Mini Ep. 5: Dorris' Day

“I’ll miss you, you know,” Jeremy Hutchinson said.
“I know,” Dorris replied quietly.

It was 1947, and Dorris Goldberg was about to return to London. World War Two had ended a few years ago, and, after the death of her father, William Goldberg, her mother finally felt that her daughter could return home.

“So what’s your mother like?” Jeremy asked.
“She’s strict, but she cares about me,” Dorris shrugged. “I’m nervous, to tell you the truth. After everything that happened with Conner a few years back, I’m a different person. I’m worried that she won’t like me.”
“She’s your mother,” Jeremy said. “She’ll love you for whoever you are.”

Dorris smiled, and dragged her battered brown suitcase down the stairs, and out of the house. She remembered, just two years ago, running down these steps with Conner Bennet, in an attempt to escape from Mrs Macready, the housekeeper.

“Can we walk to the station?” Dorris asked, turning back to Jeremy.
“Sure,” Jeremy smiled. “Any particular reason?”
“It’s the way Conner and I went when Susan and the others…” Dorris trailed off.
“Don’t you think it’d be better if you let go?” Jeremy asked. “You’ve never been quite the same since he left. Maybe it’s time that you move on.”
“I don’t want to move on,” Dorris said simply. “Without Conner, my life will never be exciting ever again.”

She sighed, as they began their walk. Sometime later, they had reached the train, and were waiting at the platform along with several others.

“That young man’s looking at you,” Jeremy muttered.
“His name’s Justin Crackler,” Dorris sighed, following Jeremy’s gaze.

As she looked, he waved at her. He’d lived a few miles away from Jeremy’s house, and was very irritating. Dorris once went out with Susan Collins, before she was perfected, and they met Justin in a field:

“Come on Dorris,” Susan laughed. “Justin’s waiting for us.”
“You know I can’t stand him,” Dorris sighed, following Susan along the grassy field.
“He’s sweet on you,” Susan grinned.

Dorris squinted in the darkness, as Susan momentarily disappeared from her view. Suddenly, a great light shot from the sky, and lit up the sky a few fields across. Susan screamed, and stumbled, grabbing Dorris. The pair ran back the way they came, trying to forget the lights that filled the sky. Meanwhile, Justin Crackler waited impatiently for Dorris. The light flew from the sky, and smashed into him. With a cry, he hit the floor, and knew no more.

***

“He wasn’t the same after that,” Dorris muttered. “I wonder if he saw anything that night, at the field.”
“What field?” Jeremy asked.
“Nothing,” Dorris replied quickly, remembering that she hadn’t mentioned their last encounter.

Justin began to make his way over to her, but thankfully, the train pulled into the station. Grabbing her suitcase, Dorris hurried into a carriage, closing the door behind Jeremy as he shimmied in and took a seat. Justin passed by the carriage, stopping to smile at her as he went.

“He seems very nice,” Jeremy continued. “Perhaps a little old for you, though.”
“Not old enough,” Dorris grumbled. “If he was just a little bit older, he’d have fought in the war, and then maybe I’d be rid of him.”
“That’s a horrible thing to say!” Jeremy gasped. “Here he comes, please be nice.”
“Only if I have to,” Dorris shot back in reply.

Justin appeared at the carriage door, and opened it. As he went to sit next to Dorris, Jeremy stood up, and excused himself, pretending to need the toilet. As Justin sat next to Dorris, she moved and sat in Jeremy’s vacated seat.

“Hello Goldberg,” he smiled. “I haven’t seen you for such a long time.”
“I’ve been busy,” Dorris replied.
“Yes, I heard about the deaths of Susan Collins and her brother. And two others, wasn’t it?” Justin frowned.
“Lucy Walters and Peter Jones,” Dorris said, proud to remember them the way they’d been before they were perfected.
“Killed in a train accident, weren’t they?” Justin asked. “Shame, shame… You’re lucky you survived.”
“I wasn’t there,” Dorris said. “What do you want? I expect Jeremy will be back soon.”

Justin’s eyes flickered to the door, and as Jeremy wasn’t approaching, he leaned forwards to kiss Dorris. With a startled gasp, she swung her hand around and slapped him across the face. As her hand struck his cheek, a bright light emanated from his flesh, in a similar way to the light in the field that night. Justin’s eyes altered, becoming darker, and he grabbed her wrist.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” he snarled. “You woke ME up.”
“Wh– Who?” Dorris stammered.
“The light you remember,” Justin replied. “The chanteur of the stars, the creature that sits in the young male’s flesh.”

Dorris pulled her hand away, as Jeremy opened the carriage door.

“Run!” she screamed.

She leapt up, and pushed him from the doorway. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him along the carriage, much to his confusion. Back in the carriage, Justin stood up, and began to sing.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas!”

As he did so, the train ground to a halt, the windows smashed, and the passengers became to scream in pain.

“Just like the ones we used to know,” Justin continued. “Where the treetops glisten, and Dorris Goldberg listens, to hear my love in the snow.”

Dorris clutched her ears, forcing Jeremy to do the same thing. She realised that Justin’s voice had a power. He said he was an alien – and she remembered the word chanteur meant something like ‘singer’ in French. With a cry, she kicked open a door of the train. Justin left his carriage, and began to walk towards the pair. Dorris threw Jeremy out of the train, and he hit the grass and rolled down the hill. As she prepared to jump, she hesitated. The train wasn’t moving – but it was still fairly high. Just as she was about to do it, she stopped altogether, frozen to the spot.

“I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, with every Christmas card I write,” Justin sang. “May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be whiteeee.”

He slowly became higher in pitch, and Dorris felt almost faint as she clutched her ears. As everything began to go black, she saw Jeremy climbing back into the train, a look of determination in his eyes. Finally she passed out, and knew no more.

“Wake up, Dorris, wake up!”

Dorris groaned, and opened her eyes. Looking around, she saw she was in her house in London, and began to cry. Her mother, Carol Goldberg, ran forwards and held her. Jeremy watched from afar, a cup of tea in his hand.

“I’m so glad you’re back, darling,” Carol said. “Hush, hush, it’s all right now. Jeremy told me about the train crash. You fell asleep in the car driving back here.”
“I don’t remember,” Dorris frowned, rubbing her eyes. “What train crash?”

From across the room, Jeremy winked at her. Dorris realised – Jeremy had faked the crash, to cover up Justin Crackler and his powers. Maybe he was dead, maybe he wasn’t – Dorris didn’t like to ask Jeremy, but she expected he knew the answer all too well.

“I’ve been talking to Jeremy a lot actually,” Carol continued. “He’s a doctor, and he’s very clever. And handsome too. He’ll be staying for a few weeks, is that all right?”
“Sure mum,” Dorris grinned. “He’s been like my dad for the past couple of years, I’m used to it.”
“Good,” Carol smiled. “I think he’ll be staying for a long time actually.”

Dorris sat up, and Carol brought her a cup of tea. The three began to laugh, as Jeremy told a story about one of his patients, and to an outsider, peering through the window, like Conner Bennet was that night, it appeared they were one happy family.

“He’ll always be there for her, won’t he?” he asked, turning to the Doctor, who was leaning against the TARDIS. “Jeremy will always be there, won’t he?”
“Always,” the Doctor smiled. “But if you’d like to see…?”

Conner shook his head, and returned to the TARDIS, still smiling.

***

Carol Goldberg returned from the hospital with her husband, William Goldberg, clutching their baby daughter against her chest. William leaned over, smiling, caring.

“What shall we call her?” he asked.

Three people stopped beside their house gate, one man in a brown suit, a younger man, and a pretty girl.

“What about Dorris?” the younger man asked, smiling at the baby. “D-O-R-R-I-S.”
“Dorris,” Carol repeated the phrase. “Dorris… I like it. Look at little Dorris; she’s reaching out for you!”

Carol stepped forwards, and baby Dorris held out a hand, wrapping it around Conner Bennet’s little finger.

“Let’s go,” Georgia said quietly.

She took the Doctor’s hand, and led him along the road. They had all of 1930 to explore, and a few more seconds before Conner caught up with them. First, he had to say one last thing:

“I think she’ll grow up to be very special indeed.”

The End