The Doctor Of War ³

In The Forest Of The Dead

A schoolgirl runs through the dappled light of a forest until she finds an incongruous blue Police Box. She knocks on the door and it is opened by a tall man who has to look down to see her.

"I'm lost. Please, can you help me?"

"It's that way" he shuts the door then opens it again and stares at the forest, this time a woman is standing beside him with squinted eyes.

"Are those trees?" she asks.

"I need the Doctor and the Seer. Are you them?"

"Yes. Do you have an appointment? You need an appointment to see the Doctor."

"Please. Something's chasing me" I let her inside and she gasps. The Doctor does the explanation with hand gestures.

"When you drink a glass of Coke, it's only this big, but it's actually got this much sugar in it. It works a bit like that."

"What does?" the girl asks.

"The TARDIS. It's bigger on the inside than the outside, or did you not notice?" I ask, the girl follows me up to the gallery, where I pick up and unfold a street map of London.

"I just thought it was supposed to be bigger on the inside, so I didn't say anything" I make a face then nod.

"Well, of course, it's supposed to be bigger. Most people are confused by that."

"I find everything confusing, nearly. So, I don't say anything. That's how come I'm in the woods. I thought Miss Oswald told me to find the Doctor and the Seer. But it wasn't her. It was just in my head."

"Miss Oswald? Dark hair? Highly unpredictable? Surprisingly round face?" the Doctor asks from the console.

"Everyone says she's in love with Mister Pink."

"The PE teacher."

"Maths. I really like him. I was in his group."

"Mister Pink was looking after you? Well, that explains why you're lost" I discard the map and we go back down to the console.

"It doesn't surprise you that I know all about your school?" the Doctor asks.

"Everyone seems to know everything about everything, apart from me."

"That's not quite true. I, for instance, have no idea why, when the terrestrial navigation..." the girl is about to touch a control, so the Doctor thumps the console "the terrestrial navigation starts up, it closes down all the other systems."

"You should ask somebody who knows."

"Hmm. That's another of the drawbacks of being the last two of your species. No one to ask when your TARDIS won't start" the Doctor sets the time rotor going. It stops after a few seconds. The terrestrial navigation lady speaks.

"You have reached your destination."

"No, we haven't. We're supposed to be in the middle of London."

"You have reached your destination."

"Oh, stop saying that!"

"She's only saying it because it's true. We are in the middle of London."

"We are in the middle of a forest..." I say quietly.

"Come and see" the girl takes my hand and leads me outside, the Doctor following close behind "Nelson's Column. Do you like it?"

"Do I. Sorry, what?"

"Do you like the forest being in Trafalgar Square? I think it's lovely" we look up, past one of Landseer's bronze lions to a tall Corinthian column with ivy growing up it, which is topped by a 5 1/2 metre sandstone statue of a famous one-armed Admiral of the Royal Navy, gazing southwards over a lush green forest amongst the buildings of central London.