21.

I paced in my room
As the minutes ticked by.
Outside, kids gazed up
For a sleigh in the sky.

If the Doctor succeeded
Then I would be free
Of this curse; but if not
They’d be coming for me.

With no sanctuary
I’d no place to go…
I gazed at the TARDIS,
Sat out in the snow.

And hoping the blue box
Could save me once more
I took a deep breath
And then pushed at its door.

It unlocked! I stumbled
Inside a machine
Now metal and coral;
All orange and green.

I headed towards
The controls. As I neared,
The flickering face
Of the Doctor appeared!

His hologram fizzled
And stared straight ahead.
“If you’re seeing this,
Then I’m probably dead.”

“The Sh’krarri were hunted;
Their dark matter used
To make weapons. They wandered,
Alone and confused.”

“They fled to your galaxy
Hoping to find
Survivors; some other
Trace of their kind.”

“I’ve got to convince them
That I’m on their side.
If I don’t come back… Well,
It means that I tried.”

“If that’s true, there’s a way
You can still save yourself.
Look for the disc I’ve left
Up on the shelf.”

“They’re scared of the TARDIS,
They’ll be held at bay,
But you and your family
Must get away.

Next year they’ll be coming
For you. Understand?”
I slipped in the disc
With a trembling hand.

The hologram vanished;
I stepped back, dismayed
As the walls of the TARDIS
Started to fade.

I’d not been invited
Along for the ride!
My feet touched the snow
As it settled outside.