Chapter III: "A Cloud in the Sky"
Eventually, we were out in the open. Strolling through the park, as I recall. The snow had settled now, as the Doctor's whistling echoed around the local area. He was walking particularly slowly, and his tune, Silent Night, had an air of suspicious, exciting irony.
He stopped.
Without any break in the already intriguing behaviour in the chilled air around him, he stretched himself, arms in the air, as if exercising. But he wasn't. I knew that. Mostly from the moment when he pulled-down a ladder from out of nowhere. He was something quite different. When I first met my dear departed friend Mr. Holmes, I had a similar feeling about him too. The mysterious atmosphere that only a man with no friends can give.
He began to climb the ladder, and disappeared into the night. I had not come this far to miss out on the opportunity. Mr. Holmes would not be proud if I did. So, just as he'd taught me, I continued to follow 'the Doctor' up into the sky.
Eventually, the ladder became a spiral staircase, breaking-through the clouds and rising above London. It was from here that I could see some very familiar sights from previous adventures of mine. There was Scotland Yard, Holmes and I had often been summoned there many a time; the bank where we had assisted in the prevention of the gold heist of the century. Then there was 221b, where Mr. Holmes spent his days. I had moved-out after my marriage. That was something to be remembered. My wife. She had no idea what had happened. I was on my way home when I met those snowman creatures. I could only hope this adventure was over by tonight, when I could return.
I became somewhat melancholy about the whole thing. My marriage, Mr. Holmes, London. Seeing it from above. I now found myself on a cloud, at the top of the stair well. That's when I saw it. It looked not dissimilar to how I imagine a police box might look. I'd heard of them in Newcastle and Sunderland. Tall boxes, which could be used to telephone the local police station. What a strange notion that such a structure should be atop a cloud, to be reached by a ladder and stairs, up-which had climbed my new person of interest, 'the Doctor'. The only possibility is that he would be inside the police box. It wasn't connected to anything, unless it was through the floor. It should have been on the streets. 'The Doctor' was a mystery, and one that I was determined to solve independently, to prove Mr. Holmes' death had not been for nothing.
As I approached closer, I heard a low frequency vibration resonating from the police box. This made perfect sense, in a way, when I touched my hand against it and felt a faint vibration. It was alive!
In spite of this strange discovery, I had collected all the evidence I needed. I had eliminated the impossible: 'the Doctor' hadn't climbed back down, as there was only one staircase and I was following him all the way up it. He hadn't reached the top and jumped, as I would have seen him. The ladder didn't ascend any further, as there were no more clouds above me. The only remaining possibility is that he was inside the police box. Know why I did not, and I didn't intend to. I needed to form a rational conclusion before proceeding any further. I may have applied Mr. Holmes' methods, but I was not as standardised as he was. So I retreated down to firm ground to collect my thoughts - and myself. I would investigate further in the morning.