12

The sewer was damp,
And we each had to crawl
Through a crack that the Doctor
Had found in the wall

Where the mouldering brickwork
Had crumbled away
And opened to caves
Green with lime, red with clay,

Lit by orbs that the Doctor
Would toss in the air
At which point they’d glow
And remain hanging there

As if strung up by magic.
And onward we went,
With echoing footsteps
To mark our descent.

The two Doctors chatted,
Unfazed by the danger,
As if making friends
With some affable stranger.

The thought of it all
Brought an ache to my head
“Why can’t Five remember
The things that Four said?”

The passage grew wider
Until we emerged
On a cliff overlooking
Some great, half-submerged

Slab of metal;
Each angle and line
Seemed to snake and to twist
And at times intertwine.

The whole thing was see-through
In part, like a ghost.
It seemed that this bothered
The Doctors the most.

“Quick, Four, grab my ankles
And keep a firm grip!”
Said Five. “I must get
A good look at that ship.”

I’d become quite a sporty
And agile youth
And so eager was I
To uncover the truth

That I lowered myself
Down the rockface as well –
But it crumbled beneath me!
I screamed once… then fell.