THE RUN FOR ROSE
CHAPTER ONE: Rise and Shine
Jane was feeling warm and cozy and decided to lie in bed a while longer. She snuggled further into the cocoon-like protection of her thick blue and white patterned quilt. The blue flannel sheets beneath her were pleasantly soft. The gentle sounds of the ticking radiator on the floor alongside her bed, and the tranquil hissing of sleet against the windows, had the same effect on her as a lullaby. Peeking out from between the covers, she glanced at the eerily glowing numbers on the dial of her Big Ben alarm clock. It was 4:40 in the morning. Getting up to feed the horses was a reality that could be postponed for another twenty minutes. Jane sighed blissfully and pulled the covers over her head. Moving closer to the wall and the soothing warmth of the radiator, a sense of contentment surged through her soul. Shutting her eyes, she buried her head into the soft pillow. “I don’t want to lose the glow,” she thought. “I’m just going to lie here, and pretend I’m on holiday on the French Riviera.”
Meanwhile, many thousands of miles away, a hunched figure in a cowled robe manipulated a complex pattern of controls on a long table. It was filled with multi-coloured buttons and dials, which filled the confines of the small cellar-like room with multiple layers of humming and beeping. “Now,” came the harsh whisper, “Now Doctor, it is time for the game to begin.” His laughter pealed through the confined space, drowning out even the increased humming as the machine sprang to life.
In the Tardis, Rose lay in her bed, sleeping to the comforting white noise of the machine’s continual humming. Almost imperceptibly, a secondary humming overlapped the normal sounds. A shimmering wave gradually enveloped Rose and she slowly disappeared.
Standing on the console deck, the Doctor had been monitoring a popular football match between the Blackpool Mechanics and the Runcorn Linnets, when the console gave a little hiccup. His head came up. “Oh, not now!” He yelled at the Tardis, clenching his fists against the edge of the board. “They’re tied one to one in the final!” A persistent beeping began from the other side of the console. Tearing himself away from the screen, he scuttled over to the offending switch. “Eh! Dodgy old thing, what is it now?” He grumbled. The Doctor’s eyes widened as he read the gauge. “What? That can’t be right.” He muttered. “How can that say that Rose is gone when she’s….” His voice trailed off. The Doctor turned to and leaped off the platform, bolting in the direction of Rose’s bedroom.
“Rose! Rose!” The Doctor called her name, but got no response. His hearts beating wildly with anxiety, He stopped before her room. Flinging open the door, he found her bed was empty. Staring in total disbelief, he said, “That’s impossible! It can’t be! Nothing can enter the Tardis…” But apparently, something did.
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