The Doctor proceeded to the few shelves under the sign that marked them as science fiction. He scanned the spines from top to bottom, tapping each book that did not satisfy him with his index finger. When he reached the very end, he yelled in frustration.
"Agh, there's nothing here! Maybe that message was a fraud, a trick, a trap," he said.
"What message?" inquired Nova.
"This one." The Doctor reached into his jacket and pulled out what appeared to be a battered leather wallet. He opened it to reveal to pieces of dirty white paper. On one was written, "London, City Books, Science Fiction, 19 October 2013. To retrieve what was lost."
"Psychic paper, this is," the Doctor told Nova. "Very tricky to send a message. Reckon someone important sent it, or else I wouldn't have come. Now, did anything odd happen earlier today?"
"No, I think I would have remembered if--" Nova stopped suddenly was she felt a small weight under her arm. "Of course!" She pulled out the small booklet from under her jacket, and examined it for a second. "Does the name A. Williams mean anything to you?"
The Doctor's eyes widened, making his short eyebrows visible. He snatched the book out of Nova's hands. "Of course. Magnificent Pond. Always books, isn't it? And the title -- it's in Gallifreyan. River must have helped. Oh, Pond. What have I done?"
Nova left the Doctor alone for a minute while he lamented. She pulled the old bow tie she found out of her pocket. Is this his too? she asked herself. Probably. "I believe this is yours," she said, handing him the bow tie.
The Doctor smiled and tied it round his neck. "Come on," he said. "I like you. Maybe just one trip." He grabbed Nova's hand and they ran down the stairs and out the door.
YOU ARE READING
The Lone Bow Tie
FanficNova is an ordinary girl working in a bookshop. She knows that she deserves better, and that's what she gets when she finds a bow tie in the pages of a book. This story is set between the Doctor Who episodes The Angels Take Manhattan and The Snowmen...
