As She Fell

The Witch Trial

Part one

Falling

Suddenly, a scream rang out. I ran, bolting towards the lake, pushing myself through branches and leaves, stumbling over tree roots running frantically towards the sound of that cry. It had hardly taken me a second to recognise that scream, to realise who was in danger. All I could hear was that sound, replaying in my mind, over and over, the short sharp sound of frustration and fear which accompanied me as I ran as if my life depended on it, because I knew whose life it actually might depend upon. Ryan and Graham were behind me, shoving low branches out from in front of them, I'd always been the fastest runner at school, miles better than Ryan, and the fear as it dawned on me what might be happening only spurred me on. All I could see was a blur of green and blue. All I could hear was the scream. The scream that belonged to the Doctor.

She was tied up in chains. "Dialogue" Mistress Savage began, her strained voice carrying over the impatient, furious mourners of the crowd. "More dialogue". The only thing that registered in my mind was the Doctor. Sitting, glaring from her section of the old witch chair, the dunking seat. Her coat was missing. She never takes off her coat, I thought. She was tied in chains across her chest, her arms, binding her to this chair, binding her to this fate. Binding herself to this moment in time. She always told us not to interfere, I remembered, then. But I had pressed her. I had asked her to take us to see my Nan, we bothered her about saving Willa's Nan too. We persuaded her to interfere. We're the reason she's here. And however miraculous I thought her, I hadn't a clue how she'd get out of this one.

Everything went quiet. I stood on the bank, alone, on the opposite side of all the townspeople, Ryan and Graham gone off to reach mistress, to reach the king, to implore then to stop this. But I couldn't. I couldn't, because the Doctor was in front of me, and she looked furious, and wild, and she looked scared. This was the first time I had seen her truly scared.

Everything was silent. Everything slowed down. And she looked at me. Our eyes connected from above the river, to on the bank, and she didn't look away, didn't alter her expression. She just looked at me, in fury and fear, and I saw her. The real doctor. The one who's only happy all the time, because a part of her is lost, and then I understood. I saw why she kept up this facade all the time, even in front of us. Everything else blurred out, everything else became quiet, as I looked at the Doctor, and she looked at me, and we understood each other.
As she fell.