Flash Fiction: The Day the Doctor Melted by CaraMarie Christy

Welcome to the Spot Writers! The prompt for August: Where have you always wanted to vacation? Pick a country and set your story there – only in this story, the dream location sadly is a setting for disaster. Today’s post comes to us from CaraMarie Christy.

The Day the Doctor Melted

by CaraMarie Christy

When Emilia Song was ten years old, she wanted more than anything to go to go to London. Most kids had grown out of their fairytales and children shows by ten years old, as they begin the slow switch over to animes and teen dramas. But Emilia still held on tight to her passionate love for the scify series—Doctor Who. She wanted to keep her plastic toy Sonic Screwdriver and bright, red fez close until the day she could see The Doctor for herself. All her classmates acted like she had six heads when she spoke about Doctor Who. Her parents didn’t want to travel anywhere to see The Doctor. They liked “moving” vacations, like hiking the Grand Canyon or Mount Esja in Iceland. Emilia sometimes cringed at the idea of vacations, because she associated the term with large amounts of exercise.

Her mother saved and saved, until one day, with a grin and a ticket purchase in her inbox, she came home to announce that she had surprise. They were going to Cardiff, Wales.

“We’re going to the museum in Cardiff,” she clarified when Emilia’s face sank. Wales was not London. She was not even sure where Wales was. “It’s got everything Doctor Who; props from the show, wax statues of all the Doctors, and it’s where they film the show! You even get to go on your own ‘space adventure’.”

Her own adventure was all Emilia needed to hear. She was packed and ready to go that night, even though their vacation wasn’t for weeks. Just in case The Doctor wanted to stop by and whisk her away to her adventure before then.

When they finally did reach Cardiff, the first thing she wanted to do was wait in the incredibly long line to go down the row of Doctors.

“Are you sure? You don’t want to go play with the TARDIS?” Her parents tried to drag her toward the area where kids were ecstatically pressing buttons on an oversized console. Emilia insisted on waiting to see her Doctor.

A slight stir began in the line in front of her. The buzz of tension was still there when Emilia stepped up to have her turn to look at The Doctors.

“The Doctor…” Only something was wrong. She could see the face of Five, one of the older Doctors who had been on the show in its early run, but something was wrong with him. He looked—heavier. Like a massive force was dragging him toward the ground. Emilia realized, as her mother pointed to a drop of liquid rolling down the side of The Doctor’s face, that it was because he was melting.

“Sorry miss, I need you to step aside.” One of the tour guides with a shiny white badge pushed past Emilia’s mother. “Somebody forgot to turn the AC up today. This whole place just… We need to get the artists here.” The man made a growling noise and charged forward with his keys.

“Oh, I’m sorry babe.” Her mother squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe we can get a refund and come back when they’re fixed.”

“It’s fine. I’m just thinking—of how to save him.” Emilia squeezed her sonic screwdriver. A real companion would never let her Doctor melt. She’d fight whatever alien had done this to him.

***

The Spot Writers—Our Members:

Val Muller: https://valmuller.com/blog/

Catherine A. MacKenzie: https://writingwicket.wordpress.com/wicker-chitter/

Dorothy Colinco. www.dorothycolinco.com

CaraMarie Christy: https://calamariwriting.wordpress.com/