• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

‘Oh well,’ said the Doctor. ‘It was worth a try.’

Martha breathed a sigh of relief when they finally exited the caravan, leaving Dunnock preparing a meal of sunflower seeds and ant eggs for his charge. ‘That professor smelled a bit like a half‐fish, half‐mammal,’ she commented.

The Doctor grinned. ‘Yeah – but we’re a bit further on. Only a tiny pixie step on the path of progress it’s true, but further on nonetheless.’

‘You mean, we know the culprit’s a young man.’

He nodded. ‘Right. Although given that Dunnock is an extremely old man –’

‘And a loony.’

‘– and, as you rather perceptively if not elegantly say, a loony, “young” could mean almost anything. But if it’s one of the Earthers, as we suspect, it is at least narrowed down to three suspects.’

‘Rix, Tommy or Frank.’

They were resetting the coordinates on their pendants as they walked. ‘Will “Mervin” be OK?’ Martha asked. ‘Shouldn’t we try to get him – it – back to the museum? I mean, he’s living in a sink, looked after by a bloke who’s completely barmy.’

‘At least the professor doesn’t believe in cages,’ muttered the Doctor, but he did wrinkle his nose in indecision. Or it might have been due to lingering traces of the caravan’s smell. ‘I’ll think about it,’ he said in the end. ‘Are you ready? Maybe we’ll have more luck at the most recent transaction point.’

She sighed. ‘Oh, I guess so. I hope we sort it out this time, though, these people aren’t exactly my cup of tea.’

‘Mmm, I wouldn’t mind a cup of tea,’ said the Doctor. ‘Maybe the next illegal‐extinct‐animal purchaser will offer us one.’

But he was destined to be disappointed.

THE ISPYDER BOOK OF EARTH CREATURES

AYE‐AYE

Daubentonia madagascariensis

Location: Madagascar

The aye‐aye is a nocturnal, forest‐dwelling lemur. It has black fur with white around its eyes and nose, and possesses very long middle fingers which it uses to dig out insects to eat. It is approximately 30 centimetres in length, not including the bushy tail which is about one‐and‐a‐half times the length of its body.

Addendum:

Last reported sighting: AD 2042.

Cause of extinction: destruction of habitat.

ISpyder points value: 500

THE ISPYDER BOOK OF EARTH CREATURES

Creature Points

Subtotal 33500

Dodo 800

Megatherium 500

Paradise parrot 500

Velociraptor 250

Mountain gorilla 500

Aye‐aye 900

Siberian tiger 600

Kakapo 900

Indefatigable Galapagos mouse 1500

Stegosaurus 500

Triceratops 550

Diplodocus 600

Ankylosaurus 650

Dimetrodon 600

Passenger pigeon 100

Thylacine 250

Black rhinoceros 300

Mervin the missing link 23500

SEVEN

In common with the first trip, the Doctor and Martha arrived somewhere staggeringly sumptuous; in common with the second, they found themselves outdoors. In every other respect, this place was as far removed from both of the previous locations as possible. They were under a canopy in a brilliant, sunny garden, amid tinkling fountains and what seemed like a thousand orchids of every colour in the rainbow. A young girl was lying face down on a silk floor cushion and, as she started up at the sound of their arrival, Martha saw that her pretty oriental features were stained with tears.

‘Tea is probably not forthcoming,’ the Doctor whispered out of the side of his mouth. ‘Bother.’

‘Who – who are you?’ the girl stammered, although the hesitation seemed to have nothing to do with fear, just her sobs.

The Doctor stepped forward and spoke gently. ‘I’m the Doctor, and this –’

But he got no further. The girl began to shake her head violently. ‘You’re too late! Too late! He would not have seen you anyway, not a western doctor – not that it matters now.’

‘You mean he’s…?’ The Doctor was clearly fishing for information.

‘He died twenty minutes ago.’ She suddenly frowned. ‘Why are you here? Why did you not go to the house?’

‘We did,’ the Doctor lied.