Doctor Who Grimm Reality Simon Bucher Jones

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.She gave him a look that the Doctor had heard described in 1940s Lancashire as 'like a smell of gas.''Maybe you'll do,' she said.He waded closer and looked up at her on the high red soil of the bank.Her hands seemed too young for her face, smooth lady's hands.'Do for what?' he asked.'You've got a strong back, anyone can see that, and you don't mind a bit of wet.Come here.You shall carry me over to the other bank.'The Doctor considered and gave her his cheekiest grin.'What's the magic word?'As she gazed down at him, her eyes were deep hollows in the wrinkles of her face.The finger that crooked at him, demanding he come closer still, now looked ancient, hard, not fragile bone at all but part of a claw draped in skin.Suddenly the Doctor felt very strongly that he might be pushing things.Maybe he didn't want to know the magic word after all, not yet.'All right, grandam.' He tossed her the hat, which she put, still dripping, upon her head.Then he turned and edged backwards towards the bank, bending to accommodate her.On the opposite bank he could see Anji and Fitz watching him, so he waved, and felt happy again.For some reason he kept thinking of Sinbad the sailor, or was it St Christopher?A pair of bony knees dug into his ribs and her weight hit him.Surprisingly, his knees buckled slightly.'Come on then, young man.Do you think I have all day to wait for lazy younger sons and slugabeds?'One step.Goodness me, thought the Doctor, she really is quite heavy.An arm hooked itself under his chin.He knew that move.Twist your bone like a blade into the soft part of the windpipe.Another step.His chin pressed down, grinding into the arm, trying to pin it against his chest so as to stop it cutting off his air.Another step.Too slow apparently, for at that moment he felt the blow of a stick on what Fitz would no doubt insist on referring to as his arse.For some reason it didn't seem appropriate for the Doctor to refer to his arse as his arse.Why was that he wondered, and then realised he was choking.The stick came down again.Same place, more force.'Arrrs,' he said, reaching up with his left arm to take the old woman's triceps between his finger and thumb.He pinched hard.The stick fell, but the arm she had at his throat merely moved in tighter as she spurred him on with her sharp little heels.He seemed to be able to ignore the pressure on his neck simply by not breathing - which was slightly scary, but possibly not as scary as the old lady.One more step.The bank was near now, but he could barely drag his legs through the water.His feet sank into the mud, broken roots and stones prodded his soles.The silt swirled up around his ankles.If she kicks me one more time I'll drop her face first -Suddenly he found himself toppling face first into some suspiciously foul-smelling weeds.The Crone (as the Doctor had dubbed her, deciding that was surely the technical term) hopped over his head and on to the bank with a crackling laugh.Anji, he couldn't help but notice, was laughing as well.Fitz helped him up wearing the hollow-cheeked expression of someone trying very hard not to laugh.'Well,' the Crone said,'that wasn't very gracious.You've got my skirts all wet.I can see you'll need to learn some manners.How we do things round here.'Anji stepped in, ever the smooth negotiator.'Perhaps you might share a bit of your wisdom, then.Where would we enquire after the services of a woodcutter, say?''If you've wood to chop, you should talk to the Giants,' the old woman replied,'Good day.'And with that she was off.Anji threw up her hands.'Giants.Wonderful.'Fitz nudged the Doctor.'Why should you speak to the Giants if you need wood cut?'The Doctor sighed, busy trying to brush the mud off his trousers with clumps of grass.'I have no idea, Fitz.Why should you speak to Giants if you need wood cut?''Hey, hey.' Anji said, 'Time-out.Fitz: if this is a lead-up to a joke about enormous choppers I really am not in the mood right now'.'Would I do that? Would I?''Yes.And don't.''You've ruined the punch line anyway'The Doctor looked puzzled, 'Yes, they would need large bikes, what of it?'Anji groaned [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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