Snowfall (novel)
Snowfall, released in its entirety as Doctor Who: Snowfall, was an 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 that something is strange; it is Christmas Eve but no one is around. He then realises that it is 8:20 p.m. and he must have fallen asleep on the train, but he realises he is not at Waterloo, the end of the line, as he had previously thought when he left the train. The platform is covered in even snow that is inches deep as if no-one had been on the platform in several days, except at the end of the platform he can see a square patch where 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, believing it suspicious that the two of them would end up in the middle of nowhere, says that 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 his aunt (Millie's mother) Rachael are going to see a pantomime of Peter Pan. Millie, having met the Eleventh Doctor before with Louie, decides that the Doctor may want to join them and calls him via the number he had given them, though she reaches voicemail and leaves a message. The Doctor, having received their message, meets them at the theatre. They notice that it is very quiet around and inside the building, and the only member of the staff is Big Jack, who 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, which is deadlock sealed and is housing the TARDIS. The group realises that the temperature has dropped inside the theatre, and then the lights go out. Outside the window, however, the Doctor can see that the lights are working on the street. After the chandelier above them breaks because of being weighed down by ice, Louie suddenly 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 up the tea urn, which he says will keep the room warm for a while. The Doctor and Millie leave to gather blankets, while the Doctor instructs Big Jack to turn on the emergency power. As Jack feels that something is watching him and something enters through the basement door behind him, Rachael hears a strange noise. The Doctor and Millie take some blankets and a fire extinguisher. Racheal, hearing the slithery noise, wedges a chair underneath 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 manages to catch Millie as she falls; Louie uses the sonic screwdriver on the door which will hopefully scare the alien away for a little while; and Jack collapses on the power switch, activating the generator and turning on the power, causing the creature to dislodge from his back. Millie and the Doctor deliver the blankets to Louie and the Doctor helps Jack into a chair, placing blankets around him. The Doctor studies the slime on Jack's jacket, saying that he has an idea to what it is 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 and reveals it is a newborn and sick Brakari. Being malnourished, she had latched herself onto Millie for more energy, acting on instinct. While they attempt to keep the Brakari alive and hope that the heat in the room will attrack the mother, Louie has fallen unconsious in the office and the Doctor must get his TARDIS. Though the room it resides in is deadlock sealed, Millie realises that he can sonic the screws on the hinges instead, and they rush back to the office to collect the screwdriver. However, outside the offce the adult Brakari approches. The Doctor speaks to the adult, telling her that he will have enough energy for her, her daughter, and Louie once he can reach the TARDIS. The Brakari relaxes, but she becomes angry again as she sees the baby, who is clearly near death. Big Jack volunteers himself as an energy donor to the baby while the Doctor can get to the TARDIS. The Doctor and Millie retrieve equipment out of the TARDIS which they use to revive the baby and Louie and save Jack. As Jack closes up the theatre and catches sight of the TARDIS and steps inside. The group then travel to release the Brakari in space.
Chapter 4: The Thaw
Jack, having finished his story, shows David a grab from the security footage of the theatre, which shows he, 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, several other photos he has falls out onto the table, including one of two happy brothers. He pauses at it before putting it back, and he and David finish their tea in silence.
Then, the girl with the red hair and the man in the porter's uniform come up to their table, giving the two men a tin of biscuits. Jack breaks the seal on the tin, but notices that someone had eaten all the jammy dodgers in the tin. The girl then 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 of the fact that 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 tried in The Doctor Dances. This time, it doesn't work.
Timeline
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External links
