Chapter Two

They were sitting in the front row of the stalls.

Any minute now, the lights would go out and

the show would begin.

Amy flicked through a programme. 'Hey, it

says here Sammy Star used to do children's

parties,' she told the others. 'I know I said he

sounded like he did, but that's weird. He must

be pretty good to go from that to the West End.'

'He was on one of those TV talent contests,'

Rory told her. 'It said so on the poster. Britain's

Got Magic, something like that.'

'Oh yeah.' Amy turned a page. 'Got all about

it here. Hang on, though, he didn't win it. "He

was laughed off the programme," it says, "but

he had the last laugh. Sammy Star now has a

sell-out West End show. He has won great

acclaim for the Graveyard Ghosts trick that

forms the finale of his act." Wow. The boy's

done good.'

Rory frowned. 'If this show is a sell-out, how

come we got the best seats in the house?'

The Doctor looked slightly sheepish. 'Oh, I

booked our tickets weeks ago. At least, that's

what they told me at the box office just now. So

I'd better make sure I do it. Remind me to pop

back in time and buy them later, will you? The

universe might collapse if I don't.' As if to

distract them, he quickly added, 'Anyone like a

doughnut?' He put his hand in his pocket and

found only an empty paper bag. 'Someone's

nicked my doughnuts!'

Amy leant across and wiped a splodge of jam

off his face. 'You already ate them, you

doughnut!'

The theatre was almost full now. The only

empty seats were in the row behind the Doctor,

Rory and Amy.

'That's odd,' said the Doctor. He looked over

his shoulder at the empty row. 'If they booked

seats that good you'd think they'd be keen to see

the show. Yet they haven't even turned up.'

'Ooh, this might be them,' said Amy, also

looking behind them. A party of elderly people

was coming down the aisle. They were led by a

middle-aged woman in a navy blue blazer with

gold buttons. She ushered her group into the

empty row, telling them to 'Hurry up! Hurry

up!' much too loudly.

Just as the last of the party sat down, the

lights went out. Amy heard someone behind her

draw in their breath sharply.

'Don't worry, Mrs Hooper, it's just the show

starting,' said a cheerful voice.

Amy thought the voice belonged to the blazer

woman. She wondered why so many people

thought being old was the same as being stupid.

The curtain was raised. A spotlight shone

onto the stage. A figure stood in the middle of

it, head bowed. It wore a black top hat and was

wrapped in a cloak.

There was a rumble of drums. A voice from

above said, 'Ladies and Gentlemen, please

welcome Mr Sammy Star!' The drums crashed

more loudly and another, brighter, spotlight

followed a man swinging down from above. As

he reached the cloaked figure, the swinging

man kicked out. The cloak crumpled into a

heap and the audience gasped.

The top hat rolled away as Sammy Star

landed on the stage. He scooped up the hat and

pulled a large white rabbit out of it. Then he

placed the hat on his head.

Everyone clapped as he took a bow.

'Very nice,' said the Doctor, raising his voice

so Amy could hear him over the applause. 'Of

course, he had a second hat with a rabbit in it

waiting ready for him. That's why the stage was

only lit by spotlights, so we wouldn't spot the

hats being swapped.'

Amy glared at him. 'Don't spoil it!' she

hissed.

Amy could have saved her breath. For each

of Sammy Star's tricks, the Doctor announced

how it was done. He wasn't trying to show off,

Amy knew that. Working out the tricks was just

the bit of the show he enjoyed the most.

It was a shame Sammy Star didn't seem to

enjoy it as much. At first he was clearly trying

to ignore the Doctor. Later he started to twitch

and glare at the front row. Amy was quite

relieved when it came to the interval.

'Having fun?' she asked the Doctor as they

sat in their seats at the front.

He nodded happily. 'Oh yes. Although...' A

frown crossed his face and he stood up. 'Back

in a minute. I just want to check out a few

things.'

Amy and Rory sat for a few moments just

holding hands. 'You don't think something's

wrong, do you?' Amy said after a while.

'Nah,' said Rory although he looked worried.

'Just because we've never had a holiday without

monsters or crashing spaceships before...'

'Well, no monsters so far, and we've been

here almost a day!' said Amy.

'Monster!' The shaky voice came from the

row behind. It was a word that Amy and Rory

couldn't ignore. They both spun round.

The speaker was a member of the elderly

party. She looked to be in her eighties, and tears

were trickling down her cheeks.

Amy knelt up on her seat and reached over

the back to hold the old lady's hand. 'Hey, don't

cry,' she said gently. 'What's the matter?'

'Monster,' the woman repeated through her

sobs.

'Lost,' said the elderly lady in the next seat.

Amy turned her gaze on her. She was also

crying. 'So very lost. So lost we were never

found.'

The woman in the blazer stood up. 'Just

ignore them,' she said to Amy. 'Mrs Hooper!

Mrs Collins! Be quiet now! You're getting on

this nice young girl's nerves.'

'Oh no,' Amy replied. 'They're not getting on

my nerves.' She didn't like to hear people being

spoken to so rudely, when they'd done nothing

to deserve it.

'Well, you're very. kind to say so,' the woman

said. 'She's very kind to say you're not annoying

her!' she told the two old ladies loudly. They

were so keen to come,' she went on, turning

back to Amy. The second they saw the poster

it's been Sammy Star, Sammy Star, day and

night. Now then, Miss Leake, I said to myself,

here's an idea! Wouldn't it be a lovely treat,

taking them to see his show! But they've done

nothing except make a fuss since we got here.

Monsters indeed. Why, they don't know the

meaning of the word!'

'Did you live through the war, Mrs Collins?'

Rory asked softly.

'VE Day...' she whispered back.

He nodded. 'She might have a better idea of

monsters than you think, then,' he told the

woman in the blazer, Miss Leake.

'Everyone all right?' asked the Doctor as he

returned.

'I'm a bit worried, Doctor,' Amy began, but

Miss Leake interrupted her.

'Nothing to worry about at all!' she said. 'We

were just being silly, weren't we, Mrs Collins

and Mrs Hooper?'

'Well, you might have been being silly, I'm

not so sure about them,' muttered Amy under

her breath.

The theatre lights dimmed again. The Doctor

made his way back to his seat. Amy still felt

concerned about the two old ladies, but wasn't

sure what to do. She decided she would tell the

Doctor all about it after the show.

The curtain rose for the second half. The

Doctor didn't talk over the magic this time. He

seemed troubled.

Finally it was time for the big showpiece,

Graveyard Ghosts. Mist swirled across the

stage, which was now covered with gravestones

and statues. Amy shivered to see one that

looked like a stone angel. 'Makes me think of

you know what,' she said to the Doctor under

her breath.

Tall trees twisted at the sides of the stage. A

girl poked her head out from behind a tree, then

crept out to the middle of the stage. She was

young and pretty and dressed in a Victorianstyle

white nightgown. Long, dark hair curled

down her back. Suddenly a pale, bony hand

thrust through the turf of a grave.

In the second row of the stalls, Mrs Collins

and Mrs Hooper screamed and screamed and

screamed.