Prologue

A warm fire crackled in the fireplace. Smoke drifted up from the chimney, seeking the open air. Rubin watched the leaping fire with heavy eyelids as he listened to his dad's voice go on, emphasis on certain words leaping and diving like the flames of the amber fire. Dad was rocking young Benny as he read the toddlers favorite story, "Hans and Grettle".

Rubin just listened to the all-familiar story that he heard every night as he wast he'd the sparks of the fire spring up into the chimney. The fire slowly crumpled, and the bright red embers began to die when Dad finished reading the story, and Benny was fast asleep.

Rubin couldn't help but to wonder how the Brothers Grim got their vivid inspirations to wright such strange stories. They were so mesmerizing- like a spell. A spell that made Benny always want to read the same story over and over again...

Rubin shook his head quickly, as if to break loose from a daze. He watched as Dad slowly stood up and took Benny out of the living room with his flip flops quacking as a loud exit, even though he attempted (and thought) he was perfectly silent. Rubin yawned and stood up to go to bed. A muffled whooshing and wheezing sound came from outside. Rubin shortly debated in his mind whether to check out the sound real quick, or go to bed. But the noise became louder and louder. A loud wooshing sound that sounded like adventure itself.

Rubin held the debating thought in his mind, then made a quick decision. He went outside. There was a frosty cold biting him as his bare feet stepped onto the front porch. Rubin sucked in a quick breath through clenched teeth, but did his best to ignore the cold. Rubin looked out into the still, frozen night. Icy fog curled in over the ground, settling over a strange object. A dim yellow light was on top. Bright blue wood below. It was a box. A tall rectangular box that had glowing words on the top:

POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX

Rubin raised his eyebrows in confusion, at concert forgetting about the cold. A noise came from inside. It sounded like the pounding of excited footsteps against a metal floor. The blue doors opened inward. A woman with chestnut red hair and closely together eyes peeled out of the box, rolling her eyes.

"Doctor!" the woman yelled over her shoulder in a British accent "We're in a yard! Someone's front yard! Why would you ever bring me to such a place like this?"

A man with spiky brown hair ran up from behind the woman, laughing.

"Aww... Come on, Donna! I just needed to check something out!"

"Doctor!" The woman (Donna?) shouted "This is NOT interesting! No new planet, no new alien race to fight off, and HERE we are in some kid's front yard!"

Donna looked at me, then at the tall, skinny man (the Doctor?).

Rubin stepped backwards toward the front door, wondering if he should call for his Dad.

"Come on, Donna!" The Doctor said "I was just wanting to check out some high-" the Doctor's excited eyes fell on Rubin.

"Hello!" The Doctor said cheerfully "I'm the Doctor!"