3. Elevating Chloe.
The day approaches when Chloe's Elevation ceremony will take place on Gallifrey.
Chloe is at home, on Tinsel, preparing lists of who she wants to attend. Her father, Devyon, is top of the list.
She approaches her twin sister, Alyssa, who has always wanted to stay at home and focus on things at home. Will she raise her sights to support her sister in her Elevation ceremony?
"Hi, Alyssa, I'd love to invite you to come to my elevation ceremony. It's important to me. Would you come with me?"
Alyssa hasn't been off her home planet before and is likely to have issues with even going to the next city on her own planet.
"Where is it?" she asks uncertainly. This matters much more to her than anything else. If it was local, just down the road - then fine, she would go.
Chloe knows her sister's likely answer, but it would be lovely to have her there.
"I can take you there and back in an instant if you like."
Alyssa has been very averse to Chloe's Wristwatch Tardis (ref. 29). The more she hears about it the less she trusts it. She shudders. "You're not taking me anywhere with that thing!" she objects.
Chloe can see that she is just as likely to object to hyperspace travel. A Tardis might be different. She might just wander in... and out. Or… what was that thing her mother's clone had used so much? A portal?
However, Chloe has a back-up plan that she's been working on for a while.
Her mother's friend, Meran has been staying in the house for a week and has befriended Alyssa.
"You could go with Uncle Meran," Chloe says, hopefully. "You've struck up quite a friendship with him this week."
True, there's a generation gap between them, but they had all played many happy board games together during the week.
"You won't need to know you're off-planet. It will feel just the same as it does here. I'd love for you to go with me and be at my ceremony."
Alyssa looks at Chloe. A mixture of feelings are tugging at her. "Am I losing you?" she says almost tearfully.
Chloe has always seemed to be at home even if she's been doing other things, she's always returned home and been there for her. Now it seems that is about to end. Surely Chloe won't be returning home so much. She's putting roots down elsewhere. Her twin sister won't be there for her any more.
She expects a void to grow where Chloe was. She can feel it already, like an ice curtain. Her thoughts return to the present suddenly.
Meran has entered the room. "Game of Chess?" he asks.
"Yes!" Alyssa jumps at the distraction from her growing ice cave.
"Would you join us at your sister's ceremony?" Meran asks.
"Yes," Alyssa says reluctantly.
It's a start. Chloe's pleased. "Wow, thank you," she says and hugs Alyssa, then dashes off to resume her preparations. It feels worth spending that time persuading her sister to join in.
But for Alyssa, she resents having to go elsewhere, particularly so far away. She would have settled for a piece of cake from the after-refreshments. .
For many it may seem very odd that there are others who never leave their own village.
For others who never have left their village except when necessary, it may seem odd that there are people who can travel so easily.
What has Alyssa been doing?
Alyssa has many minor hobbies. She loves many types of craft and modelling; and she's become proficient at needlework but little else. Home based hobbies. It could be idyllic.
In early years she doted on her twin sister, Chloe, and played with her exclusively.
When the Doctor took Chloe out on "outings", Alyssa had been invited, but had grown used to saying "no".
Her expectations extend to finding a nice man on planet Tinsel. She has some promising old schoolfriends.
Meran's distraction.
"Would you come for a walk with me, Alyssa?" Meran asks. "We could walk to the town centre, and you could show me the shops. Are you on?"
"Okay," Alyssa says, "I'll enjoy that."
"Let's go smart," Meran says, trying to look young again.
Meran puts his smart suit on while Alyssa just dresses smart casual. She looks fine as Meran walks with her towards the town centre of Tinsel. It isn't far to the Town Hall - just along the street, but the shops are a little further.
"Which is your favourite shop, Alyssa?" Meran asks.
"I'd love to show you," Alyssa says. "It's just around the corner here."
A small clothes shop that Meran wouldn't have looked at appears to be their destination. Meran hopes that all preparations for their visit are complete.
He follows Alyssa into the shop, and they arrive at Alyssa 's favourite clothes stand. It's all rather basic, but they're used to that.
"Do any of these catch your eye?" Meran asks. "Can I buy something for you?" Meran tries to tempt Alyssa.
Alyssa picks up a long dress. "How about this? Would I look stunning in this?"
Meran tries to imagine but has to give up. "Why not try it on, and I'll tell you." He picks up a tie.
They walk towards the back of the clothes store where there are some dressing rooms.
"Oh, they've improved things here a bit," Alyssa says. "Proper doors on the dressing rooms, usually it's just a curtain."
"You use that cubicle and I'll use this one," Meran suggests.
"You hardly need a changing cubicle for a tie!" Alyssa laughs. .
She steps into one of the cubicles. It's only slightly more spacious than she recalls it being the last time she visited.
Meran steps into his cubicle.
A faint zizzing sound is all they hear, briefly.
Meran is standing outside her cubicle as Alyssa steps out. He appears to be very relieved. Something's gone right!
"You look stunning. Shall we show it to the universe? I've already paid for it for you. Let's step outside the shop!"
No-one else appears to be in the shop, so they skip to the shop front.
They're not outside as Alyssa had been expecting.
As they walk, they pass an extremely elderly man wearing thick sunglasses, staggering along. They ignore him. He appears to ignore them.
"We must have come out of a back entrance," Meran assures her. "Let's go in here."
He ushers Alyssa into a large ceremonial room packed with people who Alyssa doesn't recognise. Meran produces tickets and they're shown to their seats.
"I thought I might treat you to a surprise," Meran says as they sit down.
"Is that Chloe on the stage at the front?" Alyssa says.
"Yes," Meran says excitedly. "Welcome to Gallifrey! I bet you didn't notice the change. I'll be here with you, so you'll not need to know we're anywhere but Tinsel."
Alyssa looks at her Uncle Meran angrily. "You cheated me!"
"You did say you'd come to your sister's event," Meran reminds her. "You're doing well and you're fine! You've nothing to worry about."
Alyssa can't say much about it as she hadn't noticed the travelling. Maybe Uncle Meran's right?
"But Chloe's event isn't until next week!"
"Ah, yes," Meran smiles. "Time machine."
"Where?" Alyssa asks. "Where was it?"
"It was the dressing room cubicle," Meran assures her. "We fitted the inside of a cubicle up against the inside of your mother's Tardis door! Anyway, you're here now. Let's enjoy the ceremony!"
Did Meran get away with it?