Winnie Is Not Okay

1.8

As if on cue to distract them, screams sounded from the theatre. The Doctor grinned now, "That's more like it!"

Then he took off towards the theatre and Rose and Winnie ran after him, as fast as they could in their costumes. They entered as everyone else fled and only the man on stage, one sickly-looking old lady in the audience and a blue entity flying through the room remained.

"Stay in your seats, I beg you", the performer shouted, "It's a lantern show. It's trickery."

They heard a police whistle outside but their eyes stayed on the blue ghost, evoking a "Fantastic" from the Doctor, of course, "Did you see where it came from?"

The Doctor ran on stage as the woman in the audience collapsed and an older man and young woman approached her. Winnie decided to stay close to the Doctor today, uninterested in death.

"Ah, the wag reveals himself, does he?", the performer scolds the Doctor, "I trust you're satisfied, sir! Impressed your young maiden."

He wildly gestured towards Winnie who had clutched his hand again, terrified of the ghost. Rose wasn't deterred at all, though, and went up to the two people in the audience who were carrying off the elderly woman, "Oi! Leave her alone! Doctor, I'll get them. Fred, watch out for yourself!"

"Be careful", the Doctor shouted after her but immediately turned back to the man, "Did it say anything? Can it speak? I'm the Doctor, by the way, this is Winifred, not my maiden."

"Doctor?", the stranger seemed appalled, "You look more like a navvy."

"What's wrong with this jumper?", he turned to Winnie and opened his jacket for her to inspect it.

"I don't think it's the jumper, at least not just the jumper, Doctor", she frowned.

The ghost disappeared into a light on the wall and the Doctor watched in awe, "Gas! It's made of gas!"

"Great. Let's go find Rose", Winnie pulled him out of the theatre.

"Rose", he called out.

"You're not escaping me, sir", the man followed them outside and held the Doctor by the shoulder, "What do you know about that hobgoblin, hm? Projection on glass, I suppose. Who put you up to it?"

"Yeah, mate. Not now, thanks", the Doctor shrugged him off and pulled Winnie into a nearby carriage, "Oi, you! Follow that hearse!"

"I can't do that, sir", the driver replied.

"Why not?"

"I'll tell you why not", the performer squeezed into the carriage with them, "I'll give you a very good reason why not. Because this is my coach."

"Well, get in, then. Move! Come on, you're losing them."

The door was closed, the whip cracked and the carriage was set in motion. Then, the driver spoke up again, "Everything in order, Mister Dickens?"

"No! It's not", Mister Dickens replied.

"Hold up", Winnie held the men to her left and right back, "Dickens?"

"Yes."

"Charles Dickens?", she continued.

"Yes."

"You're the Charles Dickens?", she was speechless now.

"Should I remove the gentleman for you to be alone with the lady, sir?"

Winnie scoffed at the driver, but the Doctor was undeterred from THE Charles Dickens, "Charles Dickens? You're brilliant, you are. Completely one hundred percent brilliant. I've read them all. Great Expectations, Oliver Twist and what's the other one, the one with the ghost?"