him, her, and the great blue box.
It was the strangest sound Copper Slade had ever heard, and he couldnât even tell where it was coming from. It definitely wasnât a car, considering the road into town was completely empty, and besides, nobody but his âPa ever drove down here. Usually, the lack of people was just fine with him, but he really didnât want to be alone right now, not with that strange sound echoing all around him. One hand gripped the strap of his schoolbag tightly as he turned in a circle, every sense on high alert, half-expecting danger. What he did not expect was the sight of a great big blue box to materialize in front of him. His grip on the bag slackened and it fell to the ground with a thump as he watched the box become more solid in front of him. Police Box, it read. What sort of police box materialized out of thin air? What sort of anything did that?
For a moment, there was no sound but the wind whispering through the trees, and then the door to the box swung inwards. A head poked out - brown hair, brown eyes, and a decidedly curious face. A smile spread across it as she spotted him, and she flung the door open so she could properly step out. To her, she was smartly dressed - to Copper, the blue dress and jacket she wore looked like nothing he had ever seen anyone else wearing. Then again, she had just stepped out from a box that had dropped out of the sky. It was no wonder nothing made sense.
âHello!â She started enthusiastically, bounding up to him and grabbing his bag from the ground. âIs this yours? Well, if it isnât, it is now. Bit chilly out today, isnât it? I was expecting to arrive somewhere in the summer butâŚâ Thrusting the bag into Copperâs hands, she held up a finger and turned and walked to a tree, pressing her ear to it. After a moment, she straightened up and stuck out her tongue for a second, as if she was tasting the air, before resuming the conversation.
âWell, Iâm a little bit late and a little bit early, arenât I? Autumn, and judging by those clothes, America in the Nineteen Fifties! Itâs been a long time since Iâve been here, met Elvis last time, would you believe? Lovely bloke, great music, though you should know all about that by now. Right then - did you say your name? I didnât catch it, sorry, love a good ramble. Havenât been able to stop, not as far as I can remember, and I can remember a good lot of things. So. Name?â
Her expectant smile was rewarded with only a bewildered blink. She spoke faster than anyone else he had ever met, and she seemed to be a bit mad to boot. He wasnât even sure if it was safe to talk to her, but he was afraid not to. If she was mad, what if she took offense?
âUh, my nameâs C-Copper. Copper Slade.â
âNice to meet you, Copper! Odd name, but Iâve heard odder. Or Ood-er. Whichever you prefer. Anyway, Iâm the Doctor, lovely to meet you! Now, you seem to be going somewhere, so how about I give you a lift?â
She gestured excitedly to the blue box behind her, which looked like it would barely hold her, never mind two people and a bag. He wasnât quite sure how to refuse her, so he decided to change the subject instead, pouncing on the first thing that came to mind.
âWhy are you wearing a bow tie? And what sort of clothes are you wearing?â
She looked down, a tad dismayed at his words.
âWhatâs wrong with my clothes? Very fashionable in the Two-Thousands, thank you very much! Everyone else said they were lovely, that blue was very much my colour. Youâre a bit of a cheeky boy, Copper Slade, do you know that?â His face began to burn, but this lady, the Doctor, whoever she was, she was smiling at him, apparently enjoying winding him up a little.
âAs for the bow tie, well. Bow ties are cool, arenât they? Thatâs what my last self thought, anyway, and Iâm inclined to agree. I might start wearing them in my hair, though. Never had hair this long before, itâs a nice change. Never had a body like this before, itâs all so unusual! I quite like it though. At least I donât have the ears, or the chin, and my teeth felt good too this time. All in all, not a bad body. Still not ginger though! You canât imagine my disappointment, though waking up as a girl was such a shock. Iâve never been a girl before. Oh, if Ariel had seen this⌠we could have been the ginger squad!â
She paused, finally catching sight of the flabbergasted look on Copperâs face. There was that habit for rambling again, scaring the poor boy. Clearing her throat and adjusting the bow tie, she gestured to the box again.
âYes well. Thatâs enough of that. So, Copper Slade, would you like a lift or not?â
âWeâd never both fit into that,â he said after a pause, which caused her to laugh.
âOh, you think? Come along, Copper, let me show you something,â
She bounded to the door and looked over her shoulder to ensure he followed. He was still very apprehensive but she didnât seem like the sort of woman who would take no for an answer, and besides, he was curious now about this box. She seemed to be very fond of it anyway, so perhaps a peek inside wouldnât hurt. Following along after her, delight lit up her features as she ducked inside. He caught the door before it completely shut, and pushed it inwards, expecting to step into a cramped space and an awkward situation. Instead, as the door swung shut behind him, it was all he could do to stop his jaw from dropping. It was massive, a huge golden interior with a ceiling he could barely see, and a huge⌠thing in the middle, something that the Doctor was now fiddling with. Buttons were pressed, cranks were turned, and she looked up to grin at him.
âSo glad you decided to come.Right come on, over here, grab a hold of something. New me, new TARDIS⌠it has a new library and everything and oh, Copper, I am in love. Anyway, new TARDIS, not quite used to it yet so grab hold of something, this could be bumpy,â
Watching as she completely ignored some important looking blue buttons, Copper gripped one of the railings near the door, just in time for that thing in the center of the room to start moving. Vworp, vworp, vworp. There was that noise again, and the room seemed to shake wildly for a few minutes, at last coming to a stop. At some point during the course of their journey, his legs had given out and he was gripping the railing from the floor. Pulling himself to his unsteady feet, he caught sight of the Doctor grinning at him once more.
ââŚitâs bigger on the inside,â he managed, voice barely more than a whisper. The Doctor clapped her hands together with joy, laughing a little.
âI love it when they say that! Right, come on, to your feet! We have an adventure to go on.â
