Christmas on the Moon (short story)
Christmas on the Moon was the sixteenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: The History of Christmas. It was written by Simon Guerrier. It featured the Sixth Doctor and Evelyn Smythe.
Summary
Varani, Gire and Jackson are stationed in a moonbase on the Moon. On Christmas Eve Varani hears strange noises. She wakes Jackson, and they investigate. They discover a dust storm outside, and banging in the airlock. When the airlock opens, the dust swirls in and attacks Varani. When she awakes, she finds two strangers in the base, who call themselves the Doctor and Evelyn. After some suspicions on the part of the astronauts, the Doctor tries to convince them he is here to help, but Jackson demands they empty their pockets. Varani finds a coin that Evelyn had, and realises the two visitors are from the future. Jackson and Gire are still suspicious, and Jackson attacks the Doctor with a pole, but the Doctor says it will be useless against the dust creature. Jackson says they don't have any defences against the creature. Suddenly it attacks the moonbase, and all five are subject to a mental attack. The Doctor uses his mental abilities to temporarily ward off the attacker.
Varani heads to the sleeping quarters for a quiet moment, and discovers that her Christmas stocking has been filled. She brings it out to the others, and the Doctor admits to filling it. The five sit down to a Christmas dinner. Suddenly the creature starts throwing things at the moonbase, debris left over from the Apollo missions of the 1970s. The Doctor think it may just be trying to communicate, so the Doctor heads outside and tries to telepathically communicate with the dust. It changes itself into a humanoid form and talks to the Doctor.
The Doctor convinces the astronauts to invite the creature in, as he just wants to share stories with them. They name him Dusty, and enjoy a Christmas dinner.
Later, Gire confronts the Doctor about why he is here. She guesses that he and Evelyn are here to solve a mystery — why the three astronauts died mysteriously. To Evelyn's frustration, the Doctor won't explain, but instead suggests they all take some Christmas photos.
The next morning, the three hungover astronauts note that their three visitors are gone. Some time later, when it is time to leave the moonbase, they take everything with them, except for one photo which they unknowingly leave behind. Centuries later, the photo is part of a large auction. The Doctor and Evelyn visit the auction, and notice something strange about the photo: it is a photo of the three astronauts, but it was not taken with a self-timer and there is a shadow that indicates someone else was on the Moon with the astronauts. They decide to visit the three astronauts to investigate.
Characters
References
- The Doctor fills Varani's stocking with satsumas, walnuts and chocolate coins.
- He brings a Christmas pudding and brandy from the TARDIS.
- Varani suggests naming the creature after a character from A Christmas Carol.
- Some time after returning to Earth, Jackson and Gire have a son named Darren Jackson.
Notes
to be added
Continuity
to be added
