Disclaimer: Nope, still working on it.
Bee-Boop.
Bee-Boop.
Bee-Boop.
A girl stands with legs numbed stiff from sheer lack of mobility as that ugly noise sounds in her ear over... and over... and over once again. She is almost sure that the sound comes straight from her nightmares. No, not even that, for those at least bring exhilaration in the moment and make interesting stories to laugh about come morning. This kind of nightmare is infinitely worse, for it is just so monotonous that even her own utterly unexciting life would be an improvement.
But unfortunately this is not just a bad dream to be awoken from, so with a sigh the girl grabs the next item on the belt (canned beans, of course the most boring food the earth has to offer) and passes it through her register.
Bee-Boop.
She tosses it into the bag and moves on to the next thing.
Bee-Boop.
Surely her shift is almost over.
Bee-Boop.
It's been what? Two hours? Three?
Bee-Boop.
It must be. Soon she'll be able to go home, change into the most unflattering and comfortable pajamas she owns, and curl up on her sofa to watch television and forget that there's a world out there for a bit.
After a brief but intense inner duel, she dares glance at the clock.
Eight and half minutes.
Only two hundred thirty-one and a half to go.
Bee-Boop.
She could scream.
But instead she bites her tongue and forces a small smile at her customer, who in turn demands that she ring his frozen pizza in for two dollars off.
The smile remains perfectly in place as the girl carries out his request, continually reminding herself of her training and that the customer is always right, even when he's being an arsehole.
That last bit she had added in herself, not that she'd ever be brave enough to admit it to her boss.
When the guy grudgingly pays and finally leaves her register, the next one in line quickly takes his place. Had the girl been paying attention beyond her blank stare of perpetual boredom, she would have found this man to be slightly out of place. It wasn't just the physics-defying hair, or the clothing that implied he had just stumbled out of a Dickens novel. It was his smile; one of unabashed excitement as he peered about the place like adventure was just around the corner, somewhere among grumpy customers and zombified workers, tacky Christmas decorations and that awful holiday tune about a hippopotamus.
It was this childlike grin that made the cashier take a second look, which then grew impossibly larger as he spoke four simple words that would change her life for good.
"Hello," he said, straightening his bow tie before thrusting out a hand. "I'm the Doctor."
Can you tell I work in a grocery store?
This story takes place between the 50th special and the Christmas special, and I plan to have the whole thing out by the time it airs. Updates will be twice a week if all goes well. Hope you like it thus far!
