Out of Time

Chapter Five

CHAPTER FIVE

 Anna checked her wristwatch to see if it was time to go home and do some soul destroying job searches and applications online. She frowned as she prodded her watch, the mechanism must have gone wrong and something was stopping the hands from moving. Anna’s heart sunk as she thought of the long and interminable day ahead. Her mum would already be job searching with the drive and vengeance of a woman possessed by finding justice for her talented daughter, who in Caroline Bailey’s eyes had been “brutally ejected” from the Bookselling trade and she would not rest until Anna had found another job. Anna clutched her tummy as it grumbled, eating was another thing she had grown careless about lately but as she denied herself food she felt strangely empowered, for it was the only thing Anna had any control over in her life. She paused for a moment and waited for the light headedness to pass; then Anna Bailey went to make her way down the steps beside the fountain, resigned to another dull day…

 So it was somewhat unexpected when a young man wearing a tweed jacket and bow tie sprung out of the fountain. He stared up with a tentative and quizzical expression at the bronze sculpture he now found himself beside, he blushed at the curvy nude study of a goddess called “The River” known locally as the “Floozie in the Jacuzzi”. Anna meanwhile had jumped out of her skin and her heart was now pounding violently against her ribcage. It had startled other passer-by’s though Black Country folk who tend to take most things in their stride simply shrugged their shoulders and walked on by. Anna let out a short gasp though quickly recovered herself but unlike the others she found herself rooted to the spot, unable to leave the weird scene behind. This was something out of the ordinary, she felt a tingle down her spine of excitement; the atmosphere was palpable and suddenly electrifying. Water cascaded out of the fountain and onto the steps as the dripping wet, gauche man surveyed the area with all the awkwardness of a new born chick emerging into the world for the first time. The whole incident was faintly ridiculous and bizarre; the man had appeared from nowhere as though there was a secret lagoon under what was in fact a shallow fountain. Where had he come from?

 “Hello are you okay there?”  Anna felt unnecessary anxious and stumbled over her words, she cleared her throat and awaited a response.

 The man who had appeared to be greatly disorientated until her voice had awakened him, turned his head slowly to face Anna. The moment would be imprinted on Anna’s heart forever… The stranger smiled slowly, his whole face lit up with delight on discovering the owner of the voice, his pale green eyes; that at the same time looked both young and ancient danced with excitement as he bounded over towards Anna, almost tripping over the rim of the fountain as he climbed out and exclaimed with breathless recognition.

 “Anna Bailey! It’s you, it really is you! The psychic portal actually worked. It brought me right to you. Ah who knew!”

 The eccentric man clapped his hands together, his dripping hair plastered to his angular face, with a chin that was so long it was caricature like and yet as Anna leapt out of the way as he came rushing towards her like a grinning lunatic with arms wide open she decided he was quirkily handsome in a funny sort of way.

 “I’m sorry fountain man but am I supposed to know you?!”

 Anna exclaimed passionately, putting a safe distance between her and the scarily enthusiastic man. Thinking on her feet, she pulled a wind battered umbrella from out of her bag, the only “weapon” she had to hand though as she pointed the umbrella threateningly, it accidentally shot open only for the top to detach and land in pieces at her feet. The pair of them stared down at it for a moment, Anna blushing as she picked up the broken umbrella and hastily bundled it back into her bag, it simply entertained her companion and caused more merriment… In the bookstore Anna had always attracted the slightly strange but usually harmless customers, this one definitely came top. Yet as the question of identity had escaped from her lips, Anna was troubled by memories, she had seen this man somewhere before and it was the way he had said her name, no one said her name so joyfully, well no one on this Earth…

 The stranger’s face suddenly fell in confusion but then a bright spark of realisation lit up his eyes as he slapped the side of his head and then realised what the problem was.

 “Of course stupid me! Since the last time you saw me I’ve only gone and got a new face…Well new everything actually. Ta Dah!” He hopped on the spot and ran his “Jazz” hands alongside his willowy frame, highlighting his physical presence as though he was a magician about to perform a stupendous trick. Standing to attention he twanged his braces and clicked the heels of his bulky boots together, which along with his rolled up trousers merely accentuated his bandy legs. He lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Always a bit confusing for my friends when that happens…But hey ho.”

 Anna was struck dumb with shock, could it really be who she thought it was…How could that be possible? The man suddenly grew calmer, smiling kindly as he moved tentatively closer until he was standing in front of Anna, he held her trembling, icy hands within his and then placed each hand either side of his chest as he declared gently.

 “Anna it’s me… It’s the Doctor.”

 There were two hearts beating, the truth was baring down on her. The Doctor waited patiently and expectantly for the penny to drop. Anna pulled her hands away.

 “No I’m not having it. This must be some kind of trap…”

 Anna shook her head and looked utterly confused and appalled, how could this be the same man she had travelled through time and space with? Anna’s eyes locked with the Doctor’s, his eyes were imploring her, reaching out to her to believe him, to give him a chance. Anna looked away; they weren’t even the same eyes… Anna had never dealt very well with change but this was something else. And yet in her bewilderment and denial, Anna knew deep down, even though he had changed his physical appearance and personality that it was the same impossible man who walked in eternity, she knew it was the Doctor, her Doctor….Though she still felt compelled to resist him, Anna never imagined that if she was lucky enough to meet her old friend again that it would have been anything so distressing as this.

 “No this isn’t right! What have you done with the Doctor…What have you done with my friend?!”

 The Doctor went to answer though Anna in her disorientation began to run down the steps, everything was crowding in on her, she needed to get away and think.

 “After everything we’ve been through together.” The Doctor called out after his friend, then delving into the deep recesses of nine hundred years’ worth of memories. “Stop pretending you know it’s me… Anna Supernova.”

 Anna stopped in her tracks, those words had broken the spell. She turned round to face the Doctor.

 “You called me by that name before and then we danced…”  

 By now Anna’s light headedness had turned to dizziness as the whole square began to spin, her knees buckled from under her but the Doctor had anticipated the moment as he leapt down the steps and caught his friend in his arms before she hit the ground. Anna Bailey’s whole world had just been turned upside down and it felt good. The Doctor helped her stand again as she smiled properly for the first time in months, her eyes shining with a joy that permeated from every corner of her being. The Doctor was here and everything would be alright again.

 “My God, it really is you…Hello Doctor!”

 “Finally at last!” The Doctor rolled his twinkling eyes with mock impatience and then smiled back affectionately. “Hello Anna Bailey!”