The tall man with floppy hair was sitting on the deck of our boat as I appeared from the dark hold. Beneath his shirt collar, he wore a bow tie. Sat on his head was a bright red fez, and a pair of glasses perched at the tip of his nose. In his hands, he was holding a book: The Angel's Kiss: A Melody Malone Mystery.
"Where are we?" I yawned sleepily. Rassilon's attack on my home had left no energy in me, and I had collapsed onto one of the hammocks below deck as we left the harbour.
The funny man smiled warmly. "In the middle of the ocean, my dear, where else?!"
I took in my surroundings. A vast expanse of water flanked our boat on all sides. I could not see a strip of land for miles.
"Who are you?" I said, suddenly realising I had no idea who this stranger was.
The man laughed. "You may call me the Doctor."
"Doctor what?" He laughed harder at that. I felt a warm blush spreading across my face. I didn't like being laughed at by a man in a bow tie.
The man ignored my question and asked one of his own. "And who might you be, may I ask?"
I sighed grumpily, annoyed that he had not answered my question.
"Oswald Oswin," I replied.
