Stories can be important for childrens lives. They can make them feel happy. They can give them hope and can make them believe in miracles. In the Librook orphanage, books are very important...
A group of kids gathered around the oldest member of the orphanage-a 17 year old girl, named Jessica. With her dark hair and dark eyes she may look like an ordinary girl, but she's definitely not. Behind that tough look and speech hides a very vulnerable girl, who doesn't believe in herself much. But this kids, her brothers and sisters do. They make her feel make her happy.
„Jessie? What story are you going to read to us today?" A little boy, who was sitting next to her asked. They were all curious and excited. Jessica laughed and looked at the children. She raised her eyebrows and dramatically said: „ Today I'm going to read to you about... PIRATES!"
„Pirates.." Somebody said after her. Jessica gently touched the beautiful, old, blue cover of the book and opened at the story with pirates and started reading:
„Rory and I are traveling with the Doctor for a while now,and we ran out of ideas where to go next. The Doctor said that we have to prepare for a big adventure, because we were about to have one. It almost feels like he thinks we are getting bored with him and his magic box. But how could anyone get bored with him. Even going to a shop with him is big adventure! But he's acting like a child and you just can't proove anything to him . Anyway he said that we are going to visit pirates. „We are going on a pirate ship! A real, proper, historic pirate ship!" He was so happy, and so was I. As a child I had a faze with pirates. I wanted to be one. But Rory isn't very happy with this idea. „It could be dangerous!" He said. Of course it will be dangerous! After all we are going with the Doctor... His magic box broght us on a ship. The moment we got out of magic box we got into trouble, big trouble. The ship was filled with pirates. Scary and unfrendly pirates who captured us. „It's okay! We are coming in peace!" Rory said. „Yes! We are nice and friendly and we're just visiting!" The Doctor tapped one of them on the shoulder, but he pointed his sword in his face. Well if they are not going to do anything smart, I will. As they were fighting I managed to escape and find sword,rusty, but it will do to the job. Next to it was a pirate hat. I couldn't resist so I took it and put on my head. I swang on the rope and pointed the sword in their faces. „Now, leave my boys alone!" I tried to sound scary. „Hey lady, be careful with that!" A tall pirate, with white hair and black teeth said. „Well I wouldn't take it it if I was going to be careful!" I pointed the sword on his chin and scratched him, just to scare him for a bit, or to piss him off... „What have you done!" He said out of his mind. „I'm going to die!" „Are you crazy?! I just scratched you! You are more dramatic then the Doctor!" The Doctor laughed, but others weren't that cheerful. „No. You don't understand. She will come and kill me!" The Pirate looked so scared. „Who will come?" As I asked some kind of a ghost mermaid came out of the sea. The Pirate was looking at her like she was the prettiest thing on this planet. She started to sing a song and he started walking torwards her. Others tried to keep him away from her, but her spell was too strong. She put her ghost hands on him and kissed him. The kiss kille-„
In the midle of the story somebody rang the doorbell. Everybody was confused. No one ever rang that bell.
„You stay here. I'm going to see what that is." Jessica told the kids and went to the door. When she opened it she was suprised. A tall older man was standing there. There was something different about him. Something strange. He was looking at her with his blue eyes. She couldn't help herself from noticing what was he wearing. He had brown, tight pants with stripes and a pink jumper with some kind of blue cubes. The colour of these cubes was the same as the colour of Jessicas' book. She smiled at him and asked. : „Can I help you?"
„Yes! Of course you can help me! That's why I rang! I came because I want you to help me." He said fast with a Schottisch accent, so it was a bit hard for her to understand him. Jessica looked at him blankly. She opened her mouth to answer him, but a word didn't came out. After a moment she managed to ask. „Help you with what?"
„A pigeon!" said the man said loudly. „Did you see a pigeon?" She looked at him like he fell from Mars.
„Are you looking for a particular pigeon?" She laughed. Her laugh soon become awkward. Now he was the one who thougt she fell from Mars.
„I'm looking for a pigeon-man." He said almost whispering, like he was sharing a secret with her.
„What?" She laughed again. „Is this some kind of a joke?" The man didn't say a word. He just kept looking at her. „Okay, I'm gonna ask you. What is a pigeon-man?"
„For God sake! Use your logic! It's a combination of a pigeon and man! It has a human body, the beak of a pigeon, and feathers on hands! And yes, he has red eyes!" The kids inside started being loud, so Jessica went out and closed the door. She didn't want to expose them to a possible mad man.
„Totally logical!" She found herself staring at him. That would be awkward to any normal person, but this strange man was staring at her too.
„So, did you see him?" He asked her again. Slowly, he started being very anoyed with the girl.
„No."
„Are you sure?"
„I think I would remember if I ever saw a pigeon-man"
„Okay, thank you." The Man started walking away. Jessica didn't want to let him go just like that. She was intrigued by him. And she wanted answers. She also wanted to know who he is so she started following him.
„Hey. You! Crazy man! Wait for me!" She just relised that she ran form her orphanage just to be with this crazy man. She thought to herself that she must be a little bit crazy too. These days everybody is little bit crazy. Sometimes, crazy can be healthy. „Who are you? What are you doing here? Were you serious about that pigeon-man?" She started asking all of those questions. He looked at her and said. :"Yes. This is serious. No metter how silly it sounds, pigeon-man is dangerous. And that's why you should go home and be safe." He was pointing his finger at her face, gently flicking her face.
„Are you alone here?" She completely ignored what he just said. She was a stubborn girl.
„Yes." He answered her, even though he doesn't know why.
„Well, then you need someone to protect you!" She hugged his arm and smiled at him. „My name is Jessica, but everybody calls me Jessie. So please, call me Jessie."
„I'm the Doctor and I most certainly do not need your help! I think i can manage it on my own." The Doctor was looking at her like he tried to scare her. And he did. He had crazy eyes.
„Oh my God. You're the Doctor. From my book.. And you have magi-„ Suddenly out of nowhere a group of birds, most of them pigeons, showed up. They started attacking them. They were wawing their messy wings. Jessica looked at the Doctor who was freaking out. They were flying around them so quickly, louldly...This is first fight he has since he changed, so he was a bit rusty. He pointed his sonic screwdriver at them, but it looked like it didn't do it's magic. But Jessica had an idea. A crazy idea, but better a crazy idea, then no idea at all. She took of her shoe and threw it at the birds. The Doctor looked at her with such reached for her hand and said :"Run!" Jessica dreamt of this moment so many times, and it finaly happend. She was going on an adventure with the Doctor.
The birds weren't distracted for long. They started following them again. In the middle of the street was a blue box, like the one the Doctor had on his jumper. „This must be his magic box that's bigger on the inside!" Jessica whispered. They ran into it and left the birds out there.
„Oh my God! Oh my God!" Jessica couldn't stop saying it. The Doctor was just waiting for her to say the famous words. „It really is bigger on the inside! All the buttons!" She was touching the consol with the biggest smile you could see on a person. . „Do you know what all of them do?"
„Of course I know! I'm the Doctor!" For the first time Doctor felt happy. He had someone to share this advanture. With someone who doesn't judge him. With someone who's happy with his new face.
„So, where are Amilia and Rory?" Jessica asked randomly. The smile on Doctor's face was gone now. He looked angry. So angry. He lost them. Jessica sighed with fear.
„I'm sorry... I didn't-" She tried to apologize.
„How do you know of Amelia and Rory, and when I said to you who I was you acted like you know me. And you knew the TARDIS. Who the hell are you?!" The doctor was holding Jessicas' arm so tight. She was afraid of him. A tear came from her eye. The Doctor saw that he was hurting her. It took for a few seconds for him to let her go.
„I read it in a book." Jessica said with fear and a shivering voice.
„What book?" He asked quietly, but with the same doze of anger.
„It's a long story."
„Well we have all the time."
„They found it next to me, when I was lying on the street unconscious. Ugh, not long story after all." She smiled at him. The Doctor wasn't happy with that answer. He wanted to know more. This girl was a mystery to him. And he was a mystery to her. But right now he didn't have time. He had work to do. And he was stuck with this girl.
„Okay. We're gong to the pigeon planet." He said and pressed almost all buttons, almost like he was showing off.
„Wait. There is pigeon planet?" And she thought nothing can suprise her. The Doctor smiled and nodded his head. Jessica looked down and realised she didn't have a shoe. „Doctor, do you have any shoes?"
„Yes! You just go there and turn left and you'll find it" He pointed with his finger.
Jessica went where he said and left the Doctor alone. He was thinking about Clara. He left her. He left his companion just like that. Just because she was irritating him. Because she wanted her old Doctor back . He knew he changed, but he is still the same man like before. And he wanted her to know that. Jessica got back and distracted him from his thoughts. She was wearing River's prison boots and had fez on her head, and long colourful scarf around her was smiling at him, as if what happened 5 minutes ago didn't happen at all.
„Are these yours?" As she made a spin,the long scarf was floating through air.
„They are too small for my feet unfortunately."
„I'm asking for this silly hat and scarf!" The Doctor looked deep in her eyes, she was thinking that he was going to hurt her again. „Does that look like something I'd wear?" Jessica burst into laughter. „So, yeah, it's yours!"
The TARDIS made some sound. Inside of it felt like some kind of earthquake. The Doctor was still standing, but Jessica fell.
„We landed!" He said proudly.
„You call that a landing! I fell!" She was tryng to reach for the fez that was now on the floor, but the Doctor pulled her hand and got her back on her feet.
They slowly walked out of the TARDIS. Pigeon Planet looked alot like Earth. It had houses, buildings, parks...Their grass was the greenest green a person could see. Even the sky looked the same. But when they looked down they saw sand. One pigeon-man passed by them. He had bloody red eyes, like the Doctor said. Evil eyes. Jessica was scared so she grabbed the Doctors' hand. They were slowly walking, not saying a word. She wondered what the hell they were doing here. It's a good place if you wanna get killed. She hated pigeons. She always thought there was something strange about them, something evil. And now she's on their planet. A planet not filled just with pigeons, but people that were pigeons at the same time. All of a sudden, a strange darkness fell and everything changed. All the streets were filled with pigeon-people. It was like in the scariest horror movie . But they were still walking, passing by them. After a 10 minute walk they got infront of a this building only the most important pigeon-people were gathering . Something like government on Earth.
„I'm the Doctor, maybe you heard of me. Anyway, I need someone who's incharge." The Doctor changed his voice. He tried to hide his accent. And he spoke slowly.
„I'm the one who's incharge. And who is she if I may ask?" Said the pigeon-man, who was dressed in a black suit. He was standing upright, and all the others looked barely made eye contact with him. Clearly he was incharge. He pointed his pigeon fingers in Jessica.
„Yuck" She said looking at it. „She is human! I mean Jessica! I'm human Jessica."
„So, Doctor, and... Human Jessica... What are you doing here?"
„We are here to talk about one of your man, or pigeon. Anyway, he's occupating Earth. Doing some nasty things." The Doctor explained.
„We are not responsible for him!"
„What do you mean you are not responsable for him'" The Doctor immitated him. „Of course you're responsable for him! He's one of your kind. You just can't leave him on Earth alone with his crazy idea to change humans in pigeon people!" Doctor was yelling now. Jessicas' mouth was wide open, she couldn't controle it. She just disconected of this conversation, and started thinking about other kids in the orphanage. She was so deep in her thoughts when Doctor took her hand to leave.
The Doctor was flying the TARDIS while Jessica was sitting. They were quiet for a while. Deep in their thoughts, their problems...
„What happened there? What did he say?" Jessica broke the silence.
„Nothing important. Just that he's not a part of them anymore. But all he wants is some company, that's why he wants to convert humans into pigeons" The Doctor was tryng to understand him.
„But, that's sick.I mean he can't just come to someons home and rule it. Try to change it. I would love to have a family too, but it's not okay from me to demand it. It's just like I said. Sick."
The Doctor looked at her and said: „I won't allow it. We are going to stop him. I don't know how, I just know that we will."
The TARDIS was parked in the same alley as the first time. They saw in newspaper that a lot people has disapeared, and some of them are in hospital. They have no memory, absolutly no idea who they are, or who their friends and family are. The wierd thing is that they don't have eyes. Somebody has removed their eyes. Jessica and the Doctor knew who did this. It looks like the pigeon-man already started his mission. People were found in abandoned buildings, so that's where they started.
They visited almost every single one of them when they finally found him. The mad pigeon-man made his own laboratory. But it wasn't like the usual laboratory. This one was messy, untidy... Spooky. Doctor and Jessica were hiding behind a big, rusty, almost decomposing table. They had to come up with a plan. In the middle of the room was a surgical bed and a person on it. The Pigeon-man was holding big scissors above a man.
„Muhahaha" You could hear his evil laugh to the other part of town. „You will become... The first... Person... That was transformed to a pigeon!" He started dancing his little pigeon dance. Pigeon-man clearly enjoyed hurting others. He started touching the man, with his dirty fingers, poking him with rotten nails. The man that was lying had his eyes closed, he was breathing heavly. His forhead was sweaty.
„You, my dear human, have no idea how priviledged you are! You will be my family. You will be my slave! I will own you!" He slowly took off his lab coat, and went to the table.
„One day you will thank me. One day you will proudly say 'I was the first one! Pigeon-God transformed me first!'One day..." He took a syringe from the table. Inside of it was some red stuff. You could assume that he'll put it in human's sistem. The Pigeon-man started walking towards the guy, and was singing a song. Not as good as he thought he did. In the moment he started leaning infront of the man,the Doctor jumped infront of him.
„Stop! Don't do it!" He yelled. Pigeon-man was suprised to see Doctor. Actually, to see anyone... He thought his „nest" was well hidden. Obviously, he was wrong.
„Or else?" He winded his red eyes, still holding syringe on man's wrist.
„Or else I'll set this little labaratory on fire! You see this thing?" Doctor took the sonicscrewdriver and showed him . „Just one app and everything you ever created will be gone. Puff" The Doctor made a sound of disapearing.
„Okay." He said arrogantly.
„Jessica, go and release that man" Doctor ordered, and girl listened. She went to the man and gently removed wierd handcuffs. His skin was red on the spot handcuffs were. She looked at him with shimpathy. After all, this man was tortured by a pigeon. In the middle of a negotiation Pigeon-man grabbed Jessica. He was breating on her neck. She felt very uncomfortable and discusted by this creature. He smelled her and said. :"She looks very tasty. But again, she could make a good slave. „You want to eat me?" Jessica knew it was better she didn't say anything, but her mouth works faster then her Pigeon-man squeezed her tighter and smelled her again, and didn't answer her.
„Leave her alone!" The Doctor was angry. He was shouting so loud... Jessica wasn't that afraid. She believed in her Doctor. She believed in her crazy hero. She knew he'll save her,but the question was how. But the Doctor was afraid. He didn't want to lose another one. He is so done with losing people. He was tryng so hard to come up with a solution... He was thinking, and thinking that his head almost exploded. But he had no idea. New body, new looks, new behaviour, and absolutely no saviour skills.
„Look Doctor. I've decided. She'll be my slave. She'll clean after me, she'll find new victims for me... Look!" Pigeon-man took a syringe he planned on using on that poor man and placed it on Jessica's neck. His pigeon fingers started pushing it. He was enjoying this little game between them.
„Jessie, duck!" Doctor yelled. Jessica at first thought he's talking about the bird, duck,so was pigeon-man. But in the end she understood him, and managed to pull out of his hug. She was on the floor now, looking at old chandelier that was falling on him. It was holding on just one thread and Doctor noticed that. He pointed his screwdriver at it, and this time it did his magic. Jessica was saved, the other man was saved and the Doctor disabled the pigeon-man. They found a big cage and locked the creature in it.
They decided to bring him back to his planet. After all, he was one of them. Even though he's the mean one.
„Doctor and human Jessica thank you so much!" The main pigeon-man thanked them. He was indeed greatful. The Doctor didn't say anything. He just gave him a big smile.
„No problem. At all. Even though he tried to kill me. But we, humans, have our own psyhopats so I understand." Jessie was thinking that she shouldn't said anything after 'No problem'.
The Doctor and Jessica were infront of her orphenage now. They were saying their goodbyes.
„Thank you Doctor. I would say for everything but again... You did yell at me, made me afraid of you. So thank you for most of the things. It really was..." She was trying to find a word, but it was a hard thing to do. „Different" She said in the end. „But a good different!"
„It turns out it was a good idea to take you with me. You did save my life." This was Doctor's way of saying thank you. For a man who speaks so much, he says so little.
„One day, you willcome back for me. You know, in a week or two..."She laughed and this time he joined her. „Oh, the boots. Your lady will want them back." She started taking them off but Doctor stopped her. : „ Well, you did destroy your sand shoes. I'm sure she won't mind."
„Sand shoes? Oh, I'm gonna show you the book!" She went inside for the book. It was on the same place she left it. But when she got out,the Doctor wasn't there.
„Please come back for me." She whispered..