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[Realm of the Muse] Response
Aug. 15th, 2007 12:59 pmWrite a ficlet that starts with the following sentence: There was no sound, nothing at all, except for...
There was no sound, nothing at all, except for the quiet hum of the TARDIS as Sarah Jane wandered down the hall. The twists and turns of the maze of walkways never ceased to amaze her. It almost seemed as if she never took the same route twice; yet, she always found her way to the room she wanted. The Doctor had tried to explain it to her once, but Sarah had shrugged it off. As long as it worked, she didn’t really want to hear the complicated physics explanation behind it.
Tonight, however, was an entirely different case. She had awakened from a nightmare in the midst of the TARDIS’ sleep cycle covered in a cold sweat. It was a dream that had haunted her since her youth: her subconscious’ own rendition of her parents’ death. She despised it. When she was a child, Sarah Jane would typically crawl in to her aunt’s bed after the nightmare. Now, as an adult, that option was no longer viable. So she wandered the hallways of the TARDIS instead, determined to get rid of the chilling feeling that crept down her spine.
Sarah had no direction tonight. She only wanted to escape the images in her mind. As she walked, the halls of the TARDIS seemed to go on forever and ever. The Doctor always joked that it was bigger on the inside, and while she knew that to be fact, Sarah had never felt as overwhelmed until now. A part of her almost wanted the Doctor to come and take her hand as Aunt Lavinia did when she was a child. That ridiculous notion was dismissed instantly.
As Sarah Jane continued down the hall, she could feel her eyelids start to grow heavy. How long had she been wandering? It was starting to feel like forever. And it would take forever to get back to her room, wouldn’t it? She shook her head sleepily, unable to keep the yawn from escaping her lips. A short sit down on the floor suddenly seemed welcoming. After another yawn, Sarah relinquished to her body’s tired needs. The floor was far from uncomfortable as she discovered as she tucked her knees against her chest.
Just a small nap…
When she awoke, it was to the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. They broke the silence of the TARDIS night. She opened her eyes curiously, expecting to see the Doctor wander down the hall. She blinked in confusion when the figure came closer, revealing a female body in place of the expected lanky male one. The confusion rapidly became an awed fear as realisation hit: Sarah knew this woman.
“Mummy?” she whispered in a small voice. Somehow she was able to get to her feet, unable to take her eyes off of the woman in front of her. “Mummy? Is that really you?”
The woman nodded, taking a few steps closer before stopping in front of Sarah Jane. She reached a hand outward, stroking Sarah’s hair softly. For scarcely a second, Sarah closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. It had been so long since she had last seen her mother, years and years. She never wanted this moment to end. Sarah was convinced that if she looked away for even a second, it would all vanish like a dream.
But when she opened her eyes again, Alice Smith was still standing in front of her. She looked as every bit radiant as Sarah remembered: the same dark brown hair and brown eyes, a pixie face full of hidden mischief and obvious love. It was a face she had only ever seen in dreams or a picture frame for the past nineteen years. Taking another chance, Sarah Jane closed her eyes as she hugged her mother, burying her face in Alice’s hair. She felt tears threatening to fall and ignored them. This moment was too precious to waste.
“My little Sarah,” said Alice as she finally moved a step away. She kept both hands on Sarah’s shoulders, the same loving smile still firmly in place. “My, how you’ve grown.”
There were so many things Sarah Jane wanted to say in response. The only words that did come were a squeaked “I miss you” before the tears fell. Alice lifted one hand to Sarah’s cheek, gently wiping at the tears. The action felt so familiar that for a moment, Sarah wondered if it was really happening. She was in the TARDIS, wasn’t she? And her mother was dead. It didn’t make sense. But in some ways, it made all the sense in the world.
As the mother and daughter reunited in one of the many expansive hallways of the TARDIS, a still sleeping Sarah was unaware of the reality around her. As she slept soundly, lost in a much more pleasant vision, she had no idea of the man holding her or the way he manipulated this one particular dream. There was no sound, no sound at all, except for three hearts beating in sync. It was a sound Sarah Jane would never hear.
There was no sound, nothing at all, except for the quiet hum of the TARDIS as Sarah Jane wandered down the hall. The twists and turns of the maze of walkways never ceased to amaze her. It almost seemed as if she never took the same route twice; yet, she always found her way to the room she wanted. The Doctor had tried to explain it to her once, but Sarah had shrugged it off. As long as it worked, she didn’t really want to hear the complicated physics explanation behind it.
Tonight, however, was an entirely different case. She had awakened from a nightmare in the midst of the TARDIS’ sleep cycle covered in a cold sweat. It was a dream that had haunted her since her youth: her subconscious’ own rendition of her parents’ death. She despised it. When she was a child, Sarah Jane would typically crawl in to her aunt’s bed after the nightmare. Now, as an adult, that option was no longer viable. So she wandered the hallways of the TARDIS instead, determined to get rid of the chilling feeling that crept down her spine.
Sarah had no direction tonight. She only wanted to escape the images in her mind. As she walked, the halls of the TARDIS seemed to go on forever and ever. The Doctor always joked that it was bigger on the inside, and while she knew that to be fact, Sarah had never felt as overwhelmed until now. A part of her almost wanted the Doctor to come and take her hand as Aunt Lavinia did when she was a child. That ridiculous notion was dismissed instantly.
As Sarah Jane continued down the hall, she could feel her eyelids start to grow heavy. How long had she been wandering? It was starting to feel like forever. And it would take forever to get back to her room, wouldn’t it? She shook her head sleepily, unable to keep the yawn from escaping her lips. A short sit down on the floor suddenly seemed welcoming. After another yawn, Sarah relinquished to her body’s tired needs. The floor was far from uncomfortable as she discovered as she tucked her knees against her chest.
Just a small nap…
When she awoke, it was to the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway. They broke the silence of the TARDIS night. She opened her eyes curiously, expecting to see the Doctor wander down the hall. She blinked in confusion when the figure came closer, revealing a female body in place of the expected lanky male one. The confusion rapidly became an awed fear as realisation hit: Sarah knew this woman.
“Mummy?” she whispered in a small voice. Somehow she was able to get to her feet, unable to take her eyes off of the woman in front of her. “Mummy? Is that really you?”
The woman nodded, taking a few steps closer before stopping in front of Sarah Jane. She reached a hand outward, stroking Sarah’s hair softly. For scarcely a second, Sarah closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. It had been so long since she had last seen her mother, years and years. She never wanted this moment to end. Sarah was convinced that if she looked away for even a second, it would all vanish like a dream.
But when she opened her eyes again, Alice Smith was still standing in front of her. She looked as every bit radiant as Sarah remembered: the same dark brown hair and brown eyes, a pixie face full of hidden mischief and obvious love. It was a face she had only ever seen in dreams or a picture frame for the past nineteen years. Taking another chance, Sarah Jane closed her eyes as she hugged her mother, burying her face in Alice’s hair. She felt tears threatening to fall and ignored them. This moment was too precious to waste.
“My little Sarah,” said Alice as she finally moved a step away. She kept both hands on Sarah’s shoulders, the same loving smile still firmly in place. “My, how you’ve grown.”
There were so many things Sarah Jane wanted to say in response. The only words that did come were a squeaked “I miss you” before the tears fell. Alice lifted one hand to Sarah’s cheek, gently wiping at the tears. The action felt so familiar that for a moment, Sarah wondered if it was really happening. She was in the TARDIS, wasn’t she? And her mother was dead. It didn’t make sense. But in some ways, it made all the sense in the world.
As the mother and daughter reunited in one of the many expansive hallways of the TARDIS, a still sleeping Sarah was unaware of the reality around her. As she slept soundly, lost in a much more pleasant vision, she had no idea of the man holding her or the way he manipulated this one particular dream. There was no sound, no sound at all, except for three hearts beating in sync. It was a sound Sarah Jane would never hear.
