The Last Adventure of Melody Pond.
"Mama, I'm scared. Could I sleep with you and Papa tonight?"
"There's nothing out there sweetie," Mama said, her arms curling around the little boy's body. "I am very sure of that."
The boy slipped out of his mother's arms and put his hands on the cool glass of his window, where he trailed his fingers on the rain droplets that pattered ferociously as the dark grey skies thundered like the awakening moan of a monster.
Anthony was really just thinking. Quietly contemplating whether he should tell Mama about the large stone gargoyles that stared at him when he was at Benedict's Home for Orphaned Boys. How their heads turned when no one was looking. How they smiled in the dark, how their eyes gleamed when it rained and lighting illuminated their grotesque faces.
"Mama, I'm scared," he said again, silent tears soaking his cheeks, "Please don't go."
Mama sighed, watching her toddler son as she tied her ginger hair into a loose bun in resolve. He was not going to have nightmares, she promised, not like the ones she had oh so long ago.
"Anthony, come here," she beckoned and he settled in her warm safe arms. "Whenever you feel scared, when its just too dark, always remember that there will be one person always watching over you."
"It's you mama," he said tugging her nightdress and burying his face into her warmth.
"Yes, but sometimes mama needs help."
"Papa!" Anthony asserted quickly. Mama smiled.
"Always," Mama reassured. "but there is one other very important person who will always protect you. Her name is Melody Pond. And she is a superhero."
Anthony Williams walked down the streets of Leadworth. In one hand, he carried a parcel. In the other, he held a small piece of paper with a hastily written address on it.
Melody Pond fights monsters, Anthony. She battles aliens from outer space. Her weapon of choice is her sonic blaster.
He followed the instructions and soon found his destination. It was beautiful, he had to admit, with shrubs of greenery peppering the garden, the walkway and the windows neatly. They were well maintained and looked constantly watered.
She is fierce but utterly compassionate. She glows when it's dark so you'll never feel lonely. She has a halo over her head. It is golden.
Before ringing the bell, Anthony sighed. This house looked too big for just one person.
He held his breath as he saw his grandfather emerging in the doorway. "Excuse me, but who are you?"
It stung initially. This man was younger than he was. And he had never seen him in his entire life. His own grandfather. The one who was supposed to take him fishing and allow ice cream for breakfast because his parents' didn't. Oh, lord.
"I was meant to deliver this to you, sir."
Brian eyed the man and took the parcel quickly, disappearing into his house - where the darkness consumed him. Anthony waited outside.
She is strong. Throw anything at her and she well face the world with a smile. She is a wall, Anthony. A magnificent wall so you can stand on the other side and be safe. She will make you brave.
A few moments later, Anthony heard Brian call, "Come here, son." Anthony held his breath, emotion clogging his trachea. He stepped into Brian's home, the place in which his father spent his childhood. He could still smell the familiar scent of Rory Williams. He could see memories, shadows of his father as a little boy, bounding up and down the staircase, rushing past the front door. He could only stand there and watch everything he had missed out.
She will always be there for you, Anthony. When you really need her, she'll be there. Just call her name. She's your big sister.
Brian embraced him. It was perfect, like a dream. The safe arms of his grandfather. The warmth of family. "I love you," Brian whispered softly. Sobs wracked his form and Anthony could only squeeze tighter. Memorizing everything about this man, as if he would slip away too soon.
Hours passed, they felt like years. And soon it was time to go. They didn't say goodbye - for they made sure there will be more times like this.
He shrugged on his trench coat and fixed his hat. As he left the house, he saw her. Like a ghost, she sat there on the bench in Brian's garden as if no one would see her. She didn't seem to see him, too absorbed in the feeling of her grandfather's home. The last of her kin.
He knew he was too old for fairy tales. His mama was long gone to tell him the stories. But he still remembered every one of them, like it was just yesterday, they were cuddled while the harsh coastal storms of Manhattan thundered against his window. And he knew that he was part of them. He was apart of this huge magnificent story, albeit playing a small character and he was extremely proud. The look on her face, the twinkle in her eyes- this was his sister, Melody Pond. She would be there, he was sure, to tell him everything one day. Tell him all her adventures until her throat when dry and his ears would start humming in delight. She was his hero; she protected him even when she didn't mean to. She battled monsters and travelled through time and space. He was so proud.
"Hello," he wanted to say. "Mama told me about you. She told me everything."
Then, "River!" said a voice calling from thin air. He saw the woman sigh and take in a breath of fresh air- as if savoring the place for it would be her last time coming here. Anthony didn't doubt that. He simply tipped his hat in direction, "Goodbye, Melody."
There were so many things I want to say.
The woman caught his gesture and she stared at him with confusion. Her eyebrows cinched together but a smile formed on her lips. Slowly, she raised her hand and waved back, "Goodbye."
She doesn't know me - she probably never will.
He watched in awe as she turned and pulled open a piece of the atmosphere as if it were a door and stepped inside, taking one last look at her grandfather's house before disappearing forever.
Perhaps that was a story for another time.
After all, he knew, with all his heart, that her story was never going to end.