"Cadfael!" The Wanderer had to call his name several times to get the Benedictine monk's attention. Cadfael stirred and looked at Hugh, lying upon the floor.
"Put Giles in the chair, over there." The Wanderer indicated the rocking chair in the far corner of the control room. He was frantically entereing co-ordinates into the console, and he muttered many unintelligble words and incantations to himself.
"I knew I shouldn't have disabled the fast recall switch." The Wanderer finally exclaimed. "Anyway, we should be on our way." The central column of the console started moving up and down, and there was a strange groaning sound.
"What is going on?" asked Brother Cadfael finally. "Who are you, I almost doubt that you are not a sorcerer."
"As I said Brother Cadfael, I am but a humble traveller, who happens to able to travel further than you can comprehend."
Hugh chose this moment to come back to conciousness.
"Where is this place?" he asked, steading himself on the console.
"In my TARDIS." said the Wanderer, "Yes it is bigger on the inside than the outside, now with that over with, I should explain more about where we are going."
"Aye, " said Hugh, "I would like to know, you say we are traveling?"
"Yes to meet another friend, who can help to save your son from the scorpion poison." was the reply. "Only.."
"Well, tell us." said Brother Cadfael, as he touched the rocking chair almost to anchor himself in reality.
"He lives in the early years of the 21st century." said the Wanderer calmly.
Cadfael's eyebrows shot up, and Hugh gave a cough of incredulity.
"And we are arriving now." as the Wanderer finished his sentence, the central column stopped moving up and down. He pushed another switch, and a part of the wall opened showing a darkened hallway of what appears to be, to modern eyes, a medical clinic.
"There we are , just where we left, right old friend?" the Wanderer patted the console affectionately. "Now please do bet prepared for a shock, we are visiting the year 2007 A.D. and we are 6700 miles from Shrewsbury to the west, in what has become the country of Mexico. Please just follow me and try not to ask too many questions, because I cannot tell you much."
Cadfael just shrugged his shoulders, and Hugh nodded in agreement. Hugh then picked up Giles as the Wanderer opened the door of the TARDIS, allowing them out into the hallway. Hugh looked behind him as the door closed, and was once again amazed that the huge control room could fit inside the small Coca-Cola vending machine.
Just then a short man came running up, and exclaimed, "I heard the TARDIS, my friend, what brings you back.." the wide friendly smile soon faded as he took in the somewhat tragic scene.
"The boy was stung by a bark scorpion that hid in my backpack on our last expedition to the desert, my friend." the Wanderer said tersely, and he pointed to the men.
"Brother Cadfael, Hugh Beringar, this is Doctor Javier Hernandez, the foremost expert on bark scorpion envenomation in this or any other century. He can help Giles, so we should wait in the TARDIS."
"we may have a problem, Wanderer, I used almost the last dose of scorpion anti-venin on a small girl who came in earlier today, we only have two vials left."
"No problem, I can synthesize as much as you need in the TARDIS." was the reply.
Hugh handed off Giles to Dr. Hernandez, and Brother Cadfael escorted him into the TARDIS. The Wanderer returned some moments later carrying a vial in his hand.
"Giles is holding on ,we got him here just in time." he said as he dashed through the other door of the control room. He stuck his head back inside, and said, "Well, who wants the 2 credit tour?" The two men from the 12th century followed the Wanderer down a corridor, up a flight of stairs, through a door that led into a Japanese Zen stone garden, out another door, and across the hall to the laboratory.
The Wanderer quickly poured the anti-venin in to a machine that shortly synthezied some more anti-venin for Giles. While this was happening, Hugh asked.
"So where are you from?"
"Gallifrey." was the reply.
"And where is that?"
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning." was the answer as a buzzer went off, startling Cadfael. The Wanderer reached into the machine and pulled out 6 vials of anti -venin, and rushed out again. Hugh and Cadfael followed, and when they got to the door, the Wanderer said,
"Hugh, Giles is doing well enough for you to see him, now some of what the Doctor is doing may seem strange, so please do not panic. Remember, you are 873 years in the future." the Wanderer headed off down the hallway. After a few yards, Hugh heard the sound of Giles laughing. The group entered the room to see Dr. Hernandez making goofy faces to entertain the small boy. Hugh was overjoyed to see the child, who had been so ill a few hours ago, laughing and smiling.
"Is the boy safe to travel now?" asked the Wanderer.
"He should be, you got him here just in time." said Dr. Hernandez. He removed the I.V. from the boy's arm and bandaged that small wound. Giles reached out for his father's arms, and Hugh effusively thanked Dr. Hernandez.
Cadfael watched the reunion with pride, and turned to the Wanderer.
"So once again you take a dark day and make it bright again."
"It's a gift." said the Wanderer humbly, shrugging his shoulders. Hugh headed out the door and headed for the TARDIS. A few hours later, Hugh's wife Aline was startled to hear a wheezing, groaning sound in her backyard. Sub-Prior Robert had come looking for Brother Cadfael, and they both headed out into the yard, just in time to see the TARDIS materialize out of thin air. The door popped open and Hugh came out caryying Giles who had fallen asleep. Brother Cadfael soon followed, followed by the Wanderer, who turned and locked the door. Sub-Prior Robert, to his credit was not flustered by this, and asked,
"Brother Cadfael, where have you been?"
"The future." was the enigmatic reply. "We have solved the murder of the man in the woods, and Hugh's child was harmed by the same entity, so Hugh and Planetes helped me to use some herbs to cure the child."
"Of course, Brother, we must return to the priory. It is almost time for evening devotions." With that , Robert turned around, and almost fled the house.
Aline was just ovejoyed as well at the health of her son, and invited the Wanderer to stay for dinner.
"No fair lady , I must go for I have other places to go."
"Where are you headed next? asked Cadfael.
"Well," said the Wanderer, "To quote an author from the future of your planet,
'The Road goes ever ever on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it with weary feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet.
And wither then? I cannot say.' "
With that, the Wanderer entered the TARDIS, and once again the groaning wheezing sound filled the air, and the TARDIS faded away, like a summer daydream.
With thanks to J.R.R. Tolkien for the poem and the inspiration for an ever traveling Wanderer..
