mum isn’t going to hurt me.”

“That’s it, Eve, carry on,” smiled the Doctor.

“You have been protected from evil since you lived here. I have watched.”

The shadow was now standing in front of the terrified Eve.

“You have it all wrong,” said Eve. “You’re confused because of what those horrible people did to you all those years ago.”

“She’s very good,” smiled the Doctor.

I simply wanted all of this to be over.

“Your mother will hurt you.” The shadow was now shimmering. There was colour coming to it.

“She won’t. Have you ever seen her hurt me?” asked Eve.

“You had nannies to protect you.”

“They weren’t protecting me,” said Eve. “They were just looking after me until my mum could return. You have to believe me.”

“But I can keep you safe.”

“My mum can keep me safe. I love her. She’s all I need in my life.”

The shadow shimmered for a moment; almost as if it was letting the words sink in.

“I have something for you,” said Eve, uncovering the bones. “This is your Human body. We know what they did to you.” She held out her hand to show her the jewel. “This is linked to you, isn’t it? The Doctor said it records your memories and transmits them back.”

“That is correct,” said Quick.

“If I give you this jewel it will make you whole again. It will make you complete. That’s what the Doctor said.”

The shadow looked down at the jewel.

“Miss Quick, can you hear me?” said the Doctor to the phone.

The shadow looked across at the phone and walked towards it.

“Doctor, be careful,” said Holly, grabbing his arm.

“Listen to me, Quick. I know who you are. I know you are here to help. When that couple hurt you they also damaged you. Your physical form you’d created rotted away in that attic and your real self, the self I’m talking to now, became detached and lost.”

Quick continued to listen.

“If you take that jewel from Eve it will rebuild you. I can take you back to your people.”

“I don’t know you,” said Quick.

“I’m the Doctor. I fix things. That’s all you need to know.”

“Let me in, Miss Quick,” I found myself saying. “Let me in and let me show you how much I love my little girl.”

“No,” hissed Quick.

“Please,” I said. I then closed my eyes. “If you let me in and you see I mean her harm then you can do what you want with me.”

Quick stayed silent for a moment, as if in thought.

“Please, Miss Quick. I love my mum,” said Eve, tears in her eyes.

There was another moment of silence, and then the front door swung open. I looked at the Doctor, who looked at me and nodded and then I ran into the house. The air was cold and the atmosphere felt electric. I ran straight past the strange, shimmering shadow and threw my arms around Eve. We hugged tightly and didn’t let go until I was aware that Quick was standing just behind me.

The two of us turned to face her. She was now the perfect outline of an old woman, albeit with her features in shadow.

“See?” I said, smiling with tears in my eyes.

Eve reached out her hand, the jewel carefully balancing in her palm. “This is yours.”

The shadow reached out its own, frail hand, the same hand that had grabbed me and scratched at me. But right now I didn’t feel frightened. It took the jewel calmly and reached up to its forehead, placing the jewel in the centre.

Quick seemed to gasp. I don’t know if it was pain or joy. I don’t know, but she threw her arms out to her side as the jewel glowed green. It glowed brighter and brighter until it enveloped her entire form. I backed away with Eve towards the armchair as the Doctor and Holly rushed in.

The rest is blank. The light was so bright it blinded us. When we both opened our eyes the Doctor and Miss Quick were gone with Holly peering from around the doorframe.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“The Doctor took her outside. He’s taking her back to her home world. He said something about her true form not being able to be seen by Human eyes.”

“So it’s over?” asked Eve.

“I think so,” said Holly.

I looked at Eve and we both collapsed into each other’s arms, tears of joy flowing from our eyes. It was over.

Finally.



The Doctor returned around two hours later just as I’d finished boiling the kettle for our third cup of tea. He looked tired as he removed a pair of sunglasses from his eyes, smiling at the three of us.

“Everything okay?” asked Holly.

“She’s fine,” said the Doctor. “She was a little confused, but I soon helped her to piece everything together. She’s very sorry to you both.”

“Oh,” I said, not really knowing how to respond to that. I’ve never had a scary ghost apologise before.

“She’s back with her own people now. They’re going to help to rehabilitate her into the world and she’ll eventually go back out there again to help people.”

“What about her body?” I asked, noticing the skeleton lying on the floor.

“Well this was always just a construct made by her. It’s not her real form. But I tell you what,” said the Doctor, kneeling down over it, “why don’t we give her a proper burial?”

“But she’s alive,” said Eve. “If this was just a body she created for herself-”

“I think a burial might help you to have some closure on this,” said Holly, “don’t you think?”

I nodded. It was true. And we couldn’t have a skeleton hanging around the place.

“I also did some digging,” said the Doctor, wrapping the skeleton back up, “into the Horner’s.”

“Oh, yes,” I said, wondering what had happened to that vile couple.

“Well, it turns out that not long after they murdered Miss Quick they sold this place and took their children with them. They moved up to Scotland and continued to hurt their children.”

“That’s terrible,” said Eve, sitting next to me and taking my hand.

“Yes, it was. That was until a plucky time traveller decided to report them to the authorities.”

“What?!” said Holly. “But doesn’t that change history?”

“How?” asked the Doctor. “We never knew anything of their lives. I’m simply a part of their history. Anyway the Horner’s were locked away and their children were adopted by a lovely couple living out in the country where they lived happy and safe lives.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” I said, feeling myself welling up again.

“Right then,” said the Doctor, getting to his feet. “I suppose we have a funeral to go to. I better make the arrangements.”

“And then can we go and find Lilly?” asked Holly.

“Yes,” smiled the Doctor. “I promise.”

“Doctor, just one more thing,” I said, grabbing his arm. He looked down to me. “Do you really think ghosts exist?”

He looked across at the picture of Julian above the fireplace and smiled. “I think that ghosts exist.” He knelt back down in front of me and pointed to my chest. “Our loved ones never really die. They continue to live on in our hearts. As long as they live on within us then they will live on forever.” He leant forward and kissed me on the forehead. “And so will Julian.”

I smiled, my eyes wet again as the Doctor got up and carried the bundle of bones out of the living room. I pulled Eve in close and hugged her tightly.

“It’s all over, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” I said, with final assuredness. “It’s all over.”



The End

The Haunting of Mrs. Webster (Chapter 10)

Chapter 10 (Void)

The Doctor looked up from the ring, his eyes sad. Eve was awake now and was sat next to me, her head buried against my shoulder

I sniffed and wiped at my eyes. “She was trying to protect those children.”

The Doctor nodded sadly. “She was sent from another world to care, to help out, and when she realised something was going wrong she was killed for doing the right thing.”

“And they just hid her away upstairs in the attic that whole time.”

The Doctor exhaled. “We have no way of knowing what happened to the kids or the Horner’s after that.” He picked up the ring and turned it over in his fingers. “I suppose we should be thankful that this ring still exists.”

“But why’s she trying to trap us?” asked Eve.

“She’s not,” said the Doctor.

“No,” I said, realising things, “she’s trying to protect you, Eve.”

“Protect me from what?” said Eve.

“Well it all fits together,” said the Doctor. “The psychic projection of Miss Quick lay dormant for some time. The upheaval in this house of you losing your husband awoke her, but you got nannies in to help you care for Eve.”

“She was a nanny so didn’t feel like they were a threat.”

“Exactly. When Tash left all Eve had was you – the only thing she knows about Human mothers is that they are dangerous. She saw you as a threat to your own daughter.”

“But I love her. Surely she saw that.”

“You have to realise, Emily, that Miss Quick’s Human body is dead. The actual force that she was – the force that existed within that body – is the one that has been haunting this place. It’s confused and damaged and doesn’t know what it’s doing. It’s seeing everything in black and white. There are no grey patches.”

“But how could she trap us in the house? And where’s Holly?” asked Eve.

The Doctor crossed over to the window and put his hands in his pockets, looking at the inky blackness outside. “Holly most likely stepped outside the house – maybe for some fresh air or something – for just five minutes. We’re still in the house and she’s outside, but Quick has put a veil between the building and the outside world. Psychic projections again.”

I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes. This was all getting a little too much for me. “Okay, so how do we stop it? How do we fix this?”

“We need to hand Eve over to Quick.”

“What!” Eve and I blurted out at the same time.

“Are you loopy?” asked Eve.

The Doctor crouched down in front of Eve and took her hand and then mine. “Listen, we know that Quick isn’t going to hurt Eve. She’s a child. She cares for children. Holly, I and you, Emily, are adults. We’re the ones she wants to hurt.”

“So we just do as she says?” I said.

The Doctor nodded. “She won’t hurt Eve. I truly believe that.”

“This is crazy. We don’t even know how we are meant to give Eve to her.”

“Yeah, like, is there some magic doorway or something?!” said Eve, clearly getting worried.

“I think it’s a little more mundane than that,” said the Doctor, getting to his feet, “but if we do this we have to make sure that we follow exactly what she wants.”

“But we can’t know for certain that she doesn’t want to harm Eve.”

“Emily,” he said, putting his hands on my shoulders and looking down at me. For a moment – just a brief moment – I felt like someone cared for me again. Someone other than Eve, that is. His blue eyes just seemed to pierce into my very soul. “Emily, do you trust me?”

“I don’t really know you,” I said, my voice barely audible.

“But do you trust me?”

I waited for a moment. I had to catch my breath. “Yes,” I said.

He smiled a perfect smile and then leant in and kissed my forehead.

When he released me I closed my eyes and almost swayed backwards before the reality of what was going on here snatched me back.

“Doing what Miss Quick wants will put this all right.” He turned to Eve. “And you have to do exactly what she says.”

Eve nodded quickly, but looked at me with fearful eyes.

I walked over to her and put my arms around her. “Sweetheart, you’ll be fine.”

“I have here,” said the Doctor, going into his jacket pocket, “a device from the future. It’s called a mobile telephone. I’ve connected it up to mine. It works like a video camera. You sit it up there on top of the TV and it will broadcast a live picture of you to your mum and me.”

“Okay,” said Eve, taking the phone from him. “Wow, this is from the future?” she said, turning it over in her hand.

“Don’t tell anyone,” said the Doctor, holding his finger up to her. “Now there’s just one other thing we need to do. One more thing that I think might help our confused lady with putting an end to this.”



I watched as the Doctor descended the ladders with the skeleton in his arms. He moved with the utmost respect and looked down with pity at the odd-skulled corpse. He smiled sadly and laid the bones down on the blanket I had taken out from the airing cupboard.

“Such a stupid, stupid waste,” said the Doctor, as I helped him to wrap the remains up in the blanket.

Once the body was fully covered he gently carried it downstairs to the middle room.

“Is that her?” said Eve, nervously.

I nodded. It must have been scary for her. She’d never seen death this close before. Even I hadn’t. I’d refused to see Julian’s body. I didn’t want my last image of him to be lying on a mortuary slab. I wanted happy memories; his smiling, shining face.

“It’s okay, Eve,” said the Doctor, putting his arm around her shoulder.

“So how exactly do we play this?” I asked, really just following his lead and not really knowing what to expect.

The Doctor cleared his throat and looked all around the room. He was holding the jewel in his hand. “Miss Quick, my name is the Doctor and this is Emily Webster. I hereby ask you to release myself and Emily so we can leave Eve Webster in your capable hands. For you to protect her.”

Nothing.

“Miss Quick, please, you know this is what you want us to do.”

“Nothing’s happening,” I said.

The Doctor held out a hand. There was something. A very slight, gentle breeze. I only knew because the Doctor’s fringe was very gently flapping about.

And then the TV flicked on. The black screen had two, white letters on it which spelt out. “GO”

“Mum...” said Eve, nervously.

He took the strange telephone device from Eve and put it on top of the TV. “You’ll be just fine,” he said, as he took my hand and guided me out of the middle room and to the front door.

“It’ll be fine, sweetie,” I said, trying not to break down at seeing my terrified thirteen year old being left in the hands of a confused alien ghost.

The Doctor put his hand on the door handle, said a little prayer and then opened it.

I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw Holly standing outside, her hands in her pockets and shivering. The rest of the world was there as well - the dark railway line, the wooden fence and the grey-tinted grass in the pale moonlight.

“Doctor, what’s happening?” asked Holly, trying to get back into the house.

“No, no,” he said, guiding her away and shutting the door. “I’ll explain when this is all over.”

“But-”

“Shush,” he said.

He brought out a similar telephone device and switched it on. I was astonished. We could see a live image of my little girl standing in our room. I wanted so much to go back in there and help her, but I knew I couldn’t. I knew we had to end this tonight.

“Eve, I’ve rigged this up for two-way communication,” said the Doctor to the video device. “Are you there?”

“Yes,” came my little girl’s voice, “but I’m scared.”

“It’ll all be over soon, Eve,” he said. “Time to be brave. Show Miss Quick that you don’t need her.”

“Show her that your mum loves you, sweetheart.”

To be concluded...