drop, but the desire for food made it forget all danger. It rolled itself off the table, fell through space and finally hit the floor. The bump temporarily stunned its nervous system, but it had no bones to break. After a moment’s pause it raised its head and sniffed again. It wriggled as fast as it could go to the source of the food smells—a hole in the skirting board. Something with four legs ran across the floor and went into the hole. The maggot watched, fascinated, and ravenously hungry. But instinct told it not to move. It remained absolutely still, despite the gnawing pangs of hunger in its digestive system. Then a little head looked out from the hole. Tiny eyes regarded the inert maggot, and whiskers twitched.
Cautiously the mouse came forward on tip-toes, watching and sniffing as it approached the huge object lying still on the floor. It was, the mouse thought, something that could be eaten, for it too was hungry. The mouse went up to the face of the maggot, and then the maggot struck. Its jaws opened and the mouse was killed instantly.
The maggot wriggled about the floor in happiness. During all its existence inside the egg it had lived on liquid. Now, inside it, was flesh, and the sensation was wonderful.
The maggot remained in this happy state for two hours. But then hunger returned. This time the need for food was even greater than before. And it knew what it wanted—living meat. It wriggled over to the door and sniffed. Suddenly it was frantic, because the air waves coming under the door brought the smell of large amounts of living flesh.
The maggot methodically started to gnaw a hole through the door.
The Doctor walked the Brigadier to the local inn where the Brigadier was going to spend the night.
‘Sure you wouldn’t prefer to stay with us at the Nut Hatch?’ asked the Doctor, as they strode through the village in the bright moonlight.
‘Long hair and wooden beads aren’t quite my scene,’ said the Brigadier. ‘By the way, UNIT will be arriving in force tomorrow.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘Perhaps,’ said the Brigadier with a smile, ‘I feel lonely without Sergeant Benton. Good night, Doctor.’ The Brigadier went into the inn, leaving the Doctor puzzled.
The Doctor returned to the Wholeweal Community house and found almost everyone gone to bed except Jo. She was in the living room, curled up in an armchair reading a huge old book about the peoples of the Amazon.
‘Isn’t it time you went to bed?’ the Doctor asked.
‘I’m going to read on for a bit,’ she said, without looking up.
The Doctor regarded her. ‘Very interesting, is it?’
She nodded, still reading. ‘Cliff gave it to me.’
‘Cliff?’
‘Professor Jones.’
‘You seem to be getting very friendly with him.’
She nodded again, still reading, and this time didn’t answer.
‘The TARDIS came up trumps,’ said the Doctor, trying to get her interested. ‘I got to Metebelis Three, you know.’
‘So you mentioned over dinner.’
‘Did I?’ He drew from his pocket the beautiful blue sapphire. ‘I got this from there. Like to see it?’
She glanced at the precious stone. ‘Great,’ she said, and turned back to the book. ‘Well, goodnight, Doctor.’
The Doctor had never known Jo to be like this before. In their many travels together they had always been very close. No one had come between them. He turned away, to go up to the little room Nancy had allocated to him. As he entered the hall he met Professor Jones who was making for the living room. The young professor seemed slightly embarrassed to see the Doctor.
‘On your way to bed?’ asked Professor Jones.
‘I was ,’ said the Doctor truthfully, ‘but since you’re still up, I wonder if we could talk about this so-called virus.’
The professor hesitated. ‘Well... ‘
Jo’s voice called from the living room. ‘Cliff?’
‘If you’ll excuse me a moment,’ said Professor Jones. He popped his head round the door of the living room.
Cautiously the mouse came forward on tip-toes, watching and sniffing as it approached the huge object lying still on the floor. It was, the mouse thought, something that could be eaten, for it too was hungry. The mouse went up to the face of the maggot, and then the maggot struck. Its jaws opened and the mouse was killed instantly.
The maggot wriggled about the floor in happiness. During all its existence inside the egg it had lived on liquid. Now, inside it, was flesh, and the sensation was wonderful.
The maggot remained in this happy state for two hours. But then hunger returned. This time the need for food was even greater than before. And it knew what it wanted—living meat. It wriggled over to the door and sniffed. Suddenly it was frantic, because the air waves coming under the door brought the smell of large amounts of living flesh.
The maggot methodically started to gnaw a hole through the door.
The Doctor walked the Brigadier to the local inn where the Brigadier was going to spend the night.
‘Sure you wouldn’t prefer to stay with us at the Nut Hatch?’ asked the Doctor, as they strode through the village in the bright moonlight.
‘Long hair and wooden beads aren’t quite my scene,’ said the Brigadier. ‘By the way, UNIT will be arriving in force tomorrow.’
‘Whatever for?’
‘Perhaps,’ said the Brigadier with a smile, ‘I feel lonely without Sergeant Benton. Good night, Doctor.’ The Brigadier went into the inn, leaving the Doctor puzzled.
The Doctor returned to the Wholeweal Community house and found almost everyone gone to bed except Jo. She was in the living room, curled up in an armchair reading a huge old book about the peoples of the Amazon.
‘Isn’t it time you went to bed?’ the Doctor asked.
‘I’m going to read on for a bit,’ she said, without looking up.
The Doctor regarded her. ‘Very interesting, is it?’
She nodded, still reading. ‘Cliff gave it to me.’
‘Cliff?’
‘Professor Jones.’
‘You seem to be getting very friendly with him.’
She nodded again, still reading, and this time didn’t answer.
‘The TARDIS came up trumps,’ said the Doctor, trying to get her interested. ‘I got to Metebelis Three, you know.’
‘So you mentioned over dinner.’
‘Did I?’ He drew from his pocket the beautiful blue sapphire. ‘I got this from there. Like to see it?’
She glanced at the precious stone. ‘Great,’ she said, and turned back to the book. ‘Well, goodnight, Doctor.’
The Doctor had never known Jo to be like this before. In their many travels together they had always been very close. No one had come between them. He turned away, to go up to the little room Nancy had allocated to him. As he entered the hall he met Professor Jones who was making for the living room. The young professor seemed slightly embarrassed to see the Doctor.
‘On your way to bed?’ asked Professor Jones.
‘I was ,’ said the Doctor truthfully, ‘but since you’re still up, I wonder if we could talk about this so-called virus.’
The professor hesitated. ‘Well... ‘
Jo’s voice called from the living room. ‘Cliff?’
‘If you’ll excuse me a moment,’ said Professor Jones. He popped his head round the door of the living room.
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