When I was a young girl, my parents would tell me stories about a man. A mad man, the craziest man I could ever hope to meet. A Time Lord.
They told me about his travels. Not from country to country, but from planet to planet, and universe to universe. They told me about his transportation; a blue Police box, the bluest blue that ever was.
He would call it the TARDIS; Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It would take him anywhere in Time and Space. My parents told me about the monsters they fought with this man. Stories about Cybermen and Daleks, Sycorax and the Ood.
They told me that he visited me when I was a baby. I'd always thought they were childhood myths so I could have something to believe in, but now I know that's not the case. Every story about The Doctor was real.
I was walking through the woods, like I do from time to time, just to get away from my life and problems. The trees were blocking the sky and patches of sunlight bounced off the muddy path and green leaves.
I was taking a different path this afternoon, changing things around. Oh, and how smart I was to take a different direction. After carefully guiding my feet around the mud and roots of trees, I had tripped over a fallen branch and landed hard on the ground.
I clambered up and dusted my jeans off, looking around to check no one saw that when something caught my eye. A flash of dirty blue, hidden behind a tree. I walked around to inspect the object in my attention.
Tears sprung to my eyes as I stood in front of familiar relic. She leant against a tree, caked in mud and dust with Ivy growing across the door. I ran a hand down the woodwork as a silent tear rolled from my watery grey eyes.
The TARDIS was right in front of me, abandoned in the woods. In any other situation, people would describe the Police Box as beautiful or stunning. To me, the TARDIS looked... sad and worn, abandoned and lost.
I rested my forehead against the door, putting slight weight against the lock, and sighed.
"Oh Doctor, where have you been?" My voice could only be a whisper, carried in the wind.
A faint click snapped me out of my childhood nostalgia, the door creaked open. It must have been years since anyone had used that door. I cautiously stepped into the TARDIS, standing in awe at the doorway because of the size. It was bigger on the inside.
Most of the round things lining the walls had cracked and wires littered the floor. I steadied myself by holding on to the rails leading from the door. My footsteps echoed around the space as I reached the console.
It was dead and dull. No lights or anything. I gently ran a hand over the levers and buttons, wishing I knew how to fly this masterpiece. I knocked something to the floor and a clang rang through the air. Reaching down to pick it up, I saw the object was a golden fob watch.
Circular patterns detailed the top and bottom, with grooves in the side of the gold. I knew the language was Circular Gallifreyan, although I only knew how to read a few words. On the top of this watch, the words Time Lord, Gallifrey and Doctor were written and on the bottom; Supreme Council, Kasterborous, and the number 10.
I placed the watch back on the console when a quiet cough came from behind me. I almost jumped out my skin and spun around to find myself in the presence of the legend himself.
A brown-haired, brown-eyed mess stood at one of many doors. He was dressed in a brown pin-striped suit, a white shirt and brown trousers paired with a pair of red Converse. His hair was sticking up and messy, his eyes had bags underneath and his skin was pale.
"Hello, again." He greeted me with a sad smile. I walked up to him and placed a hand on his cold cheek. The Doctor nuzzled into the warmth and closed his eyes, a tear escaping. Oh, the years he spent alone, the hallucinations and regret.
"Oh Doctor, where have you been?" My voice came out as a deafening whisper. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his chest. His chin rested on my head and his arms tightened around my back.
The Doctor held on to me tightly, as if I would disappear if he loosened his grip.
This was the first human contact The Doctor had had in years.
He sure as hell wasn't letting it go.
