Wednesday 31 March 2010

If you were a shape, what shape would you be?

Circle.

I could leave it at that but Terrie would fail me for not writing enough words. I could analyse why I’d want to be a circle but to be honest that would probably be a bit boring seen as I don’t really know why I’d want to be a circle. Or, I could talk about the song that starts with this quote but seen as I’d literally heard it once when Terrie played it to me, that too would be a bit boring. Instead, I’m going to talk about our mechanics lessons.

Mechanics?” you ask, “In a girls’ school?” Well, yes. Not car mechanics exactly but a type of maths which is a like an awesome form of physics. But don’t be fooled! Our mechanics lessons are awesome and although we do eventually do the work, we also have a lot of fun. Last lesson we spent a lot of it just asking each other weird and wonderful question and, yes, you’ve guessed it, “If you were a shape, what shape would you be?” was one of them. There was only one of the boys in this lesson and the poor guy had to put up with us girls talking about who are our favourite celebrity and other such girly shenanigans.

One of the craziest lessons we had actually didn’t deviate from what we were learning. There was one question involving pulleys that we didn’t think quite make sense so the boys decided to test it out with a table, some books, a pulley, some string and some weights...

"As the rest of the class chatted amongst themselves the boys fiddled about with the pulley system they had created. Books were piled up underneath one end of the table while the other two legs rested on another table. Threading some string over the pulley the boys watched the weights slide down the table.

‘I’m going to build a time machine!’ one of them joked, sliding the weights once more. Again the pulley span round making a quiet buzzing noise that was easily drowned out by the class’s loud chatter. The boys continued to play with their large makeshift pulley system, unaware of the Huon energy gradually building up.

A strange, inhuman noise broke into the chatter and the girls all glanced at each other in disbelief. It couldn’t be. The boys had only been joking when they mentioned time travel. It couldn’t be. Nevertheless, a blue box started to materialise in the corner of the classroom and everyone stared in awe. The boys hadn’t created a time machine but they’d done something (in the girls’ view) much better. A cold breeze swept around the room rustling the pages of the forgotten maths books and everyone’s eyes locked onto the police box that had appeared in their room.

The squeak of a door broke the silence and two Converse clad feet stepped out onto the carpet. The tall figure that stepped out scratched the back of his head before pulling out a pair of dark brown rimmed glasses. After studying the outside of his blue box he turned to face the room, almost knocking over the boys’ bizarre contraption.

‘Whoa!’ he said, grabbing onto the table before it fell. ‘Health and safety problem that. Better not let your head teacher see that. On the other hand, this thing looks pretty ingenious; fancy contraption that seems to be creating Huon energy.’ Fishing out a strange metal tube-like contraption he pointed it at the boys’ pulley system and a gentle blue light emanated from the end.

Coming to her senses, Hannah elbowed Ellie muttering two words: ‘He came.’ Suddenly Ellie jumped to her feet startling both the elusive man and the rest of the class.

‘Doctor!’ She exclaimed excitedly. ‘It’s actually you! And not regenerated Matt Smith style you, proper David Tennant you! Please tell me I’m not dreaming!’

‘No, you’re not dreaming.’ The Doctor replied. ‘But I feel like I am. Who are you and, urm, how exactly did you create huon energy?’

‘Long story,’ Hannah piped up, finally finding the courage to speak. ‘We were having a mechanics lesson, you know, the maths sort, and there was this question that didn’t quite make sense, well, sort of half made sense, so we thought we would, like, try it out so the boys made this pulley system to model it. They were measuring the angle exactly and everything and the pulley worked like the book said even though we thought that the heavier weight moving up the slope didn’t sound quite right and then you sort of just turned up. Urm... would now be a bad time to want to hug you?’

‘Hang on, slow down. Yes, you can hug me in just a minute but who are you all?’

A nervous voice piped up from the end of the table. ‘I’m Rosanna; the one who wants to hug you is Hannah. Ellie is the small but over excited year 13 standing over there; Alice is sitting next to me and Terrie seems to be off sick today but I think you’ve met her. Or if not you’re going to meet her soon. Scott and Ali were the boys making that pulley system and Liam and George and the other two. Our teacher went to get something just before you arrived...’ Rosanna tailed off.

‘Well then... Hi everyone!’ The Doctor looked round at everyone giving a big grin. ‘You still want that hug, Hannah?’

Hannah smiled back, suddenly becoming incredibly shy. ‘Thanks.’ She said quietly, walking over to the Doctor’s outstretched arms. After an awkward but warm hug the Doctor turned back to the rest of the class.

‘Right then, how’s about a mechanics lesson Doctor style?’ Skipping over to the projector he zapped it with his sonic screwdriver. ‘Time for a software upgrade I think.’ He winked at the girls sitting nearer the back. ‘Alons-y! Mechanics. Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. I hope you’re getting all this down!’

Over the next fifty minutes the Doctor gave them an unforgettable lesson. The sonic screwdriver made numbers and letters dance over the walls and the class was mesmerised. Half way through their teacher slid back in but a flash of psychic paper was enough to let the Doctor continue.


In what seemed no time at all, the end of period pips went brining the class back to reality.

‘Weeeeell, I better get going.’ The Doctor said, glancing around the room.

‘Do you have to go?’ Ellie asked hopefully. ‘Or can we come with you?’

‘Why not?’ The Doctor replied, giving a massive grin. ‘Just one trip, mind you! Just this once. Alons-y!’

They all scurried into the TARDIS ready to face whatever adventure was to confront them. But that’s another story..."

Monday 29 March 2010

Thoughts of the Time Travel Variety

I’ve recently finished reading “The Time Traveller’s Wife” and if you haven’t read it, I highly recommend you do. I started reading it half expecting it to be a fairly predictable romance with a sci-fi, time travel element but how wrong was I! Without giving you any spoilers, I will tell you that the end almost made me cry and that I spent half the book wanting to be able to time travel. To be able to meet people at age 40 before age 30 would be totally surreal although I’m not convinced whether I’d be able to cope with turning up in the middle of any-when without a thing. Also, that way of time travel could be so lonely. A trip in the TARDIS would be much more fun in a number of ways.

Talking of the Doctor, the new series of Doctor Who will be on our screens in no time at all! So many people seem to be sceptical. So many refuse to believe anyone can replace Tennant but I’m looking forward to it. Stephen Moffatt, the new head writer, is amazing and he wrote all my favourite episodes. Blink, The Empty Child and The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace, and the two episodes in the library with the Vashta Nerada.

I think half the reason I’m so looking forward to the new series of Doctor Who is because I’ve always loved it for the Plots. Yeah, David Tennant is an added bonus for the past couple of series but, come on, my favourite episode is Blink and if you had any less of the Doctor it would be unfair to call it Doctor Who. (Don’t mention the episode Love and Monsters. I refuse to accept that it is actually a Doctor Who episode it is so ridiculous.)

I think part of the scepticism comes from the advert. As I said in a previous blog, it is terrible. It makes no sense. (Really, how plausible is grabbing onto a Stone Angel and causing it to disintegrate?) Also, it’s just plain cheesy.

BUT WAIT! I hear you cry. What about the 3D version? Ok, I don’t hear you cry that but I’m pretty much screaming that to myself. I am ashamed to say that the main reason for my last trip in the cinema was to see said 3D advert. That is not to diminish the awesomeness of Alice in Wonderland (which I will get to) but in 3D, the Doctor Who advert is immense. The 3D-ness transports you into the vortex and the world of the Doctor and you totally forget about the implausibility of the advert.

Anywho, Alice in Wonderland. Not quite time travel but near enough to mention it in this blog. Tim Burton’s version of it was actually amazing and, unlike many film versions of books, I was not complaining about the inaccuracy all the way through. Admittedly, there may have been inaccuracies but it was constructed in such a way that I didn’t notice at all. I was absorbed into the magical world of Underland and left with this nugget of awesomeness:

You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.

DFTBA, Terrie, I have not forgotten!

Wednesday 24 March 2010

The Boyfriend That Isn't

Most girls develop a crush on someone they’re unlikely to meet at some time in their teen years and my friend Terrie is no exception. (Sorry Terrie, a time when you’re not The Only Exception...)

As you may have gathered, both Terrie and I are ‘slightly’ obsessed with a number of Youtubers. Terrie’s particular favourite is charlieissocoollike, Charlie McDonnell, aka, The Purple Man. This nerdy, 19 year old youtuber is part of a Trock band and writes nerdily cool songs about love or acne, duets with himself and other bizarre but awesome songs. Terrie, aka phoenixtears08, has developed a ‘slight’ crush on him.

Being an awesome girl with an amazingly active imagination, Terrie has gone on to develop this ‘crush’ further. I don’t mean to embarrass her by sharing this but of just saying “he’s hot, I’d love to be able to go out with him”, Terrie has developed a whole alternate reality where she meets Charlie and they ultimately go out on a number of dates. (As I, in the development of this universe, also get to meet Charlie and a number of other Youtubers, I have no problem with this at all. ;] )

You see, Terrie doesn’t just have day dreams. Oh no, Terrie develops her day dreams into fully fledged micro-stories com0plete with plot and character developments. I have been kept fairly up to date with how her alternate reality is progressing and this has led me to coin Charlie as “The Boyfriend That Isn’t”


Obviously, a boyfriend that isn’t can’t be the same as a boyfriend that is but, generally, a boyfriend that isn’t has been elevated to this position due to their similarities with your idea of a perfect boyfriend. Although it is impossible to know everything about them, the stuff you do know fits in with what you want. The main thing that tends to be missing is them actually being your boyfriend! (Oh, and the fact that you’ve never met...)

I think YouTube makes it easier to develop these kinds of crushes. You get to know so much about them through their videos and the possibility of actually meeting them seems that little more real. But then again, keeping them as a boyfriend that isn’t, you never have to deal with rejection.

Rejection is something we all instinctively hate and maybe, just maybe, this is why we girls develop crushes on so many ‘celebrities’. It’s probably also why we girls never act on any crushes that we do have on ‘normal’ people. Therefore guys, we need you to take the action to change yourself from an isn’t to as is! Listening Charlie?

DFTBA, Terrie, I have not forgotten!

Uh... What does that say?

As I was writing a page title in big curvaceous letters the other day, my boyfriend commented on the fact that girls always seem to have much better handwriting than guys. He reckoned he couldn’t write the same words as neatly and put it down to the fact that he’s a guy finishing off with “you should write a blog about that.” So Cliff, here’s the blog... :)
I have no idea why this is; whether there’s a gene that all guys possess that prevents them writing neatly or that they just spend more time running about or playing video games to bother writing stuff down neatly. I mean, you don’t need good handwriting to be a sports star or an epic gamer! Either way it’s a mystery.

However, there are a few exceptions to this rule. Matt, who also blogs (on the occasional blue moon nights when he bothers... *chough chough*) has weirdly neat handwriting. His posh, joined up letters could easily compete with some girls I know. (Ok, no offence girls with bad handwriting and no offence Matt for comparing you to a girl. It was meant to be a compliment...)

There are also other handwriting divides. It is widely known that right handed people mainly have better handwriting than most lefthanders. Again, there is no logic except maybe the impracticality of your hand covering what you’ve just written. Maybe.... maybe that means if you’re regularly writing from right to left then lefthanders have the advantage...? Any left-handed Arabic writers out there who could tell me?

I think the biggest “Mr. Meaner” in handwriting crime is the fact that many teachers cannot write neatly. Furthermore, the most frustrating teachers are probably the ones that refuse to believe that their handwriting is totally illegible. Particularly a certain English teacher but that’s another story...

I think maths teachers are the worst. I’m yet to find a single one who has totally legible writing. One of my maths teachers has particularly bad handwriting and it’s almost as if he’s writing in Morse code. He has this uncanny ability to make his ‘u’s, ‘n’s ‘y’s and occasionally some other letters, all look the same.

Maybe handwriting is getting worse because of computers or maybe it’s because we only ever worry about only ourselves being able to read it. Either way, handwriting is generally terrible!

Monday 22 March 2010

Gus has Fuzz

I’ve always loved reading and when I was very young I loved being read to. One of the picture books that got read over and over again was “Where’s Spot?” and even now I can recite half the book!
“Where’s Spot? Naughty Spot, it’s dinner- time. Where can he be? ... Is he behind the door? No... Is he inside the clock? No... Is he under the rug? No... Is he behind the plant? ...”
My parents must have become absolutely sick of this book by the time I outgrew it and I’m pretty sure it was starting to fall apart!

John Green of the Vlogbrothers has recently had a baby and was talking about a kid’s book about a bug called Gus. I had never heard of this book before but it reminded me of “The Hungry Caterpillar”. However, I never really liked that book finding the holes in the pages to be the only vaguely interesting thing. I’m not quite sure why that was the case because I was usually fascinated by any book with animals in. Maybe it was just the fact that the main character in this book was an insect rather than a cuddly dog like Spot or a nice farm animal likes those in Apple Tree Farm. (Again another book, or series of books, where the repetitive beginning is still engrained in my memory! “This is Apple Tree Farm. This is Mrs Boot the farmer. She has two children called Poppy and Sam and a dog called Rusty.” These books often also contained a naughty sheep. Maybe that was why I liked the series....)

As I’ve grown up my love of books has certainly not diminished. I went on to be totally obsessed with the Animal Ark series. I collected many of the books and a whole bookshelf was dedicated to my obsession. I was even so absorbed by the whole concept of being the daughter of two vets that I dressed up as Mandy Hope for one World Book Day in about year three or four. I even still had the little name tag my dad made for me until not so long ago!

Admittedly, I now realise that the whole series had pretty much the same basic storyline for each book. Nevertheless, they certainly fed my veterinary interests and my love of reading.

I still love reading but I just wish I had more time for it. I have a long list of books on my ‘to read’ pile and I get just as obsessive about terrible books as I did when I was younger! Oh dear Terrie, why do we love the Twilight saga?!

Saturday 13 March 2010

Why oh Why did she write this list? [Part 7]

Terrie turned back to the notebook. The Doctor may have gone but she was not going to let him down. Determination raced through her veins and blog titles gradually began to fill the page. As she wrote down the last rule Terrie noticed the noise appearing around her that was gradually replacing the previous silence. Looking around Terrie saw the flicker of movement creep back into the bodies around her and once again the library was full of students studying and whispering quietly.
Looking up at the clock Terrie began to wonder when Hannah would return from her flute lesson. So much had passed since she’d left and Terrie couldn’t wait to tell her about meeting The Doctor. Most of all she couldn’t wait to tell Hannah that she was going to meet The Doctor in 2020. However, her memories were fading. The running, the hora navashta, the kiss: they all began to feel like some elaborate dream. Terrie was beginning to think that they were just another product of her frequently over-active imagination. Only the two pages of blog titles and challenge rules remained clear in her mind. Looking back over the two pages she had just written Terrie dismissed these thoughts. Not enough time had passed. Once again, Terrie concluded, her imagination had got away with her. Turning back to homework, Terrie awaited Hannah’s return.

Finally, Hannah walked back through the blue doors of the library. Crossing the room she went to sit back down beside Terrie who was busy working away at biology homework.

“Al’right?” Hannah asked, sitting back down in the chair next to Terrie. Noticing that her blog notebook was open Hannah picked it up to look at. As she read through the rules and blog titles Hannah smiled. Such a Terrie thing to do and she could do with a reason to blog more often. Turning to Terrie the two of them began to discuss the challenge. Ideas and extra rules were spoken about but Terrie’s meeting with The Doctor was never brought up. Terrie dismissed all she had experience as part of her over active imagination and Hannah was never informed. The real reason for why Terrie wrote that list was never to be rediscovered, except maybe now...

THE END

Why oh why did she write this list? [Part 6]

It wasn’t long before they found themselves under the shallow lift shaft leading back up to the library. The Doctor helped Terrie clamber back up into the silent library before smoothly climbing up as well. The Doctor straightened up, looking around at the people who were sitting cold and stiff like marble statues. Walking over to the nearest student The Doctor pulled out a pair of red and blue 3D glasses and put them on. Next he pulled out his sonic screwdriver and the quiet blue hum filled the previously silent room. After a while The Doctor crossed the room to another student, again zapping them with the sonic screwdriver.

“Shouldn’t we do something about the hora navashta?” Terrie asked, crossing the room to Hannah’s notebook and picking it up absentmindedly.

“You’re brilliant!” The Doctor exclaimed. Snapping up he ripped off his 3D glasses and span around to face Terrie. “Words! Why didn’t I think of it?” Bounding over to the table where Terrie was standing The Doctor picked up Hannah’s notebook and a pen. The Doctor scanned through the pages of the notebook, occasionally pausing to read a paragraph or two more closely.

“This notebook,” The Doctor pondered, “is full of drafts for blog posts and Hannah types these up onto the internet every now and then so... no... wait, yes! Hannah types up these blogs and the hora navashta canfeed off the words. Rather primitive but it could work. How often does Hannah put up a new blog?” The Doctor asked, spinning back to face Terrie once again.

“Nowhere near as often as I’d like,” Terrie replied. “It really varies; she might put two or three up in a day and then not blog for weeks.”

“Hmm, might have to do something about that...” The Doctor tailed off and for a while the room was in utter silence. Not even the ticking of a clock could be heard.

“Got it!” The Doctor shouted. “One: we need to make sure Hannah updates her blog often enough; ‘B’, no, wait... two: we’ll have to find a way to make sure Hannah writes enough each week; three, or ‘C’: we should make sure it’s interesting. I don’t want to get bored when I check up on her posts! That’s a thing... I’ll have to make a blog account. Hmmm... Tardis_ is a bit predictable; maybe e? Yeah, that sounds good. Right then, alons-y!”

“Urm...” Terrie hesitated, not quite sure where or what she was meant to be doing. “How exactly are we going to make sure Hannah updates?”

“How about setting her a challenge?” The Doctor proposed, turning to a blank page in Hannah’s notebook. The Doctor handed Terrie the pen. “Go wild. Give her a list of blog titles which she has to use or something. I’m sure a minimum word count will cover the need for enough words and the threat of a light-hearted punishment will give her that incentive to keep up.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Terrie replied. Taking the pen she began to write immediately. Words flowed out of the end of the pen absorbing Terrie into a world of nostalgia.

“Doctor?” Terrie asked after a while, turning round. As she looked she was greeted by an empty room. The Doctor never stays to say goodbye. “Goodbye, Doctor.” Terrie whispered as the noise of the TARDIS once again reverberated around the otherwise silent library.

To Be Continued...

Thursday 11 March 2010

Why oh why did she write this list? [Part 5]

Swiftly crossing the small gap between them, The Doctor placed his hands either side of Terrie’s head. Terrie watched his head bend down to meet hers and her eyes closed automatically. As their lips touched a new sensation swept over Terrie. The cold was replaced by a fire that raged to her fingertips and the ends of her toes. As the fire subsided Terrie was once again able to move and her lips responded to the firm pressure of The Doctor’s lips against hers.
Their lips moved together knowing just what to do next as if they were designed for each other. It felt like there were fireworks exploding and Terrie smoothly wrapped her arms around The Doctor’s neck while his hands moved to her waist. They pulled themselves closer together, absorbed in each other’s reality. Terrie was hyper-aware of every sensation: every touch of The Doctor’s fingers, every brush of his lips. They fitted perfectly into each other’s arms like two pieces of a puzzle; their lips moved together in one smooth dance and their tongues teased around each other. Terrie ran her hands down to the Doctor’s chest before breaking away with a gasp.

“I... forgot... to breathe.” Terrie whispered, holding on to the lapels of The Doctor’s suit as she waited for the light-headedness to subside.

“Weeell... that was something,” The Doctor said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “As I said, there’s something special about you.” The Doctor looked deep into Terrie’s warm eyes then lent over to whisper in her ear; “This time, don’t forget to breathe.”

Once again their lips touched and sparks exploded. Terrie’s skin tingled where The Doctor ran his fingers down her cheek and The Doctor automatically rearranged himself around Terrie as she wrapped her arms around him under his striped brown suit jacket. Fireworks exploded left right and centre and their three hearts pumped furiously. Their hands mapped out the contours of each other’s bodies and their lips moved together in one continuous string of movements. They fitted perfectly around each other and their bodies responded to each other as if their kiss had lasted for years instead of a few unmoving minutes.

Suddenly another loud crash followed by a series of animal-like grunts broke into their world. Once again they found themselves running. They sped down the dark tunnels, their fingers entwined.

To Be Continued...

Wednesday 10 March 2010

Growing Pains.

Growing is something we can’t avoid. Whatever we do we will get older and we will grow up (even if not everyone totally grows up!) It seems like only yesterday I was starting secondary school and yet I’m now doing A-levels. Life seems to speed by with new experiences coming so fast.
The other week, I was at the house of this lady I help regularly and I was putting some food in the oven for her. You’re thinking ‘what’s so odd about that?’ Well... for some reason, her little girl decided that this task made me a mummy. I know I’m seventeen and all but a mummy?! Last time I checked, the definition of being a mummy involved having a child which I most certainly do not. Even then, I’m not particularly practiced at mummy-like things; my mending skills are only mediocre and my cooking repertoire is limited to toast, pasta, eggs, sandwiches and anything that just needs bunging into the microwave. Not exactly the ingredients for a good staple diet.

Being old enough to drive is also really odd. I’ve been looking forwards to driving for so long so it seems bizarre that I’m actually allowed to sit behind a steering wheel and drive down a road, despite still being on a provisional licence so someone who has passed has to sit next to me and I have to have big red L plates. I’ve had about six lessons so far and apparently I’m making pretty good progress. I’m on to manoeuvres and I haven’t crashed. Admittedly, I have stalled numerous times, mainly in my parents ‘new’ old banger that I’m insured on. Nevertheless, I’m that one step closer to being able to travel various places without having to rely on other people or buses (which if you read regularly, you’ve probably established my hatred of public transport!)

People often say that your school years are the best years of your life. Obviously I’m yet to experience life after school so I can’t really comment on that but I do know that the future looks daunting: Growing up means taking on so many new responsibilities. Nevertheless, I’m going to keep on going, one step at a time. I’ll one day look back at now and wonder what on earth I was worried about!

and DFTBA Terrie, I have not forgotten! Just a little deviation from "Why oh why did she write this list?" I'll resume that soon!

Why oh why did she write this list? [Part 4]

Terrie held on tight to The Doctor’s warm, slender hand. Adrenaline pumped around her body while excitement downed out any fear and all her dreams were coming true. Running down the dark, unknown tunnels of the basement their Converses made no noise. Terrie’s deep breaths echoed around the walls as she clutched on tight to The Doctor, not wanting to lose him in the unexplored depths of the basement. Darkness encased the tunnels, thick and heavy as if they were drowning. Terrie wondered how The Doctor knew where he was going but held on tight, following him regardless.
Finally, a slender line of light appeared in the distance. Slipping out of Terrie’s grasp and slowing down to a walk The Doctor approached an ominous brown door that had appeared in front of them. Tapping on the wooden panels he listened intently to the echo.

“What was that?” Terrie questioned, taking a step towards The Doctor. “Why did we have to run?”

“That,” The Doctor replied, “was a young hora navashta. Not particularly dangerous on its own but the parents are probably close by. They must have used your friend’s notebook to temporal shift from a nearby portal. They feed off words and absorb time. Back when the Time Lords were around they kept them under control; they made sure time kept turning... Time kept turning and they would watch on, but that was never enough...” The Doctor trailed off, staring into the distance with his mind elsewhere.

Suddenly The Doctor turned back to Terrie, breaking the silence. “You know, there’s something different about you.”

“Well, my friends call me the only exception sometimes. Hannah even compared me to a pair of boys’ trousers!”

“No, something else, something special,” The Doctor replied, looking quizzically into Terrie’s eyes. “You should be frozen in time. You should be still and quiet like everyone else. Why are you different?” The Doctor reached out to touch Terrie’s cheek. “Only time-lord blood can overcome the time lock.”

Terrie stood looking back, barely breathing.

“I don’t know if it’s your hand on my cheek or the time lock but I don’t think I can move.”

The Doctor took a swift step back, dropping his hand. Terrie remained standing there, not moving a muscle. A cold sensation started spreading from her feet and up her legs causing her to gasp. Her legs felt cold and heavy like solid marble and the sensation moved higher and higher causing a tear to escape from the corner of her eye.

“Doctor, help me.” Terrie gasped, the effort making the cold spread even deeper.

To Be Continued...

Thursday 4 March 2010

Why oh why did she write this list? [Part 3]

“Right, so where am I? When am I?” The Doctor asked as he strode around the basement. “A basement obviously and...” The Doctor held up his finger before licking it to taste the air. “Twenty-ten? Yes, twenty-ten, beginning of the year.”
“11th January to be precise; and you’re in the basement of my school. Do you know what’s going on? ‘Cos, like, time’s stopped and I’m a bit overwhelmed by this ridiculous urge to write in Hannah’s notebook. What the hell are you doing here? And, oh... wait! Hannah’s not here to meet you!”

“Who’s this Hannah then?” The Doctor asked with a cute but puzzled expression.

“Hannah Newcombe: my ridiculously random and slightly obse... friend. My life is her fault!” Terrie chuckled.

“Hannah Newcombe...” The Doctor pondered, pacing up and down. “Hannah Newcombe!” he exclaimed suddenly, turning on the spot. “I met a vet with the same name when I got stuck in twenty-twenty – odd way to say that year, it’s not like everyone has perfect vision, who’d want perfect vision, good old specs.” The Doctor winked. “Something to do with sheep too if my old brain tells me right...”

“Ur... will you excuse me a moment?” Terrie asked quickly.

“Urm.. sure?” The Doctor replied.

“Thanks.” Terrie said before running behind the TARDIS where she began to jump up and down and scream. Eventually she ran out of breath and calmed down. Peering round the side of the TARDIS she looked back at The Doctor. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “I couldn’t help it. Ur... can we pretend that didn’t happen?”

“Pretend what didn’t happen?” The Doctor replied, grinning once again. “Right then, let’s see what’s going on. Maybe my old TARDIS has some answers; how’s about a look inside?”

Terrie nodded, lost for words. Not only had she met The Doctor in all his tall, skinny hotness but she was also going to step inside the TARDIS. Her heart raced as she imagined stepping through the narrow blue doors to see the wide console of the TARDIS stretching out before her. Terrie’s eager eyes followed The Doctor’s hand as it travelled to the pocket of his brown pinstripe suit to pull out the key. It was as if The Doctor was moving in slow motion as he lifted his key to the silver Yale lock.

There was no soft click as the Doctor inserted the key. Instead his hand began to disappear into the TARDIS. Pulling his right hand out the Doctor tried again, this time with his left hand. Again his hand appeared to be engulfed by the blue police box walls of the TARDIS. He place the key back in his right hand pocket, instead pulling out his glasses from his top inside pocket. Smoothly putting them on, he peered at the TARDIS, running his hands just about the surface.

“Sexy specs...” Terrie gasped under her breath.

“You think my glasses are sexy do you?” The Doctor said, standing up and turning to Terrie. Terrie blushed causing the Doctor to burst out into a grin before turning back to the TARDIS. “She seems to be in flux,” The Doctor frowned, glancing up and down the TARDIS doors. “Maybe we can’t get the old girl’s help after all.”

The Doctor turned back to Terrie and started walking in her direction. Suddenly a loud crash echoed around the basement and The Doctor’s eyes lit up, flicking to a point behind Terrie’s head. Slipping his hand into hers he whispered one word: “Run!”

To be continued...

Monday 1 March 2010

Why oh why did she write this list? [Part 2]

Suddenly a strange noise broke the silence; a pulsating, electronic groan. Terrie spun round to find where the noise was coming from; eager to find the source. The sound grew stronger and a small breeze rustled the pages of nearby books. She knew that sound anywhere. Terrie rushed over to the lift shaft where a faint glow was shining up through the glass door. As the noise tailed off Terrie took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She was so sure she would wake up at any moment to find that this was all a dream.


The gentle click of a door shutting caused Terrie’s eyes to flash open. Maybe this wasn’t a dream. Maybe he was here after all. A voice drifted up from below, drowning out the sound of Terrie’s beating heart.

“Weeeell, what do we have here then? Something wrong with you, girl? Last time you sped off like that I ended up in the middle of a war with a daughter. Weeell, not a war as such and it was hardly natural parenting, but where are we?”

As this smooth, sing-song voice swept up through the lift shaft Terrie held her breath. Reaching out for the door handle she stepped into the out-of-bounds lift shaft, jumping into the basement below.

Terrie landed clumsily, falling backwards. Turning her head up a strong, skinny hand stretched out in front of her. For a moment Terrie just sat staring at his hand. A hand she thought she would never hold. Looking up into his chocolate brown eyes her heart fluttered.

“Don’t tell me you’re one of those fan girls,” he said. “Yes I’m the Doctor: the one, the only and the best. No you can’t have a photo and I don’t do autographs.”

“Urm...” Terrie mumbled, coming to her senses. “I’m not a fan girl as such. Well, I, like, follow you a bit and I admire what you’ve done but I’m not planning to faint or start screaming or anything anytime soon. It’s just... well... you.”

The Doctor gave Terrie a lopsided grin. A grin that spread up into his warm eyes, making them sparkle.

“Come on then, allons-y!”

“Thanks.” Terrie smiled back as she reached out to take his hand. The Doctor pulled Terrie to her feet then looked around at the bare basement. The only light came from the empty lift shaft and the small windows of the TARDIS.

To be continued...