Prologue
It was a bitterly cold night in Daring’s Close, Hartford, Chichester, Earth on the 23rd of November 2013. The area was empty; no sign of life. A taxi drove into the close. Its engine churning quietly as the driver turned around the corner. The taxi reached its destination. It parked outside No. 7. The taxi cab door opened and out stepped three girls – Rita, Katy and Sian. They’d just come back from shopping in town.
“You pay for it, ” Katy told Sian.
“No, you pay for it,” Sian told Katy.
“I paid for it last time,” Katy argued.
Rita however obliged as she turned to face the driver in the cab, handing over the fare.
“£8.50, was it?”
The driver, a fairly young man in his late twenties, smiled up at Rita as she handed over the money. “That’s right, love. Don’t you girls stay out too long in the cold.”
“Thanks,” Rita said cheerfully. “We won’t, Mr…”
“Harry. Friends call me Harry,” the driver replied.
“Thanks for driving us home, Harry,” said Rita. “See you around.”
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, girls,” Harry called.
Closing the taxi cab door behind her, Rita caught up with her mates who already opened the front door of Katy’s house. Harry soon drove off, heading out of the close and leaving the quiet area behind.
Soon, time was reset. The same taxi drove into the close. It parked outside No. 7. Out came the girls – Rita, Katy and Sian. They’d just come back from shopping in town.
“You pay for it, ” Katy told Sian.
“No, you pay for it,” Sian told Katy.
“I paid for it last time,” Katy argued.”
Rita did the same thing as she paid the fare to Harry the taxi driver.
“£8.50, was it?”
“That’s right, love. Don’t you girls stay out too long in the cold.”
“Thanks. We won’t, Mr…”
“Harry. Friends call me Harry.”
“Thanks for driving us home, Harry. See you around.”
“Enjoy the rest of your evening, girls,” Harry called.
Rita closed the taxi cab door behind her as she caught up with her mates who already opened the front door of Katy’s house. Harry drove off, heading out of the close and leaving the quiet area behind.
It happened again! Harry’s taxi drove into the close, taking the three girls Rita, Katy and Sian home. It parked outside No. 7 before the girls came out.
“You pay for it, ” Katy told Sian.
“No, you pay for it,” Sian told Katy.
Watching nearby on that same night were two people, already aware of what was happening. One was a young, pretty, dark-haired girl. The other was a youngish-looking man with an angular face, wearing a tweed jacket and a bow tie.
“What’s happening to them?” the girl asked. “They’re not even aware of it.”
“They’re caught in a time loop,” the man answered. “Repeating the same pattern of events over and over. A taxi driver drives three girls back home from shopping in town before driving off. Seconds later, the same taxi driver drives the same three girls back home from shopping in town before driving off again. And it happens again…and again…and again…and again…AND AGAIN…AND AGAIN…AND…”
The man was getting all excited, shaking his fists and arms about. The girl calmed him down, smacking him across the face.
“I get what’s going on here, Doctor,” the girl said. “But why’s it happening?”
“Something or someone’s playing around with time, Clara,” the Doctor answered. “Affecting the lives of these four people in this same spot in time. Churns my stomach.”
“Churns mine too,” Clara admitted. “We’ve got to stop it somehow.”
“Then it’s a good thing we’ve got the TARDIS to help us,” the Doctor said cheerily.
“I’m puzzled as to how the TARDIS was able to track the temporal anomaly you mentioned here,” Clara admitted.
“Very sensitive my sexy TARDIS is, Clara,” the Doctor said. “Come on! Let’s go!”
The Doctor dashed off with Clara following behind him. They left the pattern of events with the taxi; its driver and the three shopping girls in Daring’s Close to continue.
“Where are we going?” Clara asked before she became impatient. “Doctor!”
“You; me; box – now!” the Doctor answered. “Come on, Clara.”
“Going off to investigate, are we?” Clara asked.
“And getting to the source of the mystery,” the Doctor said, half-answering Clara’s question. “How I like to solve a mystery! Mysteries are cool!”
They arrived at the blue police box situated within the suburban area and were about to enter inside. The TARDIS was the Doctor’s very own time machine. The Doctor and Clara were going to stop this horror that was currently happening…once and for all.
© Tim Bradley, 2020
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