She kissed my head and smiled. It was kind, but it made me uneasy. My mother always had that look when I asked about her past. Dad had told me about how she nearly died from some sort illness that affected her brain or something. It should have killed her, but she was here. She should have died when she was ten.
"Why won't you tell me about it, Mum? What happened?" I pleaded as she shook her head. There was something that she was hiding.
"Nothing happened, Felicity. The do- medical doctor made an error. It wasn't as threatening as he thought. Turned out to be an ear infection," my mum tried to reassure with her faux grin. She never used my full name unless she was worried.
"An ear infection? That made you lose your hearing in your left ear? Dad said-"
"Dad says a lot of things," she interrupted before leaving the table. I pulled at my hair, curious about it. Usually I wouldn't push it, but I learned about a brain disease in my medical terminology class. I had been working to become a doctor. When I told Dad, he said that she had it when she was ten. He didn't know much about the sickness, but he certainly didn't know that the illness was ninety-nine percent fatal. A child could not have survived, and there is no known treatment nor cure. I stood from the table and went to my room.
I picked up one of my novels I had retrieved from the book shelf from the living room and began to read it. It was called 'the Clock Doctor.' It was one of Mum's favorites, so I decided to give it a try. It was about a lonely old man that could travel through time and space, leaving behind destruction and glory.
As I flipped page after page of the fascinating novel about an impossible time traveler and his machine, a small note fell out. Curious, I opened the folded edges and recognized my mother's handwriting.
Day seven- Felicity saw the man in the corner of her room again. She says that he looks very young but feels old. I asked her what she meant, but not even she could explain it to me. But she did say that he was nice, and asked her a lot of questions, mostly about her life here. Maybe it is him. After all this time.
I stared at the paragraph in awe. What was this? A man in a corner? Why didn't she panic? Why don't I remember? I put the paper in my pocket and went hunting for more, which turned out to be two.
Day eleven- The man in the corner played with Felicity and her stuffed animals while I went to the store. Phil was working from home, so he had no idea. Felicity was so happy that she had a playmate now. I asked her why I never saw him and she shrugged. Felicity told me that the time wasn't ready yet. What does that even mean? Why won't he come and see me?
I pulled out the last one.
Day fifteen- Felicity came to me crying today. She said that the man didn't show up to play. He promised to take her out for ice-cream. I'm not surprised. He always did that. Break promises. Abandon friends and family. Disappear without a trace. Why would he do that to Felicity? She's only three? God, what's wrong with him? I'm going to hit him if I ever see him again!
I exhaled, absolutely stunned. What did these notes mean? I gathered them up and shoved them into my nightstand drawer before going into the living room. I checked to see if my parents were there, but they seemed to be elsewhere. I plucked books off the shelves and gather the remaining thirteen notes. I ran back into my room and pieced them together.
After half an hour, I sat back, stunned by my discovery. When I was little, a man showed up for a fortnight at the same time everyday to play with me, and, for some odd reason, my mum documented every day of my hallucination. She was thrilled by it to say the least, hardly saying a word to Dad. I ran a hand through my hair before I ran down to the basement, where my parents were. My dad looked up from the newspaper he was reading as Mum was on the computer. I ignored Dad and slammed the notes onto the computer desk. Mum jumped and looked at me, confused.
"What are these?" I demanded as she examined them. She paled and panicked.
"Where did you find them?" She asked quietly. I leaned on the table as she took a deep breath. "They're nothing. You had an imaginary friend when you were three and I kept track. I thought it was adorable."
"What are they really? I wouldn't get so worked up over an imaginary friend leaving. I was devastated, or so you say," I countered, wanting to know what she was hiding. By this time, Dad came up behind me and folded his arms.
"It's about him, isn't it?" He whispered as he rubbed his eyes. Mum nodded and hung her head. "Ginny. We've been through this."
"I know..." Mum whispered, sounding heartbroken. I looked at Dad, hoping for answers.
"Felicity, I think you're mother has some explaining to do," Dad whispered as Mum panicked. She knew that he thought she was crazy. She looked at me and sighed.
"What do you want to know?" Mum murmured, defeated and embarrassed.
"The ear infection," I demanded as she led me to the sofa.
"You're right. It wasn't an ear infection. It was a deadly disease. I collapsed in my yard one day when I was ten. A man, a savior, was passing by and noticed as my little sister, Aunt Kathy, screamed for help. He could never turn away when a child cried for help. He brought me into the house with Kathy at his heels. Gramma screamed at the sight. Regardless, he told her that he was a doctor and that he could see what was wrong with me. He waved a wand of sorts and told Gramma that something was wrong with my brain. He said that he could help me and that I wasn't going to die today. When I woke up, Gramma called him a quack after all that, thinking he was a con man out for her money. However, he never asked for any payment and left, coming back with ice cream for me and Kathy," Mum explained, biting her lip. I sighed.
"Did you ever see him again?" I whispered, curious.
"Yes, I did. After my father left, he came back. He took me far away-"
"He kidnapped you?!"
"Of course not! I went willingly and he showed me... Many things. Wonders of the world. He had heard about my father, a coward and a jerk. The man acted like a second father to us. It's hard to explain," Mum assured, panicking about my outburst. I shook my head and looked at her.
"Was this the same man in my room when I was little?" I continued.
"I think so. You described him just the way I remembered him. With his big ears and accent. I knew it was him. I was glad that he still remembered me and though that it was so cute that he was playing with you."
"When you were children, did he disappear?"
"Yes, he did. I guess we got in the way sometimes or it got dangerous. Either way, while we were asleep, he put us back in Gramma's home. Out home. No goodbye. No last words. He was just gone," Mum whispered, her eyes tearing up. Dad touched her shoulder, hearing this before. She touched his hand and smiled.
"What was his name?" I went on as she laughed.
"He called himself 'the Doctor.' Never knew why. I don't think he knew why. He just was," Mum smiled and chuckled under her breath.
"Why did you keep this from me?"
"Knowledge is dangerous. I wouldn't have told you I you weren't eighteen. There are creatures out there who will do anything to get near him. To find him. To kill him. I assure you, he is a great man, but even he has enemies. You have to be careful," she warned as Dad groaned.
"You over exaggerating, Dear. Why would one good man have enemies?" Dad questioned rhetorically. Mum's eyes darkened, reminded by the fact that her husband didn't believe her stories. "But now you know. Feel better?"
"Yeah, I do," I lied. I could tell when Mum was lying, and this wasn't one of those times. Mum saw that belief in my eyes and breathed out. Dad returned to his newspaper as Mum brought me upstairs.
She sat down across from me at the dinner table. I folded my hands in front of me, wondering what she had planned. Mum seemed nervous and slightly upset. I touched her hands as she gave me that old smile.
"Felice, you have to understand that I'm not crazy, even if your father thinks so. I've been to a doctor and they said I was sane and stable," she's warned before taking a deep breath. I felt my eyes widen in fear and concern. What was she talking about? I knew she wasn't crazy, but where was she going with this? I nodded to have her go on. "That man. His name is the Doctor. Just the Doctor. He's an alien and hundreds of years old. Are you good so far?"
"I've always believed in aliens," I breathed, taking it in quite well. If it were any other person, I would storm off and call them a liar and a fool. I trusted Mum more than anyone else in the entire world. Until now, she never lied to me not did she hide anything. Except this. Why should I start doubting her now? Mum smiled genuinely before looking at her hands sheepishly.
"The Doctor is a time traveler. He has a time machine called the TARDIS, which stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. He goes through the universe, helping planets and people," she explained as I bit my lip. His could she not be crazy? Was this why she always insisted that I keep an open mind and try not to shut ideas down? "You don't believe me, do you?"
"I...I don't know," I whispered as I heard the ice cream truck outside outside. Standing up, I smiled. "Let's get some ice cream and I'll decide."
"Fair enough," Mum whispered as she handed me the money. I smiled and walked out the door. The ice cream man had stopped on the side of the street. I walked over to the counter on the side of the van.
"Two chocolate cones please," I ordered as a stiff man walked over. He had a happy smile. Almost too happy. Again, I bit my lip and waited for him to do something. He didn't. "Excuse me? Sir?"
"What. Is. Your. Name?" He asked, spacing out his words, not faltering from his cheeky grin. I looked around for help, but the street was empty.
"Excuse me? I'm not telling you my name!" I scoffed, pretending to be offended. The grin on the man's face disappeared as an angry frown took its place. I took a step back as the man started t crawl out over the counter. I watched him twist his body in such inhuman ways as he managed to leave the vehicle. I dropped the money in my hand as I backed slowly. Suddenly, someone was behind me. I glanced up and found a man with a leather jacket and some huge ears. He smiled as he grabbed my hand.
"Run."
