It was just the one time I met him, just one day when the sky burned red and the world came crashing down around us.
I soon came to realize that those events were the only time he came to help, that just before the end of everything this mad impossible man would arrive like a blazing God and set things straight, this wonderful man who held so many secrets that when you looked into his eyes you could see time, death and pain in them, they were the only ancient thing about him on his seemingly youthful face.
The 14th July 2567 for us was the day of death, the day war broke out between the two lands of Nahila when the two rulers fought for dominance to rule both; and didn't care that the peaceful, innocent villagers would be caught up in the death and terror.
I awoke to screams of pain that were so loud it was heartbreaking, with me living alone in my house I didn't have the panic of the thought of my loved ones being hurt, but I wouldn't abandon those in need either.
Entering into the open in the cold air that the new dawn brings I saw that the beautiful, serene village had gone and had been replaced with burning buildings and ash filled air that caught my lungs. That was when I first saw him.
After pulling youngsters out of the way of danger and making sure they were brought to safety, I looked around for the help that was so desperately needed and saw him standing in the middle of an alleyway like an onlooker of a dream, how could someone watch these events unfold without helping? Without a moments hesitation I rushed to him, walking directly into his line of sight so that I would not be ignored.
"Please Sir, people are dying out there; will you not help?" The man stared at me with a pained look on his face as if he so desperately wanted to, yet something worse would happen if he did.
"What is your name? Have you any family here?"
"No sir, my family live far away from here, my name is Adela."
"Adela, good name." He shook his head as if an internal debate was raging inside him, "I wouldn't worry about what is to come, this war will be for the good, and even though people will die, it will all work out well in the end."
"You cannot simply stand here and watch! The more people we have to help, the more people we can save."
"Trust me, if I get involved things will only turn out worse, there are rules to events like this. This is a fixed event that must happen, no one can interfere, no one can help."
"I don't understand." Tears were running down my face at this point, the words that were coming out of this man's mouth were just pure nonsense. He looked down for a moment, and that was when he turned to face me with full eye contact. I felt my heart stop for a moment as I saw the rage inside him, the years of pain and loss that seemed to visibly hang over him.
"You won't understand yet, but when you are older; maybe you will." After that statement the man turned away, but I didn't want him to go yet; not until I knew his name.
"Wait! Sir please, you didn't give me your name."
A ghost of a smile appeared on his face just for a moment, "I wasn't here Adela, I was a man that slipped away into the mist that no one ever saw."
"Sir, please tell me; I won't tell anyone. I promise."
"I'm someone from far away Adela, people who know me call me the Doctor, I used to go around and help at times like this, but it got too much and people got hurt; too many people." These words were not directed to me, they were personal and full of grief. The Doctor was simply reminding himself why he had to go.
Sparing his pain, I nodded and stepped back, but just before he turned to leave again I took hold of his hand and held it tight before letting him slip away into the darkness because, no matter how old you are or what you have seen to put you through so much pain, when the world is spinning too fast and you can't find your feet, sometimes you just need someone to hold on to.