A RED TRAVEL BAG
It was strange, Evelyn thought, as she wandered the corridors of the TARDIS. No matter how big and empty it seemed, one never felt quite alone. That was comforting in its own way, but on this occasion Evelyn felt slightly guilty, and felt as if the TARDIS were checking on her as she crept into the Doctor's rooms. He was busy in the console room, checking readouts and fiddling with switches, so it had been easy to slip out without being noticed. Hopefully, by the time he had realised her absence, Evelyn would have succeeded in her task.
She had visited the Doctor's rooms many times before for the occasional chat, but this was different. Evelyn was determined to find out the truth.
She began a methodical search – not that the Doctor was the tidiest person, but she made sure that anything she moved was put back where it had been found. After rooting through various cupboards of varying shapes and size, Evelyn found what she had been looking for. She reached in and pulled out the Doctor's red travel bag, the one he had brought with him when they had stayed at the Galactica Hotel during that business with Iris Wildthyme. He had never carried any form of hand luggage before, and questions as to what was inside were steered away onto other subjects of conversation.
There wasn't much weight to the bag, Evelyn noted, as she placed it on the floor. Nevertheless, she was determined to at least take a look inside. She hesitated as her hand hovered over the zipper, before telling herself not to be so silly. It was only a travel bag, after all. She pulled the zipper open, and peered in.
A pair of eyes stared back at her from inside the dark interior. "Well, you took your time," said a familiar voice. "I was wondering how long it would be before curiosity got the better of you." The Doctor's smiling face peered out at Evelyn as, impossibly, he stepped out from the travel bag.
Evelyn gaped at the Doctor, and the bag which was clearly too small to accommodate him. "How on earth did you get in there?"
"Oh, it's quite roomy, really," he replied. "Would you like to take a look? That is, after all, why you're here, isn't it?"
"All right, Doctor. You found me out," Evelyn confessed. "So, what is that bag? More Time Lord technology?"
"Actually, no," he said. "I acquired this from a very special lady, well versed in spreading her own form of magic."
She stared at him. "But I thought you didn't believe in magic. You've said as much before."
"True," he admitted. "But then she doesn't exactly perform magic as such. At least, not as you would define it." He looked for the right words to explain. "What she does is to open people's eyes to new possibilities, how to live their lives better, that sort of thing."
Evelyn knew that it took a lot to impress the Doctor, and so was doubly impressed herself. "She sounds fascinating."
"Oh, she is, believe me." The Doctor took Evelyn's hand. "Would you like to meet her?"
At first, Evelyn didn't understand. Then she looked at the travel bag. "Do you mean she's in there?
"Precisely." The Doctor took her hand. "Now, would you care to step inside, Doctor Smythe?"
"Well, if you sure it's all right…"
He squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Yes, I'm sure."
As they stepped into the travel bag, Evelyn expected to feel the effect of some kind of compression field reduce her in size. But no such field was activated. Instead, the Doctor led Evelyn down a flight of stairs, bringing them down into a much larger area. Pinpricks of light appeared before her, and at first Evelyn thought they were stars. But as they reached the bottom of the stairwell, she realised that, instead of stars, they were lights from a row of Victorian houses across the road from a town square, stretching far into the distance. "But, this is incredible," she gasped. "A whole street in a travel bag."
"A whole town, actually," the Doctor corrected her. "I've lost count of the number of residents. Fortunately, our host lives just a few doors along from here."
Evelyn looked behind her. The stairwell they had just alighted from was still in plain sight, the higher steps disappearing up into the sky. Yes, there was a clear blue sky. And a light breeze fanned across her face. To all intents and purposes, they were in a Victorian town square in the middle of the afternoon.
As they made their way through the street, they saw children laughing and running from a nearby park, clutching paper kites as they hurried to their respective homes. The Doctor checked his fob watch. "Almost tea time," he noted. There was something familiar about all of this, Evelyn realised. But she couldn't quite place where she had seen it before. It was like something out of a Victorian postcard, but it was much more than that.
Presently, they arrived at the house in question. The front door was open, as if they were expected. "Hello, Mary?" the Doctor called out.
"In here, Doctor," came the reply. As they made their way toward the living room, they passed by an umbrella stand. Evelyn was quite taken with one umbrella whose handle was shaped like a parrot's head. She could have sworn she saw it blink.
Upon entering the living room, Evelyn was taken aback by all the rich finery before her. The occasional table was covered by a silk tablecloth, and upon that was laid a tea set of the finest china. The room itself was tastefully decorated, leaving Evelyn temporarily lost for words.
She turned her attention to the aforementioned Mary. She was young, possibly in her early thirties, Evelyn guessed, and wore a formal, high-necked dress. Her hair was dark, and tied up in a bun. "You must be Evelyn," Mary said, smiling. "The Doctor has told me so much about you."
The Doctor directed Evelyn to a chaise lounge, where he completed the introductions, while Mary poured tea for them all. "Did you have a good journey," she asked.
"Eventful, certainly," Evelyn replied. "It's a strange thing, but I feel as though I've seen all of this before."
Mary laughed, a pleasant sound that Evelyn couldn't help but join in with. "Yes, most visitors have said the same. And yes, I do know that we are inside a travel bag."
"But how?" Evelyn wondered. "How is this possible?"
"Evelyn, you've seen the TARDIS," the Doctor told her. "This is just a variation along the same lines. The difference is that, if she chooses, Mary can leave this place, step out from her travel bag, and carry it with her to her next port of call."
"So you're a traveller, Mary, like the Doctor?"
"In some ways, yes," she replied. "You could say that that I'm on a mission to help others live their lives better than before."
"Mary and I have known each other for some time," the Doctor explained. "She helps me out once in a while, and I do the same for her. It's an equitable agreement."
Mary nodded. "The Doctor's recent visit to Earth in 2260 allowed me to leave the TARDIS and fulfil a long standing arrangement in London."
"You were successful, I trust?" the Doctor asked.
"Some long standing problems were resolved," she said. "I think the family concerned were grateful."
The Doctor detected a note of sadness in Mary's voice. "But you miss the children, don't you?"
She nodded. "That's the hardest part about what I do. I always seem to form an attachment with them, and it's always so hard for me to leave."
"Sounds like a full life," said Evelyn. "But judging by the look of this fine house, I wouldn't have seen you as a social worker."
A look passed between Mary and the Doctor, the latter giving a slight nod. "I wouldn't quite put it in those terms, Evelyn," she told her. "But if there were an official job title, you could perhaps describe what I do as being a nanny."
"Oh, I see," Evelyn realised, as she raised the cup of teas to her lips. "A nanny, just like Mary…" She froze, aware of what she had almost said. Uncertain, she looked to the Doctor – and he nodded, confirming what she was now thinking. But it couldn't be.
Mary laid a comforting hand on Evelyn's shoulder. "Yes, Evelyn. I am who you believe me to be. Is it that much of a shock?"
"But, I…" Evelyn looked at them both. "It's a work of fiction, it must be. I've read the stories by P L Travers."
"Ah, those," Mary smiled, understanding. "They barely scratched the surface."
The Doctor leaned close to Evelyn. "There was much in Mary's life that never came to light, and so was never published. Today, Evelyn, you get to meet the real person."
Evelyn took a few deep breaths to regain her composure. "Doctor, you never cease to amaze me."
"I do my best," he said, modestly.
Evelyn at last took a sip of tea, only to wrinkle her nose at the taste. "Oh dear," she said. "Not sweet enough."
"Perhaps a spoonful of sugar?" Mary suggested, offering the bowl. Then the three of them laughed, as they realised what had just been said.
And as the afternoon wore on, the Doctor and Evelyn took afternoon tea with Mary, exchanging stories and anecdotes in a house that was one of many on a Victorian street, which was one of many streets in a Victorian town.
Which was one of many towns housed inside a red travel bag.