The Doctor's cottage was a spacious two storey dwelling made to look modest only by its proximity to the bulk of Heffer's mansion. It was mere minutes after his return that Jasmine's furtive shape could be seen darting across the open ground through the night to knock softly at his front door.
"It's open."
She lost no time in slipping inside and found the old man sitting alone in his cosy little sitting room, a heavy book open on his lap. He gave her a stern look.
"Jasmine. I wasn't expecting to see you. Didn't your guardian tell you to stay in your room?"
"No, he just said he didn't want to see or hear me till morning. And he won't."
The Doctor's shrivelled lips twitched up at the corners.
"A little logic is a dangerous thing. Very well. Take a seat and we'll hide from him together."
She sat on the chair beside him, but just perched on the edge, eagerly restless, and held out her hand palm up.
"This is the thing I wanted to show you. Isn't it strange?"
He blinked, and slowly retrieved his reading glasses from the arm of his chair. Hooking them over his ears, he squinted to focus on the little circle of metal that lay in her hand. It could have been silver, but as the light caught it a band of green luminescence crawled like liquid across its surface. He reached out, and found the object whisked away, Jasmine recoiling as if protecting her valuables from a thief.
Their eyes met, all of them puzzled.
"I'm sorry," said Jasmine. "I... I don't know. Here."
She dropped the disc into his hand and he held it up to the light, turning it this way and that and focussing on the hairline furrow running around its edge. He looked interested, but none too happy.
"Do you know what it is?" asked Jasmine eagerly. "Do you think it's old?"
"No, I think it's very new," he said. "Too new, in fact, for the nineteenth century. Hand me that letter opener, would you?"
She obeyed, and watched him press the point into the corner of the mysterious object, then gasped as he began to twist.
"Oh! What are you doing? Don't break it!"
Too late. The thing popped open in the Doctor's hand leaving him with two identical discs lying in his palm, their exposed innards a honeycomb of minute silver needles. Before he could look closer Jasmine snatched them away from him.
"Stop it!"
She retreated towards the front door, fumbling to fit the two pieces back together. To her relief they clicked easily back into place.
"Jasmine."
Knowing that the shiny trinket was undamaged cleared her head and she looked up guiltily, replaying in her mind what she had just done. The Doctor's weak pale eyes were on her, but he didn't seem angry so much as deeply worried. She glanced down at the disc and closed her fist tightly around it.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I'd better go. I'm not supposed to be out."
The door clicked shut behind her and the Doctor sank deeper into his armchair. He gazed into the empty space where she had been and sighed.
"Oh dear me."
Moments later, she was slipping noiselessly along the hallway of her guardian's mansion, preparing for a lightfoorted ascent of the main staircase. It was a tricky manoeuvre, but she had long since memorised every squeak and after endless practice could make her way up to her room like a ghost in pitch blackness.
"Jasmine!"
She froze at the sound of Heffer's voice. He stood with arms folded in his study doorway.
"In here, please. Now."
Caught. She followed him and waited patiently while he stood at the window with his back to her.
"I believe I made myself quite clear. You were to go to your room and stay there till morning."
"You just said..." No. That wasn't going to help. She lowered her head. "I'm sorry, sir."
"You've disobeyed me and imposed on the Doctor's patience. He's an old man, Jasmine, he was forced to take his leave of me to go and rest. The last thing he needs is you turning up at his door to pester him."
He turned to inspect her, looking her up and down across the twenty foot gap which separated them.
"No doubt you wanted to show him that ridiculous piece of jetsam you picked up off the beach. Hand it over."
"No, it's mine!" The words were out of her mouth and in the air before she could catch them. Heffer's eyes widened in outrage.
"How dare you? Everything you have, the food you eat and the clothes on your back are mine!"
Jasmine unfurled her hand, and looked down at the greenish silver disc still resting in her palm.
"I know that," she murmured. "But this is mine."
"Give it to me this minute or there will be very serious consequences."
She hesitated, torn between the choices of digging herself deeper into this hole, or giving way and apologising monotonously throughout the inevitable lecture until he finally sent her off to imprison herself in her room. She looked over his shoulder, out of the window, and blinked as she seemed to see two moons bright in the dark and cloudy sky. Heffer opened his mouth for some fresh accusation, but stalled as he saw her eyes widen. The two balls of light were bobbing in the air, and drawing closer.
With a piercing crash the window burst inwards, showering razor shards of glass and splintered wood across the room. Heffer was knocked aside like a child by the first of a pair of seven foot tall iron giants, water still trickling from their gleaming oily bodies, jointed limbs turning and swivelling smoothly in their sockets as they strode in, ploughing straight through every obstacle as if walking through a cornfield. The faceless glowing circles at the front of their helmets turned as one on Jasmine.
"It's open."
She lost no time in slipping inside and found the old man sitting alone in his cosy little sitting room, a heavy book open on his lap. He gave her a stern look.
"Jasmine. I wasn't expecting to see you. Didn't your guardian tell you to stay in your room?"
"No, he just said he didn't want to see or hear me till morning. And he won't."
The Doctor's shrivelled lips twitched up at the corners.
"A little logic is a dangerous thing. Very well. Take a seat and we'll hide from him together."
She sat on the chair beside him, but just perched on the edge, eagerly restless, and held out her hand palm up.
"This is the thing I wanted to show you. Isn't it strange?"
He blinked, and slowly retrieved his reading glasses from the arm of his chair. Hooking them over his ears, he squinted to focus on the little circle of metal that lay in her hand. It could have been silver, but as the light caught it a band of green luminescence crawled like liquid across its surface. He reached out, and found the object whisked away, Jasmine recoiling as if protecting her valuables from a thief.
Their eyes met, all of them puzzled.
"I'm sorry," said Jasmine. "I... I don't know. Here."
She dropped the disc into his hand and he held it up to the light, turning it this way and that and focussing on the hairline furrow running around its edge. He looked interested, but none too happy.
"Do you know what it is?" asked Jasmine eagerly. "Do you think it's old?"
"No, I think it's very new," he said. "Too new, in fact, for the nineteenth century. Hand me that letter opener, would you?"
She obeyed, and watched him press the point into the corner of the mysterious object, then gasped as he began to twist.
"Oh! What are you doing? Don't break it!"
Too late. The thing popped open in the Doctor's hand leaving him with two identical discs lying in his palm, their exposed innards a honeycomb of minute silver needles. Before he could look closer Jasmine snatched them away from him.
"Stop it!"
She retreated towards the front door, fumbling to fit the two pieces back together. To her relief they clicked easily back into place.
"Jasmine."
Knowing that the shiny trinket was undamaged cleared her head and she looked up guiltily, replaying in her mind what she had just done. The Doctor's weak pale eyes were on her, but he didn't seem angry so much as deeply worried. She glanced down at the disc and closed her fist tightly around it.
"Sorry," she muttered. "I'd better go. I'm not supposed to be out."
The door clicked shut behind her and the Doctor sank deeper into his armchair. He gazed into the empty space where she had been and sighed.
"Oh dear me."
Moments later, she was slipping noiselessly along the hallway of her guardian's mansion, preparing for a lightfoorted ascent of the main staircase. It was a tricky manoeuvre, but she had long since memorised every squeak and after endless practice could make her way up to her room like a ghost in pitch blackness.
"Jasmine!"
She froze at the sound of Heffer's voice. He stood with arms folded in his study doorway.
"In here, please. Now."
Caught. She followed him and waited patiently while he stood at the window with his back to her.
"I believe I made myself quite clear. You were to go to your room and stay there till morning."
"You just said..." No. That wasn't going to help. She lowered her head. "I'm sorry, sir."
"You've disobeyed me and imposed on the Doctor's patience. He's an old man, Jasmine, he was forced to take his leave of me to go and rest. The last thing he needs is you turning up at his door to pester him."
He turned to inspect her, looking her up and down across the twenty foot gap which separated them.
"No doubt you wanted to show him that ridiculous piece of jetsam you picked up off the beach. Hand it over."
"No, it's mine!" The words were out of her mouth and in the air before she could catch them. Heffer's eyes widened in outrage.
"How dare you? Everything you have, the food you eat and the clothes on your back are mine!"
Jasmine unfurled her hand, and looked down at the greenish silver disc still resting in her palm.
"I know that," she murmured. "But this is mine."
"Give it to me this minute or there will be very serious consequences."
She hesitated, torn between the choices of digging herself deeper into this hole, or giving way and apologising monotonously throughout the inevitable lecture until he finally sent her off to imprison herself in her room. She looked over his shoulder, out of the window, and blinked as she seemed to see two moons bright in the dark and cloudy sky. Heffer opened his mouth for some fresh accusation, but stalled as he saw her eyes widen. The two balls of light were bobbing in the air, and drawing closer.
With a piercing crash the window burst inwards, showering razor shards of glass and splintered wood across the room. Heffer was knocked aside like a child by the first of a pair of seven foot tall iron giants, water still trickling from their gleaming oily bodies, jointed limbs turning and swivelling smoothly in their sockets as they strode in, ploughing straight through every obstacle as if walking through a cornfield. The faceless glowing circles at the front of their helmets turned as one on Jasmine.