Snowfall (novel)
Snowfall, released in its entirety as Doctor Who: Snowfall, was a December 2010 online novella published on the BBC's Doctor Who Website as part of the 2010 Adventure Calendar. It was released by chapter, in such a way that it appeared to be somewhat separate stories. However, once all chapters had been made available as a single volume, it was more obviously a unified story.
Summary
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Plot
Chapter 1: Frozen
David Kershaw notices something is strange; it is Christmas Eve but no one is around. He realises that it is 8:20 p.m. and he must have fallen asleep on the train, but he is not at Waterloo, the end of the line, as he had thought when he left the train. The platform is covered in even snow inches deep, as if no-one had been on the platform in days, except at the end of the platform. He can see a square patch the snow has only just begun to cover, yet there are no tracks leading from the area. He tries to call his wife, but there is no signal on his mobile phone. Planning to wait for the next train, he spots a small cafe labelled "Refreshment Room" in which he can see the silhouettes of two people.
The only customer, called Big Jack, is in the Refreshment Room after a mistake when reading the announcements for his train. Behind the counter is a red-haired girl and a man in a porter's uniform. Jack is surprised when David enters the room and orders tea. David, seemingly angry at seeing Jack, pulls up a chair to his table and asks how long it has been since they last saw each other. He estimates it is about ten years, which Jack says is "not long enough". David thinks it suspicious that the two of them would end up in the middle of nowhere. He says the square in the snow outside looked about the size of the TARDIS. To David's astonishment, Jack understands the reference and knows about the Doctor as well, from an adventure he begins to tell.
Chapters 2 and 3: Cold Snap
Louie Rollins, his cousin Millie Peterson and Millie's mother, Rachael are going to see a pantomime of Peter Pan. Millie has met the Eleventh Doctor before with Louie. She thinks the Doctor may want to join them and calls him on the number he had given them. She reaches voicemail and leaves a message. The Doctor meets them at the theatre. They notice it is very quiet around and inside the building, and the only member of the staff is Big Jack. He says no one had made it due to the terrible weather. As Jack prepares tea, the Doctor is dismayed that Jack does not have a key to the cashier's office It is deadlock sealed and houses the TARDIS. The group realises the temperature has dropped inside the theatre, and then the lights go out.Through the window the Doctor can see that the lights are working on the street. After the chandelier above them breaks from the weight of ice, Louie feels weak and cold and they lay him down on a couch in the manager's office.
The group works to raise Louie's core temperature; the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver to heat the tea urn, which he says will keep the room warm for a while. The Doctor and Millie leave to gather blankets, after the Doctor instructs Big Jack to turn on the emergency power.Jack feels that something is watching him. Something enters through the basement door behind him. Rachael hears a strange noise. The Doctor and Millie take some blankets and a fire extinguisher. Rachael hears the slithery noise. She wedges a chair beneath the doorknob as something tries to get in; something cold and wet attaches itself to Jack's back and drains his energy; and Millie slides on the icy carpet and falls over the balcony.
The Doctor catches Millie as she falls; Louie uses the sonic screwdriver on the door. He hopes it will scare the alien away for a while. Jack collapses on the power switch, activating the generator and turning on the power, dislodging the creature from his back. Millie and the Doctor deliver the blankets to Louie and the Doctor places blankets around Jack. He studies the slime on Jack's jacket and has an idea but it doesn't quite make sense, though he has a plan that will work. Suddenly, the "grey, domed jelly like" creature attaches itself to Millie's back. The Doctor sonics it off. It is a newborn and sick Brakari. Malnourished, she had latched herself onto Millie for more energy, on instinct. They try to keep the Brakari alive and hope the heat in the room will attract the mother. Louie has fallen unconsious and the Doctor must get his TARDIS.\ from a deadlock sealed room. Millie realises he can sonic the hinges' screws instead. They rush back to the office to collect the screwdriver. Outside the offce the adult Brakari approaches. The Doctor speaks to the adult, telling her he will have enough energy for her, her daughter and Louie once he can reach the TARDIS. The Brakari relaxes, but she grows angry again as she sees the baby is clearly near death. Big Jack volunteers as an energy donor to the baby while the Doctor gets to the TARDIS. The Doctor and Millie retrieve equipment from the TARDIS to revive the baby and Louie and save Jack. Jack closes up the theatre and catches sight of the TARDIS and steps inside. The group thentravels to space to release the Brakari,
Chapter 4: The Thaw
Jack, has ended his story. He shows David a grab from the theatre's security footage: him. the Doctor, Millie and Louie. David says he wishes he had a photo of the Doctor, as he had changed his life, but he tells Jack to keep the image. As Jack returns the picture to his wallet, other photos fall onto the table, including one of two happy brothers. He pauses at it before putting it back. David and he inish their tea in silence.
The girl with the red hair and the man in the porter's uniform come up to their table. They give the two men a tin of biscuits. Jack breaks the seal on the tin. He notices someone had eaten all the jammy dodgers in the tin. The girl begins to laugh. When Jack and David are alone again, Jack asks David to tell his story of how he met the Doctor.
Chapters 5 and 6: Vampire Hurricane
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Chapter 7: Station Pressure
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Characters
- Eleventh Doctor
- Amy Pond
- Rory Williams
- David Kershaw
- Big Jack
- Louie Rollins
- Millie Peterson
- Aunty Rachael
- Hawke Lyttle the Third
- General Marze
References
- The Doctor was fighting the Gendhi on Visperon when he was called by Millie Peterson.
- The sudden freeze is caused by a mother and young Brakari.
- The Doctor hitched a lift from Bom-borradohs.
- Until the events of the story, the Doctor had never had couscous.
Notes
- Because this story was originally published by chapter, its chapter titles have more significance than the typical work of prose fiction. In order, the chapters were: "Frozen", "Cold Snap, Part One", "Cold Snap, Part Two", "The Thaw", "Vampire Hurricane, Part One", "Vampire Hurricane, Part Two", and "Station Pressure". Most were written by Collinson; Oliver wrote "Cold Snap".
Continuity
- Louie Rollins and Millie Peterson from The Night After Hallowe'en reappear. Several references to the adventure is made.
- The Doctor mentions how Amy Pond ran away on her wedding night, as seen in The Eleventh Hour.
- The Doctor eats all the Jammie Dodgers from a container of biscuits, referencing his love for them in Victory of the Daleks and later The Impossible Astronaut and Night Terrors.
- When attacked by the vampire children, the Doctor tells them to go to their room as he did in The Doctor Dances. This time, it doesn't work.
Timeline
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External links
