Pass It On (short story)
- You may be looking for the song.
Pass It On was the tenth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: Indefinable Magic. It was written by Simon Guerrier. It featured the Second Doctor, Sixth Doctor and Ace.
Summary
In London, sometime between the First and Second World Wars, the Doctor literally bumps into a woman called Mable, knocking her bags of shopping to the ground. He picks up her things and offers to carry them back to her house. She warily agrees but walks at a distance from him, not wanting to be associated with a tramp-like figure. On their journey the Doctor explains that he bumped into her because he was looking at something in the sky. Mable looks up and notices a huge airship of a type she hasn't seen before which vanishes at impossible speed. Something about the Doctor makes her pour out her frustrations with life; since her husband's death at the Battle of Ypres she has been reduced to a housebound existence looking after her parents. The Doctor leaves her after telling her it is not too late to change and that she should repay his kindness to her by doing something that makes somebody else smile. The next day she takes a part time voluntary job in the local library where she quickly earns a reputation for her considerate and helpful nature. In particular, she helps a little boy called Malcolm Wells with his reading.
In the late 1960s Malcolm is a distinguished psychiatrist who counts a successful politician among his friends. When the politician's daughter begins to behave erratically Malcolm is asked to interview her. It is clear that both Malcolm and Theresa know the sub-text of the interview; if Theresa's 'madness' is to prove an embarrassment to her father she will be placed in a mental institution. It becomes apparent from their conversation that Theresa has been dallying with the late sixties' counter culture and dresses like a hippy. However, the main cause for alarm has been her sudden interest in extra-terrestrial life. This dates back to a bus journey where she travelled on an otherwise empty bus until the Doctor apparently materialised behind her and asked her to change her seat. When she did so he used a bizarre device to make the air turn white and when her vision was restored Theresa found that the bus was full of semi-comatose people. These people were immediately treated by medical and military staff who boarded the vehicle. In the course of their dealings she heard the word 'extra-terrestrial' used frequently. She recounts this story to Malcolm who is impressed that she does not embellish or attempt to explain what happened, as would be the case if it were a psychotic episode. Remembering the kindness shown to him by the old lady in the library he offers Theresa a way forward to make a positive contribution with her life.
Twenty years later, Theresa is a magistrate. She finds herself taking a personal interest in a teenage girl who has a history of violent and anti-social behaviour. Instead of awarding a custodial sentence she decides to talk to the girl, remembering Malcolm Wells' care for her. The girl is 'Ace'.
Characters
Worldbuilding
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