Young Writers Society

Seven






As Benny started the Tardis up, I realized that I had missed its noise. There wasn’t really a word in English for it. I decided I could make up a word. Hmm, It wasn’t quite a hum, but it wasn’t a buzz... almost buzz, but backward somehow. It started with a zzzz, flowed to a nicely reverberating vowel sound, and closed.
“I never realize I miss the Zum until I get back in the Tardis.” said Benny. I started.
“Is that what that noise is, a Zum?” I said. That sounded about right.
“I have always called it that.” We lapsed back into silence.
A few minuets later, the afore mentioned Zum quit Zumming. Benny silently opened the tardis.
And quickly shut it again.
“What?” I asked.
“We are parked in a non-parking zone.” Said Benny with (needless to say) a straight face.
“Where are we?” I asked, worried.
“Over the volcano.”
Volcano. Right.
“That could be bad.” I said frowning. “Maybe we should park somewhere else, like, on the ground.”
Benny mumbled something. It sounded like ‘but what is the fun of that?’ Although it could have been ‘where are those heat-proof suits?’ I don’t know.
It’s a mystery.

b

The blue... structure still stood. It was in my territory. Therefore, all food, gold, clothes, and books were mine.
Even the rats were mine.

❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂

As Benny unlocked the door and stepped out, I wondered at what I had gotten myself into, traveling with her. I pushed the thought from my mind.
“Benny, what’s the date?”
“Seventy-nine.”
“What? like, nineteen seventy-nine”
“No, the year seventy-nine A.D.” As Benny told me this, I looked around at the hubbub of people around. They surged around the Tardis without seeming to see it, or if they did, it’s presence didn’t matter to them. I noticed a grubby-looking little girl watching us. Her mouth was hanging open and snot dripped from her nose. Her only clothing looked like it had been a sack at one point and had had holes cut in it for sleeves and a neck. It reminded me of Benny’s shirt.
“We still need clothes and food.” I said.
“Yes.” Benny frowned. “I should have taken you somewhere like this. We can barter for our food here... but I thought you would like Paris better.”
Instinctively, I said. “Yes I did. Thank you for taking me.” like I would have said to my mother... when she was still alive.
What was I doing here?

b

Two people stepped out of the blue structure, their faces obscured because of the multitudes of people in between us. At first I couldn’t tell their sex. They were dressed as foreigners would. As if to prove my point, the smaller of the two spoke in a strange tongue. The taller answered in the same way. I scrutinized them, to better understand. The smaller was truly small. It was either a child, or a woman. Delicate-looking. It had blond hair, which would fetch a nice price if it was sold. The hair, not the person. I couldn’t set foot near the slave markets, for fear of being captured and branded.
Or worse.
Pushing the thought from my mind, I watched the taller. It’s hair was strange... not a normal color... Dark, but with strange undertones. Purple. Hmm. I should be careful around that one. It could be a god... or at least a god’s offspring.
I decided to get closer. I wanted to take a look at them without people in the way.
Might as well relieve a few of the bystanders of their money on the way.

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Alice had a far-away look on her face. It reminded me of her silent abstraction in the days following her parent’s death. I knew that she would still be feeling the loss.
“Alice, in case we get separated, I want you to take a Tardis key. We are too close to the volcano. If the volcano shoots out a pine tree-shaped cloud, leave. Even if I am not there.”
She looked startled. “I’m not going to leave without you!”

b

The blond one abruptly turned toward me. I almost gasped aloud. Definitely a female. A very pretty female. Young. About my age. She would have to be careful around here. She had green eyes and an Ivory complexion. Her companion temporarily blocked her from my view.

❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂

“Yes you will.” Said Benny.
“NO. Besides, I can’t fly your ship!” I needed her.
“You misunderstand. I do not intend to leave you. I have a Short-distance Teleport.” She showed me a thing on her wrist. It looked like a digital watch.
“I still can’t fly the Tardis.” I pointed out.
“I have programed a destination already. I would let you wear the watch, but it can not be pre-programed.” I looked at her carefully, to make sure she was telling the truth. I couldn’t tell.
But I had to trust Benny. Who else was there to trust?
Benny nodded once. She handed me a key. “If you have to start the ship by yourself, just push the green button on the far wall.”
“Got it. Red button.” I said, as a joke.
Benny blinked at me. “Only if you want to be instantly decomposed and fed into the heart of the tardis as fuel.”

b

The purple haired one was looking in my direction. This time, I did gasp out loud. Although I could see it was a she, her face was horribly disfigured. Whorls of scar tissue covered the right side of her face. Disgusted, I looked away... only to be confronted with the same pattern on the blond one’s hand as she brushed her hair away from her face. I took a deep breath, and looked again. The marks weren’t that bad once your really began to look at them. In fact, the could be quite beautiful. They had startled me, that’s all. Although, I supposed I was changing my mind because they were on the blond girl, and I was uncomfortable thinking badly of her. She was so beautiful. I edged closer, hoping to understand their sudden argument. I caught a look at myself in an offering-water. I was a dirty street boy wearing dirty street clothing in the dirty street . . . area. I had no business with these women. I would steal from them instead. The purple-haired lady gave something shiny to the girl. Their argument seemed to be over. The something shiny must have value.

❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂ ❂

The market was a commotion. Messy and strange. I didn’t know what to expect... but contrary to what I would have thought, It was surprisingly clean. Apart from the dirty children roaming the streets in packs, most of the people there were well-groomed and happy-looking.
“Benny, why is everything so... clean?” She looked at me.
“Alice, this is Rome at it’s height, not the dark ages.” She gestured around. “Rome is the epitome of civilization. You could not even catch the black plague. Although, you do need several vaccines.”
“Vaccines? For what?”
“Small pox… Tuberculosis...Chicken pox.”
“I’ve had my Chicken pox shots, I got them when I was five. Everyone does. Except for weirdies who think it causes Down Syndrome.”
“That study was fake. The man who conducted it was a fraud and a sensationalist. Study after study has proved his work fake, so we had to call vaccines “Valites” and perform them in a different way so people would still take them. It’s a well-known fact that only stupid people think vaccines are hazardous. Here, let’s get back in and stick you.”
“Ok,” I said, “I’m not afraid on needles.”

b

The Beautiful One and the Purple-Haired One retreated into their shed-that-hadn’t-been-there-a-minute-ago. I used this opportunity to sneak closer. I had seen where the Beautiful One had placed the shiny object. When they came out of the shed I would relieve her of it.
The door opened and I bumped into the Beautiful One. “Pardon me, lady!” I said, making my voice a soft tenor. Her wide green eyes caught and held mine.
“Sorry, sorry!” She said. “Are you ok?”
This was not the response I had expected from a patrician. They usually kicked me to the dirt. Curious. The Purple-Haired One studied me. I put on my best poor-urchin look. “Beg your pardon lady.” She nodded, then turned and used a curiously-shaped piece of metal to shut the door to the shed. She then pulled on the door, and it stayed shut! I had never seen anything like it! She caught my startled gaze and quickly pocketed the shiny.
The Beautiful one smiled at me, recapturing my attention. A little late, I smiled back.
“Well, we must be leaving…” said the Purple-Haired one. “Come away now, Alice.”
Alice… What a lovely name.