Edited Highlights
Title: Edited Highlights
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: Me, cupati
Characters: Ten, possible MarySue [un-named, first-person]
Word count: 1373
Rating: Entirely suitable for all [except those who think university is a waste of time]
Notes: Spoilers for the end of recent series 2
Edited Highlights
18th August
I met a man today. He was sat on my bench. I know I can’t really claim it, I’ve only been sitting there for a few weeks, but I sat on there with him. He was moping. I offered him a chip, and he took it. He kept looking over at a blue box that I hadn’t seen before, at least not there. It was one of those old policeboxes, I’ve seen them in photographs, but not in real life before.
“Is that yours?”
“Yep. I keep expecting her to come out.”
“Who?”
“Rose. But she’s gone now. And there’s nothing I can do.”
“Dead?”
“No, gone. Into a parallel universe. Which is worse for me, as I know she’ll be doing good out there, and I’ll never find out what.”
He must have seen the disbelief in my face.
“Do you want to look inside it?”
We went over to it. There was a yale lock on the front, so he got out a key and unlocked it.
“She had this key for a while…”
The door opened, and I looked in. Then I looked round the outside, and I looked in again. I tried to speak. “It’s…”
“Yep.”
In computer games, it’s become normal for buildings to be much larger inside than out. But in real life, that’s pretty rare. In fact, this is the first thing that I’ve ever seen that is. We stepped inside.
“This… this is unreal. It can’t be - you can’t be…”
“Can. Is. Feel it.”
I went up to the wall, and felt it. Defiantly there. No visual effects here. It was real. All real.
“Who are you? How do you do this?”
“They call me the Doctor, mostly because that’s my name. I travel through time and space, in this TARDIS - that’s time and relative dimensions in space - seeing sites and righting wrongs.”
I reached for my pocket, for my camera. My mum would never believe this, I needed proof…
“No cameras on this tour.”
“Why not?”
“Causality. Imagine we went to the future, and you saw amazing new technology. You take a photo, right? Then you come back to now and someone else sees the photo, and it gives them the idea for an object, 200 years early. Messes up time no end, that. And the future isn’t the only problem. You could take a photo of now back into the past, and they design a building based on the photo, and it’s built, and that’s where the photo came from. But where’s the idea from? Ideas can’t materialise on there own. So no cameras.”
I was contemplating the impact of that statement - how would I prove it then? - when something that had passed me by when he said it came to light.
“We?”
“You do want to come with me, don’t you?”
“No.”
He wasn’t used to being refused, and he’d already played his did-I-mention-it-also-travels-in-time gambit, so he had to listen to my explanation.
“When I say no, I really mean not now. Now I am about to go to university to study mathematics. Mathematics increases logic, problem solving and looking at things from different angles. If I study more, I should improve all these things, and be more useful to you.”
“A good argument - but a counterproductive one, nonetheless.” He looked at me with a spark in his eye. “You solved your problem logically, by looking at it from my angle. I think you’re fine as you are. So what’s your real reason?”
“You can travel through time in this little box, that isn’t as little inside as it should be! There must be so much you have to know to work this thing! I’ve been struggling with mathematics for so long, I don’t want you to just tell me it’s simple or worse, it’s pointless. I want to reach the end of my mathematical discovery before I come with you.”
“That sounds more like it! The first was taken straight out of a prospectus. It didn’t sound real at all.”
“But I still want to come. Could you come back here, this park, in 3 years time? Then I’ll be finished.”
“Sure. I’ll be waiting.” He wrote the date on a little piece of paper, and left it on the TARDIS console. “See you in three years.”
“See you in three minutes.”
I stepped out of the box, and looked around. This was my park, my home. But not for much longer. A wumph-wumph-wumph sound came from behind me, and I turned around. He had gone.
19th August
The events of yesterday have only just sunk in. Will he ever return? Would he recognise me if he did? I’ve got changed into everything I wore yesterday, and have started photographing myself. If I wear exactly the same, he’s sure to recognise me - it’ll only be a couple of minutes since he saw me wearing it. I’m popping back up to the park now, to take photos of where he was. If they keep the park the same, I’ll be able to find the exact bench.
23rd September
I’ve just moved into my new student flat. I feel so far away from home. Better get used to it, I’ll go further.
21st December
I’m home for Christmas. The first thing I did was check on the park. I’ve kept the prints of the pictures in a drawer, but brought them out to see if anything had changed. Nothing has, apart from the absence of flowers. Even the chip van is still there.
11th April
Why didn’t I just go with him? Every day it seems less likely that he’ll return. I know that he’d never said he’d return now, but if only I had some kind of sign, then I’d be happy.
18th August
The first anniversary. I went back to the park again, ate chips on my bench. Time seems to be moving slowly and fast, all at once. I remember seeing him like it was yesterday, but it feels like years ago.
7th October
Things are getting so difficult. Why did I say I’d stay? If only he were here, he’d help.
14th May
I’ve been dreaming about him - for some months, in fact. I don’t know why I didn’t admit it before, perhaps I was embarrassed.
Before I can explain about this dream, I have to explain about my normal dreams. Everyone’s the same in them - faceless, unidentifiable drones. I’m one of the drones too, though how I can tell me from the rest of them I don’t know.
But this dream is different. For starters it’s in the first person. I’m sat down, looking across at him. He’s explaining everything. The maths I’m stuck on, the secrets of the universe. It feels like I’m back at secondary school - probably because the suit he wears looks so much like one that one of my teachers used to wear.
If only I could hear my dreams.
18th August
The second anniversary. I’m in Europe at the moment - travelling with my friends. I like travelling, and I’ll soon be doing more - I’m 2/3 of the way there. Everything in the park looks the same - I checked before I left - and I have purposely not brought any of the outfit, so I can’t lose or tear it.
2nd February
Sometimes I think I’ve just dreamt him. I’ve certainly spent longer with him in my dreams than in real life. Then I think about the pictures - I must have believed once. If I believed then, I can still believe now.
17th August
For many of my friends, yesterday was the big day. Results. I did reasonably, I suppose, but that’s not what I’ve been looking forward to. Tomorrow is my big day. I’m at home, preparing. I’ve written a letter for my mum, to explain everything. She’s going out tomorrow, so I’ll leave it on the table when I go. If all goes wrong, I can take it back before she arrives home. This is what I‘ve been waiting for. All the clothes are clean, and the chip van is where I left it. I’ll pack my stuff tomorrow morning, so mum doesn’t get suspicious.
I’m ready now - ready for anything.
18th August
Fandom: Doctor Who
Author: Me, cupati
Characters: Ten, possible MarySue [un-named, first-person]
Word count: 1373
Rating: Entirely suitable for all [except those who think university is a waste of time]
Notes: Spoilers for the end of recent series 2
Edited Highlights
18th August
I met a man today. He was sat on my bench. I know I can’t really claim it, I’ve only been sitting there for a few weeks, but I sat on there with him. He was moping. I offered him a chip, and he took it. He kept looking over at a blue box that I hadn’t seen before, at least not there. It was one of those old policeboxes, I’ve seen them in photographs, but not in real life before.
“Is that yours?”
“Yep. I keep expecting her to come out.”
“Who?”
“Rose. But she’s gone now. And there’s nothing I can do.”
“Dead?”
“No, gone. Into a parallel universe. Which is worse for me, as I know she’ll be doing good out there, and I’ll never find out what.”
He must have seen the disbelief in my face.
“Do you want to look inside it?”
We went over to it. There was a yale lock on the front, so he got out a key and unlocked it.
“She had this key for a while…”
The door opened, and I looked in. Then I looked round the outside, and I looked in again. I tried to speak. “It’s…”
“Yep.”
In computer games, it’s become normal for buildings to be much larger inside than out. But in real life, that’s pretty rare. In fact, this is the first thing that I’ve ever seen that is. We stepped inside.
“This… this is unreal. It can’t be - you can’t be…”
“Can. Is. Feel it.”
I went up to the wall, and felt it. Defiantly there. No visual effects here. It was real. All real.
“Who are you? How do you do this?”
“They call me the Doctor, mostly because that’s my name. I travel through time and space, in this TARDIS - that’s time and relative dimensions in space - seeing sites and righting wrongs.”
I reached for my pocket, for my camera. My mum would never believe this, I needed proof…
“No cameras on this tour.”
“Why not?”
“Causality. Imagine we went to the future, and you saw amazing new technology. You take a photo, right? Then you come back to now and someone else sees the photo, and it gives them the idea for an object, 200 years early. Messes up time no end, that. And the future isn’t the only problem. You could take a photo of now back into the past, and they design a building based on the photo, and it’s built, and that’s where the photo came from. But where’s the idea from? Ideas can’t materialise on there own. So no cameras.”
I was contemplating the impact of that statement - how would I prove it then? - when something that had passed me by when he said it came to light.
“We?”
“You do want to come with me, don’t you?”
“No.”
He wasn’t used to being refused, and he’d already played his did-I-mention-it-also-travels-in-time gambit, so he had to listen to my explanation.
“When I say no, I really mean not now. Now I am about to go to university to study mathematics. Mathematics increases logic, problem solving and looking at things from different angles. If I study more, I should improve all these things, and be more useful to you.”
“A good argument - but a counterproductive one, nonetheless.” He looked at me with a spark in his eye. “You solved your problem logically, by looking at it from my angle. I think you’re fine as you are. So what’s your real reason?”
“You can travel through time in this little box, that isn’t as little inside as it should be! There must be so much you have to know to work this thing! I’ve been struggling with mathematics for so long, I don’t want you to just tell me it’s simple or worse, it’s pointless. I want to reach the end of my mathematical discovery before I come with you.”
“That sounds more like it! The first was taken straight out of a prospectus. It didn’t sound real at all.”
“But I still want to come. Could you come back here, this park, in 3 years time? Then I’ll be finished.”
“Sure. I’ll be waiting.” He wrote the date on a little piece of paper, and left it on the TARDIS console. “See you in three years.”
“See you in three minutes.”
I stepped out of the box, and looked around. This was my park, my home. But not for much longer. A wumph-wumph-wumph sound came from behind me, and I turned around. He had gone.
19th August
The events of yesterday have only just sunk in. Will he ever return? Would he recognise me if he did? I’ve got changed into everything I wore yesterday, and have started photographing myself. If I wear exactly the same, he’s sure to recognise me - it’ll only be a couple of minutes since he saw me wearing it. I’m popping back up to the park now, to take photos of where he was. If they keep the park the same, I’ll be able to find the exact bench.
23rd September
I’ve just moved into my new student flat. I feel so far away from home. Better get used to it, I’ll go further.
21st December
I’m home for Christmas. The first thing I did was check on the park. I’ve kept the prints of the pictures in a drawer, but brought them out to see if anything had changed. Nothing has, apart from the absence of flowers. Even the chip van is still there.
11th April
Why didn’t I just go with him? Every day it seems less likely that he’ll return. I know that he’d never said he’d return now, but if only I had some kind of sign, then I’d be happy.
18th August
The first anniversary. I went back to the park again, ate chips on my bench. Time seems to be moving slowly and fast, all at once. I remember seeing him like it was yesterday, but it feels like years ago.
7th October
Things are getting so difficult. Why did I say I’d stay? If only he were here, he’d help.
14th May
I’ve been dreaming about him - for some months, in fact. I don’t know why I didn’t admit it before, perhaps I was embarrassed.
Before I can explain about this dream, I have to explain about my normal dreams. Everyone’s the same in them - faceless, unidentifiable drones. I’m one of the drones too, though how I can tell me from the rest of them I don’t know.
But this dream is different. For starters it’s in the first person. I’m sat down, looking across at him. He’s explaining everything. The maths I’m stuck on, the secrets of the universe. It feels like I’m back at secondary school - probably because the suit he wears looks so much like one that one of my teachers used to wear.
If only I could hear my dreams.
18th August
The second anniversary. I’m in Europe at the moment - travelling with my friends. I like travelling, and I’ll soon be doing more - I’m 2/3 of the way there. Everything in the park looks the same - I checked before I left - and I have purposely not brought any of the outfit, so I can’t lose or tear it.
2nd February
Sometimes I think I’ve just dreamt him. I’ve certainly spent longer with him in my dreams than in real life. Then I think about the pictures - I must have believed once. If I believed then, I can still believe now.
17th August
For many of my friends, yesterday was the big day. Results. I did reasonably, I suppose, but that’s not what I’ve been looking forward to. Tomorrow is my big day. I’m at home, preparing. I’ve written a letter for my mum, to explain everything. She’s going out tomorrow, so I’ll leave it on the table when I go. If all goes wrong, I can take it back before she arrives home. This is what I‘ve been waiting for. All the clothes are clean, and the chip van is where I left it. I’ll pack my stuff tomorrow morning, so mum doesn’t get suspicious.
I’m ready now - ready for anything.
18th August