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By Root 739 0

knew she was, then the couple had run into the water on one side of the lake, reached the island, shed the cumbersome packs and plunged on, leaving the water on the other side. But why should they lie? Why was the trail so unnaturally perfect? And when they fell across her path a little while after their swim, why were they not even slightly wet? When the air was warm and full of moisture like it was in this jungle area you do not dry out quickly after a full soaking. She finished knotting the lengths of vine together and coiled it by running it through her hand and round her upper arm.

‘If we can find a suitable planet I must take you sailing,’ the Doctor said as he approached. ‘You’ve obviously got an aptitude for rope work.

‘I am going to try to throw a line over those equipment packs,’ Leela said.

‘A running loop might be helpful,’ the Doctor suggested.

‘A loop!’ Leela said wryly. ‘Did you think I was going to throw it and hope it got tangled in the straps?’

‘Sometimes,’ the Doctor said, ‘it’s the obvious ideas that get missed.’ He took the coil from her and held it so that she could fashion a lasso at the more flexible end of the knotted vines. ‘You should never be afraid to state the obvious,’ he went on. ‘If people know it already they are pleased to think they’re clever. If they don’t know it already they’re pleased to think you’re clever. Either way they’re pleased.’

Leela finished the loop and took the coil from the Doctor.

‘You do talk rubbish,’ she said smiling.

‘After we go sailing I’ll introduce you to some revered prophets, gurus and religious figures worshipped by millions who make that sort of rubbish sound like transdimensional engineering manuals.’

Leela circled the lake looking for the best throwing position. There would not be much advantage in it because the lake was uniform but she wanted the highest of the banks that was nearest to the island. As she walked and checked the angles she was forced to revise her opinion. There would not be any advantage in it because, unlikely as it seemed, there was no highest bank and every curve and bend looked to be the same distance from the island. Leela had seen optical illusions before, but this was not a trick to baffle the eye and fool the head: this looked a lot more like a careful plan.

‘That isn’t going to work,’ Rinandor remarked as Leela walked past where she and Pertanor were sitting on the spongy ground. Leela would have ignored her but Rinandor said, ‘Did you hear what I said? That is not going to work.’

‘Then we will have to go on without them,’ Leela said.

‘There’s food and painkillers in those packs,’ Pertanor said. ‘I shouldn’t have dropped them both.’

‘It was that or drop me,’ Rinandor said. ‘I think you made the right choice. I like the way your mind works.’

Leela walked on until she reached the Doctor again. He was sitting on his haunches peering into the water. He did not look up as he said, ‘No good place to throw from.’ It was not a question and he did not sound surprised.

‘Do you think this is real, Doctor?’ she asked.

‘Oh, it’s real,’ he said. ‘The question should be: is it really what it looks like?’

‘Is it really what it looks like?’

The Doctor continued staring into the water. He couldn’t see anything lurking but logic said it was there. He made up his mind. ‘No.’ He stood up quickly. ‘It’s a trap. We’re leaving.

Now.’ He took the coiled vine from Leela and tossed it away.

‘Rinandor, Pertanor!’ he called. ‘Time to move on.’ He gestured for them to follow, adding, ‘Keep well away from the water!’ before taking Leela’s arm and hustling her towards the trees. ‘Come on, Leela. Come on. Whatever it is, it’s probably amphibious.’

Leela pulled her arm away, stubbornly refusing to be rushed. ‘What is? What are you doing?’

‘If I’m right,’ the Doctor said, still trying to urge her on,

‘something wants to know how resourceful we are – or how resourceful some of us are, Leela, especially you. I’m not sure about that yet. What I am sure about is that it’s ready to kill us all in the course of its researches.’

He tried