Close Calls
By Irene Adler4
Rating: G/ K
(It should become clear who is in the story by the descriptions given. I do not own rights to any of the characters, locations or the background information regarding them. The only things that I own are the characters that I create, some of the locations that I place them in, or the background that I give them.)
The clock winked. That's strange in and of itself, because clocks don't wink. I turned around to make sure that I saw what I thought I saw. The clock winked again, even more deliberately this time. Then, to my surprise, it began to speak.
"Hello my dear, how are you?" came the very creepy voice.
"I'm fine," I said in a worried tone. "How are you talking to me?
"Simple my dear, this clock is a time machine."
That didn't really answer my question at all.
"What?"
The clock was an old oak grandfather clock. It was a dark oak, aged by hard use and time. The clock looked about the right size for a single person. They could stand up in it, if they were very slender. It also had an other worldly quality about it. But something put me off, like there was an evil emanating from within.
"It's a machine called a T. A. R. D. I. S." the voice continued. "That stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space.'"
"Then why does it look like a grandfather clock?" I questioned the voice.
"A device called a Chameleon Circuit. It changes the shape of the ship depending on the time period it lands in."
As this was said, the door opened. A man emerged from the inside. He was in his mid to late thirties and wore a black suit. His features came into focus as he steeped into the light. The pale completion highlighted the man's delicate features and close cropped chestnut hair. He stared back at me with his intense, dark eyes.
The room was still for a moment, neither of us moving. He seemed to feed off of my fear. I stepped back for a moment, in shock at what I saw before me. The air was thick with unspoken words of malice. But then a sound broke the silence.
It was a strange whoring sound. Wind seemed to come out of no where. The wind blew the curtains out the open window. I couldn't believe my eyes what happened next.
A strange box materialized at the far wall. It had the words 'Police Public Call Box' across the top. It was a deep blue with windows just below the words. The door opened and two figures stepped out.
The first was a man about the same age as the other. He was wearing a crisp blue suit with a pair of Converse All- Stars, red in color. He was also pale, but his brown hair was unruly. The facial features were more defined with a slightly sharp look about them. He waggled his eyebrows at me as he held open the door for his companion.
This companion was a young woman in her early twenties. Her coloring was a little warmer than the man's, but only just. She had light blond hair and piercing hazel eyes. The young woman squared her shoulders to make the best of her short denim jacket and bright orange tee shirt. The man paused for a second to admire how she filled out her blue jeans before he spoke.
"Hello, my name's The Doctor and this is Rose." He said indicating his companion. "What seems to be the problem here?"
"Nothing, Doctor," The first man said. "Everything is just fine."
With a wink, he climbed back into his T. A. R. D. I. S. and they both dematerialized before they could be stopped. I stared mystified at the spot where the clock had been moments before.
"Are you alright?" Rose asked
"I'm fine," I replied, still a little dazed. "Who was that and what is going on?"
"That was a man called the Master." The Doctor answered. "He was once a friend of mine, before he turned to the side of evil."
"That answers one question, but what about the other?"
"That's kind of hard to explain." The Doctor continued. "He and I are a part of a race known as the Time Lords. We travel through time on these ships, called T. A. R. D. I. Ses. Some of us want to help others, most just want to watch, but there are a few of us like The Master who want to cause chaos."
"They are mortal enemies." Rose contributes. "They are also the last of their kind. The two occasionally cross paths and do battle, but they always seem to survive."
The Doctor crossed the room with a far off look in his eyes. He seemed to be thinking of far off places and distant days. Rose walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, enough about me." He said, shaking off his revelry. "How would you like to come with us? See the stars, far off times, and distant cities."
Then he smiled at me, a warm, genuine smile that wiped all my fears away. It seemed to me that this was one of his talents.
"Are you sure there's room for all three of us in there?" I asked.
"Come inside and see." He said as he opened the doors and stepped inside.
The inside of the box was enormous. The ceiling towered above us, with what looked like coral protruding from the walls and floor. It was orange, and as warm as The Doctor's smile. The walls were also dotted with circular lights, and in the middle of the room was what looked like a control console.
"So, what do you think?" The Doctor said "I'll explain how all this works later."
"Well, I think that it sounds like the start of a great adventure," I replied. "And by the way, my name is Casey Smith"
"Hello, Miss Casey Smith." The Doctor said as he shook my hand "Welcome to the T. A. R. D. I. S."
The End