PARENTHOOD
Chapter Two Hundred and Three Hope held onto her mother's hand when they went inside. The inside was dimly lit by firelight and slightly smoky. Around the inside of the mud walls was several animal skins stitched together that provided insulation and was decorated with stick figures and stylized animals. There were several brown pillows spread around the fire that was burning in the center of the hut. The chief was sitting on a large pillow at the back. He was wearing a cape made out of palm leaves and a silver amulet with a frog on it that hung around his neck on a rawhide necklace. He wore no other clothes and his slightly bulging potbelly hung out as he stared at the newcomers in a fascinated silence. Next to him was a young female frog that was completely naked except for a pink pebble hanging around her neck on a similar rawhide necklace. Behind them and around the perimeter were baskets, mats and other artifacts. The chief looked at everyone and then motioned for them to sit. Hope sat down in between her parents while Alan and Rose sat on the Doctor's side and Jack sat beside Rose. Belock, Pelema and Terzac sat in between Jack and the young female frog. The chief looked from the Doctor to Alan and back. "Which one is the Doctor?" he said in a deep, froggy voice. "This one, my lord," Belock said, pointing to the Doctor. "And this one is his clone?" the chief said, looking at Alan. "Yes, I'm Alan," Alan replied. "Fascinating," the chief said to the Doctor. "You had so much goodness within you that your body couldn't contain it so you had to make another vessel to hold it all." Rain giggled at the surprised look on her husband's face. He looked at Alan who gave him a cheeky look and winked. "Um...never thought of it like that but you might be right," the Doctor said. He introduced the rest of his family. The chief nodded to each of them and when the Doctor was finished he introduced himself as Chief Swampdancer and the female as his daughter, Chloe. Some frogs appeared at Swampdancer's door and he waved to them. Several young frogs came inside bringing wooden plates of food and wooden goblets with some liquid in it and a long wooden pipe decorated with narrow leaves and feathers near the pipe's bowl. Swampdancer reached into a small wicker box beside him and pulled out a little bag. They watched while he put some tobacco in the pipe's bowl, tamped it down and lighted it with a bit of wood from the fire. He smoked it and inhaled deeply before he exhaled the sweet smelling tobacco into the air in front of him. He then passed it around and everyone else took one puff. When it got to the Doctor, he smoked it and when Hope reached for it, he shook his head and handed it to his wife. "You're too young," the Doctor said when Hope gave him a confused look while Rain smoked the pipe and passed it back to Swampdancer. Once they were done, Swampdancer ordered the food and drink to be passed out. The frogs gave the plate and goblets to everyone before they bowed and left the hut. Hope looked at the food on her plate. There was some kind of yellow fruit that was sliced into wedges, a small pile of meat that was sliced into small bits and...crickets. Hope made a face as she stared at the legless crickets. She looked at her father. The Doctor paused with a bit of meat halfway up to his lips and gave her a questioning look. Hope pointed to the crickets and made another disgusted face. The Doctor put the meat back down, picked up a cricket and Hope grimaced when he popped it in his mouth and chewed. When he swallowed it, he leaned over. "Eat a bit of it. Be polite," he said softly to her. "Daddy, it's bugs," Hope said softly. "I know. They're not as bad as you think. If you want to be my Time Lady, you need to have an open mind and try new things. Just close your eyes and chew quickly and swallow. This is in our honor so you need to eat at least a little bit of it." Hope nodded and the Doctor rubbed her back while she picked up a cricket. She stared at it for a moment willing herself to eat it. She glanced at her father and saw the encouraging nod and the loving look on his face and she knew she'd be brave for him and try the cricket. She hesitated a moment, put it to her lips and then quickly opened her mouth and popped it in. She bit down, expecting it to be all gross and gooey and found to her surprise that it had been fried and was crunchy and not that bad. She glanced at her father and saw the amused look on his face. "So...how is it?" he asked her. "It's good," Hope said after swallowing. "See? Never be afraid to try new things because you might miss out on something wonderful," the Doctor said. Hope nodded and the Doctor kissed her cheek before he went back to his meal. Hope followed his example and tried the shredded meat and fruit and liked all of it. She was pleased with herself that she had decided to be a brave Time Lady and try everything and make her father proud of her in the process. She felt more like a Time Lady now than she did when she first started eating. While she ate, Alan came over with a cricket in his fingers. He looked down at Hope's empty plate and sighed. "Blast and botheration, I was hoping you didn't like the crickets so I could torment you with this one," Alan said. "Opportunity lost, I s'pose." "Nope, my daughter did an excellent job," the Doctor said to him as Alan sat back down beside him. "I'm very proud of her." Rain chuckled and they glanced at her. She pointed at her daughter and they saw the ecstatic look on her face. "I think you made her day with that comment," Rain said to them. "I'm a Time Lady, Mummy," Hope said to her. "See, Daddy's proud of me." "See, you made her day," Rain said while Hope giggled. The Doctor tousled her hair and winked at her. Everyone finished their meal and the frogs came back inside to take the plates and cups away. Once they were gone, Swampdancer turned his attention to the Doctor. "So, Time Lord, won't you favor us with a story of one of your adventures?" he said. "My daughter and I would love to hear one." Chloe nodded shyly and the Doctor thought for a moment. He decided to tell them the story of New Earth and the first time he and Rose went there. Hope listened quietly in an enraptured silence along with the frogs. Rain chuckled when she saw her daughter's eyes widen and she leaned forward in interest when the Doctor talked about the sisterhood. Hope looked at her mother. "Cats. Big cats," Hope said to her mother in a hushed voice. "Yup, cool, huh?" Rain said. "I can't wait to be a Time Lady and travel with Daddy all the time," Hope said. Rain grinned and gave her a kiss on the cheek before Hope turned her attention back to the story. Once they were finished, Hope applauded and the adults laughed while Swampdancer smiled and nodded. "I agree with your daughter, a lovely story. I don't think I would have liked to see the cat nuns but it was wonderful all the same. My thanks to you." The Doctor bowed his head and gave him thanks for that. They watched while Chloe leaned in and whispered in her father's ear. Swampdancer nodded and smiled before he slowly rose up. "If you'll follow me, I'll arrange a tour of our village," he said to them. "And we will have dancing in your honor. Come." They stood up and Swampdancer walked to the door. Once outside, he asked Belock, Pelema and Terzac to give them a tour. The three frogs nodded and motioned for the others to follow them. Swampdancer and Chloe watched them walk off and when they were out of earshot, Swampdancer summoned two frogs who were standing nearby. The frogs walked over and bowed to him, asking him what he wished. "I need you to take Chloe and find some women who will help her prepare," Swampdancer said to them. "She's marrying the Doctor tonight after the dancing and she must look radiant enough for a Time Lord."
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