Doctor Who_ The Stone Rose - Jacqueline Rayner [67]
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In the British Museum, Mickey Smith was standing in the sculpture room. ‘This is the goddess Fortuna,’ he said to the group of kids he was taking round. ‘She brought luck – or took it away. But you’d put up with whatever she did. Because when she decided to favour you, it made everything worthwhile.’
And the kids, who’d been fidgeting and punching each other and daring each other to nick stuff from the gift shop, heard something in his voice that actually made them pay attention for a moment.
‘She’s pretty,’ said one of the kids.
‘Ha! She’s your girlfriend!’ one of the others retorted. ‘You love her!’
And Mickey grinned as he led the taunting, teasing kids to the next exhibit.
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Nearly 370 years after that, Vanessa Moretti spent another lonely day in the house, while her father was off supervising the building of his new laboratory. She thought back longingly to the time she’d spent in Rome. How could she have hated it so much? Surely anywhere was better than here. Mind you, it all seemed like a dream now. She remembered the Doctor telling her a long story, something about her father. But now she was home, she couldn’t seem to remember it. She wished she could see the Doctor and Rose again, ask them about it.
But she didn’t have the GENIE any more, so wishes didn’t come true just like that.
She wished she did have a GENIE.
Perhaps her father would be able to build another one.
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And who knew how far in space or time from there, a little scaly creature with the claws of a dragon and the beak of a duck sat admiring its surroundings. The grass was green and the sun shone. An animal resembling a large guinea pig wandered over to the newcomer and examined it with interest.
The GENIE looked at the guinea pig. ‘Ah, my furry friend,’ it said, ‘if you had a wish, what would you wish for?’
The guinea pig squeaked. There was the sound of thunder rumbling and then an orange, carrot‐like vegetable appeared. The guinea pig squeaked again. ‘You’re welcome,’ said the GENIE. Despite its beak, it almost seemed to be smiling. ‘I think I shall be happy here.’
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to many people:
Helen Raynor, queen of script editors, for help and advice; and Russell T Davies, without whom…
Justin for always being there, and being such a damn fine editor too; and, together with Steve, without whom writing these books wouldn’t be anywhere near as much fun;
Lesley, for help and insight;
Phil Cole, fellow one‐time Nottingham classicist, for historical reassurance;
David Bailey and Mark Wright for being jolly helpful – and jolly in general;
and of course Mum, Dad and Helen, Jan, Chris and Marie, and my wonderful husband, Nick, for their love and support.
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About the Author
Jacqueline Rayner made a wish that she could combine her degree in ancient history and her love of Doctor Who with her profession as a writer, and The Stone Rose is the result.
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Published by BBC Books, BBC Worldwide Ltd,
Woodlands, 80 Wood Lane, London W12 0TT
First published 2006
Reprinted 2006 (twice)
Copyright © Jacqueline Rayner 2006
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Doctor Who logo © BBC 2004
Original series broadcast on BBC television
Format © BBC 1963
‘Doctor Who’, ‘TARDIS’ and the Doctor Who logo are trademarks of the British Broadcasting Corporation and are used under licence.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
ISBN‐10: 0563486430
ISBN‐13: 9780563486435
Commissioning Editor: Stuart Cooper
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