A young girl, about five, mischievously broke away from her nanny, and strolled alongside the cobbled streets of an English city that her family's briefly staying in before returning to their home in Ireland after her father completed a business transaction in Brussels.
When they returned to the family home in Ireland, the young girl's older brother should've arrived from the prestigious private school he attended, by then.
Oh, how she couldn't wait to see her older brother again, she hadn't seen him since he left. It'll be a few years since they saw each other last, made her wonder if he'd recognize her!
She's trying to find a gift, something that'll bring a smile to his face, something that he couldn't find at his private school, determined, she wanted to find it before they returned to Ireland.
Her nanny wouldn't be happy with her sneaking off like that, but Ethel knew she'd been looking for a long time since news broke that her older brother's returning to the family home for the holidays.
Surely, there's something in the city that she could obtain for her dear older brother, he won't return to the family home for a few years while he finishes his studies, they won't see each other until then.
Her dress shoes clacking against the cobbled stones, the ruby bow in her hair fluttering in the cold breeze, and her baby blue eyes looking into every storefront she passed, Daphne struggled as she passed a dozen storefronts, nothing jumped out at her, and she knew she'd have to find Ethel eventually.
Ethel won't be happy with her, but she knew that it was important to Daphne, surely, she won't be mad at her once she realizes when Daphne finds a gift.
With her eyes fixated on the windows, Daphne hardly paid attention to her surroundings while she passed by the stores, in a trance, when something finally caught her baby blue eyes.
Dolls.
A row of them propped in front of the large window.
As she stood in front of the window, Daphne peered inside the old shop, seeing more dolls lining the walls, and she sees that the doll maker took special requests on a plaque near the register.
Thinking it over, Daphne became excited, as she believed a custom doll of her likeness would've been a perfect gift for her older brother.
It'd be something to remind her by, when he can't visit her, and Daphne excitedly entered the store.
Dolls of various sizes propped up on shelves, but the one that interested Daphne the most's a doll that's tall as her, almost life-like, with eyes like hers.
Staring at the doll closely, Daphne felt a presence, when she turned her head, she sees the shopkeeper standing near her, his hands firmly on top of his cane with his long rickety legs hobbling as he walked.
He's a tall lanky man, thin as a rail, wore a tight black suit with the loose suit jacket draping behind his long legs, and a black top hat covering his bald head.
"Can I help you, young lady?" Daphne heard the shopkeeper asking her as she turned her attention to him.
Nodding, Daphne excitedly tells him that she wanted a custom doll made in her likeness for her older brother, something to remember her by when he couldn't come home as often as he liked.
Hearing the request, the shopkeeper with his large pointy nose slowly bobbing as he nodded, giving her a toothy grin, as his rounded black shades reflected her in them, as he said that it can be done.
Caught up in her excitement, Daphne realized she didn't bring any money with her, no way for her to pay for the doll, but the shopkeeper assured her that she didn't have to pay for the doll.
He'd give it to her for free, consider it as a souvenir for her stay in the city, and it made Daphne jumping for joy as her dress shoes clopped against the hardwood floor.
When she stopped, the shopkeeper asked her for her name and where she lived, which she happily gave to him, and he wrote it down on a piece of paper.
As he finished, the shopkeeper went around the counter, writing the paper, before Daphne asked him where she picked the clothes, she wanted her doll to wear.
A glimpse around the store, she sees that there's no clothes for her to pick, confused, she asked the shopkeeper where he gotten the clothes the dolls wore, and it made the shopkeeper let out a reverberated laugh, before he tells the girl that he didn't need to send for any.
She's already wearing what he wanted her to wear.
It caused Daphne to become confused at this, but the shopkeeper reminded her that she wanted it something for her brother to remember her.
Coaxing her, the shopkeeper brought her into the backroom of the store, where he closed the door behind them, and Daphne sees clothes hanging from the racks on the walls, but they're adult clothes mixed with some clothes that'd fit her.
Her baby blue eyes glistened in the faint light ahead and she heard the shopkeeper behind her say, "Your eyes, they're just beautiful."
When Daphne turned around, she let out a scream as the shopkeeper overtook her in seconds, his thin arms wrapped around her as she tried fighting him off, but to no avail, as he's strong enough to lift her up.
"Daphne!" Ethel cried out as she hurried through the streets of Birmingham, clutching parts of her velvet dress as she searched for her charge, behind her, two bobbies who struggled to keep up with her as she alerted them of Daphne's disappearance.
Struggling as her shoes clopped against the cobble stones, Ethel continued to call out Daphne's name, but she didn't respond, and she briefly stopped by a shop.
This one's like the few she saw on her way through the city, selling handmade dolls, and as she caught her breath, Ethel sees a medium-sized doll strikingly in the appearance of her charge, down to the birthmark on her hand, propped up behind the window.
Curious, Ethel disappeared into the shop, wanting to ask the shopkeeper if they'd seen Daphne.
"Bloody hell, where did that woman go?" Constable John coughed as he struggled to keep up with her after she drove them into a frenzy trying to find Daphne MacDonald, having gone missing after sneaking away from her during a shopping trip.
Glancing around with his weary grey eyes, Constable Nigel responded that he doesn't know, she took off like a bat from hell the moment she became distressed.
Struggling to walk, the two constables moved around, trying to find the nanny and her charge, as they did, they passed by a shop with dolls in the window, one larger than the others sitting next to a smaller one.
Within hours, news broke of Daphne MacDonald and her nanny, Ethel Richardson's disappearances, causing chaos among the MacDonald household, trying to find their beloved daughter and Ethel.
A search party was formed and when witnesses claimed they saw Daphne enter a shop with dolls, police went to it in hopes of questioning the shopkeeper, but upon arrival, they discovered the shop completely barren, nothing inside, and tearing it up, the police found nothing.
In weeks, it was believed that Daphne MacDonald and her nanny became victims of trafficking, as there were no bodies reported, and the MacDonald household scoured the city in hopes of finding them, but alas, neither turned up.
Sometime ago, they got word of someone who could help find their missing daughter and Ethel, all they had to do was call a number, and ask for someone called the Doctor.
Once they reached the Doctor, it's as simple as telling the Doctor what happened, and wait.
At first, Beatrice and Nathan MacDonald didn't believe in the rumours until they became desperate enough that Nathan searched for the alleged number that would've put him into contact with the Doctor.
He scoured the city days and nights, his weary eyes blackened with heavy bags under them, desperate to find the number to call the Doctor, that he almost gave up, hadn't he found a piece of paper stuck in a phone book.
Handwritten, don't know who it's from, but there's a number in it, but it didn't look like any number he recognized, and in his desperation, Nathan attempted to call the number anyway.
He couldn't hold his breath, he's exhausted, and he heard the call go through, hearing someone on the other end, sleepy, asking who it was calling him.
Clearing his throat, Nathan called out to the man speaking on the other end, asking if he was the Doctor.
Yawning, the man responded on some days, he wished he wasn't, but indeed, he was the Doctor, and asked Nathan the nature of this call.
Choking on tears, Nathan begged him to help find his lost daughter and her nanny, the police given up hope finding them, and he's sure they're alive somewhere.
He doesn't know what happened to them and the police aren't willing to spend any more resources finding them.
Practically on his knees, Nathan begged for help, and the Doctor asked him where and his wife were staying for the moment, which Nathan gave the address to the hotel they're staying in, and the Doctor gave him the time he'll be there.
Profusely thanking him, Nathan felt his welling tears roll down his cheeks as the Doctor instructed him to return to the hotel and wait for him.
Took off like a bat out of hell, trying to return to the hotel where he nearly ran into Beatrice who let him in their suite.
Erratically, Nathan began telling her how a man's coming to the hotel and helping them find their daughter and her nanny.
Wearied from all the previous attempts, Beatrice inquired how sure Nathan was that the man would help them and not take them for every bit of coin they barely had left from all their previous attempts.
Frowning as he paced around the suite, Nathan's sure that this time, they'll get somewhere, and he reminded Beatrice they didn't have much else to go on, no one left to talk to, no one left willing to spend time.
It's their last hope.
Impatiently, Nathan waited for the Doctor to show up at the hotel, he's called the main desk more than once, waiting for the Doctor, but he hadn't shown, and in anguish, he sat on the couch, holding a glass of bourbon.
Beatrice comforted him as he felt foolish believing in the rumours of the Doctor and as they talked, Beatrice noticed the room getting frightfully cold, despite the suite's fireplace burning brightly for the last hour.
A subtle breeze came through the suite, enough to almost kick up Beatrice's elegant dress as she clung to it, and they heard a noise echoing in the suite as they stood up, looking around as they're frightened by the strange occurrence happening.
Something started appearing in front of the suite's fireplace, fading in, until they see what looked like a blue police box.
Believing they've finally gone mad, the couple shared looks, and jolted when they saw the door into the police box open, and a man with wild brown hair wearing a deerstalker poked his head out, asking if they're the MacDonalds he was scheduled to meet.
Sheepishly, Nathan responded that they're the MacDonalds and asked who the man is as he stepped out of the police box, wearing an outfit that detectives sometimes wear.
"Oh, I'm the Doctor," the man introduced himself as the man that Nathan spoke with over the phone and the sight alone made the couple question themselves.
Stepping aside, the Doctor called for someone inside the police box and someone else stepped out, a woman, wearing a similar outfit to the Doctor.
When asked, the woman gave her name as Lila.
Looking at the couple, the Doctor clasped his hands as he began asking questions.