What do you say when a mysterious stranger offers to take you through time and space? Whatever your werecat friend tells you to, apparently.
Well that's new. Solembum says, standing up from his afternoon nap and blinking once. As if on cue, there is a strange moaning, as if some creature had entered the general vicinity (it wouldn't have been the first time). But it wasn't a strange creature. It was a big blue box.
Curious, I strode forward, and rapped my fist on the door. When there was no answer I briskly knocked again. No one home? Solembum asks lazily, with almost a smile on his feline face.
"A blue box appears out of thin air, and you expect me to believe that there's nothing inside?" I ask skeptically, "Tsk, Solembum, I'd think you've learned nothing." I turn and raise my hand to knock again, but before I can, the door swings open. Standing there is a man, wearing a long brown coat, his hair spiked up in the front. He grins.
"Hello, I'm the Doctor!"
Doctor Who? Solembum asks, the stranger grins excitedly.
"Well then, a telepathic field, and a strong one at that. You're quite an interesting cat, aren't you?"
"He's a werecat," I point out, "Not your common house cat."
"So sorry. So, where are we?" The Doctor glances around.
"Teirm." I reply, "In my shop. I sell herbs if you want some. I also have a toad. I'm trying to prove it's not really a toad- that all toads are frogs, but it keeps insulting Solembum. I think I need a new one."
"I knew the Grimm brothers once, they had a thing for frogs- Wait a minute? You said we're in Teirm?" The Doctor breaks off, only to pull out a strange wand and start pointing it at various plants in my shop.
"Yes, I do think I was clear. Now, do you want to buy something or not?"
"How am I in Teirm? I wasn't aiming for Teirm! Lovely city though, met the nicest Urgal couple here." The stranger says,
"You won't find any Urgals here now." I say, looking at the man skeptically.
"Well it must have been at least 500 years. Maybe more?"
"And how might that be?" I raise an eyebrow.
"Wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff." He scratches his neck and trails off.
"Hm," I smirk.
"And who might you be?" He asks,
"Angela. And this is Solembum."
"And what is a werecat and his friend doing, running an herb shop in Teirm." He asks with a slight grin on his face.
"We sell herbs. I can't have you knowing everything about me. Where's the fun in that?" I glance at his blue box again. "What is a 'police box' and its owner doing in my shop?"
"I was aiming for Raxacoricofallapatorius, I owe one of 'em a favor. Still not sure how I ended up in Teirm." He looks around.
Raxacoricofallapatorius? Solembum blinks,
"Exactly!" The Doctor says, "Well, I'll be off." He begins to step into his police box, then turns around to face me again. "Unless, of course you wanted to come?"
"I can't leave my shop alone. I only do that when the most interesting thing is happening elsewhere." I argue,
"Didn't I mention? This is a time machine. It goes through space and time. You won't be gone for more than a second." He turns to his box, "That is, of course, if she actually would go where we agree!"
"Are you talking to your box?"
"She's more than a box." The Doctor reassures me, patting it lovingly.
"Well, it was nice to meet you. Sorry I couldn't interest you in any herbs." I say, Solembum glares at me.
Into the box. He tells me, so the Doctor can't hear. I send him a thought of roasted cabbage, and turn back to the Doctor.
"On second thought, I will be coming." I declare, and walk past him into his box. It's only when I'm about ten steps in, that I realize I should have hit the box of the box by now. The Doctor is leaning against the door, grinning at me. "Well, this is much more pleasant." I tell him, "I thought we'd be squeezed together in here like sardines."
"It's the TARDIS." He explains, "'Time and relative dimensions in space'."
"And it's bigger on the inside." I add,
"Right! So, tour later, right now we have to get to Raxacoricofallapatorius. But remind me to show you the pool." He says, giddily.
"What's so special about the pool?" I ask, he just grins. Then he closes the door, after Solembum pads in. I follow him to the control panel, and watch as he pushes buttons, and flips levers. The moaning begins again.
When it stops, the Doctor looks at the monitor.
"Here we are," He says, "Center of the Raxas Alliance." We walk to the door, and he holds it open for me. As we step into a field of purple grass, there is a shout from behind us.
"Stop there!" I turn to look. What can only be described as an alien is running towards us. "Stop. You are the Doctor. You are under arrest for the abandonment of the head of the High Council of the Raxas Alliance." The Doctor glances back, then turns to me.
"Run."