Chapter Ten
The First Lesson
"Where and when are you taking me?" I asked the Doctor as I held onto the safety railing as the craft shook and teetered more than any carnival ride I've ever been on and yet my stomach had yet to complain.
"I've always wanted to see the first Thanksgiving," he stated lightly.
"Right because you want to see how things were immediately before those from the English isles screwed over the natives out of their sacred lands and in many cases, completely wiped out whole tribes," I stated with a frown.
"It's more than just that," he stated, almost becoming manic, "it's the idea that the local inhabitants chose to assist and help people who they never met or knew anything of instead of attacking them outright. They were willing to welcome those who were unlike them in every way."
"And those they helped wound up committing genocide and those who were unfortunate to survive were given the worst bits of land," I stated, trying to have him see how that would later become a mistake on the part of the Native Americans.
"And I bet even if you told the natives what would happen if they do assist the pilgrims, they would still assist," he stated before adding, "which I suggest you to not do. Last thing we need is for a fixed point in time to change."
"I've always thought that time is fluid," I stated with a frown, "like in Back to the Future. The future could always change by the people living in the present."
"In the real world, there are pockets where the events are set and any deviation can cause a rip in time itself. Long ago, these tears would be repaired by my people. Because I'm the only one left, any rips in time causes consequences where everyone dies unless the event is corrected," he stated.
"And how do we know if any given event is a fixed point?"
"Because I can see when any given event is a fixed point. At any moment, I can see every possible outcome to a given situation except for fixed points," he stated.
"So we'll just avoid paradoxes. But sometimes, more than one dock is needed," I stated, trying to lighten the mood with one of my well-known bad jokes.
"And I was told that my jokes were bad," he muttered with a smirk.
"I'm full of them," I replied as the TARDIS settled down and he glanced at me.
"We're going to have to wear proper clothing for the time frame," he stated.
"And I suppose that this ship has a room with everything we'd need," I muttered, not putting anything past the fact that I was in a time-and-space-traveling ship that looks like a blue box just big enough for maybe one person to stand in on the outside.
"Of course," he stated with an almost childlike grin before rattling off a long list of directions that I knew I didn't fully understand.
"Can I get a map instead?" I asked with what I knew was a rueful smirk that clearly said that I was a complete idiot because I can't keep track of lists of directions for beans.
"I'll lead you there," he said almost cheerfully, making me grow tired of how much energy he had and the fact that the only way I'd be able to keep up with his energy is if I was on a constant caffeine high, which I wasn't on.
I knew that the next time I would find myself in a sufficiently advanced grocery store, I was going to stock up on cans of coffee, energy drinks, and citrus sodas with enough caffeine to nearly overdose on caffeine with a single sip. That was going to be the only way I can keep up with this guy. I mean, I've met manic people and they didn't even have half as much energy as the Doctor. Well, this version of him.
"I didn't know you knew so much about history," he stated as he nearly ran down the corridor as he led me.
"Well, everyone knows the vague bits about American history if they get a good school and I took American History I the first quarter I was in college," I stated with a shrug, "before I got into the IT program."
"What got you into the IT program? It all seems boring, sitting at a computer and typing. Where's the fun in that?"
"Computer languages are like lego blocks. If you understand how all the pieces can fit together, you can build incredible things that can benefit many people and make life easier in the long run. Or you can wind up with a sad failure that you keep telling yourself is a work of art and it looks beautiful but it crumbles to pieces with the smallest tap. Besides, I understand computers more than I do most people."
"Only most?"
"If given the time, patience, inclination, and enough information, I could understand how specific individuals think but..."
"But what?"
"I still don't understand humanity in general," I admitted quietly, "so many rules I don't understand or know and when I cross a line I never knew was there... no one's willing to give me a second chance."
"I know the feeling," he admitted quietly as he stopped in front of a set of double doors before opening it, revealing a two-story room that looked like it was just one large closet, "here we are. Let's see what we can find that will fit 1621's Plymoth."
I poked at the clothing on the racks, finding that I was curious about the kind of clothes he kept in the large room. Something colorful caught my eye and I pushed everything away from it so I can see what it was. I stepped back at the mess that I saw. It was clearly a jacket of some sort, but it looked like a rainbow puked on it, making it look more like something a really bad clown would wear.
"How much of this stuff have you worn?" I asked, making a face at the offending jacket.
"Found the old jacket then," he stated, "Some of it was worn during my previous incarnations. Including that jacket. Luckily, I have a more refined fashion sense now."
"That's up for debate," I muttered, "I mean, a bow tie. Seriously?"
"Bowties are cool," he said as his voice rose in pitch, taking on a defensive quality.
"Next thing I know, you'll be wearing things like Stetsons and fezzes."
"Those are cool too," he said, still taking on a defensive tone.
"Whatever you say," I stated, dismissing the claim that he made about having any fashion sense.
"Here we go," he stated, holding up an outfit on a hanger which was a one-piece dress with the top being covered by a long-sleeved top, the dress a deep emerald green and the top being a pale blue.
"Pass," I stated with a frown.
"Why? It'll look good on you and fits the time-frame," he stated.
"One, I make it a habit of not taking fashion tips from someone who thinks that bowties, fezzes, and Stetsons are cool. Two, I don't wear dresses and skirts," I replied flatly, giving the Doctor a frown.
"What's wrong with dresses and skirts? A lot of women I've known worn them without a problem."
"I've got several issues with them. For one thing, I don't like the draft unless it's stinking hot out. For another thing, it's more that up until recently, it was socially acceptable that the only things women could wear were dresses and skirts. Thirdly, I was continually forced to stick to the feminine of being feminine and I don't do so well with sticking to any stereotype. Sides, seeing how every time we've found trouble, we tend to run away from it, dresses and skirts aren't exactly known to be clothing that facilitates running. I mean, we're going to be out there in mostly wild flora. Dresses and skirts can get tangled in bushes and brambles."
"Then we'll make sure that you don't get stuck in bushes and brambles," he stated lightly, "or are you letting such a thing as your dislike for dresses and skirts get in the way of your life? I thought you were above throwing such a fit."
"I wasn't having a fit. I'm just saying that I'm sure we can find something else."
"Like you said, until recently, women were expected to wear dresses and skirts."
"Fine," I stated with a frown and a sigh of resignation as I snatched the hanger from his hand, "somehow, I think this was just because you dislike my outfit."
"It's just that it might be too much for the Pilgrims to deal with," he stated, obviously being careful with his words.
"I'll give you that," I agreed, "where do I..."
"Upstairs," he stated, "should be fine."
I nodded and went upstairs with the outfit, not looking forward to removing my steampunk outfit and replacing it with something that looked like it could be worn in my original time by Mormons. Once I got up the steps, I let out a sigh of resignation as I saw that there was an alcove in the second floor that was cut off from the rest of the room by a wall, forming almost a full room by itself. I walked into the alcove with a frown, not knowing what was going to happen next. I didn't speak the version of English that the Pilgrims did and I knew that things might get pretty rough as I found that there was a chair in the alcove and sat down so I could remove my fake leather knee-high boots. I had been lucky that they were able to fit my calves and wide feet.
My stepmom used to tell me that cathedrals are never built on outhouse foundations. Like that really made sense since feet weren't exactly made of whatever foundations are made of. Especially outhouse foundations. Did outhouses even have foundations? I wouldn't know. It wasn't like I took a class on outhouses or foundations.
My stomach started to ache as I started to remove the leather belts. The first belt had a pouch on it that clasped shut thanks to a snapping button thing. The pouch tended to hold things that I'd find useful and didn't have room in my pockets for. Things like matches and smoke bombs and marbles. Then off came the vest I had put on earlier. It was more a waistcoat than a vest, I admitted to myself. Then off came the blouse I had put on. I then slid on the dress and then the long-sleeved blouse. Then, I decided to just roll up the legs of my cargo pants. The dress didn't have pockets, which I learned to rely on. Pockets were useful to hold items. Items like handheld video games, paperback novels, wallets, and other useful odds and ends. I didn't want to let go of too much for the sake of historical accuracy.
My stomach was getting more upset. It happens. I'd just have to power through it. Last thing I'd wanted was to scare or worry the Doctor. Or have him act like a medical doctor, which I knew he wasn't. I could wait until I returned to my normal time and take care of it then. It was just an upset stomach, after all. It was probably all because I was hungry. But I didn't feel hungry. Must've been something I ate disagreeing with my system. What could I have eaten to cause that effect? It didn't matter.
"You okay down there?" I called down the stairs.
"Took you long enough," came the reply as I let out an annoyed sigh before walking down the stairs to see him dressed in a plain buttoned-up shirt that was a pale green, dark brown pants of some kind and socks with some sort of shoe, which he tossed me a pair, noticing that I was barefoot.
"Should we be heading out?" I asked.
"Are you in some kind of hurry?"
"I do have a surgery scheduled for the day after we left," I stated.
"But it's not something that will threaten your life if we wait, right?" he asked.
"True," I stated, "as long as it doesn't become infected."
"I doubt it will if it's just this trip. Once we're done, I'll drop you off at your flat the night before the operation," he stated, almost in a way to reassure me as I walked out of the room with him quickly taking the lead.
"So how big is the inside of the TARDIS?" I asked.
"It's as large as I want it to be. Currently, there's a library, swimming pool, kitchen, medical wing, bedrooms and a laundry facility."
"One of these days, I should poke around the library," I stated, pondering what kind of books someone like him would keep in his library.
"Maybe," he stated, taking a non-committal tone.
"It sucks traveling alone," I stated, remembering of the times I'd gone traveling alone and how things weren't at all fun as they could've been.
"You traveled alone?" he asked.
"I was abandoned up in Alaska and I've gone off and seen various cities and towns up there, but I'd see things and realize that there's no one there to point it out to. Or to crack a joke or do something funny to. I went to a mall in another city, completely alone once back then. I wanted to have fun window shopping. It's not fun when it's just you."
"You needed to buy glass?"
"Window shopping. As in going to a mall just to look around the stores and wishing you had the money to buy stuff," I stated.
"That's something I've never heard of. And you call it fun?"
"It can be fun, depending on who you're with," I stated with a shrug.
"Weird."
"Maybe one of these days after my operation," I stated as we reached the main room of the TARDIS.
"So 1621," he stated as he walked down the ramp to the double doors and flung them wide.
I saw what looked to be woods outside the TARDIS and I smirked. Sometimes, just seeing nature would make me smirk. I liked nature as long as the ground was solid and I wasn't in fear of walking into a two-foot deep mud hole that looked almost like solid ground. I did that once. And then tried to get my foot free by making the other foot join the first one in the mud hole. Nearly lost both of my hiking shoes that way.
I walked out of the TARDIS, the Doctor closing the door behind me. I looked around, seeing that there was wilderness all around with birch trees with their paper-like bark that made decent fire starting kindling. I could see smoke rising from the treetops. The smoke wasn't like a forest fire, but was clearly the kind that came from chimneys. There was a settlement nearby. I glanced at the Doctor who nodded in the direction I faced.
"This way," he stated, leading me toward where I knew the settlement would be based on the smoke rising to the sky.
I was glad that it was only a half an hour's walk to the settlement. The footgear I'd been given looked flimsy and barely able to protect my feet and I'd been worried about destroying the footgear by stepping on a sufficiently sharp twig or something. But they seemed to be sturdier than they appeared as well as more comfortable than I'd thought they'd be.
The settlement looked every bit as I figured it would look like- wooden houses arranged almost haphazardly with dirt paths leading to the main points of town. And we seemed to fit in well enough with our clothing. We garnered plenty of attention, but only because they weren't expecting just two people to show up and through means of apparently walking. We were strangers and they seemed a bit mixed on whether to chase us out of town or to welcome us to town.
It was during this uncertain point that five men approached us from the crowd, looking a bit concerned. They didn't seem openly hostile, but I learned how people can hide hostility up until they start throwing punches.
"We weren't expecting visitors," one of the men stated lightly.
"We were in the area and decided to drop by. We can leave if you want," the Doctor replied just as lightly.
"Please, come and visit Governor Bradford," the first man stated, "we will escort you to provide protection."
I saw as the Doctor followed them and I decided to follow the men. I wondered why they seemed to be so unwelcoming to visitors. I didn't understand why, but I was going to learn just what was going on. I was curious and, knowing the Doctor, so was he.
We were brought to a large wooden house and led inside the house, revealing an office. Regardless of the era, an office always looks like an office. Chairs facing a desk with another chair behind the desk that looks nicer, windows in the right place to cast light into the room. Pretty normal as far as offices go. And sitting at the desk was who I assumed was the Governor.
He looked concerned for some reason, but didn't seem to blame us for anything that had befallen the colony. Which was a welcome change. He looked at us as we were led inside, glancing at us as he stood and greeted us with a handshake. Again, pretty standard. I wondered just how much had really changed in the centuries as far as the little bits of culture was concerned.
"I am Governor William Bradford of the Plymoth," he said by way of introduction.
"I'm the Doctor and this is my friend, Melissa Olmstead," the Doctor replied.
"It's obvious that you guys are in some kinda trouble the way we were leered at," I interjected, wanting to get to the bottom of everything and getting a glance from the Doctor.
"Quite perceptive. We're typically more hospitable than we seem to be today," he stated with a frown, "and Plymoth is indeed facing, as you put it, trouble."
"What kind of trouble?" the Doctor asked, taking on his usual serious face.
I had noticed both in the hospital and at the college, that when the Doctor knows that there's trouble nearby and that people are about to or already have chosen to rely on him, he becomes serious. His eyes darken and his normal light or hyperactive energy changes and becomes less evident. He becomes focused. At that point, he becomes nothing unlike a force of nature. Things are going to change and he has made up his mind that he is going to help others and nothing will stop him from saving the day. It is at that point that the Doctor is in and things are going to become better. Eventually.
The Governor's expression became drawn, showing how much he truly cared about his new home and of the people who lived in it. That little voice which tells me whether a person is good or nothing but trouble told me, deep in the recesses of my mind, that the Governor was at the very least, a decent enough human being. That same voice, the day I had met the Doctor told me that he was a good man who just manages to have bad luck sometimes. But I knew that that little voice at the back of my brain that tells me these things never tells the whole story. There is always more to people than just rather or not they were likely to be bad news. And sometimes, I am dumb enough to ignore this voice. Other times, it has been wrong. Only once had it been wrong. And only once had I ignored it. I make it quite the habit of never repeating my mistakes if I could help it.
"People have gone missing. It's always at night and the most anyone was able to see was a shadow running away. I fear that it could be either the Pokanoket or perhaps one of the rival tribes trying to make us believe that it was the Pokanoket."
"Do you know if the Pokanoket are also victim of this shadow creature?" the Doctor asked.
"They haven't approached us about any disappearances of their people. I believe that they could just be as busy as we are with the harvest."
"Can we get to the Pokanoket to see if they're having trouble?" the Doctor asked as I remained quiet.
"I'll ask Samoset to lead you to his tribe, if you believe that it will improve the situation."
"Thank you, Governor," the Doctor replied.
"Thanks," I stated with a respectful nod.
It was clear that we had been dismissed as I followed the Doctor out of the office before he turned to me with an expression of curiosity.
"You didn't speak much," he stated.
"You seemed to have everything together. I had nothing meaningful to add," I replied lightly, looking up at the sparse clouds suspended and slowly moving across the same blue sky that I've ever known.
"For a second there, I thought you were shy," he stated, "you spoke quieter than you usually do."
"I was just using my indoor voice as a show of respect," I stated just as lightly.
"Oh really?" he asked, rising his eyebrows, almost to challenge me to dispel his disbelief.
"I'm so not shy, Doctor. I mean, I was clearly not shy when we first met in the hospital or when you popped into my childhood," I stated, almost sounding forceful as I met his gaze with what I hoped was a look of sheer stubbornness.
"I don't think anyone could be shy when they think the life of a loved one is threatened," the Doctor stated, "but then again, I think you were too curious to be shy."
"How many times do I need to tell you that I'm not shy for it to get through to your brain?" I asked, growing tired of the effort to convince him that I wasn't something I knew I was.
"I think the one person you should be convincing is yourself," he stated before grinning and grabbing my wrist saying, "there's things to see! I want to see everything while we're here!"