The Artist and the Doctor

Chapter 7

The TARDIS came to a halt and the Doctor grinned wildly at me. "Ready to see something truly amazing?" Eagerness lit up his face as he waited impatiently for my answer.

"Where are we?" I asked eying the TARDIS doors nervously. Both fear and curiosity were eating away at me as I wondered what could possibly be hiding behind those doors.

The Doctor grabbed me by the hand and bounced down the steps in excitement as he led me to the doors. He spun around on his heel and put his hands behind his back. A huge contagious grin once again graced his features causing me to smile back. "There's the smile!" He said with a laugh. I felt my cheeks start to burn from embarrassment as I tried hiding my smile behind my hands. The Doctor placed his hand on the door handle before turning his head around to face me. He leaned in close and brought his voice down to a low whisper. "Close your eyes."

Immediately I obeyed and the sound of the door clicking open reached my ears. I attempted to open an eye out of curiosity but a hand quickly covered them before I could actually see anything.

"Oi! No peaking!" The Doctor scolded laying his free hand on my right shoulder as he lead me outside.

"Welcome to Transylvania!" The Doctor exclaimed as he removed his hand from my eyes.

I gasped at the sight before me. We stood on top of a steep hill covered in dark blue-green grass peppered with tiny light blue flowers that glowed like fireflies. The sky was a light grey with an enormous red-orange sun lighting up the sky. The hill we stood on top of overlooked the most beautiful city I have ever seen. The buildings were made up of what appeared to be different kinds of crystals. They ranged from many different colors, the majority consisting of white, grey and different shades of purple. The red orange sun hit the crystals at just the right angle causing them to glimmer beautifully in the light.

"It's beautiful..." I said under my breath. "How is this even real? I must be dreaming..."

At that moment the Doctor pinched my arm.

"Ouch! What was that for?" I asked rubbing my now sore arm.

"You thought you were dreaming, I was just proving you wrong. That is what human's do, right? Pinch each others arms when they think they're dreaming."

I glared at him in annoyance causing him to shuffle uncomfortably. "Right. Sorry. Let's go see what this planet has to offer, eh?"

With that the Doctor linked my arm through his and led the way to the spectacular city before us.

~

We came to a halt at a crystal gate. Intricate swirls and patterns were carved into the sparkling light purple stone making it appear extremely delicate and fragile. Manning the gate was a very odd looking 7ft tall man. He was extremely thin and boney making him look like he would fall apart at any moment. His skin was a very light blue and semi transparent allowing you to catch a small glimpse of the bones beneath his skin. Not a single hair was visible on him; he didn't even have any eyebrows. His frail form was cloaked in a light black cloak that shimmered whenever the light hit it. Decorating his translucent skin were glittering silver tattoos shaped in intricate swirls and patterns similar to the ones carved on the gate. His most captivating feature was definitely his eyes. They were so pale that the iris was barely visible making his pupils really stand out.

"Welcome to Transylvania. Do you have a pass?" He asked an eerie smile gracing his features.

"Oh! Right! I almost forgot! Hold on I have it here somewhere." The Doctor rummaged frantically through his pockets before finally pulling out a small black pad. He flashed it at the gatekeeper, who seemed pleased even though it was only a blank white card inside.