Doctor Who_ Companion Piece - Mike Tucker [10]
Trying to ignore the constant jabbering sales pitch of the stall owner, Cat had started to trawl through the pile of different styles and sizes. Eventually, with a cry of delight, she had pulled a heavily embroidered canvas shape from the tangle and smiled in satisfaction.
The bag had been perfect. A carpet bag in deep beige, its surface swirled with deep, rich embroidery. Blues and reds intertwined with gold and silver; stars and planets, animals and plants delicately hinted at in the twisting patterns. Paying for her purchase with a handful of heavy, perforated coins, Cat had tucked the bag under her arm and set off through the marketplace to catch up with the Doctor.
He hadn't been hard to find. She had just had to follow the excited chatter of children's voices, and the Doctor's faint Scottish burr ringing out across the cries of the traders.
She watched as the Doctor pretended to fumble one of his catches, hopping around the square like a fool, face contorting into a variety of extraordinary expressions. Children screamed with laughter as he caught all the airborne fruit in his hat and performed an elaborate bow. Cat joined in the applause, but the Doctor wasn't finished yet.
Tor my next trick, I shall require the assistance of a member of the audience!' he announced, holding up a piece of elastic. Tor a very dangerous stunt:
Cat groaned. It was one of the Doctor's favourite gags. Getting someone to put the elastic between their teeth, stretching it as far as it would go, and then asking them if they were ready to begin. The person would reply, the elastic would be released and the Doctor would be catapulted backwards, prat-falling into whatever foliage or soft landing place he could find. She wondered if the woman watching from a stall piled high with silks realised that she would probably have the diminutive Time Lord floundering amongst her goods in a matter of moments.
The Doctor started to dart through the bystanders, trying to cajole one of them into helping him. The crowd was good natured, but none of them seemed to want to be part of the Doctor's impromptu performance, perhaps knowing all too well what tricksters of this nature were like. Resigning herself to acting as the Doctor's stooge again, Cat started to push her way towards him.
A sudden, frightened cry made her stop. Across the square, the Doctor had found his victim, but far from just politely declining, the man was backing away, clearly terrified, trembling hands clutching at a cross, as if warding off some terrible evil.
`Keep away from me, witch!' the man screamed.
The Doctor stared in puzzlement. 'W itch?'
`I saw you! Saw the manner of your arrival. The Devil-box!'
A worried murmur went through the crowd.
`No, no, no.' The Doctor shook his head. let me explain . . . The TARDIS . . . '
`You see!' the man hissed. 'He does not even try to deny it! He speaks the name.'
The crowd was getting agitated now; Cat could see anger in their eyes. Anger and fear. The majority started to push towards the Doctor, while worried mothers hurried their children in the opposite direction.
`I saw them, by the city wall. This man and a girl. Arriving in a box, with wind and fire, like the texts say! He tries to lull us into false security, he plays the fool to get us close . . . '
`No, you must listen to me, the Doctor pleaded with the now-looming crowd.
`You remember what happened the last time a box arrived?' The man was working the crowd now. They muttered angrily.
`Something has obviously happened here, blustered the Doctor.
`You remember the pain?' roared the man
`I can possibly help.'
`You remember the months of suffering?'
`If you will trust me.'
`He's a witch!'
The crowd surged forward, swamping the Doctor. Cat was pushed along in the rush, carried forward by the tide of angry people. Her mind was racing. There was nothing she could do. There were far too many of them, and sooner or later they would realise . . .
`The girl! Has