Spring
The first time she met him was in spring. It was her first day of primary school, and she couldn't wait to get home and tell her parents all about it. It was so exciting! She had made a new friend, and coloured in a picture of a flower! All by herself! Her teacher, Miss Grace, had cut out the flower and pasted it into her workbook for her.
She was so excited, thinking about everything she would tell her parents that she didn't notice the grown up walking towards her, until she bumped into him with a thud.
"Oh," escaped from her lips as she bounced off his legs. She looked up from where she was sitting on the ground, trying to see who she had bumped into. Shading her eyes from the glare of the sunlight, she looked up and saw a man in a leather jacket with abnormally large ears.
As she watched, he reached a hand down to her. "Sorry abou' that." He said, sheepishly. Normally I'm a bit more careful, but I was in a bit of a hurry. D'you need a hand up?" She took his hand warily. Mummy had told her never to trust strangers. He pulled her up, easily. "I'm the Doctor, by the way. And you are?" She blinked at him. He had just introduced himself, so it wasn't as if they were strangers.
"I'm Zoe. I started school today." The Doctor nodded his head rapidly. "Nice name, Zoe-who-just-started-school. I should probably go now. People to see, planets to save. You know how it is." Zoe didn't, but she nodded anyway.
The man who called himself the Doctor ran off the way he had come, leaving a five year old staring after him. Eventually, Zoe stirred, as if waking from a trance. As she walked home, she could have sworn she heard a wheezing, groaning sound.
