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Do You Dream in Colour? was the sixth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: The Ghosts of Christmas. It was written by Gary Russell and featured Ben Jackson and Polly Wright.
Summary
Ben and Polly meet up in northern England to spend Christmas with Polly's uncle Rupert. Ben has an odd experience at the beach in which he finds himself calling out for the Doctor when he can't find Polly. Later, as they are driven by uncle Rupert's chauffeur, Polly has a similar experience.
They arrive at uncle Rupert's house, where several other guests are staying, including Polly's boyfriend Kristian LeRoq, about whom Ben is not very happy. Also staying at the house are Father Martin and his ward Avril Trelawney.
Later that night, Ben is getting ready for bed when he sees a light outside. He sees that it is Avril and goes outside to investigate. He encounters Polly, who had the same idea. They discuss their relationship and their time with the Doctor.
Father Martin appears and explains to them that Avril isn't really his ward, that he purposely introduced her to them last year, and that she has a "gift". Avril appears and tells them that her name is really Tahn Jeraveril, and she is from Bula, another planet.
Tahn had been captured by slavers but escaped. She convinced another traveller to bring her to Earth. She wanted to meet Ben and Polly in the hope that they could contact the Doctor and he would take her back to Bula. It was her "gift" that gave them their odd experiences earlier. She apologises for any discomfort they experienced, and she says that she will wait for the Doctor to show up on Earth.
Characters
- Ben Jackson
- Polly Wright
- Patrick
- Uncle Rupert
- Kristian LeRoq
- Tahn Jeraveril
- Father Martin
Worldbuilding
- Uncle Rupert's property is in Northumberland.
- Ben would have preferred to spend Christmas in the Caribbean, Hawaii or the Balearics.
- One year Ben and Polly spent Christmas with Uncle Rupert just off Papua New Guinea.
- Father Martin likes to play the Beatles and the Kinks and doesn't use hymn books. He teaches football and pool to underprivileged kids.
- Avril/Tahn mentions the alien found at Roswell.
- Polly misses the Doctor, Jamie and the TARDIS.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
- Ben thinks of the Daleks, (TV: The Power of the Daleks) the Cybermen (TV: The Tenth Planet, The Moonbase) and the Macra. (TV: The Macra Terror)