Through Time and Space Ficlet: The World He’s From
Title: The World He’s From
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, the Tallans.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto tries to describe earth and Cardiff to his new friends the Tallans.
Word Count: 500
Content Notes: None necessary.
Written For: Prompt 61: Describe at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Set between chapters 11 and 12 of my fic ‘Through Time And Space’.
“What is it like where you come from?”
Such a simple, innocent question, but the answer was so complicated Ianto wasn’t sure where to start. He was sitting with the Tallans in the vast expanse of his TARDIS’s garden room, chatting informally with his new guests. They’d been talking about his memories of Talla, where the Rift had once stranded him, and that had inevitably led to the Talllans sharing reminiscences about their home. Ianto should have know they’d want to hear more about his, but still, just the mere thought of earth, especially of Cardiff, sent a pang of homesickness through his chest, knowing he’d never again see his world as he’d known it in his lifetime.
He sighed wistfully. “Earth is a lot different than Talla, there’s more water, oceans and seas, than there is land. There are several continents, divided into different countries, and each country has its own customs and language. It’s a very crowded world and there’s a lot of fighting, a lot of the countries don’t get along with each other.”
“But aren’t they all humans like you?” Kellik asked.
“Yes, they are, but they don’t all look or think exactly alike, and they disagree on so many things I sometimes wonder if they’ll destroy each other before they can learn to live in peace.”
“Tell us about your country,” Jatso begged.
Ianto laughed. “Well, I come from a place called Wales. It’s a small country, part of an island called Britain, which is comprised of three countries, Wales, England, and Scotland, and part of a neighbouring island called Ireland. Wales has its own language, Welsh, but the people mostly speak English. The countryside is a lot like this, grassy hills, rivers and lakes, woodland and moorland. It’s very beautiful.”
“You must miss it,” Diller said softly.
“I do, very much. I didn’t live in the countryside, I grew up in a place called Newport, then spent a few years in London, England, before returning to Wales, where I lived and worked in a city called Cardiff.”
“What’s a city?” Jatso asked.
How to explain that in words the Tallans would understand? “It’s a place where thousands of people live. There are buildings taller than the trees, where people live in their own sets of rooms, and there are smaller buildings, where individual families live. There are shops, places where people can trade for food and clothes and tools, and there are hospitals where the sick and injured are cared for until they’re well. There are schools too, where children are taught all the things they need to know.”
“It sounds wonderful!” Diller’s eyes were shining, and Ianto decided not to tell the Tallans about the crime, pollution, and poverty than also existed there.
“Cardiff is right beside the sea. You can smell salt on the air. It rains a lot, but when the sun shines… I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. I hope someday I’ll see it again.”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ianto, the Tallans.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Ianto tries to describe earth and Cardiff to his new friends the Tallans.
Word Count: 500
Content Notes: None necessary.
Written For: Prompt 61: Describe at anythingdrabble.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Set between chapters 11 and 12 of my fic ‘Through Time And Space’.
“What is it like where you come from?”
Such a simple, innocent question, but the answer was so complicated Ianto wasn’t sure where to start. He was sitting with the Tallans in the vast expanse of his TARDIS’s garden room, chatting informally with his new guests. They’d been talking about his memories of Talla, where the Rift had once stranded him, and that had inevitably led to the Talllans sharing reminiscences about their home. Ianto should have know they’d want to hear more about his, but still, just the mere thought of earth, especially of Cardiff, sent a pang of homesickness through his chest, knowing he’d never again see his world as he’d known it in his lifetime.
He sighed wistfully. “Earth is a lot different than Talla, there’s more water, oceans and seas, than there is land. There are several continents, divided into different countries, and each country has its own customs and language. It’s a very crowded world and there’s a lot of fighting, a lot of the countries don’t get along with each other.”
“But aren’t they all humans like you?” Kellik asked.
“Yes, they are, but they don’t all look or think exactly alike, and they disagree on so many things I sometimes wonder if they’ll destroy each other before they can learn to live in peace.”
“Tell us about your country,” Jatso begged.
Ianto laughed. “Well, I come from a place called Wales. It’s a small country, part of an island called Britain, which is comprised of three countries, Wales, England, and Scotland, and part of a neighbouring island called Ireland. Wales has its own language, Welsh, but the people mostly speak English. The countryside is a lot like this, grassy hills, rivers and lakes, woodland and moorland. It’s very beautiful.”
“You must miss it,” Diller said softly.
“I do, very much. I didn’t live in the countryside, I grew up in a place called Newport, then spent a few years in London, England, before returning to Wales, where I lived and worked in a city called Cardiff.”
“What’s a city?” Jatso asked.
How to explain that in words the Tallans would understand? “It’s a place where thousands of people live. There are buildings taller than the trees, where people live in their own sets of rooms, and there are smaller buildings, where individual families live. There are shops, places where people can trade for food and clothes and tools, and there are hospitals where the sick and injured are cared for until they’re well. There are schools too, where children are taught all the things they need to know.”
“It sounds wonderful!” Diller’s eyes were shining, and Ianto decided not to tell the Tallans about the crime, pollution, and poverty than also existed there.
“Cardiff is right beside the sea. You can smell salt on the air. It rains a lot, but when the sun shines… I think it’s one of the most beautiful places on earth. I hope someday I’ll see it again.”
The End