"Hey Liddy," the sleepy bed-headed Englishman greeted. He was in an old T-shirt and shorts.
"Martin! I told you to be ready an hour ago! You're not wearing that to my parents' house. And it's Lydia." She was dressed in a mid-length jumper dress that was the same shade of brown as her hair, black stockings, and brown ankle boots. Her coat was thrown over her arm.
"I'll be ready in a sec! I just need to throw on a jumper and trousers…" He rubbed his blonde head and looked around his flat as if he didn't live there. "Coffee?"
"No thanks."
"No can you make me some?"
"Typical Martin. Can never get yourself together." She made him his coffee though, despite her annoyance. "Did you remember to get Maddie a present?" she asked over the grinding of the coffee maker.
"Uh yeah!" He said peeking through the kitchen door. His shirt was half buttoned and there was Christmas themed tie around his neck. "It's just under the telly."
A drumming noise interrupted them.
"What's that noise?" She asked as it continued.
"Oh, great, you can hear it too. I bloody well thought I was mad. It's been driving me nutters for days."
"You still haven't told me what it was," She said following the drumming. "It sounds like drums… African drums…"
"That's what I guessed too." He straightened his tie then threw on slightly wrinkled green jumper. "I think- I think it's coming from Maddie's present.
Lydia walked to the television and kneeled, extending one hand toward a brown wooden box. The drumming came to a climax, increasing in tempo and volume. Then it just stopped suddenly. "Well that's… odd." She pulled out the box and rubbed a hand across the scorched top. It read 'Jumanji.' "Oh, Martin, you didn't even wrap it. I suppose you'd want me to do that for you, too."
"No, I…"
"And a board game for a toddler? Martin, I know you can be a bit thick sometimes but this is ridiculous." She scratched a perfect plum colored nail at one of the burn marks.
"Actually, it's just-"
"And it looks as if it's been through a fire. What, did you just find this on the street?"
"Lydia! Please! If you're going to criticize me all day please let me know and I just won't go." He was looking at her angrily. The normally easy going Martin was now wound up in a way that only Lydia Chambers could make him.
"Sorry." She said looking away from him. "You just frustrate me so much sometimes. But you're right. I can at least be civil to you, for Maddie's sake. So what's this then? Jumanji?" She opened it.
"It's a simple board game. Not very much strategy or anything. Just counting and moving pieces." He read over her shoulder. "'Jumanji: A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind.'"
"Seems like high praise for moving and counting." She ran a hand over the time worn board.
"That's what I thought too but it seemed like a good idea for Maddie to help her learn numbers. I just wanted to play a single round here just to test it. I figure there must be something more."
"Martin, we haven't got the time. Mum is expecting us soon." He kneeled next to her a picked up two of the pieces. One was an ivory elephant and the other was a black rhinoceros.
"I know. Just one go each. Then we'll leave." The pieces flew from his hand and into their respective starting positions at the corners of the board. They looked at each other.
"It must be an Apple product or something," She reasoned. "One roll each. I promised Maddie and bring back Daddy soon." She offered him the dice.
He shook his head. "Liddies first."
She rolled her green eyes then rolled the dice. A one and a three. Her token began to move on it's own. "Well that's clever…"
"It bloody is..." Suddenly the center began to swirl with black and green smoke. "I think those are words… What's it say?"
They both leaned in, still kneeling in front of the telly. Lydia read. "If ice is your normal range…" she looked at Martin, "be prepared for extreme change. What's that? Some sort of riddle?"
"Must be. It was more than I was expecting but I still feel in my world. It's not behind or anything.
"Shut up Martin." Just then, the kettle whistled. "Oh the coffee I'll make you one while you go."
She heard him roll while she was making the coffees; deciding to have one herself one as well.
"Doubles. 'Need a hand while you just wait… We'll help you out we each have eight.' Either spiders or an octopus."
"Do you get some sort of prize for guessing the riddle?" She called from the kitchen. Extra creamy three sugars, just how he liked it. "And Martin, turn the thermostat down. It's boiling in here. Your electric bill must be a fortune."
There was a sort of squeaking noise. "What's that sound?" Martin asked. He turned around quickly as he heard a scurrying noise.
"What? More drums?"
"No-" but Lydia cut him off again this time with a scream. "Liddy? Lydia what's wrong!" He ran to the kitchen, hearing china break along the way.
Lydia backed into him and nearly fell but Martin caught her by the shoulders. He nearly asked her what was wrong again but he looked up and saw.
A foot long yellow and black spider lowered itself slowly from the top cabinet. "The hell?"
There was a noise from the living room. Martin grabbed Lydia's hand and ran, the sweat starting to bead on his forehead. Just next to sofa, three of the spiders were cocooning a small animal. "That's Mrs. Whedon's cat. I feed him sometimes." He looked glum.
"I'm sorry about the cat, but what about the spiders? Focus, Martin!"
"Right. Well I say we get the hell out of here!"
"Good plan!"
Martin ran for the door but I spider blocked his path. He tried to side step it but it kept up with him. Then Lydia came up and kicked it with the side of her toe like they'd taught her in football practice.
Then Lydia screamed, a look of terror on her face. "What is it? A bigger spider?" Then he felt two daggers enter his leg. He kicked it off but the damage was done. Blood soaked through his khaki trousers and he could feel his leg numbing already.
Lydia suddenly kicked it to fighter mode. "I'll be damned if you leave Maddie without her daddy!" She grabbed a cricket bat and swung at one of the spiders. It flew through the window. She handed it to Martin who was now leaning heavily against the living room wall. No one was sure of whether the sweat was pouring down his face was from the poison now in his system or the heat which was really beginning to be stifling. "I've seen this on Mythbusters! Tie of your leg with your tie! I'll be back!"
Martin leaned against the wall even more, almost falling in the process. His balance was completely thrown off without the use of his hands and that didn't fare well for his chances of fighting off giant spiders either. "Lydia!" He called he was fumbling around with tie. The spiders where getting closer.
"On my way!" She shouted and walked back into the room kicking another spider on the way. She had a can of hairspray in her hand.
"No time to do your hair now, Liddy, on account of the spiders!" He had finally tied off his leg and was using the bat to feebly whack at spiders that got too close.
"Hush up!" She began to spray one of the spiders with hairspray, giving a little yelp of joy when it began to twitch in front of her. "I'm collecting it so that when we go to the hospital, they'll know what anti-venom to give." The spider curled up in a ball on its back and she threw her coat over it.
With one hand gripping her coat like a nap sack and the other arm supporting Martin, they bath hobbled together towards the door. "Wait what's that noise?" Martin asked.
Lydia sighed working the door. "More mysterious noises?" When she opened the door to the flat she saw a giant blue police box.
"Yeah it's more of a whirring, grinding noise though." He still busy keeping the spiders at bay with the cricket bat. She shook him.
The doors of the blue box opened rather dramatically to reveal a man in in trousers, a button down braces, and a bowtie standing inside.
"I sensed a disturbance in the force." He called mystically. "Rather the space time continuum. Hello! I'm the Doctor."
Doctor Who Theme!