MEMORIES | {1st - Stars Themselves Series}

Silence in The Library (1)

"Books. People never really stop loving books!" The Doctor exclaims as he grabs his coat "The Library. So big it doesn't need a name. Just a great big The. Fifty first century. By now you've got holovids, direct to brain downloads, fiction mist, but you need the smell. The smell of books, Poppy, Donna. Deep breath," Poppy can't contain her excitement as The Doctor opens the big wooden doors

"It's like a city," Donna says as they walk over to a balcony

"Of books!" Poppy exclaims, looking down onto roofs bellow

"It's a world. Literally, a world. The whole core of the planet is the index computer. Biggest hard drive ever. And up here, every book ever written. Whole continents of Jeffrey Archer, Bridget Jones, Monty Python's Big Red Book. Brand new editions, specially printed," He puts his finger up "We're near the equator, so this must be biographies. I love biographies,"

"Yeah, very you," Poppy winks

"Always a death at the end,"

"You need a good death. Without death, there'd only be comedies. Dying gives us size,"

"You can always make jokes out of death,"

"Ah yes, always the happier one," The Doctor tells Poppy as he takes a book from Donna " Way-a," Donna gives him a look

"Spoilers," Poppy tells her, already catching onto why The Doctor took the book

"What?"

"These books are from your future. You don't want to read ahead. Spoil all the surprises. Like peeking at the end,"

"Isn't travelling with you one big spoiler?"

"I try to keep you away from major plot developments. Which, to be honest, I seem to be very bad at, because you know what? This is the biggest library in the universe. So where is everyone? It's silent," The Doctor uses his screwdriver on a nearby information screen, bringing it online.

"The library?" Poppy asks, looking over the Doctor's shoulder "You are usually supposed to be quiet dear,"

"But not silent, the planet. It's the whole planet,"

"Maybe it's a Sunday,"

"No, I never land on Sundays. Sundays are boring,"

"Well, maybe everyone's really, really quiet," Donna says, referring to what Poppy said earlier

"Yeah, maybe. But they'd still show up on the system,"

"Doctor, why are we here? Really, why?"

"Oh, you know, just passing,"

"No, seriously. It was all let's hit the beach to cheer Poppy up, then suddenly we're in a library. Why?"

"Oi! I love books!"

"Now that's interesting,"

"What? Me liking books?"

"No, Scanning for life forms. If I do a scan looking for your basic humanoids. You know, your book readers, few limbs and a face, apart from us, I get nothing. Zippo, nada. See? Nobody home. But if I widen the parameters to any kind of life,"

The screen says 'Error 1,000,000,000,000 lifeform number capped at maximum record'.

"A million, million. Gives up after that. A million, million,"

"But there's nothing here. There's no one,"

"And not a sound. A million. million life forms, and silence in the library,"

"But there's no one here. There's just books. I mean, it's not the books, is it? I mean, it can't be the books, can it? I mean, books can't be alive," the trio make eye contact and each slowly reach for a book. A sudden voice makes them jump