Disclaimer: I DO NOT own the characters of Doctor Who. They belong to the BBC. I do, however, take credit for the invention of my character Evelyn and the fictional town of Wotchdoor, New Mexico.
Chapter 1: Welcome to Wotchdoor
The sun rose lazily over the small town of Wotchdoor, New Mexico. It was a brisk January morning, slight snow threatening to fall from the overhanging clouds. The town inhabitants had barely begun to awaken, ready to prepare for the new day's work. Wotchdoor was a small outcrop in the dusty plains. The closest large city was Albuquerque, and even that was 150 miles out. The population of a measly 700 were mostly made up of farmers and local business owners, happy to keep to themselves. Most people had never even heard of Wotchdoor and its no wonder, considering you could blink and drive right through it, never even knowing it was there.
But the citizens of Wotchdoor had a humble adoration for it, proud of its short history. When the town was first founded in 1954, the entering town sign was to read Watchdoor: proud to be New Mexican. However, the workers who were to build the sign were drunk, ordered the wrong letters, and actually wrote Wotchdoor: praud ta be New Mexicon. The members of the city hall did not want to waste money by changing the sign again, so they decided to leave it as is. Over time the sign and the town's unique name became an ongoing joke, a good story to tell travelers (if any travelers happened to stop by, that is), and the name, Wotchdoor, stuck.
To eleven year-old Evelyn, Wotchdoor was just a dusty old town. She had found Wotchdoor in 2001 (after she ran away from her last foster home) looking for a place to stay. She had hated her life in Albuquerque, being tossed from one orphanage to the next, her foster parents kicking her out for being a "misbehaving, insolent little girl." whatever. She had decided she would be better off on her own. She hitched a ride with a semi-truck driver, scraping up just enough cash to get to get him to let her ride with him, at least until his next stop; Wotchdoor. It had been perfect, small quiet, and out in the middle of nowhere. No one would come looking for little Evelyn way out here.
Evelyn went exploring the city, easy to do, considering there wasn't much to explore. She wondered what to do next. Where would she go? She had no money, no family. She really just needed a place to stay.
Her worn out sneakers were dragging across the pavement as she turned down a neighborhood street. The houses were small, but not shabby. Most had full yards of green grass and small gardens. But one house caught Evelyn's attention in particular. Cat the end of the long line of houses sat a broken down home, literally falling apart before her eyes.
Cracked shingles were falling from what was left of the roof. Evelyn could see a giant hole in the backside of the building, con-caving what used to be the second story. The once paisley colored stucco was now a greyish-yellow and giant paint chips were missing everywhere. The 2 visible windows were both smashed, leaving broken glass strewn across the warped wood of the front porch. The yard had been seriously neglected, leaving brown grass and hungry weeds to devour what was left of it. The only thing that seemed to be completely intact was the front door. The faded blue structure was shut tight.
For some reason, Evelyn was drawn to the strange house. She had the strongest urge to go inside. Making sure no one was around to see her, she climbed through a broken window, careful to avoid the glass ridges of the window edge.
The inside of the house was far worse than the outside, for sure. Dead leaves and dirt littered the floors. Furniture was scattered around the small rooms, covered in yellowing sheets. A broken grandfather clock rested in the corner by the door, long since dead. Its hand were permanently fixed at 8:03. And the smell! Evelyn had to cover her nose with her sleeve to keep from gagging. Obviously running water was no longer a luxury in this house.
It was dank, and musty and smelly, but it would do. She would stay here, at least until she could find someplace better. Hopefully none of the neighbors saw her climb through the window, she didn't want anyone calling the cops.
"Right," Evelyn said to no one in particular, considering she was all by herself. "lets clean this place up." she went into what was left of the kitchen. All the cabinet doors had been stripped and there were not any appliances. Evelyn scrounged around, looking for a broom, finally finding one shoved alone in the back of the pantry.
She looked around at the desolate house, armed with her broom. This was going to take a long time.