Doctor Who_ Empire of Death - BBC Worldwide [8]
Kirkhope had asked about the father, of course. The girl had misunderstood. She said it wasn't her father - it was her uncle who done it. He was just visiting the village and he had seemed very nice and... She had heard tell about what happened when members of the same family had knowledge of each other. So she had to get rid of the baby, if there was a baby. Maybe she just imagined the whole thing, maybe it would be all right if she just ignored it? The doctor had managed to quell his outrage at the circumstances in which this poor girl found herself and agreed he would help.
That had been the first and that was always the one Kirkhope most remembered. There had been so much blood and then the tiny creature was in his hands, quite dead but still with its own minute fingers curled up into the littlest of fists. He had become an abortionist but his own conscience was clear. He did what he did but only when the circumstances demanded it. Fortunately, they were rare but when another case arose the women of the village knew to whom to turn.
When the knock came at his door that evening in 1856, Kirkhope feared the worst. It was almost a relief when he saw the stricken face of young Josiah Lees outside in the gloaming. 'Please, Doctor, you must come quickly! It's my youngest brother James, he's - well, you must come. Please!'
The doctor nodded and fetched his long black coat from a hook on the wall, before taking the medical bag from atop the nearby dresser. By the time he reopened the front door, the Lees lad was already running towards the upstream edge of the settlement. Kirkhope strode briskly after him, buttoning the coat against the chill night air. At least he would not have to kill another baby tonight.
* * *
Extract from Observations and Analysis, A Journal.
'Do you know what is the worst thing about being a ghost?'
Adric asked.
The Doctor shook his head. Our former travelling companion turned to me with the same question.
‘I don't know,' I replied truthfully. I've never been dead.'
'I should have thought it was obvious,' Adric said truculently. 'Leaving behind all of those still living. But death does have its compensations. I can talk with Varsh whenever I want and meet others who have passed over. Your father, Nyssa - I've had some fascinating conversations with Tremas since, well, you know...’
'How do we know you're telling the truth?' the Doctor asked.
The ghost had to think about that. 'Analyse me. I'll release the console and you can use the instruments to tell you whether I'm real or not.'
Àn excellent suggestion!' the Doctor replied. `Nyssa, would you be kind enough to assist me?'
'Of course, Doctor,' I said. We began running a series of scans to determine the nature of this apparition. I could not help giving voice to my doubts. 'Doctor - what do you think that thing is?'
'I'm not sure. That's what worries me,' he whispered.
'Ghosts are mentioned in cultures across the galaxy.
Explanations for their existence are many - displaced psychic energy, mental projection, even delusional wish fulfilment. But how could such an entity walk into the TARDIS while it is in flight, let alone disable and enable all the instruments like this? That should be impossible.'
I studied the sensor displays before me. 'According to these readings there are three beings in this room - you, me and a teenage Alzarian male. The TARDIS recognises him as being Adric, his physical manifestation matches exactly.'
'Hmm,' the Doctor mused. 'Perhaps some residual effect from our encounter with the Xeraphin - you mentioned seeing a vision of Adric...'
'Yes, but that was an obvious illusion plucked from the surface memories of Tegan and myself. This seems more...
convincing.'
The Doctor and I concluded our tests but could find nothing to disprove the ghost was the spirit