The day I met him, my whole life changed. He came into my life so suddenly, the Doctor.
Mum and I had been visiting Gran in London. Gran's house always bored me to death. There was no computer, no telly, not even a radio; just Gran and her three welsh corgis, Francine, Duchess and Mariella. I sat on the couch, focusing on braiding my long red hair, while Gran rambled on about some man she knew in the past. Mum was falling asleep, trying too hard to pay attention.
I had decided to take a walk through the streets. London was much busier than my home place: Cardiff. I got lost quickly, not knowing my way around. I wandered aimlessly through the roads until I found a strange-looking little shop.
"Immobile Circus." the sign read. I had been to the circus once with Dad. It was one of the greatest experiences I had gotten to share with him before he died. I pushed open the large purple door and stepped into the dimly-lit shop.
"Welcome, young lady, to the Immobile Circus. Here, we have many toys and trinkets you would find at the finest circus." echoed the voice of the shop owner as I walked in. There must have been a speaker system around, because I couldn't see the holder of the voice.
There was a large table set up around the center of the room. On top was a small circus. There was a tent, a ferris wheel, several small stands and a beautifully carved carousel. Gathered around the attractions was a large crowd of toy people. It seemed so real; as if it could come to life at any moment. The people, though, didn't give the impression of a typical circus-goer. Their expressions were sad, terrified even.
I touched my finger to the ferris wheel, forcing it to turn. Miniature lights came on and music started to play. The whole circus came to life, but the tiny people remained the same.
"Do be careful. It is quite a fragile display." came the voice from behind me. Turning to see the man whom the voice belonged to, I said, "It really is wonderful."
The man was small and pudgy. His beady black eyes didn't seem to know which way to turn. He reached a large, fat hand to his balding head, slicking back what hair he had left.
"It is, isn't it?" said the shop keeper, mesmerized by the moving circus. "So then, young lady, what is it you had in mind? Looking for something particular or just window-shopping?"
"Oh, the second. I got lost, you see and your shop appeared rather interesting." I said, admiring a shelf of sad-looking clowns.
"Ah, I see. I noticed you had been appreciating my small circus. You see that carousel there?" he said, pointing at the iridescent carousel.
"Yes." I said, "It's beautiful."
"If you look carefully, some say you can see the spirits of people who have owned it in the past." he said, turning to dust off a display to the side.
I couldn't stop myself from staring into the stunning heart of the carousel. It started glowing bright blue. Stars gathered around the edges. Faces appeared out of nowhere. It was all so mysterious and compelling. I couldn't take my eyes away from it. Terrified voices started coming out of it.
"Help us!" "Don't look!" "No!"
The world began spinning. Lights were flying all around me. I heard a loud shrieking sound, sort of like an engine of sorts.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was grabbed by the arm and pulled away from the mystifying light of the carousel. I fell hard to the ground and caught a glimpse of the man as he threw the carousel to the ground. It hit hard and shattered into small pieces. As it broke, it stopped glowing and the voices were no longer heard.
The little man yelled out and fell. "No! My souls! What have you done?!"
Before I could perceive exactly what was going on, the little man started melting into the floorboards. The toy people came to life and grew to their rightful sizes. All looking scared and confused, they hurriedly ran out of the shop.
I stood up slowly, eyeing the tall, rugged man in front of me. He wore a pinstriped suit with a brown trench-coat and sneakers. When he had appeared, so did a big blue phone booth. He turned to face me. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes." I replied, "But, who are you?"
He gave me a big, toothy grin. "I'm the Doctor." he said.
"I'm sorry. Doctor who?" I asked.
"Exactly." he replied. "And you are?"
I looked at him, not sure whether I should give him my name. He was still grinning, waiting for me to reply.
"Blake Palmer." I said, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to give this 'Doctor' my name.
"Well, Blake Palmer, would you like to travel with me?" he asked, perfectly calm, as if we'd known each other for a while.
"I'm sorry. What? We've only just met. I don't even know who you are." I said, confused. Part of me, though, really wanted to trust him; to go with the Doctor.
He went over to the blue phone booth. "Well, that's the fun in it all, isn't it?"
I looked toward the door of the shop. 'What would Mum think if I don't return?' I thought. 'Oh, well, I am 19. I can go off on my own if I want.'
"Ok." I said. "I'll come with you."
"Brilliant!" he said. "Let's go then."
He held his hand out to me. I grabbed hold and he led me into his phone booth. The inside was huge. It was amazing.
"It's... bigger on the inside." I said, bewildered by this strange telephone box.
"This is the TARDIS." he said. "Welcome aboard."