• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

‘Sometimes that dog reminds me of the Doctor,’ she laughed. ‘And sometimes it reminds me of me.’

‘So,’ I said, ‘do you think you’ll keep on travelling with him?’ The smile slid off Peri’s face. ‘Well,’ she said hesitantly

‘I don’t think there’s really much point.’

‘You know,’ I said, ‘all this would be more fun if we were actually going somewhere. Road trips usually go in a straight line, not round and round in circles. And then we end up sitting here while the geeks have all the fun.’

‘It’s not that,’ said Peri. ‘You know that old saying about flying – that it’s hours of boredom plus minutes of stark terror? Being with the Doctor is like that. Sometimes it’s horrible, but sometimes it’s so exciting... but when it comes to the crunch, the only thing I can do is sit here. I don’t know anything about computers. Or aliens either. The Doctor is always having to pull me out of some scrape. I’m pretty much useless, really.’

We sat there for a few moments. I said, ‘You know, I think in a way he’s doing all this stuff for you.’

She turned to look at me. ‘What do you mean, “for me”?’

‘Whatever’s going on with these devices, he takes it very seriously. He even thinks it could be the end of the world. The end of your world.’

‘My world? You mean he wants to save the States?’

‘Because it’s your home,’ I said.

‘He doesn’t even like America.’

‘He likes you.’

‘We can’t seem to get along.’

‘You like him, don’t you?’

The smile inched its way back onto her face. ‘Yeah. I do.

He can be a pain in the ass, but he’s a lot of fun to be around.’

She told me about her first time on board the Doctor’s boat. ‘I have a little white room all to myself,’ she said. ‘That first morning I woke up and I swear I didn’t know who I was.

Never mind where, I couldn’t even think of my name for about half a minute. I just lay there in a kind of daze, staring at a white wall and wondering what was going on. I mean, I’d woken up in hotel rooms all my life, but this was different.

Like I had turned into somebody new. I was starting a whole new life.’

At that moment, we heard another car. I looked in the side-view mirror. ‘Oh, shit burgers,’ I said. ‘It’s the police.’ They pulled in between us and the Doctor’s car.

Peri gripped the steering wheel. ‘What’re we gonna do?’

she squeaked. She pushed her hair out of her face, screwed her courage to the sticking-place, and told me to put my arm around her.

‘What?’

‘You heard.’

I slipped my arm around Peri’s shoulders as an officer of the law armed with a pistol and a vast moustache strode over to the parked campervan. Both of us must have been silently uttering the same prayer. Please don’t let him see the cable.

Please don’t let him see the cable.

He tap-tapped on the driver’s side window, and Peri wound it down, giving him her big, perfect smile. ‘Good morning,’ she said.

‘Good morning to y’all,’ said the officer. ‘Just wanted to make sure you’re all right out here.’

‘Oh, we’re fine,’ said Peri. ‘Just admiring the scenery.’

Officer Moustache didn’t answer. He was giving me The Look. My heart dropped into my stomach and slid from there down to my boots. I had seen The Look many a time before, and it always meant trouble.

‘Step out of the car, please,’ said Officer Moustache. He took a step back so Peri could open the door.

‘Is there a problem, officer?’ said Peri, all nineteen-year-old timid friendliness, sending out the vibes of a good kid from a good family who would just, you know, like, die if she ever got into trouble.

‘Come on and step out of the car. Both of you.’

We got out. Officer Moustache herded Peri around to the passenger side and stood us next to one another. He took a good, long look at both of us, as though he was comparing us.

He undid the catch on his holster, so his pistol was handy.

‘Don’t you make any sudden moves, now,’ he said.

Very suddenly, his meaty hands were undoing the button on my jacket. ‘What the hell!’ I yelped, slapping them away.

‘What is this,