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The Little Things (short story): Difference between revisions
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{{title dab away}} | {{title dab away}} | ||
{{real world}} | {{real world}} | ||
{{Infobox Story | {{Infobox Story SMW | ||
|series=[[Short Trips (series)#In print|Short Trips short stories]] | |series=[[Short Trips (series)#In print|Short Trips short stories]] | ||
|doctor=Fourth Doctor | |doctor = Fourth Doctor | ||
|featuring= First Doctor | |featuring= First Doctor | ||
|featuring2= Susan Foreman | |featuring2= Susan Foreman | ||
|companions=[[ | |companions = [[K9 Mark II]], [[Romana II]] | ||
|setting=[[St Albans]], [[England]], [[16 December]] [[1996]] and [[17 December]] [[1997]] | |setting=[[St Albans]], [[England]], [[16 December]] [[1996]] and [[17 December]] [[1997]] | ||
|writer= | |writer = Paul Beardsley | ||
|anthology= | |anthology = Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury | ||
|prev=Every Day (short story) | |release date = 30 December 2004 | ||
|prev = Every Day (short story) | |||
|next=UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce (short story) | |next=UNIT Christmas Parties: Christmas Truce (short story) | ||
}}'''''The Little Things''''' was the | }}'''''The Little Things''''' was the thirteenth short story in the [[Short Trips (series)|Short Trips]] anthology ''[[Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury]]''. It was written by [[Paul Beardsley]]. It featured the [[Fourth Doctor]], [[First Doctor]], [[Romana II]], [[K9 Mark II]] and [[Susan Foreman]]. | ||
== Summary == | == Summary == | ||
The Doctor receives a message that the TARDIS [[shell room]] is full. This is strange because he never uses it. He checks the exterior of the TARDIS — still a [[police box]]. He and Romana check the shell room and discover that the last shape the TARDIS took before becoming a police box was a [[post box]]. Inside is a Christmas card; someone thought the fake post box was a real one. | The [[Fourth Doctor]] receives a message that [[The Doctor's TARDIS|the TARDIS]] [[shell room]] is full. This is strange because he never uses it. He checks the exterior of the TARDIS — still a [[police box]]. He and [[Romana II|Romana]] check the shell room and discover that the last shape the TARDIS took before becoming a police box was a [[post box]]. Inside is a Christmas card; someone thought the fake post box was a real one. | ||
The Doctor decides that it is important that this card, which is now about four hundred years old, be delivered to its intended recipient, [[Helen Thompson]], who the Doctor remembers became a noted biologist. Since the card is too old, they will have to make a facsimile. | The Doctor decides that it is important that this card, which is now about four hundred years old, be delivered to its intended recipient, [[Helen Thompson]], who the Doctor remembers became a noted biologist. Since the card is too old, they will have to make a facsimile. | ||
The Doctor remembers that in his first incarnation he and his granddaughter visited 1990s Britain, with the TARDIS disguised as a post box. He gets K9 to confirm the date based on a comet that the Doctor remembers. The Doctor and Romana head for 1996 and shop for a card. The Doctor uses a [[chrono-historical stress gauge]] to determine the timeline deviation, which is 1.377. After they post the card and the mail is collected, the reading climbs to 1.401. They retrieve the card, after having to avoid police scrutiny, and K9 confirms that there was also a comet in 1997 Britain, so they head there. After posting the card, the gauge jumps to 27.999. Romana notices that the Doctor had dropped another letter, so they repost it, and the reading returns to 1.377. Romana reads the instructions for the stress gauge and performs a hard reset, and the gauge now reads zero. Suddenly the Doctor remembers that the famous biologist is actually named Helen Thomson, ''without'' a "p". | The Doctor remembers that in his [[First Doctor|first incarnation]], he and [[Susan Foreman|his granddaughter]] visited 1990s Britain, with the TARDIS disguised as a post box. He gets K9 to confirm the date based on a comet that the Doctor remembers. The Doctor and Romana head for 1996 and shop for a card. The Doctor uses a [[chrono-historical stress gauge]] to determine the timeline deviation, which is 1.377. After they post the card and the mail is collected, the reading climbs to 1.401. They retrieve the card, after having to avoid police scrutiny, and K9 confirms that there was also a comet in 1997 Britain, so they head there. After posting the card, the gauge jumps to 27.999. Romana notices that the Doctor had dropped another letter, so they repost it, and the reading returns to 1.377. Romana reads the instructions for the stress gauge and performs a hard reset, and the gauge now reads zero. Suddenly the Doctor remembers that the famous biologist is actually named [[Helen Thomson]], ''without'' a "p". | ||
Helen | Helen Thopmson receives a Christmas card. She is old and lonely, with all of her friends and family having died, but receiving a card from someone she worked with forty years ago means a lot to her. | ||
== Characters == | == Characters == | ||
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* [[Helen Thompson]] | * [[Helen Thompson]] | ||
== | == Worldbuilding == | ||
* [[Comet]] [[Hyakutake]] was visible in Britain from [[March]] to [[June]] of [[1996]]. Comet [[Hale-Bopp]] was visible in [[April]] 1997. | * [[Comet]] [[Hyakutake]] was visible in Britain from [[March]] to [[June]] of [[1996]]. Comet [[Hale-Bopp]] was visible in [[April]] 1997. | ||
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* The First Doctor mentions to Susan that [[England]] now has a decimal currency system. ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'') | * The First Doctor mentions to Susan that [[England]] now has a decimal currency system. ([[TV]]: ''[[An Unearthly Child (TV story)|An Unearthly Child]]'') | ||
{{ST prose}} | |||
{{TitleSort}} | {{TitleSort}} | ||
[[Category:Fourth Doctor short stories]] | [[Category:Fourth Doctor short stories]] | ||
[[Category:K9 short stories]] | [[Category:K9 short stories]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury short stories]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set at Christmas]] | [[Category:Stories set at Christmas]] | ||
[[Category:Stories set in London]] | [[Category:Stories set in London]] | ||
