"Doctor? Celestia? What's that?" Charley asks them.
"It sounds like heartbeats." Celestia says a bit worriedly. The Doctor takes her hand to give it a squeeze.
"We're back in the scullery again." Charley says after they find themselves in this place all of a sudden.
"Back where we started." The Doctor says.
"Doctor, Celestia, look. It's Edith." Charley says rushing over.
"I'm afraid she's dead, Charley." The Doctor says.
"But, she already was dead." Charley frowns.
"Well, now she's dead again." The Doctor says.
"But she was drowned in the sink. And here she's.." Charley says.
"Lying on the floor, suffocated by a sink plunger. It is bizarre, to say the least." The Doctor says. Then the door opens. Others are walking in.
"What's happening in here?" Shaughnessy asks.
"There was a scream." Mary says.
"I'm afraid your scullery maid is dead." The Doctor says.
"Oh no!" Mary exclaims.
"Mary, it's all right." Frederick says, consoling her.
"Oh, my goodness, that such a thing could happen in my kitchens." Mrs. Baddeley says.
"And she's alive again too. What's going on?" Charley asks.
"What do you mean, my poppet?" Mrs. Baddeley asks.
"Shh, Charley, not now." The Doctor says.
"Frederick, assist the gentleman in removing the sink plunger from Edith's face." Shaughnessy says.
"Yes, Mr Shaughnessy." He obeys, walking over.
"This is most unfortunate. To lose a scullery maid on Christmas Eve." Shaughnessy says.
"But Edith never was very good at timing, was she?" Mary asks.
"We can count ourselves lucky, Doctor, that the most famous amateur sleuth in London was being entertained upstairs at the time of this most unhappy accident." Shaughnessy says.
"Quite so." The Doctor says.
"You will be able to solve this case before morning, won't you, Doctor?" Mrs. Baddeley asks. "I don't want it spoiling Christmas. Not when I've got my plum puddings all ready and cooling next door." Celestia frowns at that. They are all repeating almost the same things as before. She ponders on these questions as Mary says:
"Well, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without one of your plum puddings."
"I assume, Doctor, we can safely conclude it was suicide?" Shaughnessy asks.
"Well, probably not. It's impossible to suffocate yourself on a sink plunger. You need someone to hold the other end, you see." The Doctor says.
"Oh, don't he talk posh with all his scientific terms. 'Hold the other end' indeed!" Mary says, excited again. Celestia rolls her eyes.
"Well, Edith was a very stupid girl, Doctor. She may not have known it was impossible when she did it." Mrs. Baddeley says.
"She certainly wasn't the brightest button on the waistcoat." Frederick says.
"Well, that's as may be. Could you leave us alone, please? Celestia, Miss Pollard and I have some investigating to do." The Doctor says.
"Even the best amateur sleuths in London need some privacy to do their sleuthing in." Charley says.
YOU ARE READING
Fixing The Problems
FanfictionCelestia is a Time Lady from Gallifrey who is the best friend of The Doctor. She met him when they joined Time Lord Academy. They immediately got along and became best friends. She is also coming from a family of, what some people might call, "witch...
