ORIGINAL FICTION - 'THE LAIR OF THE KRAMPUS'

THE LAIR OF THE KRAMPUS

By Scott Weller

"Duchess, what have you stepped in this time?!" 

The young and confident face of former Able Seaman Ben Jackson looked towards his favourite 'Dolly Bird' time travelling compatriot and loyal friend Polly with a humorous facial dig as the equally young and attractive girl pulled the shoe fitted foot attached to her shapely left leg out from what looked like a giant black cowpat, literally located only a few inches away from the double door entrance to the newly materialised TARDIS, the time/space traversing vehicle shaped like a blue Metropolitan Police box of 1966, now standing out like a sore thumb behind her, nay a sore thumb lighthouse of sorts, what with the way its interior lights penetrated the darkness of the quiet forest of tall trees and mist of their surround-scape.

"That's the second time in weeks I've trodden in something," she replied with a derisive 'Yuk!' expression on her face from her unwanted penetration. "Just my luck." As quicky as she could she was using a handkerchief from her thin dark blue coat pocket to remove as much of the substance as she could from her, the bottom of and around one of the shoes of which she'd been most fond of from the TARDIS's vast wardrobe area.

"It could be worse, Pol," Ben continued. "You could be back in one of those lethal Mercury swamps on Vulcan." He gave her a more comforting look as he began helping her with his own thicker handkerchief, pulled from a far more sturdy and warmer brown, fur lined coat, in removing further sludge, before they both had no choice but to thrown their now disgusting-looking rags away.

"Did somebody say Vulcan?" said a happily bemused smaller third figure now coming out of the police box. The unique man, the eccentric and often beguiling time travelling alien known as the Doctor, was readying himself for his new environment, wearing a strangely out of place on his black mop-haired head, large stovepipe hat (which he'd become deeply fond of in recent times) whilst adorning an extravagant dark cloak, with striking gold metallic clip attachment, which flowed no matter how large or small the breeze was around him.  "Hmmm, not sure I want to go back there again, not after last time..." he continued with a serious but then duplicitous smile all to himself whilst making the final locking motions to the TARDIS that would now see them mark the beginning of their latest expeditionary adventure. This was the part the Doctor always liked, his friends could see it clearly on his almost child-like face. The thrill of a new world, new peoples, new cultures, and yes, potentially new dangers...

Polly was soon hugging herself as the eerie, stillness cold-wrapped itself around her once she'd  begun to properly compose herself to take in the new surroundings. The trees looked like they could be from Earth, as did the grass lands around going possibly up to some mountain hill sides, but who could say for sure. Ever since their whirlwind introduction to the Doctor on Earth in 1960's London, fighting the dreaded War Machines and the mind controlling Wotan computer terror co-ordinating their advances, Ben and Polly, thrust together after meeting up in the swinging area of Covent Garden's bustlingly fresh Inferno club, had been on five adventures with their 'Cosmic Hobo' in as many months, of which several worlds had seemed Earth-like before proving not to be. This could be another one of those times, she thought to herself, soon sharing her thoughts in words to comrade Ben as the trio began walking further out into the forest with more confidence, the Doctor now bracingly playing a few pips on his beloved blue striped recorder to break the very quiet atmosphere, whilst also bringing out any potential humans or alien life forms that might be in the area.

"Yes, it could be Earth, Polly," the Doctor said matter-of-factly yet comfortingly to the potential for his female friend, trying to look beyond the slight mist above him as he decided to give his cloak to her, placing it around her welcoming frame in true gentlemanly style, then put the middle finger of his right hand into the mild air above. "Yes, there's certainly a quality about Earth, its natural energies, its life... so unique in the universe."

No doubt about it, despite the altering of his whole physical appearance back in 1970's Earth at a time that his once elderly frame seemed dying, the Doctor had undergone an incredible rejuvenation process - making him an all-new man. In fact, it seemed like the Doctor, as much a mystery as ever, was now 'himself' again, but in a way which fascinated and scared his new companions in equal measure. And it had taken Ben a lot longer than Polly to adjust to this new personality, this new being, this 'Phoenix' in the TARDIS, from what they had been used to with the irascible, determined white-haired, Edwardian-clothed gentleman they had shared their early perilous journeys with. Ben had originally not wished to believe in the rejuvenation concept given to them by the 'new man', having thought the pixie-ish figure to be nothing more than a cheap imposter who may have taken away their own 'Doctor' for unknown reasons. Thankfully, after their first brutal battle with the dreaded metal monsters known as the Daleks, the Doctor's deadliest old enemies, Ben had soon seen the same resilience,strong, if at first erratic, thought processes, and overall heroism against such emotionless foes, that he would ultimately accept the newcomer, whilst also enjoying the loss of the previous Doctor's often sharpness towards the two new companions who had once stumbled into his vessel at precisely the wrong time.   

And now they were here, wherever it was. So far, the forest had remained still and uneventful but it wasn't more than twenty minutes into their walking that the trio soon felt that accustomed sensation that they were being watched or followed. The mist was rising to the north but so was an instinct that it was a place to avoid, the travellers instead deciding to go eastwards, proceeding through a woods that was going down a steeper area instead, as the Doctor further flipped an intriguing gold multi-layered coin into the air and made his decision as to where to go next, through another gap in approaching forestry that looked less dense and could lead towards what could be the sound of a river.

With the sound of breaking twigs behind them however, the ominous situation they feared was indeed a reality as, emergent from the mists, came a trio of strange dark hooded figures, wearing what looked like ornamental skeleton masks of some kind, ominously picking up speed towards them, two of the dark figures bearing sharp and glistening knifes, whilst the third pulled an equally shining silver sword from a belted scabbard located around their waistline and began baiting the strangers aggressively with them, clear moans of violent delight now being heard beneath their shadowed faces.

Art by Alister Pearson.

The Doctor huddled to his two friends, fearful of what was approaching, but clearly brewing some plan of action. He looked towards Ben, then, acting as one, looked to the ground beneath them. The Doctor turned to Polly, whispering through gritted teeth, "When I say 'Run', run like a rabbit!" She nodded her head fearfully whilst still watching the ominous new arrivals. In seconds they were almost upon the trio, clearly ready now to begin their murderous deeds when the Doctor high-pitched shouted "Run!" and Polly fled into the forest behind them, whilst the Doctor and Ben defensively grabbed a long and large piece of weighty broken tree trunk beneath them and hurled it upwards at the unawares three attackers, distracting them from their as-one attack. As the Doctor ran ahead to find Polly, losing his Stovepipe hat in the process, almost cartoon clownlike-looking with his harlequin trousered feet moving above the grass, Ben was about to join him when one of the three enemies, the sword figure, attacked. Still using the broken branch as the other two hoods broke off to chase the Doctor and Polly, Ben managed to snap some of the trunk off and use its weight as a weapon against the constant sword maneuver barrages against him - the enemy trying to find a way to break his valiant if unorthodox defence and deliver a mortal blow. And Ben was indeed fighting hard and fast, thankfully managing to block the enemy's sword arm away from him one last time, so as to deliver a well-positioned and well-timed left-handed punch that rammed into his opponent with a might 'thwok' sound resonating in the air that would surely have broken his attacker's jaw under the hood. But as the enemy collapsed to the floor, a new force arrived, this one atop a mighty black and white spotted steed, whose horse hoofs gracefully but swiftly, clopped through the forest towards its target. This new party, dressed in a red and gold crimson lined cloak, and wearing some kind of hideous-looking mask that wouldn't have been out of place in an Aztec blood sacrifice ceremony, would clearly have been too dangerous an opponent for Ben to take on on his own, only briefly attacking the ominous and confident rider with several swishes and swishes of his acquired sword against the enemy atop his horse. Clearly the agitated equine would give further distraction as Ben lunged backwards to run forwards and try to rejoin his friends. 

But Ben was sadly not to make it very far as the shot from a basic looking but nonetheless effective pistol rang through the valley behind him, of which the young sailor suddenly ceased running, hearing his own heavy heart beating followed by a massive throbbing pain in his head, building to a pressure point that saw the young sailor weakly clasping the bloodied left side of his face, realising he had taken a nasty hit. Quicker than he could imagine, Ben's vision went to black and he descended into unconsciousness, his body lopsidedly falling to its left side down a nearby pit where once a mighty oak had stood. Blood was seeping out of Ben's head as the ominous horse-backed figure checked his prone body from afar. Believing him to be dead, the blank face of the crimson devil made a mocking laugh, looked away after his few seconds confirmation, then made a vocal gesture to his horse, pulled the reins and charged into his pursuit of the Doctor and Polly. As the sound of the horse quietened to the background, Ben's body still lay inert. It was then that two pairs of dirtied hands belonging to barely visible figures garbed in cloths emerged from nearby ferns and suddenly tugged at the bottom of Ben's heels, determinedly dragging his body away from its once blood indented place and into a cluster of nearby bushes. 

Swiftly managing to rejoin Polly, the Doctor, upset that he had now lost his hat in the dangerous commotion, was clearly overwhelmed and exhausted by events. As a worried Polly, equally breathless, seeing that Ben hadn't appeared with him, asked what had happened, the concerned Doctor, equally worried and upset, had no choice but to push her forward. "We'll find him later, Polly, I promise." As she was readying to protest the decision, he shouted not with anger but with a frustration and sadness that was equal to hers. "But we have to get away from here, NOW!" Holding back tears of anger and sorrow, Polly was soon holding hands with the Doctor as they tried to increase their speed through the night environs. Then came the sound of a pistol breaking the air like a thunder crack and it seemed as if time suddenly stood still for the Doctor and Polly, as they, as one, came to the same terrifying thought that could have befallen Ben, of which Polly near sunk to the floor in the realisation that her friend in so many adventures was no longer with them, her mind awash with memories and feelings that had fused together within an overwhelming sense of grief and tragedy towards Ben, the friend she, they, had now lost...

And their pursuers had finally caught up with them, as well as the new sight to the remaining shadowed duo of the fast approaching, crimson-cloaked, equally masked figure on horseback. Knifes were raised by the grounded pair as the third, minus his sword, had one hand remaining clenched to a small pistol, clearly the man who had killed Ben. It was as the Doctor tried to shield a still emotionally distracted Polly from the menace that a major cry of mixed voices came as one from behind them, like a macabre banshee cry in the forest from the seeming dark tunnel between the mighty tree branches to which the pair had once headed. It was an eerie sight as a group of at least eight women, equally robed but in very tatty and dirtied gowns, rushed forward, all bearing their own kind of unique weapons against their enemy, all items that would be a familiar sight to any housewife: kitchen pans, small knives and larger utensils that could inflict pain if used properly, as well as sturdy-looking catapults shooting stones emanating swiftly from three clearly talented women who had stopped to fire as one against the Doctor and Polly's attackers, one of whom, now knife-less, was being pummeled the most and ultimately stabbed in the shoulder with a rusted sword by a grey haired women whose eyes clearly showed the fire of revenge. With a pistol shoot over their heads, five of the women charged forward and attacked the distracted enemy figures as best they could, several of them protecting Polly, whilst one headed for the surprised but delighted figure of the Doctor and gave him his own unique catapult and stones to use as he joined the other talented markswomen in advancing their spirited attack, and now with an infectious smile on his face at the battle, despite the danger. Two of the women, breaking off from the men, now tried to dismount the terrifyingly visaged crimson cloaked horseman, one of them even using their own very small, barely working pistol to ultimately little effect, but the dangerous figure soon kicked out with a retaliatory heavy boot that sent the now weapon-less woman screaming to the ground clutching her bruised face. It was then that Polly, filled with anger and emotional pain at her friend Ben's death, rushed forward during the commotion and fearlessly leapt upwards to grab the rider's arm, where she successfully knocked the pistol out of his hand, compelled by Ben's murder, as he now tried to send the horse into a head butt angle towards her. Polly only just ducked her head in time to avoid a serious injury as the crimson figure soon disappeared back to where he came, the horse beneath him sprinting with determined skill, almost as if he had come the depths of hell. Polly, unable to pursue the horse, soon rejoined the Doctor, but not before setting off an unsuccessful pistol shot at the rider - the weapon's firing pin now broken. The Doctor was shouting out his own personal war cry amongst the group, whilst the other surviving two figures beaten, bloodied and bruised retreated from the catapult attacks, they too ultimately disappearing into large bushes and ferns as their shapes blended into part of the distant landscape. From there, the forest was once more eerily quiet. It was then that the Doctor, no longer enthused by battle, held onto Polly as the onrush of emotions was released between them with the passing of their beloved Ben, watched by the mysterious women who clearly recognised and felt their own similar pain...

It was with sad and heavy hearts that the Doctor and a cold Polly quietly joined their quiet and determined new friends on their journey, embarking through the end of the forest as the first shards of dawn began to make their mark on the domain they were traversing. A large river was soon in view as the final bushes and trees gave way to reveal a striking and picturesque bridge leading to an even more picturesque realm of striking buildings and houses, all with a specific house style of pretty but formidable brick in an overall design that soon awakened Polly's memories. The stuff of remembered dreams this environment was, if only it wasn't so disturbingly quiet. Certainly the women saw the place as hostile, their body language and manner almost on a combat footing of sorts, the Doctor observed, as they all ran quickly from their final cover over the bridge and onto the paved cobblestone streets and pavements ahead. Good, the patrol was distracted on schedule, one of the hooded women could be overheard saying with anticipation, with no time for the Doctor and Polly to see the other sights around them as the group, with several women providing lookout cover front and behind, finally made it into the town. Yet even so, their tall leader whispered to all of them, with an air of natural command about her, to stay alert as they stuck to the side streets and side alleys, as small fires sent their smoke into certain areas of the city. The militia were indeed out in larger numbers tonight, the hooded leader figure said to another, who was clearly her lieutenant of some kind. It was then that Polly suddenly had a brain wave that shook her out of her memory malaise. "Now I recognise this place, Doctor." "Really?" the Doctor replied with fascination and eyes that showed eagerness to know more. "It's Switzerland!" Polly radiated excitedly. "The city of Bern. I came here three years ago on a family outing. And look at it now..." Polly surveyed around and upwards. "Hundreds of years ago. Smaller..." It was then that her voice became too loud for the others who soon 'sshheed' her within the shrouded darkness, almost as one, whilst breaking cover onto another cobbled street and rushed along the end of it, towards the edge of a boarded-up shop window. Darting under fresh cover, small then fast movements in and out of the shadows and corners, still with barely a whisper save the odd screeching and street scurrying rats heard from time to time around them that made Polly quietly eek with repulsion, the group, after a further twenty minutes of this 'shadow dancing', finally reached their destination, descending a briefly open door to the cellar of a boarded up public house, the stale smell of once alcoholic brews and smoke residue lingering in the air. As a massive wooden block was put across the only way in and out with their entrance, the stairs to the above, looking as if they had been prior closed off, led to a poorly lit area of an unknown environment heavily in darkness, lit only by several candles flickering, alongside some further scurrying shadows that could only be other members of the group. The Doctor and Polly sat down on several wooden beer barrels to assess their saviours as they revealed themselves properly, taking off their hoods, seeing to their injuries and removing their basic and well used weapons to a nearby table. Food was also offered to the duo, thick bread loaves buttered with even thicker cheese fillings, plus small glasses of wine and water which the Doctor especially enjoyed consuming after so much physical exertion and emotional worry. 

Indeed, as the Doctor and Polly had surmised, after once more thanking their rescuers for their bravery and kindness, these were all normal women - housewives, mothers, farmers, who had become such incredible Valkyrie types in what was clearly a time of dark dangers. Now, they were wary and exhausted, their faces lined with what was noticeably from a long time of worry and sorrow, but clearly they were determined to challenge whatever evil the TARDIS team had now been caught up in. The leader of the women introduced herself as Myta, whose shock-streaked grey hair flopped to one side struggled within a kind of rushed braid, whilst her visage equally matched that of her comrades as they tried to take stock of their situation and handed out more liquid refreshments and what fruit they had. But unlike the others, Myta's eyes also radiated compassion and inquisitive fire the most towards the new visitors, despite notably heavy responsibilities and emotionally devastating burdens that she was daily facing... 

Sitting down on wooden chairs, the travellers, relaxed as best they could be, began conferring with Myta, who, despite being uneasily surprised to be asked the current year by the Doctor (1544), depositing his large cloak on a nearby table, would soon relax enough to tell them of recent events, as two women from the group kept a trusty look-out on the above stairways and peeked from time-to-time through darkened shuttered window gaps onto the street. With the basement/cellar area now fallen into quiet, Myta began her horrendous and shocking tale, a series of events that would certainly chill Polly to the core, within a place that had been seemingly cut-off from the rest of the world. 

It began seven months earlier, after a wondrous Summer festival that had brought out the community spirit in all its radiance throughout the town. The people, and their families, were prosperous and happy, whilst the toiling nearby farming communities and administrators that made the area function were seemingly thriving. Then came an evil beyond anything they could understand, a visitation from which things would never be the same.There was no signs of portents, or ceremony, to its arrival, a force that literally just appeared as if from nowhere. At first, all seemed well. Despite the creature's ugly visage it seemed friendly and happy to be with us, even ingratiated to us, as it was introduced to the town in a special ceremony arranged by the Town's fascinated Mayor, to whom it was now decked out in colourful clothes to hide its ugliness (yet ultimately built on it instead), adding a revulsion that was hard to break from, especially with the local children who had become unnerved with its bizarre movements and unusual speech patterns as it adapted to our language. Despite such problems, Bern nevertheless welcomed the creature, our calling it the Krampus (a traditional name for the unknown), with open arms, of which it returned the kindness with unusual gifts for the populace and even some early demonstrations of an unusual power which it had to project light and fireworks in the sky. It wasn't long after that, however, that things began to change...

Soon enough, the Krampus showed the the ability to beguile then subtly, removing the town's leader and subordinates after making them promises of power and wonder, of dominion not just over the realm around them but the entire world if they complied and honoured its presence.  This was a being clearly not from their realm, whom, once he had killed their local governing body, soon seductively used the influential figure of Berne's most powerful land owner, Bodhan Novotny, an attractive, key figure of the farming community, a supplier of food, as well as the largest iron ore mining in the district, to work at its bidding. Novotny soon became its eager Major Domo in every way, operating in safety from his large country estate that was now almost an armoured fortress, and a place from which he'd create his own evil militia, fed with the dreams of golden avarice, to overwhelmingly take control and rule Bern through building fear, kidnapping men and women from their beds in the process and making their loved ones further subservient to their will. Yet some people did bravely resist the creature, its plans, and its brainwashed followers, but they'd soon pay the price for it, their efforts often foiled and the captured leaders burnt at the stake in front of a forcibly made-to-watch crowd of men, women and children, all crying as their friends, loved ones, died in agony and torment, whilst pistols and swords were held against the crowds backs. Some of the resistors would even be torn apart by the creature, its enormous strength belying its small frame, shattering bones, tearing limbs apart in front of them, all to the most blood curdling screams of joy at its murderous carnage, alongside mysterious supernatural powers - wielding strange energies that could turn people into dust in seconds. And things would worsen further a short time later, when more of the children started to mysteriously disappear from the town, never to be seen again, with no explanations as to their fate - a scenario that shocks the Doctor's face as hears this...

And so Bern has become a place of darkness, its people on the edge of deliberately managed starvation, as families cower in their silent homes terrified of what happens next should they ignore the creature and its plans. A resistance continues in these women but there have been reprisals, of which their own families have either lost loved ones, disappeared or been kept hostage, alongside the few who have tried to retreat from Bern, to little effect, ultimately kidnapped and taken away to Novotny's large estate, with many of his captives located in a massive stable complex area, from which the night air is littered with terrible lingering screams and the ongoing laughter of the creature working within it cave mining lair, from which its been said that the Krampus often 'eats' its selected prey whilst they are still living! With the community, what's left of it, and especially families with young children, facing ongoing terror and dread, the Doctor cannot help but feel saddened and angry with their plight, vowing with all his strength and knowledge, alongside Polly, the pale white knuckles of her left hand clutched near to her mouth in sadness and fear at the unfolding story, resolute to help. Building up his inner courage by doing so, the Doctor, adjusting his dirtied jacket and bow tie, looking towards these incredible women who have gone through so much in so short a nightmare time, swiftly pledges to defeat this menace once and for all...

With the excitement of the Doctor's commitment to help them resonating with the women, a coded knock from the above door soon has the sentry's checking out a visitor, whom they soon open up to, then just as quickly shut the door to. The figure turns out to be another of the heroic women, herself being aided by a colleague, carrying a barely conscious Ben down the stairs and placing him on an empty food table, his legs dangling over the side. As Polly ecstatically shouts her warm surprise, the Doctor, equally thrilled to see the young man, rushes forward to examine Ben. There was clearly blood across the right temple, but thankfully it would prove to be an ugly flesh wound that would heal over time, the bullet thankfully not finding its deadly mark, alongside a small breakage of the bone at the tip of his nose. Briefly attended to by two different women who'd clean Ben's face during the Doctor's examining of the rest of Ben's weary body, Polly, eager to be with the friend she once thought lost to her, soon happily takes over their duties as the women go on to follow the Doctor's instructions in creating a special sugary tonic that will strengthen him. As the Doctor opened Ben's eyes further, the sailor manages to regain consciousness enough to see him and Polly, and, despite early blurred vision blurred and slurring his words, soon improves when seeing his friends properly, all three soon cuddling each other in happiness at being reunited, the women around them almost in tears for them as Ben clutches Polly's hand and once again calls her his 'Duchess'!

After a few hours, Ben was catching up with everything that had happened, keen to help the women to liberate their town from the evil that had befallen it as much as the Doctor and Polly. Enjoying the Doctor's mystery tonic (who puts his finger enigmatically to his nose at Ben when asked what its main ingredients are), Polly tells Ben how she had been to Bern in 1965 with her family and then long-term boyfriend, one last chance to re-kindle their then dying romance amongst the picturesque locale. It's a scenario that certainly makes Ben a little grumpy, asking, "So what was he like then, this Pete?" Polly, knowing she has made her friend jealous, continues... "He was kind, friendly, enthusiastic and..." then going up close to Ben's face, so close in fact she can smell his fizzy drink breath, cheekily declares, "... he was nosy! Just like you!" before happily planting a small and cheekily significant kiss peck on his forehead whilst also adjusting his clean head bandage. Walking off with good humour to confer with one of the local women, Ben would look back at Polly with a positive glow. "So I've still got a chance then, Pol", he'd quietly say to himself, before heading off in his own direction to the Doctor, feeling equally blessed and with a spring in his step. 

Six hours after a risky but necessary reconnoiter of the area, the Doctor and four women companion/bodyguards had returned to the once bar/cafe, having seen the lavish but deadly mansion, accompanying stable area and boldly getting close to the mine. En route, the Doctor had also made a quick stop over at the TARDIS, only just avoiding armed Militia patrols who were thankfully distracted away from the mildly humming Blue Box by the quick thinking of one of his matronly companions, Elsa, smiling to himself, which had bought time for him to retrieve a bag containing an assortment of specialist tech needing assembling for their upcoming battle with the Krampus. He'd go on to take scan readings of the mansion, the adjoining stables and the mine entrance as far as he could get without potential capture, of which a strange and eerie pulsating light and sound could be heard from it, amongst the unnerving cries of humans somewhere deep within. And now, as he studied those collected readings, the results had proved most peculiar, as if some kind of temporal energy was in place, a tear in our universe, unleashing energy that this mysterious creature had been naturally tapping into somehow, of which the local mine perhaps had been adjusted into some kind of intersection point between the Krampus's realm and our own, as the Doctor told an intrigued Ben and Polly. His face was showing intense thought and intense worry, his voice more somber and throaty. " And its powers tapping into his realm are getting stronger, he could do incredible damage to the planet if he continues to build his energy network." Then he smiled, looking down at the mixture of devices that wouldn't look out of place in a junk yard. "But when I've got this little concoction I'm jury rigging togethee, then we'll be able to give it a shock it'll never forget." Polly and Ben looked concerned at what lay ahead not just for them but the brave women who'd sacrificed so much to fight back, who desperately needed a victory, to have their loved ones back. Once upon a time, in another life, another time, the Doctor would have tried to reason with the creature perhaps, before taking any considerable action, make it leave this world, this universe it had may have deliberately broken into. But it was clear that the monstrosity plaguing Bern and its people had no plans to leave or spare human lives with its ambitions - a scenario the rejuvenated Doctor knew would be the case. 

Now conferring with the women on the final stages of their attack plans on Novotny's mansion and stable, to take place at dusk, it's decided that Polly will lead that raid with a plucky middle aged woman called Steena (Novotny's former cook, readily sharpening her blade to the fullest) and her trio, with the Doctor, Ben and Myta, alongside another trio of fighters, lead the charge on the mine, and whom were now loading supplies and a variety of home made weapons into potato bags, including a special concoction of the Doctor's, in what he told Ben was the period equivalent of a "Molotov Cocktail!" 

It was in the loading of the weapons that Ben and Polly continued, at what had first been a humorous way, to notice that one of the youngest of the aged women, named Nora, had clearly taken a shine to the dishevelled form of the Doctor. The Doctor himself had recognised this unique attention that she had been giving towards him, how she was always there to help him (and had thrust the catapult into his hands at the first battle), almost like a guardian angel, and even finding his formerly lost Stovepipe hat which gave him great joy with its recovery- a joy not lost on his new appreciator. Clearly the Doctor knew that Nora was subtly infatuated and protective, and, not wanting to brush her off and clearly cause emotional problems, continued showing her polite, if restrained, kindness, as she again provided him with a trusty catapult and pebble stones. Myta would tell Ben and Polly that Nora was one of the first to lose her husband when the creature arrived, and that, despite her valiant resistance fighting, she'd been in deep shock and sadness for quite a while. In fact, her late husband, an older partner to her, bore similar looks and quirky manners of sorts to the Doctor, and that the newcomer had re-invigorated the woman in many ways, though also made her especially protective of him, as was so noticeable. It was a situation that the Doctor was not taking likely, and, though Myta was worried for her, Nora was not prepared to leave his side in the oncoming conflict, despite their briefly talking over the matter.   

And so the time had come, as small groups of nomadic resistance emerged from their secret places within the town to assist Myta, coordinating chaos so as to further distract the town Militia away from our travelling band of heroes, who, having prior rested and fed before the eve of battle, would head out into the dusky sky, the area around them as quiet and eerie as ever once they'd crossed the main bridge and entered the forest, more an ominous sight to Polly than when she'd see it as a tourist attraction four hundred years later. Now partially disguised with a washer women's shawl around him, which also covers the back pack of equipment ladled around his side, the Doctor and his team parts company with Polly and her assault force mid-way through the forest, fragments wishing each other the best of success, of which there are hugs and short tears with their partings. Turning back to give Polly a thumb's up gesture, Ben then follows it with a quick, perky salute of humorous fun so as to temporarily break the tension, before disappearing into his own anointed section of forest.

 

By the pre-arranged time of 3 a.m., on a small hill slope behind a section of bushes, the lack of night time wildlife and quiet around them fuels the danger that Polly and her team will soon be in. Nonetheless, they are surely but swiftly navigating stealthily towards the Novotny mansion via the stable, assembling at various entries, gaining access by quietly breaking door window panels and jamming the locks back. The ground level being empty, with only a few guards walking about or sitting down to enjoy a healthy fire, several of them filling their boredom happily with wine, are easily avoided or subdued by the small but effective force. Then, with hand on her heart as a calming gesture and looking at her time adjusted watch (a device which impresses Steena), Polly makes a silent wish of good luck to the Doctor and Ben, before beginning distraction chaos, gathering speed as she throws their versions of Molotov Cocktails and compact, lethally smelling smoke bombs and stink bombs from her bag wherever she goes, with determination, whilst capturing the mansion's occupants completely by surprise. Following her in spread out maneuvers that soon encompass the three levels of the mansion, Polly's comrades intensify their attack, chasing the enemy with all kinds of inventive weapons, their faces cemented in hatred, their mouths screaming anger like wailing banshee warriors once more, even as the enemy forces bring out additional manpower that had been laying about in the stables, having noticed the first intense flames searing from the building. Soon enough, with their swords and coshes raised, a most unusual but spirited battle would be joined. With one soldier in front of her felled by an arrow straight to his left eye, Polly quickly joins in the physical fighting against her opponents too, trying her best with the newly acquired sword from the fallen soldier. She manages to get several blocks with the heavy weapon against several older guards but ultimately has to retreat, but not before pulling down a heavy burgundy wall rug, now on fire, down upon them. In between bursts of conflict, including several of the household staff and Novotny's 'lady guests' (to put it politely!), Polly can't help but once again admire the formidable Bern women around her, fighting with more powerful acquired weapons, some firing pistols, found in a nearby drawer, at attacking or retreating targets, some eager shots ricocheting around the inferno as the mansion clearly begins physically faltering from the ongoing fire and structural damage. And its getting worse all the time. The sound of creaking floorboards breaking, twisted screams and the engulfing flames devour anything in their wake - stunning paintings, ornate chairs, delightful hand made ornaments, further generating destructive flames, with the smoke inhalation now proving too much as Polly holds on to by a resolute Steena, her colleagues, and many of the surviving enemy, not burnt to death or injured by collapsing heavy structural wood downpours, as they run away from the interior-collapsing environment as fast as they can, some of the wounded Militia now galloping desperately away on horse back, coughing and spluttering from the Mansion, which was now past the point of no return in its ongoing destruction. Escaping the near enveloping carnage, Polly soon assists her comrades in dragging out two injured, smoke inhaled friends, as well as now vulnerable houseguests and servants covered in soot and dust - they and the soon to be captured remaining Militia will surely face eventual judgement from the populace. Her face lit by yellow and red, Polly looks towards the blazing inferno from a fair distance, near collapsed on the ever-trimmed lawn, as she sees the windows screaming fire from their broken panes and wrecked patio doors, her mild wheezing and coughing out the fumes from her chest stopping as she helps reunite her comrades... 

The first battle had been riotously won, but, whilst trying to wipe away her own blackened frame, Polly knows that the second conflict, taking place right now at the mine cave, will be even more dangerous for her dear friends...

Having nervously entered the mine, with its eerie interior lighting (a kaleidoscope of flaring colours mixing and intermixing) and the previously heard strange alien sounds of an unnatural technology at work, the Doctor, fully equipped with his tech bag and having now discarded his prior hooded garb, has Ben acting as primary bodyguard behind him (despite Nora's clear anxiety at the decision), ready with a sword and a pouch of smoke bombs, as they beckon on their female comrades in descending towards an interconnected series of caves, and guided by the disconcerting noise that was now building in intensity. Several of the women pick up natural fire sticks attached to the cavern walls. It's then that the persistent cries of child prisoners can be heard from a not too far off point in the cave system, of which Ben, disturbed by what he's heard, breaks off from the Doctor and the main party, with two other women, to lead a rescue mission. The Doctor encourages this but forbids him the use of the Molotov Cocktails, out of the question in such a small area. 

Soon, the appalling site of the captured children is revealed to the arrived, deeply shocked Ben, who soon knocks out their whip-wielding lone jailer from behind, as he and the two women whose names he had forgotten in the commotion, begin the task of freeing the captured boys and girls, their faces starved, and their bodies bruised within what's left of their tattered clothes - obviously mining materials from the Krampus before their planned demises. As their liberation nears completion, of which the weakened children's screams and cries suddenly turn to hopeful joy alongside their enthusiasm to escape the evil they're caught up in, Ben keeps cover as the women begin leading the children out. But their luck may have run out, as the evil Novotny and his two surviving man servants suddenly appear, almost like phantoms, from a far corner alcove, heading towards Ben as the women take flight into another cave alcove with the last of the freed children. Seeing the opposition but keeping his fear in check, Ben condescendingly, boldly, shouts at them: "Brave enough to not wear your masks now, eh?", suddenly deciding to take a stand despite his inexperience in swordplay, but not before the ego-bruised Novotny recognises his face, betraying a momentary show of worry that the boy survived being shot, and promising to finally end the seaman's life once and for all. Though not before first teaching him some manners. "Oh yeah, mate, well start with this, then..." Ben says, defiantly, throwing an effectively distracting smoke bomb from his left hand with the skill of a cricketer, directly into the path of the rushing trio, the two man servants in front distractedly waving the pungent and stinging air around them as Ben lunges into them all, kicking Novotny in the chest reeling him to a far wall, whilst one manservant to his right is further felled with the handle end of Ben's sword, the left accomplice in violence himself then felled with a straight hard K.O. punch to the chin before he can target his small pistol properly. Now it's only Novotny left, his wits and strength recovered as he threateningly poses in attack, waving his sword at Ben before beginning his strategy. Their two swords clanging in locked readiness, the villain's seemingly stronger and heavier, Ben only just goes on to avoid two near-deadly sneak attack swings to his chest. Nonetheless, making the most of his physical training gained from the Navy, Ben thankfully gets the upper hand, making several physical moves of his own that bring the dishevelled Novotny behind his right leg, finally pushed on to his back, the sword kicked out of his hand as he tries to get to his knees, followed by a fast slash to the face from the tip of Ben's sword (and just in time, before the villain can reach for the knife in his right boot so as to stab upwards at his heroic opponent), and a dizzying punch that soon renders the vicious cad out for the count. Near collapsing himself from the physical exhaustion, and feeling some body bruising whilst leaning briefly against the cave wall, Ben realises he can't waste any more time to recover, that he must help the Doctor, rushing back to the corridor intersection point behind him, weapons ready. 

Peeking his head briefly around a cavern wall, watched by his female associates, the Doctor, retrieving his assembled hodge-podge equipment from a soon abandoned bag, realises that they have now reached the lair of the Krampus creature, once more adjusting his stringy bow tie in as brave-as-can-be readiness, then gently moving forth, the women converging on him defensively, Nora by his side, knowing that he could never have had such better bodyguards now. And then he sees it, the Krampus, its repulsive frame with its back to them. He briefly observes the creature's tending to some unusual machinery clearly bio-mechanical in origin, macabre in its intensity of inhuman creation and power, clearly working to tear some kind of portal into the fabric of our universe. Quick enough, however, the creature, as if it had eyes at the back of its head, swiftly turns around to reveal its full, grotesque parodying of a corrupted human being. The women, though brave, are slightly in terrified awe of it, the Doctor briefly at a loss for words too with its full appearance, before taking several defiant steps towards it, the monster staring back with contempt against its new human opponent.

"I should... have realised... that your despicable kind would have sent someone to find me", it says to the Doctor, its body acting in a kind of unusual, contorted defensive position as it spoke its echoing communicable words in a strange and unique way that nonetheless felt out of place when heard. "I know of you... but you will not stop my plans for this realm, this... Earth." Its sharp, ferocious jagged teeth now bore permanent drooling on the sides of its mouth as it spoke, whilst the huge bulbous eyes of hatred - pure darkness with no pupils, boiled over with all-consuming hatred. It hissed its repulsion at the human party, of which the Doctor was now surprised and shocked by its revelation towards him. 

The creature was surely the most disgusting human/alien creation that the Doctor had so far encountered, resembling an intergalactic Frankenstein patchwork mixed with the deformed (but worse) looks of Richard III, what with its unsettling body bent out of shape perpetually re-arranging itself for practicality and further defense, whilst wearing opulent and colourful gentry-type clothing that failed badly to make its frame and body language look normal. Adding further to the strange aura of the being was an askew black wig atop the revolting head, further adorned with an equally askew rounded hat. 

The Krampus was absorbing the proteins and energies of the youngest children, whose blood-curdling screams could be heard from the device, and had some natural connection to travelling the time and space corridor without the need of a TARDIS-like vessel. "You arrived here by accident, didn't you?" the Doctor sharply observed. "Some sort of cosmic interference, was it?" Another step forward to the creature. The Krampus responded with apprehension mixed with aggression. "I had to rejuvenate myself and solidify power so as to escape back to my point of origin..." it revealed, "My mission will continue," it stated chillingly. "Adults will not do for my absorption process but some of their electrical energies can still be absorbed in small doses. The little ones are much more... conducive... to me." His chilling words had truly shocked the women to the core of their being,

"You and your plans are an abhorrence to nature," the Doctor replied disgustedly, his voice darker, more sinister against the being. "You'll never succeed. I won't let you destroy them," he continued with that recognised quiet resonance and subtle conviction he bore. "You'll never feed on their children's energies again to power your obscenities." 

"Perhaps not, but your own powers will be... a perfect replacement!' the Krampus zealously declared, raising its right hand in a swift energy blast attack directly against the Doctor. The Doctor had had no time to react, too much talking and not acting fast enough were thoughts entering his mind in the briefest of seconds. He knew he was a dead man, but soon enough he found that the brutal attack had been deflected against him in the worst, saddest way possible. The quiet, noble Nora, who had shown such kindness and affection for him, was now collapsed on the floor in a heap of tragedy, her face and body singed with destructive energy, of which she had been brutally injured, taking a sacrificial blast to save him. As Myta and her comrades knelt down to help her, to tend to her weakened form, the wind knocked out of all their sails by the shock, the Doctor, never as furious as now, goes on the offensive at the Krampus with his fully revealed apparatus, hitting a selection of colourful switches on the device from which a clunky sound quickly, ferociously emanates strange pulses that manages to deflect not only a second energy attack from the Krampus's natural abilities, but turns its directed energies against it, fused and boosting it so as to internally destroy the creature, now swiftly disintegrating its shocked frame from the outside in, its face panicked, contorting in terror, before it swirls into the bio-mechanical machine it has created, the equally damaged machine itself unnaturally making its own terrifying imploding cries alongside the enveloped Krampus that also prove eerily revolting for the Doctor, now having dropped the no longer functioning device and joining his friends, collapsed to their knees on the hard floor, clasping their ears with the noise discomfort penetrating their ears and bodies. The creature had now near-fully merged with what was left of the machine, making an unnerving sight, their screams as one in that building cacophony, as the implosion reaches its peak, the Krampus making its final form of useless resistance before blinking out of existence with its device. But not before its final shocking words. "The Darkness..." it was starting to fully vanish "... will have... its revenge on you, Doctor - on all of you!" 

And then it was gone, its rasping, obscene face collapsed, its screams subsided alongside the other alien sounds, the final, utter destruction of terror. All was now silent in the cave as the Doctor picked himself up, weary and exhausted from the thankfully brief conflict. The mystified but uneasy Doctor had watched its disappearance with quiet concern, then came back to reality, coming to the aid of the group returned to Nora, joining them in comforting the dying woman as best he can for her final moments. Who, despite great pain and internal injuries, grasps his hand and beams a weak but content smile at his and their final victory over the creature, her eyes then glazing into non-existence. As the Doctor moves away, he is watched with surprise and sadness by the newly arrived, equally upset Ben and Polly, unaware of the quiet tear of solace he is now shedding as he walks further into the cave's darkness...

The previous frail, white-haired, mostly grumpy Doctor whom Ben and Polly had first begun their incredible adventures through time and space with had never been one for sentimentality as far as they had seen, but his new warmer persona was clearly more responsive to the special affection that had been given to him these past few days by Nora, even though it was an affection that he could never have ultimately responded to...

The multi-coloured lights of the cave have quietly subsided and the cave now needs its torches to navigate out from, as Ben, firstly offering his condolences on his colleagues true loss, helps with the twelve freed children now reunited with the women. Nora's once shy and happy life had been overshadowed by great tragedy, but her final bravery will be celebrated by the people, Myta tells him as Steena and one other take the covered body away. Polly, now feeling the after-effects of the battle, with a few bruises here and there, and her face and clothes covered in soot and debris, soon gets attention from Ben, once more helping to wipe the dirt off with another hankie. "Gotta keep my Duchess spick and spam, y'know", he tells her as they then delightedly share an affectionate hug before finally venturing back outside... into a brand new day for all of them.

The remaining technology of the Krampus deactivated and destroyed by the Doctor and Ben ("No one should ever find out about this site," he tells Ben, worriedly confiding in him that somehow the creature recognised him from his adventures in time and space), access to Novotny's mine is soon completely sealed in with explosives. Quick enough, the true spirit of friendship and community returns, the picturesque Alpine mountains and tree tops around it regain their standout beauty, the animals have gathered again, and the birds sing their enchanting melodies once more, as the pleasant yet majestic river flows bright blue as the beating natural heart of Bern. Normality has returned, with people emergent into the light shedding quiet tears yet standing tall in hope for the future from their colourful house exteriors. Now is the time for a final memoriam to all those prior lost to the Krampus, for them to be remembered and celebrated, including Nora, whom the Doctor and his friends especially recall at the ceremony for her bravery and kindness amongst the gathered community at the city's main square. As a thinly comprised child choir sings a haunting song familiar to the local people, there follows accompanying bells that ring out around Bern in perfect tribute to the resolute strength of those fallen.

The Krampus statue, as seen in Bern today!

As a warning to future generations of townspeople about the events that had transpired there, Bern's new leaders decide to erect what will ultimately become a grotesque statue, seen to be eating local children, commissioned to one of the town's most successful sculptors, whose talented services are normally put to use creating hallowed and respected art. This sculpture of the Krampus will prove the most important thing he will ever create. Placed in the centre of Berne, it will remind and inform anyone who sees it how such absolute evil had to be continually fought against. The first stage of the statue being shaped, the creature literally eating babies, ultimately unnerves Polly, who recalls seeing it in 1965, but without the warning inscriptions it once had, likely lost to entropy. It will have many people from around the world visiting the site in the hundreds of years ahead, but none ultimately viewing it as more than an eerie curiosity piece, not knowing the true reason for it being placed there...

At the start of a weekend of Liberation Day celebrations, the Doctor, giddy with excitement, rubs his hands in gleeful delight as the evening progresses, his childish enthusiasm once more enjoyed by Ben and Polly. "Oh, I do enjoy an exciting fireworks display, don't you?" he tells them as they look upwards towards the colourful fireworks displays exuberantly exploding above and around them for the festival. Having prior said their goodbyes, they then quietly slip away into the night as the men, women and children of Bern rejoice in dancing, singing and music playing - at being reunited once again, of which happier times are surely promised.

As the beginnings of a slightly blowy but not uncomfortable wind in the trees around them, our heroes are soon approaching the familiar sight of the TARDIS as their conversations continue. "Well, I'm glad it's all over, and that we won again," Ben tells them as the Doctor reaches for his key. "But let's get out of the realms of Hans Christian Anderson, shall we?" Polly agrees, but is amazed that the TARDIS would arrive at this critical point in time and space, and how, once again, she and the others had become a part of the history she'd later experience in 1965. She ponders the creature and the statue. "To me, it was just a weird but interesting boogey man from the past, from a festival to frighten children. But now we know the truth, don't we?" Finally at the TARDIS doors, Polly and Ben, with a serious air, promise to themselves that, should they ever get back to Earth in 1966, they will return to Berne and make sure that its people know once again the full story of this dark page from their now forgotten heritage, a wise decision that pleases the Doctor greatly...

Having forgotten his familiar Stovepipe hat back at the village, the Doctor is overjoyed to discover that the local women have returned it to the blue box, literally nailing its brim to the door, much to the comedic dismay of Ben: "It looks like that old thing is going to be a lot harder to get rid of after all.." as the Doctor takes the mild insult with provocative bemusement, placing the Stovepipe hat firmly back on his mop and nodding his chin in defiance, a move that his companions laugh to as they all happily pass through the TARDIS doors, of which, seconds later, the quirky vessel materialises back into the space/time realms from which it first came, powered with a regular wheezing/groaning familiarity...  

The End

This adventure is dedicated to Patrick Troughton, Anneke Wills and Michael Craze, who superbly took Doctor Who into an all-new direction from 1966...