TIME LORDS DON'T CRY

CHAPTER EIGHT

Vaguely, the Doctor, his breathing coming in shallow gasps, could have sworn he saw a bright light.

“So it’s true, what they say, you really do walk towards the light. Isn’t that interesting,” he calmly thought. Then, without warning, he was enveloped by total blackness.

Someone was shaking him. The Doctor groaned. He didn’t want to get out of bed yet, didn’t want to go to the Academy today. Couldn’t they just let him stay home from school, just this once? He groaned again and opened his eyes. He couldn’t see a thing. Was he blind then? Was this all there is when you die? Just…nothing?

“Awww–how very disappointing.” He thought. “I wouldn’t have minded meeting Madame Du Pompadour again. Haven’t had a good snog since…I can’t remember. And when did I ever meet her? How very odd.”

The Doctor felt himself being shaken again. Just then, there was a bit of light, as the half moon, which had been covered by heavy rolling clouds, shone down on the clearing. A silvery light enveloped the scene, enough for him to see now. A young girl had a firm grip on his sweater and was pulling on it for all she was worth.

“She really ought to stop that,” he thought muzzily, “she’ll stretch it all out of shape. That’s a really nice sweater.”

“Mister, hey mister, wake up. You’re too big, I can’t carry you. Please wake up,” Marie pleaded. “I only scared them off for a little while. They’ll be coming back soon. Please!”

Sitting bolt upright, the Doctor came completely awake, sudden comprehension whisking away the cobwebs of disjointed thought cluttering his brain.

“Marie? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to run?” He looked around at the empty glade. “What happened? Where did they all go?”

“You dropped this.” Marie handed him his little torch. “I found your flashlight back on the path and picked it up.”

The Time Lord raised an eyebrow at her and gave a quirky smile.

“Yeess–but that still doesn’t answer my question, does it?” he prodded gently, “Why did they let me go? What happened here, Marie?”

Marie merely looked at her friend and shrugged.

“They don’t like bright light. I don’t know why. There’s an old hunting cabin just across the way.” She pointed to the opposite side of the clearing. “They have all sorts of camping gear. I–I sort of snuck inside.” She said quietly, ashamed. “I know it was wrong, but I was only curious. Last time the hunter’s were there, I mean. I remembered that there was this really bright lantern. So I took that, and a pair of mirrors from the wall. I thought…oh, I don’t know. It probably sounds really stupid…”

Marie’s voice trailed off and she looked at the ground.

“Oh, stuff and nonsense.” The Doctor said, smiling. “I can’t picture you ever doing anything stupid! And,” he shrugged, “Obviously whatever you did worked. Anyway,” He touched the tip of his finger to her temple, “you were thinking, and that means you’re definately not stupid Marie, not by any stretch of the imagination.”

The Doctor stood up, wincing and rubbing his tender ribcage. He looked sideways at her.

“What did you do, eh?” He grinned. “I’ll bet it was something really clever.” he chortled and fake-punched her arm. “Come on then, you can tell me.”

Marie shyly smiled back at him.

“I used the mirrors to magnify the brightness of the lantern.” She smiled shyly. “I read about stuff like that in a book in the public library, once.”

“I see.” said the Doctor. “Wonderful places, libraries.” He put his arm around her and hugged her. “See? I said you were a clever girl.”

The Doctor brushed the dirt from his jeans, and looked around the now-empty clearing.

“Now, why don’t we get out of here before our little friends come back? Or, not so little friends,” He amended, thinking about the logger and his mates. The Doctor put his arm around Marie’s shoulder. “I mean, I’m all for having peoople around, but these people play for keeps, and that won’t do. Not one whit.”

“Where are we going to go?” Marie asked.

The Doctor stopped and pondered her question.

“Well Marie, obviously, they’re going to follow us, wherever we go. And we might as well be comfortable. Why don’t we go back to the house?” The Doctor winked at her. “I could use a nice hot cuppa, how ‘bout you?”

Marie frowned.

“A what?”

Taking her hand in his, and using the torch to light their way, the Doctor set off back to the farm.

“A cup of tea, I mean. Or, if you don’t have any, a cup of cocoa will do nicely.” He frowned. “Just don’t ask me to marry you” Pausing, he wrinkled his forehead. “Now why in heaven’s name did I say that?”

Marie merely shrugged and led the way back. She had to. The Doctor was going in the wrong direction.

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