Wanderers of Time and Space
Prologue
I roll my eyes as my brother continues to try to drive me crazy. Granted, he's my brother, but sometimes I just wish I could throttle him. As I finish up with the evening dishes, I try to think of a way to entertain myself that evening. On a whim, I decide to go and sit on the front porch, since it was refreshingly cool outside. As I settle into the porch swing with one of my favorite manga in hand, I become aware of a strange groaning/wheezing sound.
"What the heck……………..?!" I think, as something materializes just between two trees in my front yard. From the looks of the thing, it appears to be a blue police box, and I approach and cautiously circle it. I am very startled to see the door open and I leap back when a tall figure comes out of the box.
"Oh come now, don't be afraid! I won't hurt you!" the man says, cheerfully, as I look up at him. From what I can tell, he looks friendly enough, but I keep my distance, in case it is a façade. The stranger is tall, with messy, curly brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. He is wearing a dark purple coat and an overly long, multi-colored scarf hangs loosely about his neck. I give him a somewhat skeptical look, as he in turn smiles.
"I see that you're cautious of strangers." The man says, noticing my reluctance to come towards him.
"Got to be, with all the kidnappings going on. Who are you?" I ask, watching as his smile broadens.
"Who indeed? You may call me the Doctor." The man says, chuckling at the pun he'd just realized. I raise an eyebrow.
"Doctor?" I ask, still somewhat skeptical, but now a little more at ease. The stranger nods, still smiling broadly.
"Why are you here, Doctor?" I ask, starting to get curious as to why this fellow was here. He shrugs.
"The TARDIS brought me here for a reason; why, I don't know yet." The Doctor replies, honestly.
"Hmm………." I say, as my mind turns these facts over and tries to understand what has just been said.
"Hey, Crystal! Who're ya talkin' to?" Jeremy asks, as he comes to the front door and looks out. Before I can answer, the Doctor speaks up.
"Hello! I am the Doctor! Pleased to meet you!" the Doctor says, his greeting to my brother as cheery as when he'd greeted me.
"Hello………." Jeremy says, uncertain as to what the Doctor wanted.
"That's my brother, Jeremy. He's a brat." I murmur, getting a chuckle from the Doctor.
"Whatever, Crystal!" Jeremy retorts, before disappearing back inside.
"Would you like to come with me?" the Doctor asks. I freeze in place.
"Say what?" I ask, my expression deadpan.
"Come with me. I'm pretty sure that you are eager for a respite from your brother." The Doctor says, as Jeremy says something stupid in the background.
"But what about my grandfather? He'll be worried if I go off with a complete stranger!" I say, concerned about how he and the rest of my family would react if I went missing.
"Don't worry, I will return you to this exact moment in time when you want to come home." The Doctor says, comfortingly. I think it over for a few moments, then look directly at the Doctor's eyes.
"Let me go and grab a few things, then I'll be ready." I say, before dashing back inside. I get what I need fairly quickly; toothbrush, toothpaste, spare clothing, spare shoes, purse, a few of my favorite manga, my old teddy bear (for sentimental reasons) and my mother's picture. As I leave my room, I hurriedly tell my grandfather that I am going out for a little while and that I would be back in a few minutes and I hear Jeremy's parting remark just before I close the wooden door behind me.
"All set, Crystal?" the Doctor asks.
"Yep. Let's go." I say, as I step into the blue police box, not realizing that my adventures were only just beginning.