My Mad Doctor

Chapter 19

Violet’s P.O.V.

When The Doctor opened the doors, I knew exactly what it felt like to be on a different planet, in a different world. It was indescribable. A mixture of awe, fear, uncertainty and wonder filled my veins, making it difficult to focus.

“Go ahead. Take a step.” The Doctor whispered in my ear gently. I realized then that I was still standing in the doorway, my toes inches from the ground in a different world. Somehow, Rio and WWI were nothing compared to this. Nothing. This was a new planet, a new galaxy.

With a deep breath, I steeled myself and stepped outside onto the stony shore before me. The second my feet touched the ground, a rush of adrenaline and excitement flowed into me. As I inhaled alien air, it finally hit me. I was not on Earth.

I turned to look at The Doctor who was still leaning in the doorway, watching me with an unreadable expression. With a shaky smile, I turned back to the amazing sight before me.

I appeared to be on a beach, except instead of sand, it was all small grey rocks. The sky was clouded, but seemed to be a similar colour to Earth. There were no people, as far as I could tell, but I did notice some creatures crawling along the ground.

Curiously, I knelt down and observed them. I picked one up in my hand and studied it. The closest comparison I could make to Earth was a crab, but there really wasn’t too much similar. It had a shell and pincers, but the shell was made of thousands of reflective scales, making it nearly invisible until it was touched. The scales turned purple where they met my hand, causing my heart to flutter in amazement. It had big green eyes that stared up at me as curiously as I stared down at it.

The creature jumped off my hand suddenly and kept scuttling around the ground. I laughed in pure wonder, running my fingers through the stones. They didn’t feel the way I thought they would, though. They were soft, like velvet, and warm in my hands. It startled me at first, but was very comforting.

“Those are Villus stones. They warm up when they sense another life form near. They also have regenerative powers.” The Doctor’s voice rang from behind me. I stood up quickly, horror running through my mind.

"They’re alive? Am I killing them by standing on them? Oh God, did I kill all of them?” While I worried away, The Doctor simply laughed.

“Violet Grace, they aren’t dead. They’re stones in almost every way stones are on Earth, except they’re alive. You can’t crush a stone by sitting on it. In fact, you’re actually warming them up. They like that.” I exhaled in relief and placed my hand back on the stones. The warmed up instantly and brushed against my fingers.

I observed the sky once more as my hands rubbed against the rocks. There was no sun. Even on a cloudy day back on Earth, it was obvious where the sun was in the sky. This sky had no bright spot where the sun was. Instead, there was a darker shape in the sky. It looked purple against the hazy grey of the clouds.

“Where’s the sun?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the purple spot.

“Oh, yes, well, this planet has two suns. One is similar to ours but bigger and further away. The spot you see is the day sun reflecting off the moon. The night sun comes up after dark.”  I shook my head, confused.    

“The night sun? How can a sun come out at night?” He held his hands up and explained it with motions.

“The night sun is dark blue so it doesn’t light up the sky. It really is beautiful.” I understood. It did seem beautiful to me: absolutely spectacular.

“I want to see it.” I stated quietly, running my fingers over the Villus stones and smiling at him. The Doctor nodded and grinned back.

“You will. Tonight.” He responded. A flutter of excitement flew through me. It was then when the curiosity of where we were returned to me.