Read Online Doctor Who: The Also People by Ben Aaronovitch - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ben Aaronovitch
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shoe to scratch a design in the sand, a couple of angular symbols like those on the beach-bar's table and an arrow pointing to the armour. 'God will spot that and send a drone to take your things back to the villa.'
He proffered her his arm. ' Sahamba ,' he said; let's go.
Roz turned her back on the armour and took the Doctor's arm. They started back down the beach.
' Wafunda isiXhosa ngapi ?'
'I was stuck in a prison and one of the prisoners taught me to speak it,' said the Doctor. 'He taught me a lot about patience too. And how sometimes being without power is a form of power.'
' Kwenzikani ?'
'He stayed in prison until the people who put him there finally broke down and started negotiating with him. He refused to be released until they acceded to his demands.'
'Did he win?'
'Yes and no,' said the Doctor. 'He got what he wanted but the price was high. He was absent from the weddings of his children and the funeral of his mother. All the rights, privileges and duties of a man were denied him. He found himself a stranger in a brave new world.'
'Was it worth it?'
'He thought so,' said the Doctor. 'Or at least he thought it was necessary. Somebody had to make that sacrifice, if only for the sake of the children.'
'Jeez, Doctor,' said Roz, 'sometimes you're a real fun guy to talk to.'
'And such a beautiful day for it too,' said the Doctor. ' Uphi uKhrisi leBeni ?'
'Benny was gone when I woke up,' said Roz. 'Chris was playing in the sea. Found himself a friend.'
'Oh yes,' said the Doctor. ' Intombazana perhaps? Pretty?'
'From what I could see.'
The Doctor laughed; it was a delightful, innocent sound. 'Oh, to be young and resilient again.'
'Slice,' said saRa!qava.
One of the floating loaves of bread instantly exploded into a shower of neatly edged slices. Roz flinched, the Doctor looked up curiously, Bernice carried on talking to saRa!qava. She'd already been through the exploding bread routine at breakfast. A cast-iron breadboard swooped off a shelf and intercepted the slices as they fell out of the air.
Chris was up on the lounge level playing a game with the older children and a young woman called Dep who had turned out to be saRa!qava's daughter. Her real biological daughter, mind you, not just a close cousin or some stranger who'd wandered into the household one day and never got around to leaving. If you overlooked the fact that Dep was a different colour, had independently mobile hair and a distinctively different elbow joint arrangement you could see they were related; something about the nose and mouth.
The breadboard made a soft landing on the kitchen table; it was followed in by a squadron of plates and a small flotilla of cutlery. The slices of just baked bread lined themselves up neatly and steamed gently. A butter jug waddled over on three stumpy legs and plumped itself down by the breadboard.
The Doctor nudged Bernice in the ribs. 'Disney would have loved this.'
'Just as long as the cutlery doesn't burst into song,' said Bernice. She looked at saRa!qava. 'I assume that House moves everything about?'
'Well, Mr Butter Jug is an old toy of Dep's,' said saRa!qava, 'but House does just about everything else. It's not too smart though.'
'Smart enough to lay the table correctly,' said Roz.
'Well, of course,' said saRa!qava. 'Otherwise what use would it be?'
'But not sentient?' asked Bernice.
For some reason this made saRa!qava laugh. 'Don't be silly. You wouldn't want a sentient machine running a house.'
'Why not?'
'Because it would get bored,' said the Doctor.
'Exactly,' said saRa!qava. 'It wouldn't be fair.'
Roz snorted and reached for a slice of bread. Mr Butter Jug waddled over towards her and tipped its lid expectantly. Roz glowered at the jug for a moment and then started spreading butter on her bread with small meticulous strokes of her knife. When she'd finished she handed the slice to the Doctor.
' Enkosi, Rozi ,' said the Doctor. Thank you, Roz.
Bernice blinked. In that simple
He proffered her his arm. ' Sahamba ,' he said; let's go.
Roz turned her back on the armour and took the Doctor's arm. They started back down the beach.
' Wafunda isiXhosa ngapi ?'
'I was stuck in a prison and one of the prisoners taught me to speak it,' said the Doctor. 'He taught me a lot about patience too. And how sometimes being without power is a form of power.'
' Kwenzikani ?'
'He stayed in prison until the people who put him there finally broke down and started negotiating with him. He refused to be released until they acceded to his demands.'
'Did he win?'
'Yes and no,' said the Doctor. 'He got what he wanted but the price was high. He was absent from the weddings of his children and the funeral of his mother. All the rights, privileges and duties of a man were denied him. He found himself a stranger in a brave new world.'
'Was it worth it?'
'He thought so,' said the Doctor. 'Or at least he thought it was necessary. Somebody had to make that sacrifice, if only for the sake of the children.'
'Jeez, Doctor,' said Roz, 'sometimes you're a real fun guy to talk to.'
'And such a beautiful day for it too,' said the Doctor. ' Uphi uKhrisi leBeni ?'
'Benny was gone when I woke up,' said Roz. 'Chris was playing in the sea. Found himself a friend.'
'Oh yes,' said the Doctor. ' Intombazana perhaps? Pretty?'
'From what I could see.'
The Doctor laughed; it was a delightful, innocent sound. 'Oh, to be young and resilient again.'
'Slice,' said saRa!qava.
One of the floating loaves of bread instantly exploded into a shower of neatly edged slices. Roz flinched, the Doctor looked up curiously, Bernice carried on talking to saRa!qava. She'd already been through the exploding bread routine at breakfast. A cast-iron breadboard swooped off a shelf and intercepted the slices as they fell out of the air.
Chris was up on the lounge level playing a game with the older children and a young woman called Dep who had turned out to be saRa!qava's daughter. Her real biological daughter, mind you, not just a close cousin or some stranger who'd wandered into the household one day and never got around to leaving. If you overlooked the fact that Dep was a different colour, had independently mobile hair and a distinctively different elbow joint arrangement you could see they were related; something about the nose and mouth.
The breadboard made a soft landing on the kitchen table; it was followed in by a squadron of plates and a small flotilla of cutlery. The slices of just baked bread lined themselves up neatly and steamed gently. A butter jug waddled over on three stumpy legs and plumped itself down by the breadboard.
The Doctor nudged Bernice in the ribs. 'Disney would have loved this.'
'Just as long as the cutlery doesn't burst into song,' said Bernice. She looked at saRa!qava. 'I assume that House moves everything about?'
'Well, Mr Butter Jug is an old toy of Dep's,' said saRa!qava, 'but House does just about everything else. It's not too smart though.'
'Smart enough to lay the table correctly,' said Roz.
'Well, of course,' said saRa!qava. 'Otherwise what use would it be?'
'But not sentient?' asked Bernice.
For some reason this made saRa!qava laugh. 'Don't be silly. You wouldn't want a sentient machine running a house.'
'Why not?'
'Because it would get bored,' said the Doctor.
'Exactly,' said saRa!qava. 'It wouldn't be fair.'
Roz snorted and reached for a slice of bread. Mr Butter Jug waddled over towards her and tipped its lid expectantly. Roz glowered at the jug for a moment and then started spreading butter on her bread with small meticulous strokes of her knife. When she'd finished she handed the slice to the Doctor.
' Enkosi, Rozi ,' said the Doctor. Thank you, Roz.
Bernice blinked. In that simple
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