The rain continued for most of the day. Gerran did not return to his garden after lunch but remained in the house, enjoying the opportunity to speak with his guests. Several other villagers knocked tentatively at the door shortly after lunch, eager to see and perhaps interact with the visitors. By mid-afternoon nearly two dozen people had crowded into the sitting room and dining area, where the Doctor answered their endless questions about the people and sights he had seen during his travels. Tegan noticed, however, that he refrained from mentioning Terileptils, the Mara, the Master, or any other frightening creatures he had encountered, instead focusing his tales upon more benign aspects of the planets he had visited.
The residents were particularly fascinated with information about the Earth, and Tegan was glad to join in with facts and observations about her home. Indeed, she was able to provide more satisfactory answers to queries about customs and typical activities than the Time Lord could. His views were clearly that of a participant observer, while hers contained the richness and heart-felt detail that only a native could provide.
Nyssa returned mid-afternoon. She had shared a simple meal with Vuir as they continued their discussion about herbs. The young Traken woman was clearly impressed with the knowledge acquired by the healer. While Vuir did not understand the biochemical processes that contributed to her herbs' efficacy, she knew a great deal about their uses and effects. Nyssa had begun a rudimentary explanation of basic chemical structures and reactions, to which Vuir responded with interest. However, when Lyrid, the pregnant woman, came to the healer's house Nyssa excused herself with a promise to continue their discussion later.
As darkness began to fall, the villagers reluctantly returned to their own homes. The Doctor cheerfully suggested that they return after supper, but Gerran told the group that the guests would see them in the morning.
"I would have been glad to continue later tonight," the Time Lord said as the last visitor was waved out the door.
"No, Doctor," Gerran said, "we try to remain in our homes after dark."
"Really? And why is that?"
Gerran raised the wick in the lantern near the door. "It's safer to stay inside at night."
"Are there predatory animals out there?" asked Adric, remembering that he had been out in the open with Rannal only hours ago.
"Yes. But they're nocturnal; they don't hunt during the day."
"Dingoes?" inquired Tegan.
Gerran shook his head. "I don't know what those are."
"Wild dogs with big, sharp teeth," Tegan clarified.
"Oh, no. These are more like… pigs."
"Ah, perhaps similar to javalina?" the Doctor suggested.
"Come on, Doctor, even I don't know what those are!" Tegan said. "They're from where, Jupiter?"
"Jupiter cannot sustain mammalian life," the Time Lord corrected. "Javalinas are wild boars that live in the southwestern portion of North America. They can be quite unpleasant when threatened or provoked."
"So wild pigs roam around out there at night?" Tegan said.
"Yes. It's safer to stay inside," Gerran confirmed.
After supper Gerran and the Doctor drank spicy herbal tea and discussed the various issues faced by the village. Providing light and warmth was one consistent problem. The supply of wood was limited to the scrubby bushes growing amidst the hills. The trees in the surrounding area had been cut down years ago for lumber for the houses.
Running a hand over the wall, the Doctor said, "These were oak trees."
"Yes," Gerran said with mild surprise, "that's what my grandfather called them. He built this house."
"And the metal and plastic were salvaged from the wreckage?"
"The wreckage? Oh, of our ancestors' ship—yes, they were."
"And the glass that you use for your windows came from the same source," the Doctor added. The windows were made of bits of glass held together by metal, much like a crude form of stained glass. They permitted light to enter but afforded relatively poor views.
"Yes. As our population has grown we've had to share the glass, so most of us only have one or two windows now."
"Would you like to learn how to produce more glass?"
Gerran blinked in awe. "You know how to make glass?"
The Doctor smiled. "It's quite simple. You just need a few tools. I'm sure I could rig something for you if I can't find what I need."
"We would be grateful."
"And I may have a solution for your heating and lighting problem, too."
"Really?"
"Let me think about it for a while longer. I have several ideas."
Tegan and Nyssa had been helping Ellea with the dishes, but now they returned to the sitting room. Adric sat near the fire scratching away on his notepad. When the Doctor rose to carry the cups back to the kitchen, Tegan caught his arm and led him toward her bedroom.
"Yes, Tegan, what is it?" he asked rather warily.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm returning these mugs to Ellea—"
"No, I don't mean that! You're going to teach them to make glass and electricity."
"I never said I was going to help them harness electricity, though it's not a bad idea, really. I was thinking more along the lines of—"
"But you said they weren't ready for technological advances."
"No, I did not say that. They aren't ready for space travel, but if we can help them with a few small improvements that will make their lives easier, there's no harm in that."
Tegan rubbed her arms in the chilly hallway. The only source of heat in the house was the fireplace in the sitting room. "Well, I suppose they could use a better heating system," she conceded.
"Believe me, Tegan, I'm well aware of the fine line between assistance and interference. I don't intend to cross it."
------
Gerran and the Doctor talked for several hours, occasionally joined by Tegan, Nyssa, and Adric as the conversation turned to subjects that sparked their individual interests. Ellea sat quietly near the fire sewing a patchwork quilt that she explained was her own personal design. She appeared to listen but rarely spoke. Tegan had the feeling that their hostess was still a bit in awe of the guests. Ellea's eyelids began to droop as the conversation continued, and she finally excused herself to go to bed.
Adric had been suppressing yawns for nearly an hour before Tegan finally told him that he should go to bed if he was sleepy. Hesitant to leave the discussion, he protested, "I'm not tired."
"Then why have you been yawning?" responded Tegan. "You can barely keep your eyes open."
"I'm just fine," he retorted.
Nyssa leaned over to rest her hand on his arm. "You do look tired, Adric."
"Look, I'm not a child who needs to be told when to go to bed—"
"Of course you aren't," Nyssa replied, standing. "If you'll all excuse me, I think I'll say good night." She smiled down at Adric then walked out of the room.
The others had stopped talking for the moment. When another yawn threatened Adric, he felt three sets of eyes upon him. Finally he stood. "Good night," he said somewhat tersely.
"Sleep well," Tegan called after him.
The Doctor and Gerran were already immersed in conversation again. Tegan listened for a while, but their topic had shifted to energy sources. The Doctor was explaining how solar power worked, and Tegan found her own eyelids growing heavy with his discourse. She wished the men good night and retreated to her room.
Nyssa sat upon the bed, writing on a small tablet by the light of a single candle.
"I thought you were tired," the Australian said as she quickly undressed and slipped under the covers.
"Oh, not really. But I could tell that Adric didn't want to leave while we were all still talking."
Tegan nodded. "That was nice of you. What are you working on?"
Nyssa glanced up. "I'm making some simple diagrams for Vuir. She's very interested in understanding how some of the herbal remedies work, so I'm going to teach her some basic chemistry."
"Sounds fascinating," Tegan said wryly, settling back against the pillow.
"Will the light bother you?"
Tegan turned toward the wall. "No."
"Good night, Tegan."
"'Night."
Nyssa bent her head an continued to work on her diagram.
------
The Doctor and Gerran talked for another hour. Finally Gerran, with some reluctance, stood and went to the door. He checked the lantern that burned just outside the doorway then came back inside. "I'm sure I could listen to you for the entire night," he said, "but I should go to bed now. The goats will need attention first thing in the morning."
"Of course. I may stay up a bit longer."
"Please make yourself at home. But Doctor, do remain inside."
"Ah yes, the wild boars."
Gerran nodded then extended his hand. "Good night."
"Sleep well."
The Doctor remained near the fire for some time, finally adding another log then walking quietly down the hallway toward his room. He opened the door softly. A candle still burned on the small table between the two beds. Adric was curled on his mattress beneath the quilt. His breathing was even and slow; he was deeply asleep. He made a small noise, something like a moan, and the Doctor bent over him for a moment to see that his eyes moved quickly beneath his lids. The boy's brow furrowed for an instant, and his shoulders twitched. The quilt shifted with the movement.
The Doctor pulled the cover back up, tucking it gently around Adric. "Sweet dreams," he whispered. "Only happy memories tonight."
Adric's features relaxed, and he seemed to sigh softly in his sleep. The Doctor sat down upon his bed. He reached for the notepad and pencil that Adric had left on the table, flipping to an unused page to begin making a few notes of his own. However, a vague dissonance niggled at the back of his mind and he finally turned back the page to study Adric's work. He crossed out a number and wrote a correction above it. He glanced at the sleeping boy with a shake of his head. There really was no excuse for such a careless error.
------
The Doctor did not sleep, but he permitted himself to close his eyes for an hour or two of rest. When the room began to lighten with the first hints of dawn, he opened his eyes. He heard a faint noise from within the house. He stood to move to the door, listening carefully. Someone was moving about quietly at the front of the house. A quick look at Adric told him that the young man would sleep for some time, but if someone were awake he might find a companion with whom he could share a cup of tea. At the very least he could help with the fire or light the oven for Ellea.
The Doctor opened the door and walked down the hall with muffled footsteps, pausing for a moment at Tegan and Nyssa's doorway to listen. He heard both young women breathing softly. As he reached the sitting room, he heard a small click and saw the door just closing. It was still gray outside; dawn would not break for some time. Perhaps Gerran had gone to attend to the animals. He could see the glow of a lantern through the window, bobbing slightly with its bearer's steps, moving away from the house.
The Doctor returned to the fireplace, adding a large log to the embers then stoking it until it began to smoke slightly. Satisfied that the room would soon begin to warm, he went into the kitchen, intending to prepare the stone oven for Ellea. To his surprise there was already a small fire burning, and a pot of water, half full, sat nearby. The water was still hot, but he added some more and pushed the pot back toward the fire. He found the tea easily, and after a few minutes he had prepared a cup of the naturally fragrant brew. He returned to the sitting room to check the fire. It was burning well, and the room was starting to feel cozier.
He settled by the fireplace to drink his tea.
When the door opened some time later, shortly after daybreak, he was surprised to see Ellea enter the house. She held an empty basket over her arm.
"Good morning," he greeted cheerfully, standing.
Her eyes flicked to him, and she gasped. "Oh!" She leaned against the door for a moment for support, her face blanching.
The Doctor hurried to her, taking the basket and leading her to a chair. "I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't mean to startle you."
"I—" She had placed her hand on the chair but did not sit down. "I just didn't expect anyone to be up this early. It's still almost like a dream, having you and your friends here." She took a breath and smoothed her skirt over her stomach.
The Doctor watched her movements for a moment. The color still had not returned to her face. She reached for the basket, and her hand brushed against his. Her fingers were cold. He rested his hand over hers for a moment.
"It's a chilly morning," he said. "I've already made some tea. Will you have a cup with me?"
"I need to start breakfast," she began.
"I'll help you."
She took a few small steps toward the kitchen, seeming hesitant for an instant. "That's not necessary."
"Well, at least let me get you that tea."
She looked back at him. "All right. Thank you."
He followed her into the kitchen. She set the basket on a shelf as he poured hot water into a mug for her. When he turned to offer it to her, he found that she was leaning over the basin with a hand pressed to her mouth.
He set the mug beside her. "This should help to settle your stomach."
She nodded and reached for it, swallowing hard before she lifted it to her lips.
"You should try to get some extra rest," he said kindly. "Perhaps Gerran can attend to the animals until you've passed the worst of it."
She looked at him with large eyes, setting the mug aside. She gripped the edge of the table, her knees seeming to falter beneath her. The Doctor stepped forward immediately to take her shoulders and gently ease her onto the bench. She stared up into his face, lifting her hands.
"Good morning," Nyssa's blithe voice greeted them from the doorway.
The Doctor offered Ellea a reassuring smile then straightened and turned toward his friend. "Good morning, Nyssa," he said. "Ellea and I were just about to have some tea. Let me make some for you as well."
He set Ellea's cup next to her. She took a small sip, watching the Doctor intently. The warmth of the beverage seemed to bring some color back to her face. As the Time Lord and Nyssa exchanged morning pleasantries, she stood and began to prepare breakfast. Gerran joined them in a few minutes.
Tegan emerged from her room just before breakfast was ready. She helped Nyssa to set the table.
"I suppose one of us should wake Adric," she said. "I'm sure he won't want to miss breakfast."
The Doctor brought a loaf of bread from the kitchen and placed it on the table. "Ellea has asked us to be seated," he said.
"We have one more job for you," said Tegan, "since you're in such a helpful mood this morning."
The Doctor appeared slightly affronted, but before he could speak Tegan continued, "Someone needs to wake up Adric."
"Is he still sleeping?" asked the Doctor. "Growing boys… I'll get him."
He walked quickly down the hallway, opening the door to the shared room and permitting light from the small window in the hall to fill the chamber. "Time to get up, Adric!" he said brightly.
The Alzarian covered his eyes with his arm. "Already?" he mumbled.
"Yes. Ellea has breakfast ready."
Adric sat up blearily, rubbing at his eyes. "I'll be there in a minute."
The Doctor smiled slightly at the mussed hair and sleep-swollen eyes. It occurred to him that he had never awakened Adric before. On the TARDIS the crew slept and woke according to their own personal rhythms, and forced wakefulness was rarely required. As he turned to leave the room, he commented, "Oh, I've made a correction in your calculations."
"A correction?"
"Yes, on the second page—you'll see. You should really try to work more carefully." He slipped out the doorway before Adric could respond.
Frowning, Adric took the notepad and flipped to the indicated page. His frown deepened and he shook his head. "This doesn't make any sense," he muttered. "He's the one who's mistaken."
He set the pad back on the table, resting his head in his hands with a deep sigh.
------
Nyssa went to Vuir's house after breakfast, and Rannal appeared once again at Gerran's doorway to request his new friend's attentions. Immediately the child grasped Adric's hand, urging him toward the door. "I have something else to show you today!" he said ebulliently.
Adric looked down at the boy. "I have some calculations I want to work on," he began.
"Oh Adric," said Tegan, "that can wait until later. You're always doing maths! Go out and get some fresh air with your playmate." She grinned.
"He's not my playmate!" Adric protested, but Rannal's hurt expression changed his tack. "I mean," he amended, looking at the boy, "I'm glad to spend time with you, but I'm not a playmate like Morra is—I'm much older than you, like an adult."
Rannal, somewhat placated by Adric's tone, shrugged. "I don't care how old you are. I just like playing with you and having you show me maths, and I can show you my favorite place—"
"Rannal," Gerran interjected, his voice sterner than the visitors had heard it during the previous day, "you know you're only permitted to go to the west hills, no further, and to no other areas. And don't be gone long. You're expected at worship before lunch."
"Yes, Uncle," the child replied obediently. "I know." He gave Adric's hand a tug. "Come on!"
"All right," Adric said, "I'm coming. Where's Morra today?" He gave Tegan a taunting glance.
"Oh, she's at home. She's helping Momma today."
"But she's feeling better?" asked Tegan.
Rannal nodded. "I guess so."
"See you later," Adric called as Rannal urged him out the door.
"He's your nephew?" Tegan asked Gerran.
Their host nodded. "Yes. His father was Ellea's brother."
"Was?" the Doctor repeated. "Has something happened to him?"
Gerran glanced at Ellea, who had begun to clear the dishes. He waited a moment until she had stepped into the kitchen. "He's… He died, over a year ago."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Tegan said. "What happened?"
"There was an accident," Gerran said in a low voice. "Ellea is still upset by it—we all are."
The Doctor nodded. "You have our sympathies. I see now why Rannal has taken to Adric so readily. He must miss having an older male in his life."
Gerran nodded. "He does. He and his father were close—always walking out to explore. Cira does her best, but with the house and Morra she doesn't have much time for games and excursions."
"At least he has Morra to play with," Tegan said, trying to muster some cheer.
Gerran nodded. "Yes, I suppose so."
Ellea returned, and her husband tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. "Doctor," he said, "I've been thinking quite a lot about your offer to show us how to make glass. When can you start?"
The Doctor smiled. "We can begin today." He turned to Tegan. "Would you like to take a little walk with me?"
"Where?" Tegan squinted slightly in good-natured suspicion.
"Just to the nearest stream or river. I noticed one not far from here as Nyssa and I were walking—perhaps just half a kilometer or so."
Tegan replied, "I thought I'd see if I could help Cira today. It sounds like she could use it."
"She's preparing for worship this morning," Gerran said. "She won't do any housework until the afternoon."
"Is today your Sabbath?" asked Tegan.
"Sabbath? I've read that term before," Gerran responded. "That's a day for worship, isn't it? I suppose you could call today our Sabbath. Once each week we gather for worship together. Isn't this something that your people do?"
Tegan nodded. "Yes, it is—though not everyone does it."
"No? Everyone in our village participates." Gerran paused for a moment. "I hope you'll pardon us if we leave you on your own for a few hours."
"Of course," said the Doctor. "We certainly don't want to disrupt your routines. And I'm sure we can find plenty of ways to occupy ourselves." He stood up. "Are you ready, Tegan?"
"I wish I could accompany you," said Gerran, "but I need to attend to the goats. I should have gone out earlier. Time has got away from me, I'm afraid."
"Oh, Ellea has—" began the Doctor, but their hostess quickly interjected.
"I've gathered some food for them. It's just outside." She gestured toward the door then quickly returned to the kitchen. "Doctor," she called, "I can pack a basket for you if you want to go out to the hills."
"Thank you, but you don't need to bother," he said. "We shouldn't be too long, particularly if the weather doesn't hold up."
"There's no rain expected today," said Gerran.
"No? You're either quite optimistic or you have a secret barometer hidden away somewhere," the Time Lord replied pleasantly.
Gerran gave a half-smile. "I can usually tell when it will rain by the scent of the wind."
"Inside the house? That's quite impressive!"
A movement of color near the front door caught the Doctor's momentary attention, but when he looked in its direction he saw nothing. Gerran stood. "I'll see you at lunchtime, I hope. And as I told the boy, you should avoid the hills to the east and south. The wild boars live in that area, and they may come out during the day if they sense intruders."
"Thank you," the Doctor said. "We'll keep that in mind."
He and Tegan left the house, noticing that several residents milled about nearby, hoping to see the visitors. They waved and greeted the curious folks amicably.
"Doctor! Tegan!" A woman's voice hailed them from nearby.
They turned to see Cira hurrying toward them.
"Is something wrong?" asked Tegan.
"Have you seen Rannal this morning?" Cira panted slightly with her exertions.
"Yes, he came for Adric just a few minutes ago," Tegan replied. "He wanted to take Adric somewhere—he said to his favorite place."
Cira frowned. "I told him to remain in the village! Worship is this morning."
"Do you know where he's gone?" the Doctor asked.
Cira nodded. "Probably out to the river. He loves to gather rocks there and watch the fish."
"Well," the Doctor smiled, "we're on our way to the river, too. We'll send Rannal back as soon as we see him."
"Would you? Thank you, Doctor. That will save me quite a bit of time."
"Where's Morra?" asked Tegan.
"Oh, she's helping prepare the house of worship—Rannal should be there, too. I don't know what to do with that boy sometimes." She sighed.
"We'll send him along to you," the Doctor promised.
The walk to the river was not long, and the day was pleasant with few clouds, just as promised by Gerran. As they descended a small rise, they saw the river stretching before them. A few trees grew near the banks, but most had been cut down for building materials and firewood. Low bushes clustered about, many heavy with ripening berries. Rannal's head popped up from behind a bush; he wore a delighted expression on his face.
"Rannal!" called Tegan, waving.
The boy looked up at her with a scowl. He lifted his hand to his lips and shook his head. As they neared him, he said, "Sshh! We're playing hide-an-seek."
"Is Adric the one hiding now?" asked Tegan with a grin.
Rannal nodded.
Tegan said, "Then you don't need to be quiet. He does."
"I know where he is anyway," Rannal said. "I'm much better at this game than he is."
"Well, if you know where he is, run and find him. Your mother wants you to return home right away," the Doctor informed the child.
"Oh." Rannal's face fell. He looked back at a clump of bushes about five meters away. "Bye, Adric!" Without another glance he skipped away, back toward the village.
"Adric," called Tegan, "you can come out now. The game's over."
There was no response. The Doctor had gone toward the river bank and bent to study the soil and rock. Tegan's eyes moved over the bushes. "Come on, Adric!"
Growing slightly annoyed, she began walking toward the bushes that Rannal had indicated. "Adric! Come out, come out wherever you are!"
She heard a rustle beside her and turned to see Adric crouched beneath a bush just a few meters away, near the area where she had first seen Rannal.
"Either you're really good at this game or Rannal is really bad," she commented as she neared the bushes.
Adric remained beneath the shrub. His head was down so she could not see his face.
"Okay, Adric, now this is just getting silly. Come on! Your game's over. Rannal had to go home." She bent down to touch his shoulder. "Adric!"
Slowly he lifted his head to look up at her. "Tegan?"
"Yes—same one who's been calling you for the last five minutes."
He crawled out from the branches, blinking in the bright sunshine as he stood. He shielded his eyes with his hand. "What are you doing here?"
"The Doctor wanted to come out to the river. He's going to show Gerran how to make glass, and he's looking for sand."
Adric's gaze moved to the Time Lord, who squatted beside the water. "Where's Rannal?"
Tegan shook her head. "What did you do, cover your ears? You really took the game seriously!"
Adric's blank expression encouraged her to continue. "His mother wanted him to come home. There's a worship service today, and he has to help set up. Didn't you hear us telling him?"
Adric blinked again, squinting. "No."
Tegan sighed in exasperation. Sometimes the boy's head was so full of calculations that he seemed to be off in another world. She turned to join the Doctor by the riverside.
He was running his hand over the sandy soil.
"Will it work?" she asked as she crouched beside him.
"We'll have to filter it to remove the organic matter, but I think we can procure sufficient quantities here to make enough glass for several windows initially. Once I've shown them the process, they can obtain more sand."
Adric had walked toward them at a very leisurely pace. Looking over his shoulder, the Doctor said, "This soil contains about forty percent sand, of which approximately eighty percent is silica. The weight of this is …" He lifted a handful of soil, then finished, "thirty grams. If we can produce one kilogram of glass for every one point four kilograms of sand, we would need about—" He paused to glance at Adric.
The Alzarian was staring at the rushing water. He did not appear to notice his companion's look.
"Adric?" the Doctor prompted.
"Hmm? What?"
"How many kilograms of this sand would we need to produce ten kilograms of glass?"
Adric blinked. "It's…" He stared at the soil in the Doctor's hand. "That's how much?"
"About thirty grams." The Doctor's tone bordered on vexation.
Adric's eyes moved over the water. "It would be…" His voice was almost languid. He lifted his hand. "What's that?"
Tegan followed his gesture with he gaze. He was pointing at something light that lay about fifty centimeters beneath the clear water. It was stationary and seemed firmly snagged on something.
The Doctor peered across the river. "How interesting," he murmured, shaking the soil from his hand as he stood. He walked a few paces along the bank, rolling up his sleeves as he did. He dipped his hand into the water to feel the object. Tegan and Adric joined him, craning their necks to see what he had found.
"What is it?" asked Tegan.
"It feels like a pipe," replied the Doctor. He continued to move his hand over it. "Yes, it's definitely a pipe, and it feels as though it's made of plastic."
"A plastic pipe here?" Tegan was surprised.
"It's not terribly surprising," the Doctor said. "Plastic compounds can last for hundreds of years. But I wonder where it goes."
"Is it angled?" asked Adric.
The Doctor nodded.
"So the water flows into it," the Alzarian said. "I'll bet it goes back to the village. It must be an irrigation system."
He had leaned over the water to try to obtain a better view of the pipe. Tegan watched a small, silvery fish swim by, apparently undaunted by the Doctor's hand. A drop of red appeared on the surface, quickly spreading and dissipating in the flow. It was followed by a second drop. Tegan frowned in confusion. The drops were falling into the water. She looked up.
"Cripes, Adric! You're bleeding!"
The boy straightened and immediately wiped his hand over his nose. "No, I—" He stared at the blood on his fingers for a moment.
"Another nosebleed?" The Doctor had risen, too, and quickly reached for his handkerchief. "Head back," he reminded Adric, once again holding the cloth firmly over his nose.
"I can do it," Adric muttered, pushing the Doctor's hand away.
"Here, sit down," Tegan encouraged, taking his elbow and lowering Adric to the ground. She knelt beside him. "Keep your head back."
"I know!" he murmured.
"My brother used to have a lot of nosebleeds," Tegan said. "But he outgrew them when he was a teenager."
Adric's eyes darted to her face. "I'm not your brother!" he snapped.
"No, you're certainly not!" Tegan, momentarily stung by his tone, stood up. "I was just trying to help."
Adric had closed his eyes in the bright sunlight. His fingers pinched his nose hard enough to whiten his knuckles. The Doctor had been scanning the nearby bushes, but now he returned his attention to the young man. "No, Adric, don't grip so hard. You could rupture more capillaries." He touched Adric's hand lightly.
Adric loosened his grip slightly, and after about thirty seconds the Doctor bent down to move the handkerchief aside. "Hmm," he commented perfunctorily, "keep that in place for a few minutes longer."
Despite his casual tone, Tegan noticed a flicker of concern in his eyes. He watched Adric for several moments then returned to the bank to examine the pipe once more. "It must be buried fairly deeply," he said, tapping at the bank above it with the toe of his boot.
"If it goes all the way to the village, it must have been quite a job to bury it," said Tegan.
"Yes. Of course, they've had over two hundred years to do it, so perhaps it was completed in stages." He watched the water flowing by. "If they have access to running water in the village, it's possible that they could generate electricity—"
"Doctor," Tegan reprimanded, "don't you think that's going a bit too far?"
Adric stood up, lowering the handkerchief.
"Has it stopped?" inquired the Doctor, beckoning the boy to his side.
Adric nodded. "Yes, I think so." He bent down to splash some cold water over his face, rubbing at the area around his nose.
"Gently, Adric," cautioned the Doctor, tilting the young man's chin up for a moment to see that the bleeding had indeed ceased.
Somewhat self-consciously Adric immersed the handkerchief in the river, permitting the cold water to wash out most of the blood. He kept his eyes on the water as he worked at rubbing out the rest. When the cloth was clean again, he wrung it out then tucked it into his belt, hesitant to return it to its owner while it was still wet.
"Perhaps we should be getting back," the Doctor said. Looking at Adric, he added, "It's probably best to get you away from here and from whatever is causing this allergic reaction."
Adric frowned. "I told you yesterday—Alzarians don't have allergies!"
"Perhaps an Alzarian has never visited a planet with precisely these conditions," the Doctor suggested, then, before Adric could protest, he said, "Come along, you two. I want to see how this irrigation system works."
He walked briskly ahead, Tegan and Adric following a few paces behind. They climbed up the small rise that lay between the river and the village. The Doctor paused at the top to wait for them, looking out over the region. Tegan skimmed the batholiths that extruded from the earth all around them. The village lay just ahead, nestled between two of the rocky hills.
"I think I can see a bit of the pipe just over there," Tegan said, pointing at a light spot about half-way between them and the village.
The Doctor squinted. "Yes, it looks like some of the earth washed away, perhaps during yesterday's rain. The pipe must not be buried very deeply. I can see more in that direction."
They descended the hill and walked toward the exposed pipe. The Doctor bent to study it. "Definitely a plastic compound," he said.
"This stretches for what, nearly a kilometer? They must have had an awful lot of piping with them," said Tegan.
"Perhaps they salvaged it from the ship," Adric suggested.
The Doctor had already walked on, heading for the next bit of exposed pipe. It lay toward the edge of the village, near the base of a batholith. He reached it within a few minutes. When Adric and Tegan had joined him, he pointed, saying, "You see that this actually runs in nearly a straight line from the river, excepting the area they must have had to alter to go around the hill we climbed. This must go to the gardens, which are just there." He gestured toward the small homes clustered about two hundred meters away.
As he studied the pipe, tapping at it with his fingers, Tegan's eyes ran over the base of the batholith. It was imposing from this angle, and she could see various cracks and crevices, some nearly a meter wide, between the large, rocky sections. A brightly colored bird flapped by overhead, and she looked up to see its crimson feathers glint in the sunshine. She had never seen a bird exactly that color, and she watched it for a moment as it swooped around the hill, alighting perhaps twenty meters away. Tegan walked toward the bird, hoping to have a better look.
As she neared it, it fluttered its wings and shot into the air. "Rabbits!" she muttered, still watching it as it flew away. It gave a plaintive cry as it disappeared around the edge of the mound.
Tegan heard a second cry and thought for an instant that the bird was returning, but she realized after a second of thought that this noise was different. It was almost like a wail. Her first thought was that one of the children was nearby and must be frightened or hurt.
"Hello?" she called.
Another low moan floated down from a few meters above her. She looked up, just catching a glimpse of movement among the rocks. Had she seen a head with shaggy hair? She took a step back to try to obtain a better view. When she tilted her head back again she was surprised to see a small shower of dirt and pebbles raining down on her. Instinctively she lunged forward toward the face of the batholith, small pellets of debris stinging at her shoulders and back.
Tegan pressed her body against the rock, dust surrounding her, making her cough. She could hear larger rocks slamming to the ground, churning up more dust. Smaller stones pelted her back and calves. She held her arms over her head, clapping her hands over her ears to drown out the thundering rubble. Her heart raced in fear; she was certain that she would be buried in the rockslide. She stopped breathing and squeezed her eyes shut.