Young Leila Pond kneeled next to her bed. Her aunt was out at the moment and her sister Amelia was sleeping over at Rory's house. So the 7 years old girl was home by herself. Was she scared being home along? No. She never got scared of anything. Unless you count the dark. She hated the dark. "Dear Santa. Thank you for the dolls and pencils and the fish. It's Easter now, so I hope I didn't wake you, but honest, it is an emergency. There's a crack in my wall," Leila said as she turned and looked at the crack. "Aunt Sharon and Amelia says it's just an ordinary crack, but . . . I know it's not, because at night there's voices, so please, please, could you send someone to fix it? Or a policeman. Or a -" Leila said. She heard something in the back yard.
"Back in a moment," Leila said. She got off the floor, grabbing a flashlight from her nightstand. She ran to her window. She pulled back the curtain and see a police box. Leila looked up at the sky. "Thank you, Santa," Leila said.
Leila grabbed her jacket and ran outside. With the flashlight on she make her way towards the box. Once she's there the doors suddenly open and a grappling hook is thrown out. Leila watched as she waits for the person to come out. A man come out. "Could I have an apple? All I can think about. Apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving? That's new. Never had cravings before," The man said as he climbed out of the box. "Whoa. Look at that," The man said as he looked inside the box. "Are you okay?" Leila asked. The man swigged both of his legs over the side of the box to where he is sitting on the edge of it. "Just had a fall. All the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up," The man said.
"You're soaking wet," Leila said. "I was in the swimming pool," The man said. "You said you were in the library," Leila said. "So was the swimming pool," The man said. "Are you a policeman?" Leila asked. "Why? Did you call a policeman?" The man asked. "Did you come about the crack in my wall?" Leila asked. "What crack? Argh!" The man said as he fell to the ground. "Are you all right, mister?" Leila asked. "No, I'm fine. It's okay. This is all perfectly norm -" The man said. He opened his mouth and a golden air come from his mouth.
"Who are you?" Leila asked. "I don't know yet. I'm still cooking. Does it scare you?" The man asked. "No, it just looks a bit weird," Leila replied. "No, no, no. The crack in your wall. Does it scare you?" The man asked. "Yes," Leila replied. "Well then, no time to lose. I'm The Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off," The Doctor said as he jumped up and walked away. He walked into a tree and fell on the ground. "Are you all right?" Leila asked. "Early days. Steering's a bit off," The Doctor replied. Leila helped The Doctor up and she heads towards the house with The Doctor behind.
"If you're a doctor, why does your box say Police?" Leila asked. She hands The Doctor the apple and he took a bit out of it then he spits it out. "That's disgusting. What is that?" The Doctor asked. "An apple," Leila replied. "Apple's rubbish. I hate apples," The Doctor said. "You said you loved them," Leila said. "No, no, no. I like yoghurt. Yoghurt's my favourite. Give me yoghurt," The Doctor said. Leila sighed then she walked towards the fridge and grabbed a yoghurt and give it to The Doctor.
The Doctor opened it and pours the yoghurt in his mouth then he spits it out. "I hate yoghurt. It's just stuff with bits in," The Doctor said. "You said it was your favourite," Leila said. "New mouth. New rules. It's like eating after cleaning your teeth. Everything tastes wrong. Argh!" The Doctor said. "What is it? What's wrong with you?" Leila asked. "Wrong with me? It's not my fault. Why can't you give me any decent food? You're Scottish. Fry something," The Doctor said.
Leila got the frying pay out while The Doctor dried his hair with a towel. "Ah, bacon!" The Doctor said with a smile. The Doctor set on the table. Leila put the bacon on the plate and she put the plate in front of The Doctor and he started to eat. The Doctor smiled and Leila smiled too. Then The Doctor spat out the bacon and Leila sighed. "Bacon. That's bacon. Are you trying to poison me?" The Doctor asked.
Leila put a saucepan of baked beans and get heated up. "Ah, you see? Beans," The Doctor said with a smile. The Doctor set on the table again. Leila put the beans on the plate and she put the plate in front of The Doctor and he started to eat. Then The Doctor spat out the beans in the sink. Leila wrinkled her nose. "Beans are evil. Bad, bad beans," The Doctor said. Leila got out bread and butter and make it for The Doctor. "Bread and butter. Now you're talking," The Doctor said with a smile. Leila handed it to him. The Doctor gave a bit and then took the plate of bread and butter outside. He throw the plate of bread and butter out, hitting a cat. "And stay out!" The Doctor said and got inside the house.
Leila opened the fridge and looked inside. "We've got some carrots," Leila said. "Carrots? Are you insane? No. Wait. Hang on. I know what I need. I need, I need, I need fish fingers and pudding," The Doctor said as he pulled out fish fingers and pudding out of the fridge.
The Doctor contentedly dips the fish fingers into a bowl of custard and eats, while Leila had ice cream. The Doctor had a pudding on his lips and Leila smiled. The Doctor smiled and wiped the pudding from his lips. "Funny," Leila said. "Am I? Good. Funny's good. What's your name?" The Doctor asked. "Leila Pond," Leila replied. "Oh, that's a brilliant name. Leila Pond. Are we in Scotland, Leila?" The Doctor asked.
"No. We had to move to England. It's rubbish," Leila replied. "So what about your mom and dad, then? Are they upstairs? Thought we'd have woken them by now," The Doctor said. Leila's face fell. "I don't have a mom and dad. Just an aunt and a sister, Amelia," Leila replied. The Doctor nodded. "I don't even have an aunt and a sister," The Doctor said. "You're lucky you don't have a aunt," Leila said. "I know. So, your aunt and your sister, where are they?" The Doctor asked.
Leila sighed. "My aunt is out. Amelia is sleeping over at a friend's house," Leila replied. The Doctor frowned. "And they left you all alone?" The Doctor asked. "I'm not scared," Leila said. "Course, you're not. You're not scared of anything. Box falls out of the sky, man falls out of a box, man eats fish custard, and look at you, just sitting there. So you know what I think?" The Doctor asked. "What?" Leila asked. "Must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall," The Doctor said.
Leila lad The Doctor to her bedroom. The crack is about three to four feet long, and slightly W shaped. The Doctor walked over to the crack. Leila was by the doorway with a apple in her hand. "You've had some cowboys in here. Not actual cowboys, though that can happen," The Doctor said.
Leila walked over to The Doctor. "I used to hate apples, so my mom put faces on them," Leila said. She gave The Doctor the apple with a smiley face cut into it. "She sounds good, your mom. I'll keep it for later. This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's a thing. Where's the draught coming from?" The Doctor asked.
The Doctor pulled a tool, a blue light flashed and it made a strange whirring sound. "Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey. You know what the crack is?" The Doctor asked. "What?" Leila asked. "It's a crack. But I'll tell you something funny. If you knocked this wall down, the crack would stay put, because the crack isn't in the wall," The Doctor said. "Where is it then?" Leila asked. "Everywhere. In everything. It's a split in the skin of the world. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched, pressed together right here in the wall of your bedroom. Sometimes, can you hear?" The Doctor asked. "A voice. Yes," Leila replied.
The Doctor empties Leila's nighttime glass of water and used it to listen to the crack. "Prisoner Zero?" The Doctor asked. "Prisoner Zero has escaped. That's what I heard. What does it mean?" Leila asked. "It means that on the other side of this wall, there's a prison and they've lost a prisoner. And you know what that means?" The Doctor asked. "What?" Leila asked. "You need a better wall," The Doctor said. He moves Leila's table. "The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way. The forces will invert and it'll snap itself shut. Or," The Doctor said. "What?" Leila asked. "You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?" The Doctor asked. Leila rolled her eyes. "Yes," Leila replied. "Everything's going to be fine," The Doctor said with a smile.
The Doctor hold his hand out to Leila. She took his hand and behind him. The Doctor aims the tool at the crack. It widens, flooding the bedroom with bright light. "Prisoner Zero has escaped. Prisoner Zero has escaped," A voice said. "Hello? Hello?" The Doctor called. Suddenly a giant blue eye looks at them through the crack.
"What's that?" Leila asked. A bolt of light goes to The Doctor, and he doubles over, then the crack closes again. "There, you see? Told you it would close. Good as new," The Doctor said. "What's that thing? Was that Prisoner Zero?" Leila asked. "No. I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was, it sent me a message. Psychic paper. Takes a lovely little message," The Doctor said as he shoved the paper. "Prisoner Zero has escaped. But why tell us? Unless," The Doctor said. He got up. "Unless what?" Leila asked. "Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here. But he couldn't have. We'd know," The Doctor said.
He ran to the corridor. "It's difficult. Brand new me. Nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing. In the corner of my eye," The Doctor said and he looked behind him slowly at something. Then there was a bell tolls. "No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor said as he ran outside, and Leila followed.
The Doctor and Leila ran to the garden. "I've got to get back in there. The engines are phasing. It's going to burn!" The Doctor said. "But it's just a box. How can a box have engines?" Leila asked. "It's not a box. It's a time machine," The Doctor said.
"What, a real one? You've got a real time machine?" Leila asked. "Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilised. Five minute hop into the future should do it," The Doctor said. "Can I come?" Leila asked. "Not safe in here. Not yet. Five minutes. Give me five minutes, I'll be right back," The Doctor said as he got up the box. "People always say that," Leila said.
The Doctor looked at the little girl. He swigged both of his legs over and walked over Leila. He kneeled down in front of her. "Am I people? Do I even look like people? Trust me. I'm The Doctor," The Doctor said with a smile. Little Leila smiled as he swigged both of his legs over the box. He looked at Leila who was smiling. The Doctor smiled and he jumped down into the box. "Geronimo!" The Doctor's voice said.
There was a splash. The doors close and the box disappeared. Leila smiled and ran back to her room, she got a suitcase from underneath her bed and packed. She dressed in duffel coat and a hat, Leila ran to the garden. She set on her suitcase and waited, and waited.
For 12 years.