by Angela Timms
cxxiii wet and slippery. Cloth hands aren’t made to climb this sort of thing, they slip. But here I am, at the top and now I can see the Goblians all around. There were lots of them but they at least don’t seem that they are going to think to look up. They were looking down and around and in and out. Not up. So if I sit quietly I might be ok. Quietly and oh so patiently as tick, tock and minutes tick by, minutes and then an hour later they are going away.
I can’t smell any more of them so it is time to go back to my room the long way around. I’m not swimming across that river again. So it is a long walk and there I am, back in the bathroom n the room having left very distinct wet footprints on the carpet. I have to say that the towels are not over generous and I’ve already got them soaking wet. But I am now dry. I’ve been to the mirror, what a mess I am. I have brushed my hair which was now no longer a little messy. I have straightened my clothing. But the door is still hanging off its hinges and very broken. I’ve tried to put it back in place but it wouldn’t stay there.
Now that is a problem, what am I going to do now? It is broken but it is broken in this timeline. I need to take it back to a time when it wasn’t broken and pull it into this timeline, jump it forwards. I need to take it from the moment just before it was broken so nobody knows the difference. It is the same door, it will just skip the bit where it gets smashed.
Little crystal, do your stuff
This door is looking pretty rough Bring it forward and throw this back Make it better, without even a crack.
That means taking a crystal out of my pocket and touching it to the door and there you are, the door looks unbroken again. Great, now to get rid of the Goblian note. I am definitely not going to read it. So what do I do with it? I must destroy it. That is easy really as it will go down the loo and once it is flushed it will be gone. I know what is down there. Nobody is going to read that note when it is down there.
So, now to the bathroom and there is the note. I wiggled my nose, then I wiggle my fingers. Little note you are not wanted
You will not have your purpose granted So up you float to flush away
I will not read you any day.
I love magic, I love seeing the note float into the air and hover over the toilet. I love to see it float down into the water. Now, one more task, grab the toilet handle and flush the nasty thing away.
Now I can be as curious as I like and nothing can make me want to read it and now there is no possibility that the curse will catch me or my friends out.
Now that it is all over I can sit on the window sill and look out of the now closed widow at the river below. I suppose I hope that the Goblian doesn’t come floating up but so far so good. There are just the ducks on the river quietly floating on the gently undulating water. It looks wonderfully normal out there. It is lovely to see the lights in buildings where people were doing things, living normal lives. Further around the bay people will be sitting in bars and restaurants eating and drinking, laughing and talking. That is their world and that is a world I want to protect. That was a world that doesn’t need Goblians around every corner and under every bed. Wardrobes are for clothes and children are supposed to sleep easily in their beds.
I know that children have been bothered by Goblians for years, centuries, but now that there are more of them things will no doubt escalate. They won’t be hiding in the wardrobe and under the bed afraid of mum and dad anymore. They will be in the room and the children won’t stand a chance. The Doctor can’t save everyone but perhaps some time in the future, if we really need him, he may come
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and help. For now Gadget and I are just two little Frixians fighting a tide of these horrible things. All the white witches in the world won’t be able to control the evil spirits or protect the children. Mothers and Fathers will be threatened too as the more Goblians there are the more they can openly attack.
I will sleep easier tonight knowing that soon there will be more Frixians to protect them. As soon as I get home I know that Gadget will come with me to the healing garden. Whatever we have to do, we will do.
I have the crystals and another control box and we will be able to travel through space, time and dimension again. Life would be well again, or at least they would stand a chance. We will stand a chance too, we’re as much under threat as they are.
Now it is time to mop up the carpet with the towels before washing them and putting them on the radiator to dry. Now it is time to climb back into my basket and wait for my friends to come back.
I waited and I got bored. I’ve waited hours and hours, well a couple of hours. I think I might just go and see what the others are up to. Out of the body, which I hope is safe here, I can now go out of body, take a look around and look for them. Of course they weren’t playing backgammon, well not yet. They were obviously out and about around Cardiff Bay so I think I’ll go and have a look too.
No need for a taxi for me, I can float and fly with no body. Of course I’ve got no idea where I am going. I can’t ask anyone and I can’t look at a map. I can wander around though and I think I’ll go and look at the Bay, hopefully they are there.
The Bay is teeming with life as we are so close to Christmas. It is easy to identify the office parties and revelers, all enjoying drinks and food. The restaurants that were lively are packed. Those that were more sedate were occupied but not so full. One or two looked virtually empty.
There was choice and bustle. There they are, wandering and looking around so why not? I’ll tag on behind. They can’t see me, nobody can. I am just here and watching, glad that things seem alright and keeping an eye out for Goblians so they could have a good evening. I can feel something though, a nervousness. There seems to be something worrying people, I can feel that too. They don’t seem to be having a good evening as they don’t seem able to find anywhere to eat, they seem to be getting hungry and are getting a bit fed up of looking. I can follow them, I can listen but I can’t help.
I know that they had spoken about eating in the Bay Brasserie but that didn’t seem right. They tried Les Iguanas. That was lively and bright and looked like fun and of course that was fully booked. Mexican would have been tasty but fully booked is fully booked so they have to move on.
Listening to them, desperation was beginning to set in as they were hungry. So many restaurants but they couldn’t agree on one. So they decided to eat in the Millennium Centre as that would be somewhere a bit quieter where the food was good. Listen to them! You’d think they were oldsters wanting somewhere sedate like that. I’d have thought something like the lively restaurants would have been better for them but there you go. An empty restaurant but the reviews had said that the food was good but it was quiet. That was true. It was very quiet. There were a lot of tables but most of them were empty. How boring! No chance of lively there, just an empty table in an empty room. I’ve no idea why they are choosing this one. For the food I suppose. I can’t try any of it but it looks good and it is food I suppose if they are hungry. No need to worry about there not being a table for them, there was of course one available which was elegantly set out in a classic style. It was the ideal place for a pre theatre meal or a quiet evening meal with friends. It was obviously avoided by the office parties as they wanted something a bit more lively and fun.
The kitchen looked clean and well set out. I had a quick look around there as I was a bit bored. Plenty of people there to handle any number of guests and after ordering guests can watch the food being prepared if they are sitting in the right place. That is always a good sign as there can be no nasty things hidden away. I have watched
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Master Chef and other programs so it is also interesting to watch the kitchen at work. Of course with so few people there the wait was minimal and the food arrived. The plates were pristine and the food beautifully set out or do they call it plated up? It looked well cooked and by the way they were talking it tasted delicious. The wine was apparently fresh and presented with suitable ritual despite it
being just the house wine and the waiters were polite and efficient.
As everything was visible including the bar area it is obvious that the place is well kept and presented. It was ideal for purpose when what they were looking for was a quiet place for a meal where the focus was on the food.
It was also an opportunity for them to discuss the Dr Who Exhibition. They didn’t say anything specific but they did say that they had enjoyed it. That is enough, enjoyed, that meant it was fun. What they did say was that it was a bit hurried. Groups went through at quarter hour intervals but somehow the previous exhibition with Matt Smith had been longer. It was enjoyable all the same. Of course the props and costumes were perfect in true Dr Who style and the guests got to operate the Tardis. They weren’t the only ones!
I have to smile as I have a little secret which is no secret at all as I and everyone else has spoken about it. That is the wonder of being a puppet, nobody believes you. They have been emailed in advance and we pretty much asked permission. So it wasn’t theft as it is safely back in the Exhibition and it isn’t even broken a little bit.
I have now seen the first Doctor’s Tardis controls as well. I have been honoured to see a real bit of history. All of it is history. Earth adults have grown up with it and the Tardis and costumes of the time reflect how they historically looked. It is a moving record of time in itself. It is like seeing history in a goldfish bowl.
The monsters have got nastier though. Back when it started fifty years ago it was easier to frighten children I suppose. What children have to see now every day means that the baddies have to be a much nastier too.
cxxviii The television scene sets back at the start had been a lot more basic. Children wouldn’t believe them now. Of course they were basic but much loved. Then the imagination was in the child’s mind. Now things have to be perfect on screen and little is left to the imagination. Now projected imagination of thinking about what has been seen and expanding it into longer stories and personal stories brings the freedom that hiding behind the sofa brought to children all those years ago. It doesn’t leave much for the imagination to fill in though.
The question that seems important to me is whether children actually hide behind the sofa anymore? My trip on the Vale of Rheidol Railway has shown me that children are less frightened and more ready to fight the monsters. Was that because life itself is so scary now and children learn to defend themselves? Is that what is intended by the battle wargames? Or is that the way the world is going. People won’t sit back and be afraid and enjoy the story, they have to fight back and be involved.
Has the power of rational discussion been replaced with a willingness to fight? Is that the way of the world? All in all an excellent day out was had by all. It has been a chance to see the costumes close up and marvel at how they were made. That is something that is often forgotten. Someone had to make all of them and seeing them close up is an opportunity to see the degree of detail which is seen and passed by on screen in a moment. But, it has to look right all the same.
I was looking forward to seeing the Christmas Market. In my mind I had the image, put there by what I had heard about their visit last year, of the little cabins, bright lights and Christmas atmosphere. They had mainly gone into Cardiff to see the market. The wooden sheds had been wonderfully atmospheric the year before but as they got to Cardiff itself everything had felt different.
Police were everywhere and it gave the place an air of danger even if it wasn’t. Something was going on and then I remembered something I’d seen on the television about terrorist threats. This feeling must have reflected on the stalls as they were all closed up. That close to Christmas my friends had hoped that there would have been some sort of late night opening. But no, everything other than the food stalls was shut up. Angel now had a problem as she wouldn’t be able to get out and get any presents or cards other than things she can get on line. But that is the way things are and at least it is possible to buy things on line and get them delivered when you live in a remote place.
One stall was closed for good and as it had only opened the day before that seemed a bit early. She owner was boxing up her things and getting ready to go home. Other stalls were already shut up, their doors firmly locked. Others had a few things left but they were packing up and the atmosphere was such that my friends didn’t even bother to look at the stalls. That all added to their general mood that it had been a waste of time and money to visit Cardiff. I was sad for them as it was supposed to be a happy break.
Well, the trouble was not just on the streets, the police were in the hotel was well. Both before her friends had gone out and when they got back. That was worrying in itself. Why were there police in a hotel?
That had apparently unnerved my friends before they went out and when they saw a lot of police in town as well they had gone back to the hotel far earlier than they had planned. This was also because Angel’s friends were coming over to see them at the hotel rather than meeting up in town. The Goblian had been quite right, they went back to the hotel and then played Backgammon and chatted rather than sampling the wonders of Cardiff. They had chosen the safety of the hotel over the bright lights of the City and the fun that was to be had out there. I was happy enough about that as they were also in the hotel away from the danger of being attacked by Goblians.
They seemed happy playing their game and I am really tired. I think I’ll leave them to it and get some sleep. Back to my puppet body and some sleep for me.
In the morning the miles rolled under the tyres as I sit in my basket thinking about all the stories of old, of great heroes and heroines and what it means to be a hero. There are so many people out there, who
cxxx will be heroes and who will be a coward? What makes someone one or the other? It is a strange thought and I think in my mind it is the situation that someone finds themselves in and more importantly how they deal with it. Many talk about being heroes but if it came to it, would they really do the things they think they would?
Some may think they are, some may believe they are not. It would only be when they were faced with a Goblian that they would have to face their fear. Goblians don’t play fair you see, they don’t fight a straight battle. They make people angry so that they are nasty to each other. No need for a Goblian to dirty their hands. They bring anger where there should be none and depression where there should be creativity. They bring emotions that dodn’t fit the situation and the black dog of despair. How can you fight an enemy like that?
You can’t beat it with bats. You can’t kick it or stab it. A Goblian picks up a weakness and whispers in the ear. He tells people to do bad things and makes it seem like they are right to do them. How can a Frixian fight that?
I have felt it myself. That odd emotion of feeling really, really depressed when there is no reason to feel like that. Being a Frixian I can look into the Universe of things I have seen and ask the question of myself. Only in seeing myself so small and insignificant did I see the irrelevance of the emotion. If logic says I should be happy as there is nothing at that point to make me sad then the influence must be external. So I know it is a Goblian using Goblian magic.
How are people to know? There is enough sadness in the world without them having to suffer unconnected sadness. What is the remedy for that? Slay all Goblians surely. But I am only small. But then again, so were they.
I think that hope is the answer and those who have the power to spread it. We have a rich history of people who have written stories in books and also for stage and screen. These are inspirational writings and music. Each and every person who has that power can alter a mood and it is the responsibility of those who write to know the effect on those they write for. It is all very well making money out of writing depressing stuff when the writer can run off with the money and be happy. But that leaves the listener depressed and that isn’t fair.
I can’t believe it, over there, look, look. It was only a glimpse to start with but now that I look again, a dragon. It is cle
arly a dragon and it is chasing a Goblian. Now where did that come from?
It flapped its golden wings and leapt forwards and the Goblian disappeared in a stinky crunch. The dragon then spat it out, dead and squished and it disappeared in a puff of green smoke. The dragon then turned tail and chased another one.
The wheels turned and soon enough I will be home with Gadget in our little room under the stairs. Safe and sound? Well home anyway.
cxxxii 13
The Toymaker’s Dream
The mist curled sinuously around the valley. Its ethereal fingers feeling their way like a blind man in a new place. Touching all in its path and obscuring normal landmarks to create a sea of smoke. Trees reached for the heavens through it and birds sat in their branches watching all that was going on.
Above the valley a pair of Red Kite were soaring on the thermals and looking out for their next meal. This was such an ageless majesty of feather, bone and beak.
Frost clung to mud and tree alike. It was sprinkled as if from some huge sugar shaker from above as the first light of dawn crept across the valley.
I’m in my favourite seat, perched on the wide windowsill beside the large plant. The room bad been dark when I climbed up here as the wooden blind was shut but I’d pulled that up so I can watch what is going on outside. Not that much was actually going on. That is the
cxxxiii best part of this time of the morning, the peace and calm before everyone wakes up. This is a time when I can look out over the valley and enjoy the beauty of it.
The road is covered in sparkling frost, the cars were covered in it too. A smooth coat of crystal sparkles. Siouxsie Sioux the cat is tip toeing her way through it on her way in search of mice. Her paws must be very cold but she doesn’t seem to mind at all.
Silently morning, coldly morning, all is frost, all is bright. Snow could fall now on all that there is. Frost is cold now, that is how it is. That was what I am thinking, trying to make the words fit to the tune, “Silent Night”.