TTV Series Episode 6: The Funeral

The TARDIS landed in the marquee, and the door opened with a small click. Crystal Harris poked her head around the door, to find that the small grassy area lined with tables was empty. She stepped out of the TARDIS, and closed the door behind her. The Doctor was busy at the console, examining the ‘broken’ scanner, which just so happened to be showing the football at the same time.

“This looks a bit posh,” Crystal muttered to herself.

She picked up a champagne glass, and drank from it as she headed down some stone steps. When she reached the bottom, she saw the funeral. There were rows of chairs, all filled with people wearing black. Sitting at the front was a family; a mum, a dad, and a blonde girl with a short dress. At the very front was a coffin and a priest saying something about the person inside it.

“I bet he’s saying ‘they had a very bubbly personality’, or ‘they were very cheeky’, which is codeword for ‘they’d be in prison in the next few years’.”

Her eyes were drawn back to the tarty blonde, who was looking at the sky. Suddenly, her head turned around, as if she sensed Crystal watching her. For a second, the pair’s eyes met, and the blonde screamed. Crystal fell to the floor, gasping. She recognised that blonde – it was her sister Chelsea. She’d just stumbled into her own funeral.

“Oh. My. God.”

***

Zoe Harris looked up at her daughter, who was standing with a horrified expression on her face. She frowned and stood up, her eyes following the direction of her daughter’s.

“What is it Chelse?” she asked.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Chelsea replied.

She left her seat and headed down the aisles, aware that everyone was watching her. One of her aunties was shaking her head in a disapproving manner, so she hitched her skirt up even further. She almost laughed when her great uncle spat his dentures out, but the image of Crystal was etched into her brain. When she reached the steps, she saw Crystal lying on the floor, with a petrified expression.

“Crys?” she asked. “Is that really you?”
“Oh God,” Crystal muttered. “You weren’t supposed to see me, I didn’t… I didn’t realise this was my funeral.”
“But if you’re here, who’s in that coffin?” Chelsea frowned. “You’re not dead. I gave you my best shoes; you’re flipping supposed to be wearing them to heaven!”
“You gave my body shoes?” Crystal laughed, shakily standing up.
“I’m confused. Are you dead or not? Don’t tell me you’ve been faking it. I knew you loved attention, but this? This is bad even for you. Christ, I forgot my sister was the world’s biggest lying bitch.”

She turned away, beginning to cry. She’d spent days mourning the sister she’d never properly spoken to in years, who’d constantly been fighting with her, whom she’d never said she loved, and now she was alive. And her shoes were on some other bitch’s feet.

“It’s complicated,” Crystal said. “I am dead, honestly. But my locket, the one you got me when I was little, it’s keeping me alive. Don’t ask how, cos I don’t know. But I could hardly come back home when my body was sprawled all over the pavement.”
“Your locket?” Chelsea asked. “With the purple crystal in it?”

Crystal nodded, and held up her locket. Chelsea’s eyes widened, and she hugged her sister.

“I’m so glad you’re alive,” she said. “Well, sort of alive anyway. Listen, can you sneak back home for the night? I want to talk to you about everything that’s happened since you died. I miss you, okay?”
“I miss you too,” Crystal sniffed. “You’d better get back to my funeral. I expect they’ll be burying me soon.”
“Oh no, they won’t do that,” Chelsea replied. “We’re cremating you.”
“WHAT?” Crystal yelled. “I wanted to be buried! They’re gonna burn your shoes!”

She moved to run down to the procession, but her foot slipped on the floor, and she hit her back on the stone steps. Suddenly, the ground cracked beneath her feet, and Chelsea fell into the bushes.

“What the hell?” she muttered. “What just caused that crack? Crys, what’s the matter?”
“Run Chelsea,” Crystal said. “Run, please.”

Chelsea turned and began to run; not down to the funeral, but up to the steps, where she ran straight into the Doctor.

“Hello,” the Doctor grinned. “Do you know where I might find Crystal Harris?”
“Down there,” Chelsea pointed. “But something’s wrong with her.”
“Doctor, stay back!” Crystal pleaded.

The Doctor ignored her, and bent down to get a closer look, slipping on his brainy specs as Chelsea followed suit. Crystal screamed in pain, clutching her chest. White light burst from her body, sending Chelsea flying somewhere to the right.

“What’s happening to me?” Crystal gasped.
“You’re in shock,” the Doctor explained. “And it’s making your body react in extreme ways. You could say you’re becoming a poltergeist.”
“Is Chelsea okay?”
“She’s groaning slightly, so she’s not unconscious,” the Doctor said. “What’s shocked you so badly, anyway?”
“It’s my funeral, down there.”

Crystal attempted to point down the hill, but ended up blasting the Doctor off his feet instead. He scrambled to his feet, groaning, to see Crystal rise into the air, light blasting from her body. Down the hill, the people seated at the funeral began to scream as the wind picked up around them. Somewhere to their left, a hurricane grew from the wind, rising up and consuming the funeral.

“Tim, Tim? Chelsea?” Zoe cried. “Where are you?”

Tim dodged a chair and grabbed Zoe’s arm, pulling her away from the hurricane. Someone behind them was pulled into the storm, screaming, and Zoe was forced to push a relative out of the way as they rushed to safety. Chelsea rubbed her head and sat up, screaming as the hurricane tore its way towards her. The Doctor grabbed her and pulled her out of the way as it moved in their direction.

“We need to calm Crystal down!” he shouted to her. “Come with me!”

He took her hand, and pulled her up the stone steps. Minutes later, the TARDIS flew from its spot and span through the air, twisting and thrashing to find Crystal, who was a few feet from the hurricane. The TARDIS doors opened, and Chelsea leant out, reaching out to Crystal.

“Please, stop!” she cried. “Look down there; mum and Tim are going to be pulled into that hurricane! You’ve got to stop before you kill our entire family! I know you’re upset, but if you calm down, I’ll tell everyone you want to be buried!”
“I… I can’t stop,” Crystal said, beginning to cry. “I’m sorry Chelse.”
“You have to try!” Chelsea yelled. “Think about when Tim took us to the park that day! He was trying to bond with us, cos he was moving in with us. We made him buy us ice cream, remember?”
“And you put yours on his head,” Crystal laughed. “I thought he was gonna go mad, but he didn’t… he just laughed.”
“That’s right,” Chelsea nodded encouragingly. “I bet you didn’t even notice, but the hurricane’s stopped.”

Crystal looked around, and saw the sun streaming through the clouds. She felt herself begin to sink to the ground, as if she were a feather. Chelsea reached out and pulled her into the TARDIS, before hugging her.

“Thank you,” Crystal smiled.
“You helped,” Chelsea grinned. “I’d better be getting back to mum and Tim, they’ll be worried. Tell that Doctor of yours to look after you, or he’ll have to answer to me.”
“I’ll visit every day,” Crystal said. “And if you get the chance… tell mum and Tim you had a dream about me or whatever… and that… Tim’s all right.”

Chelsea nodded and left the TARDIS, as the sunlight shone through the bushes, past the buffet tables and the champagne glasses, and Zoe and Tim as they hugged Chelsea, remembering the daughter they had lost, but knew was never really gone.

The End