THE ARTIST
"Is that a human child?" River asked, standing behind the Doctor.
The boy had not moved. Cross-legged on the ground, he continued to gaze at the dying world, transfixed by every swirl of dust and flicker of starlight. He was more statue than child, eyes entirely black with no colourful iris to wrap around their voids.
"I doubt it," the Doctor knelt down beside the child. "The Tardis didn't recognise the life sign and – well, does he look human to you?"
"If I remember your words correctly," River replied, "the definition of human is broad and variable."
"Not this time, Dr Song." The Doctor shifted beside the boy. "Hello?" he offered, not quite sure how to start. "Very nice planet you have here – colourful – lots of sand. Do you have a name? I'm The Doctor, this is my companion-"
River swatted the Doctor over the back of the head.
"Wife," he amended, "Professor River Song."
"The only water in the forest is the river..." the boy whispered.
River and the Doctor turned to each other, faces etched with worry. Either the child was a telepath or – something else. Something the Doctor hadn't seen and River hadn't read about.
"Y-Yes," River stuttered slightly. "How did you know that?"
The child did not reply. He wasn't sitting still as initially thought but swaying ever so slightly as though in a trance.
"Come on now," the Doctor nudged the boy gently with his shoulder. "Everyone has a name."
"Your name is – shrouded," the boy startled them by glancing over his shoulder, eyes locking with his two guests. They were old eyes, like the Doctor's. "A name in darkness, a name without light or soul – you buried your name – locked all the doors."
The Doctor peered deep into those black eyes. He'd seen monsters, madmen, angels and demons. This child was none of these.
"You can call me, 'The Doctor'. I know it's only a title but it can pass as a name."
The boy smiled.
River felt a chill run down her spine. There was something very wrong with this world. "Doctor, maybe we should go?" she whispered.
The Doctor stared at the child. He was a mystery – the most dangerous thing a Time Lord could find. Love a good mystery. "What are you?" he whispered, tilting his head slightly as though inspecting prey. "Come on," the Doctor baited the creature. "You can tell me. I'm the champion of strange creatures – rescuer of universal oddities. Saved a city of shadows once."
"I am in no need of rescuing," the boy insisted. "The mind, like this world, is a prison – all I require is entertainment."
The boy vanished, flickering out of existence like a dying image on a TV. The Doctor waved his hand through the space where the boy had been but found nothing but empty, desert air.
"Odd... mildly concerning," he muttered.
"Can we go now, Doctor?" River Song asked. Travelling across the universe was fun and dangerous, she knew that but every now and then they bit off more than they could chew – this was one of those times.
The Doctor agreed. "Think we better." He took her hand and tugged her back down the ravaged sand.
The ground beneath their feet trembled again. River looked up at the blue star, drifting toward the horizon. "What did he mean, 'the mind is a prison – like this planet' – do you think someone put him here?"
"Possibly. What if you were a race of creatures and one of you went mad – brilliant – but mental and you couldn't find it in your heart to destroy them? Instead, you find them a world and leave them there with no escape. A prison without walls – a cell without boundaries."
"That doesn't sound very kind," River pointed out. "I'd rather die than be trapped in a prison. Trust me – been there, done that."
Twice. Something flared deep in the Doctor's eyes – sorrow. He shook it off. "Either way, I'd like to know more about this creature before we interfere. Wait – hold on, I've forgotten where I've parked again."
The Doctor came to a stop in the middle of the sand. He frowned, looking about for his trusty blue box but the Tardis was nowhere to be seen.
"I'm sure I put her here somewhere – River, where did I park?"
"Right here..." River whispered, pointing to the square indent in the sand.
"Oh," the Doctor swallowed hard.
"I don't like this, Doctor."
"Thinking – thinking..." he didn't sound too worried yet – unsettled, but not in panic mode. "You can't steal a Tardis, old girl would never allow it."
"She'd slap you if she heard you say that."
"Already has..." he grinned proudly.
"Take it that's a story for later," she eyed him suspiciously.
"If you're good. Still, she must be here – somewhere on this world. Whatever that creature was, he's moved her. River -" he pointed to the mountain range they'd just been scrambling over. "Was that always so – molten?"
A river of lava had peaked over the crest and was making its way down the valley towards them. Sulphur leaked into the air as the purple sand turned black around the orange glow. As they watched, the sands changed colour, the purple hue shifting from violet to plum. It turned the savage scene into something undeniably beautiful – and entirely unnatural.
"Are you seeing this?" the Doctor asked, as the world changed before their eyes.
River nodded. "I've read about this. Have you ever heard of Elementals?"
He scoffed. "In Earth mythology."
"No – not Earth. Earth's full of stories and very little fact. I'm talking about creatures that can interact with the elements – like you can feel Time."
"Not in the history books I've read."
"I got lost once, hunting for a library. I ended up a long way in the future. The sky was dark, most of the stars dissolved into dust or cold lumps of lifeless rock. I stumbled upon the ruins of Asparu and the great database of crystal designed to carry the universe's knowledge into the next birth."
"River..." he looked at her very seriously. "You shouldn't have been there. Time energy is unstable at the dawn, weak at dusk – every Time Lord knows not to venture too far either way."
"Accident..." she repeated. "In any case, I did a little reading while I was there."
"Course you did."
"At some point, chemical life reached a new stage of evolution. Many species began to interact with energy – including humans. There were savants – those with an incredible command of the world and yet-"
"Insane. You think we've stumbled on an Elemental?"
"Bad news for us, I'm afraid," River whispered.
