Chime in the Night

Chapter One: Pond Grass

It was quite a day. There was a high sun in the sky, bathing everything in a strong yellow heat and there was a slight wind in the air that gently caressed the long stalks that erupted through the ground and stretched up to the heavens. You wouldn't think anything out of place.

But then, suddenly this wind picked up. No longer caressing, it forced the stalks back, snapping some and whiping others. Not only the force increased, its presence did too, bringing with it a howling and screeching that no wind should ever have. The noise grew in pitch and ferocity, and a shape could be seen to emerge if you didn't have to shield your eyes from the wind's new-found strength.

A few seconds later and the wind returned to its tranquil state, but the field was no longer host only to stalks, both broken and whipped. Right in the middle, stood a great, blue police box. There was silence for a moment and then the doors of this box were flung open, creaking on ancient hinges and out emerged a man.

He was like nothing you would have expected to see, even after seeing an old blue police box emerge from out of sudden gale force winds. He had a long and wise face, with a childlike enthusiasm that lit up his ancient eyes. He wore a tweed jacket, patched at the elbows and long black trousers with red braces that stretched over a white shirt. His feet were clad in brown leather shoes, his black hair crashed over his forehead like a great wave and, oh yes, around his neck there was a neat, red bowtie.

Hey bowtie's are cool! And I hope you're making this interesting this time, you scholarly types always seem to miss out the good bits!

I am trying Doctor, but surely you remember that last time, for most of the 'good bits', I wasn't entirely myself. A certain screwdriver malfunction, combined with a Shilhop, planet-wide malady-

Shiltop

-And my favourite hat; meant that my mind wasn't exactly on the current situation.

Or anywhere nearby for that matter. Yes sorry about that, won't happen again. I'll let you carry on...

Please do. Honestly... sometimes I wish we didn't have to do this by psychic interface, but it is the best way to I suppose-

Especially since you weren't actually there for this one-

...

Sorry.

As I was saying, this man stepped from his old blue box enthusiastically, but then seemed to change his mind and go back inside, only to emerge again with a pair of 80's thin rimmed, red tinted glasses resting proudly upon his nose. He walked into the field, his eyes devouring his surroundings as, impossibly, two more people stepped from the small blue box.

One was a young woman, with long red hair, pale white skin and a weary expression, the other a young man, with short brown hair, marginally darker skin and an also weary expression as though they were parents, caring for their troublesome child. The woman looked disapproving at The Doctor's back, striding forwards to investigate what he was finding so vividly interesting. "Doctor where on Earth are we this time?" The Doctor looked up to answer but didn't get there fast enough. "And what are you wearing on your head?"

He pointed an accusing finger at her before replying "These were Ringo Star's! He leant them to me, sort-of, meaning sunglasses are cool. And I think you mean off Earth Mrs Pond!" He span around, his arms sweeping at the scenery. "These are the fields of Huran Val, famous for the delicious Pond grass." That wiped the weariness completely from Amy Pond's face.

"Really? Pond grass?"The Doctor nodded, indicating the stalks shooting up around them.

"Pond grass! The most favourably flavourable natural food this side of the Galaxy!" The Doctor tore the top of one of the nearest stalks in half, throwing a bit to Amy, before throwing his half into his mouth. His grin quickly disappeared as he chewed, quickly becoming replaced by a remorseful grimace as he swallowed. Amy did the same. "Argh!" he cried, the disgust ringing through his voice, "I told them! I told them to use natural fertilizers but oh no, we can make artificial and create it to do whatever we like! Ridiculous!"

The man, Rory Pond, had at this point reached the top of the field, and now stood waiting for them, scratching his head worriedly. "Doctor?" The Doctor started to walk towards him, his rant still continuing.

"I mean seriously is it that hard to change a lifetime of beliefs just because someone else told you to?"

"Doctor!"

"I even went to the lengths of showing them how to harvest and form it! Well there was a little sonicing involved but what's the point in life is you can't do a little... sonicing." The Doctor finally rested his eyes upon what Rory was trying to show him. Amy also stood beside her husband, her eyes fixed on the object distant in the background.

It was a house. A grand old manor house of discreet proprotions, it looked as though it had stood there for hundreds of years, and time hadn't been friendly. Its windows had been broken and then boarded and broken again, the grasses around it climbing as though to reclaim the structure into the Earth. It also had a crushing ivy that wound its way around the brickwork and through any cracks that was now so strong it was a part of the building itself.

The Doctor stood in a silent awe before finally regaining himself. "That is odd. What is such a beautiful house doing on Huran Val?" He looked around for any clues, people to ask, left over building materials; but instead he found a blue rectangle shrouded in a hedge nearby, still exposed enough to show the bold white letters stamped into its metal surface. Welcome to Cornwall. "Ah. Well that explains the Pond grass."

Amy and Rory looked disbelieveingly at him, but it was Amy who regained the ability to respond first. "So we're in Cornwall?" The Doctor nodded, grinning widely.

"It would appear so." He checked the thin, gold watch on his wrist. "Yep. Cornwall, England, 2011." He grinned at them, unfazed by their looks of bewilderment, but then his grin faded, slowly and surely as if something upsetting had just dawned on him. Amy looked as though she was threatening to talk again so the Doctor hished her with a finger, his eyes focusing on the ground as he thought. "Being so preocuppied with the setting I think you're missing something here."

Rory stepped beside his wife to get a clear view of The Doctor. "Missing? Missing what?"

The Doctor looked at them both standing there. "The small thing, but the big thing too."

"The small-big thing?" The Doctor looked fervent, the way he always does when he's on to something, eyes bright with knowledge, expression concerned that they hadn't figured it out yet.

I don't really get like that do I?

Yeah, you do a bit. Actually quite often. But anyway, he responded "yes the small-big thing," before drawing in closer and lowering his voice. "That building is almost certainly deserted right?" They both nodded slowly. "In that case, why can I hear crying?"

Rory and Amy looked questioningly at each other, but by the time they had looked back at The Doctor he had gone, sprinting off towards the manor house, his jacket whiping behind him in his progress. With a roll of her eyes that clearly said "only The Doctor could find something like this in Cornwall, Amy raced after him, Rory following closely behind.

Doctor? Before I end this chapter... how did you know what Amy was thinking? You weren't there to see it were you?

Oh I went through everything that happened with them afterwards, using this same method actually. I wanted to be absolutely sure that I had done the right thing. I don't normally get that feeling... I didn't like it. I wished I never had to feel it again. If only I were so lucky...

Yeah. If only.