TWENTY-NINE
'Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking' -'Sand and Foam', Kahlil Gibran
"He's me?"
Martin stared hard in Ezekiel's direction trying to see if he could 'recognize' his own face on that old man's body but he was too far away to make out any discernable, facial features.
"Well, technically speaking, you're him… but let's not split hairs!" The Doctor said suddenly spinning around to face Martin. "It's nearly time for you to meet your seventy-seven year old self, Marty! How much fun is that?" He added excitedly.
Martin continued to stare over at his 'future self' literally lost for words. He then saw other figures leaving the cottage and joining Ezekiel in the garden. First of all were two children who both came running out trailing balloons, one red, and one blue. They were followed by a middle aged woman who looked to be carrying a tray of food and then by an elderly lady who closed the door neatly behind her and then walked slowly, yet elegantly, towards Ezekiel's seated figure.
"Who..?" Martin began.
"Well, who do you think, Marty?" The Doctor said softly placing a hand on the man's shoulder. "Who do you see yourself with on this day in this year at this place? Literally… Whom do you see your self with?"
Martin concentrated on the slight frame of the older woman and, as he watched her take her seat next to Ezekiel, he knew the truth in his heart.
"Is that… Yasmin?"
The Doctor nodded gently. "Yep, that's the lovely Yasmin… Your partner of, what, eight years now as you know her. But here she's been with you forty-three years… the poor woman. Imagine that!"
Martin saw his older self kiss Yasmin tenderly on the cheek as she came to rest next to him. The old man took her hand in his immediately and seemed to indicate up to were The Doctor and Martin were stood. They then both waved big, exaggerated waves in Martin's direction and then hugged each other affectionately.
"We still look in love," Martin said in a half muted whisper, tears of joy slowly leaving his bloodshot eyes. "After all this time… We still love each other"
"Oh yes!" The Doctor said happily.
Martin watched as the younger woman brought food over to where the old couple were sat and placed it on a small, wooden table in front of them. Martin knew instantly who she was…
"Anya…" He said between gasps of proud and happy tears "That must be Anya... My daughter. Last time I saw her she was five years old but here… She's a woman! A beautiful, radiant woman!"
"She's a Mother too…" The Doctor said, squeezing Martin's shoulder in a sign of manly comfort. "Those two kids down there running around are hers. The girl is called Faith and she's eleven years old. The boy is Elijah and he's five. Lovely kids… Great Mother… Amazing Grandparents. You should be very proud"
"Oh, I am, Doctor... I really am" Martin said wiping his face free from tears and trying to take in all that was been revealed to him. "This is amazing… It's also really, really crazy… but just brilliant and… Thank you for bringing me here and letting me see it" he said appreciatively, "But… How is this all going to work?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, how can I go down there and meet them all? How will I even be able to talk to them? Won't that like be playing with timelines and all that? Will they know who I am? Wont there be like one of those big time ripping explosions if I shake hands with my future self?" Martin turned to look the Doctor in the eyes as if something else had suddenly just occurred to him "And why am I called Ezekiel in the future?"
"Oh, it's like twenty questions with you, Marty!" The Doctor said in mock insult. He then smiled and patted Martin on the back. "He's called Ezekiel 'cos that's the name I choose for him... And when I say 'I' I mean you and me. We're in on this together, you know that, don't you? And, as for your name choice… Well, it's a bit of an 'in-joke' with regards the 'spaceships of Ezekiel' and all that... What with you 'imagining' God as this all-powerful alien like you did… And also, to be honest, it'd be just too confusing if he was called Martin too!"
"What?"
"Well, we cant have you both called Martin, now can we?" The Doctor seemed almost annoyed that Martin didn't understand that already. "How could that all work? No, he's just Ezekiel to us… Makes it all much simpler"
"But he's 'Martin' to his family?"
"Yeah, of course he is… that's his name!"
"But who am I to his family then? What will they call me?"
The Doctor paused as if that thought had not occurred to him before now. "Yeah, they can't know you as Martin, can they? So you're going to have to be called… Adric from now on!"
"Adric?"
"Yeah"
"Why Adric?" said Martin distastefully.
"Well, it's either Adric or Bob"
"I prefer, Bob!"
"Good… Adric it is then" The Doctor said with a grin before racing through the TARDIS doors with a sudden flash of energy. "Wont be a second… just got to get something…" He shouted as he disappeared from view.
"Adric?" Martin repeated to himself. Where had he heard that name before?
The Doctor was suddenly at the TARDIS door holding a small, plain wooden box. Smiling at Martin he opened it, reached inside and drew out a think, golden necklace with a large, bronze like amulet hanging from it. He then threw the wooded box behind him, into the dark of the TARDIS and then held the necklace out at arms length towards Martin.
"This is for you, Marty," He said proudly as he carefully placed it around the bemused man's neck. "Now, as Adric, you'll have to keep this around your neck at all times ok?"
"Why?" Martin asked as he fingered the large, bronze and golden medallion that hung on the thick chain, "Is Adric supposed to be some sort of 70's disco enthusiast?"
"No..." The Doctor laughed, " You see, that necklace... well, more the amulet on it, actually... It's a 'Perception Filter'... A 'Camouflage Device'... It subtly alters your features so even your own Mum wouldn't recognise you. Which is really handy as we don't want Yasmin or Anya seeing the Martin that they knew 35 years ago suddenly turning up out of the blue!" He turned and locked the door of the TARDIS, pocketed the key and then nodded at Martin's new 'accessory'. "I got it from an Ogron on the planet Minbar years ago... It's really useful for robbing banks with apparently! That's why they're banned from most worlds. They're only to be used in the most 'controlled' of ways and strict rules are in place against any un-authorised usage"
"Why have you got one then?" Martin asked dryly.
"Well... I don't obey anybody's rules, now do I?" The Doctor said mischievously. He then pointed down to the cottage and turned to look Martin squarely in the eye. "You must never take it off while you're down there ok? Ezekiel will see you as you... or as him, if you like! But Yasmin and Anya wont recognise you and will see you only as my friend Adric… Whom I have brought along with me to be taught by Martin... Who we call Ezekiel! Ok?"
"Ok"
"They must never know who you really are... If they ever find out the Truth, this whole plan will disintegrate... And then the Earth will fall into a temporal anomaly taking half the Universe with it while the rest of creation will fry in a wave of super heated tacheon discharge!" The Doctor said sternly, a look of 'life or death' seriousness on his face.
Martin looked horrified "Really?" He said, concerned etched on every line on his face.
"No, not really... But it might give you a nose bleed… So don't tell them, ok?" The Doctor said lightly, biting into another jammy dodger "Lets just say it's just not supposed to happen like that and leave it there, ok?"
Martin laughed "Ok, Doctor... Whatever you say" He looked down at the cottage and at his future 'family' waiting for him. He was so eager to go join them. "Can we go now, please?"
The Doctor held up one of his massive hands. "Ah ah, one more thing" He reached inside his jacket pocket and withdrew a small, black case. "You'll need these glasses" He handed the spectacle case over to Martin who took it cautiously.
"Oh, I don't have to wear glasses as well, do I? Won't the perception thingy be enough?" Martin responded in almost a whine.
The Doctor laughed at Martin's discomfort. "They're not to wear now, Marty" The Doctor muttered, taking the case from Martin and putting it in the man's inside coat pocket. "They're special glasses, as you'd expect from me!" He tapped Martin's pocket twice "When you wear them they break down the fabric of reality and let you see other dimensions... Other, higher realities. They're a gateway to an echo of the transcendental experience you've just been through. There's a special time and a special place for you to wear them. They can only be used once, mind you" He added cautiously, "You can only wear them once and then they'll just be normal glasses again"
"So... When do I wear them?" Martin asked as confused as ever. Was he really expecting a straight answer?
"Oh, you'll know the moment, Marty" The Doctor said with a grin. "When the time comes... You'll know"
Martin turned to look once more at the cottage below them. Anya seemed to be placing even more food on a large table that had been set up half way down the garden whilst Ezekiel and Yasmin remained in their seated positions, there faces turned towards where Martin and The Doctor were stood. The two children laughed and played by the lakes edge, their balloons now tied to a branch on a large, golden oak tree.
"Well, I hope you're still hungry, Marty" The Doctor said patting his own stomach gently, "Because Anya looks like she's laying on her own birthday spread!"
Martin gasped in realisation "Of course, 12th July... It's Anya's birthday!"
"Yep, forty today" The Doctor said happily "That's why she's here with the kids... at the old folks house celebrating her fortieth birthday" He smiled at Martin "I thought it'd be a good day for us to drop in on... The Doctor and his little pal Adric calling in to wish her all the best"
"Yes" Martin said softly "It'll be great to see her... And Yasmin... And my grandkids... Oh, I can't believe I just said that!"
The Doctor suddenly looped his arm through Martin's. "Shall we go then?" He said excitedly.
Martin nodded and smiled thankfully at The Doctor. "Thank you, Doctor... Thank you for bringing me here"
"Oh, you're very welcome, Adric" He grinned "Best foot forward, then!"
Both men laughed and started to walk at a hurried pace down the hill, towards Ezekiel's cottage and the welcoming warmth of family...
'Dear God,
Why are we living here? What do you want us to do? It's fun being here, but there must be some reason for you putting us here.
Amen, Luke (age 7) -'
'Dear God - Children's letters to God', Carmel Reilly