Challenge #01571-D110: Lost With a Blue Box

:When summing up recent events:
The tree does seem to be suspiciously friendly and sane for an ancient being or ancient artefact, let alone both in one. Even the only other vaguely sane ancient being, the balloon-jellyfish godling, wasn't this friendly until she was punched in the face a few times and given a pretty good Shut Up, Hannibal speech by a sapient brain tumor, and she doesn't seem to have been nearly as old.

...that was a weird sentence. -- RecklessPrudence

It wasn't every day that a companion went and rescued herself. And it was even less often that they turned up with allies. The Doctor looked over the motley crew. There was a brain in a tank/mecha body that seemed to be completely taken over by a tumour, a gigantic tree with a face, and a floating thing that looked like the unlikely progeny of a jellyfish and a dirigible.

"Well done, Holly," said the Doctor. "I know I warned you about wandering off, so... how...?" he circled a finger at the general assembly. "This station is millions of years old. None of them should be alive."

The tree creaked something that could have been words, but it seemed wont to hold Holly like some kind of treasured doll.

"I'll admit, the tree does seem to be suspiciously friendly and sane for an ancient being or ancient artefact, let alone both in one. Even the only other vaguely sane ancient being, the balloon-jellyfish godling, wasn't this friendly until she was punched in the face a few times and given a pretty good shut-up-you speech by the brain tumor, and she doesn't seem to have been nearly as old," reported Holly. "...that was a very weird sentence."

"You get used to things like that," the Doctor investigated the floating jellyfish, which seemed to be sulking. "You're really a god?"

"Kneel before me and pay homage!"

The brain in the mecha-tank hit her with a robotic appendage. "Play nice. You get homage on Thursdays."

"A rain of terror upon the newcomer!"

A small cloud formed above the Doctor's head, and one immature frog rained upon his head. The doctor rescued the poor little thing from his hair and cupped it in his hand with the light drizzle that also fell.

"It's a bit difficult to work miracles when you don't have worshippers," said the brain. "We pay homage to keep her alive, basically. Otherwise, it'd be me and the tree and that's not exactly the best conversation."

The jellyfish turned to Holly, still in the tree's limbs. "Now there are more! You shall be the mother of a new nation of the faithful! Be fruitful and multiply!"

"With him?" Holly gestured at the Doctor. "Get lost."

"...hey," said the Doctor.

"No offense, Doctor. You're definitely not my type."

The tree creaked happily as it hugged Holly.

"He says that he hopes you last longer than the last visitors," said the brain.

Ah. One of those places. People eking out an existence because of the vampire that had trapped them there. No doubt, that brain had been a complete and living person, once. The jellyfish wouldn't let them die.

And as for the tree... The Doctor couldn't scan it. His sonic screwdriver didn't do wood. But it was clearly very, very old. Possibly the last of its kind. "It was you, wasn't it? You were lonely and you invited things in. Anything would do... wouldn't it?"

The tree nodded, its happy mein fading as it put Holly down. This time, its creaking became a word. "Lonely."

The Doctor knew the pain of that word. "I'll see what I can do. For all of you."

[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / leon1]

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