The dark interior of the police box swallowed her shadow. Were it not for that faint glimmer of light inside she would have been fooled into thinking that it stretched out for eternity. But instinct told her that was wrong; it did not go on forever. But still, it extended further than it rightfully should have. Her shadow should have fallen against a phone, it should have fallen against a back wall of some sort, but it didn't. She was staring into a much wider space – a room.
'This is magic', she said, holding a hand up to her mouth, doubtful of the words as they tumbled out, as if she was uttering some kind of blasphemy.
Reluctantly, she stepped into the police box. Her feet carried some of the light dew sprinkled over the grass onto the solid floor leaving light wet footprints that stopped once her feet dried. The glimmer in the centre of the room brightened and she held her breath again.
The glimmer came from a glass cylinder; there was an empty sphere inside it from which the light emanated a ghostly golden glow. The cylinder rose out of a hexagonal console, which was covered in alien symbols and a complicated arrangement of buttons and dials. The glimmer strengthened and filled the sphere with its golden light. Tendrils of this golden energy snaked down through the console, like water trickling through a thousand tiny streams
She let her breath go again and continued breathing as normal. The sphere in the middle of the cylinder, which at first seemed to be static, breathed as well, moving ever so slightly, and with each breath sections of the console came to life.
The six panels were separated by thick silver lengths of metal that continued over the edge of the console and hung down the sides, curving inwards. Similar lengths of silver stretched outwards along the black floor, matching the divisions in the console creating a hexagonal room. The metal went on until it reached the walls and ran upwards, each of them converging in the middle of the dome roof, forming a thinner, metallic cylinder, which met the glass cylinder halfway. The walls were white and decorated with silver rings, and the spaces in-between the silver separations were onyx black.
'Hello?', she said, her voice echoing around the room as she moved, 'What is this thing? Is it supposed to be a fancy new building or something?'
She paused and drew another breath.
'I haven't a clue where I am, I appear to be quite...lost', she stopped when she realised that she would get no answer.
She turned around on the spot, her dress flowing with her like an extension of her body, and stopped. She stepped backwards towards the console, taking in the strangeness of the decor, sitting against it, making sure not to interfere with any of the buttons; she did not want to anger the owner.
She looked out the door and watched the sun rising, filling the grass with new colour. The uniform greenery was interrupted by a shadow which belonged to a rabbit; she fancied it was the same one as before.
'There you are!', she said, her smile soaking into her voice, 'What made you run off like that?'
The rabbit tilted its head and twitched its ear twice. She lifted herself off the consol. As she did so the rabbit turned and looked back at her, startled by her sudden movement. As she walked towards the door she felt a rumble beneath her feet and the feeling of gears under the thin skin of the ground.
The door of the police box slammed shut.
She ran down the ramp towards the door and hit it hard. Her hands slapped against the wood leaving them red and stinging. She tried to look outside the windows but they were white and opaque, she couldn't see anything out of them.
She slapped the door again.
'This isn't as amusing as I first thought!', she shouted, curling her hand into a fist. She hit the door, 'Ouch!'
'You should calm down. You don't want to hurt our TARDIS', a voice said behind her
She turned around, her eyes wide, glistening with droplets of burgeoning tears. There was no body to put the voice to.
'Who is that?', she said
'I am going to have to apologise off the bat, this is a recording so I am not exactly going to be a great conversation'
'Then who is speaking?'
That was when she saw the ghost.
It walked towards here, roughly from where she stood near the console, the ghost of a man in a leather jacket, with a grin spread out across his face.
'Nice to meet me', he said, holding out his flickering hand. He looked down and withdrew it, being a "ghost" they couldn't touch each other, 'I never expected this to happen, you're a definite improvement!', he said, pulling at his ears
'Are you a ghost?', she said, stuttering, willing to accept the supernatural at this juncture.
'Do you know how ridiculous that sounds!? I'm an alien'
'Oh', she said, 'Well pardon me', her voice carried traces of sarcasm
'Can you let me out?', she continued
'No'
'Why?'
'Because you told me not to'
'I did no such thing', she said as her jaw dropped slightly. She felt exasperated; annoyed that this was one big practical joke.
'You're going to tell me, but right now all that matter is you keep that door shut and that you don't go out'
'Why?'
'Because in a few moments there won't be an out to go to'
'Look, Mr...'
'Smith'
She creased her brow and shook her head before continuing.
'Okay, Mr. Smith, this has been a lot of fun and this blue box of yours is quite fantastic but...'
She felt a warm sensation creep up her face, turning to pins and needles as it reached her scalp and dizziness as it crawled behind her eyeballs. Both her hearts began to flutter and bump in her chest.
'Apparently you're having an attack', the man said, though she wasn't paying much attention, 'Don't worry about that'
'Don't worry about the dizziness or that fact that I have two hearts!?
The man stood with his hands behind his back, still grinning at her.
'The dizziness will pass, but the two hearts, they're going no where...I hope'
'This has got to be a dream or a nightmare, or am I in a coma? What is wrong with me?'
'You were infected by a nasty little critter called an Emtrox. It was killing you until you regenerated. That should have killed it back but it didn't, however it weakened it and lucky for you your body will finish off the rest. You'll be as right as rain in a few days'
She slid down the door, holding a hand against her forehead. She came to a stop with her knees up by her head, slumped against the door with a worried brow and wide eyes. Who was this Mr. Smith. She looked up.
'Are you a doctor?'
'Yes', he said, his voice softening, the grin went away and concern filled his face, 'It did quite a number on you. It messed up the regeneration process in a way I have never seen before, it had to defend itself. You're lucky to have come back humanoid at all. It could have turned you into a massive slug...'
'Or a man-sized banana', this idea made him grin again, wider than before.
She had no idea what the grinning man with the big ears was talking about. Between the bouts of dizziness and the unconsummated desire to throw up she processed little of what he said. But she would remember, she would have to, for that was the only way this conversation could happen, she would have to complete the circle. She watched the sparkle in his eyes, there was something childish about him but at the same time he was concerned with her, a complete stranger, like somehow she had met a long lost brother and in an instant something clicked.
'You're not a very good doctor; you have an irritating bedside manner', she said, smiling
'Well, I'm not insulted', he said, crossing his arms, 'Because I knew you were going to say that'
'What else do you know?'
'I know a lot. I know the rest of this conversation, I know that the planet you were standing on has been vaporised and that in a few moments you're going to pass out'
'Well', she said, getting to her feet, stumbling, 'It has been nauseating meeting you, headache and all', she tapped her right temple, 'But besides that it's been quite...interesting, but I really should get going, so if you would be kind enough to let me out'
'Wait', the man said, he looked amused, 'Let me out...who are you exactly?'
The way he said this sounded to her as if he had the answer on a piece of paper in front of him and that he was testing her. She stood still, her gaze drifting from him whilst she allowed the question to sink in.
'I'm...what a stupid question'
'It's an easy one. What's your name?'
'I'm...', she searched her memory once more, and again there was no name there, 'I'm..I'm'
She began to stutter, this time she stuttered in torrents, like someone had crossed a wire inside her. Sweat formed on her forehead, it started to bloom red as the droplets trickled down.
Okay', the doctor said, 'Just breath, don't think. If we've timed this right you should be panicking'
'What? I'm...My name is'
She looked around, looking to hold onto something a grabbed the railing.
'Three'
'It...It was mice neeting you, but I really have to go'
'Two'
She spun around, grabbed hold of the handle and pulled the door. She had no reason to believe that it would open, it didn't before. Desperation was pushing her to act. The door fell open and rattled against the railing. She stopped in her tracks and gasped.
The lush greenery that greeted her earlier was replaced with black satin and the gentle sunrise that woke her was replaced with the angry glare of a raw, unfiltered star. She stood on the edge of airlessness, one more step and she would have walked into weightlessness, but fear held her feet.
'One', the doctor said
'I've got to wake up', she fell back and everything went black.
