Spookasem (short story)

Spookasem was the sixth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: A Christmas Treasury. It was written by Peter Anghelides. It featured the Seventh Doctor.

Summary
Melissa and her parents, Sandra and Jason, are at WendiWorld to celebrate Melissa's half birthday. Melissa makes a stuffed monkey come to life to amuse a small child.

Meanwhile, her parents (who are divorced) are arguing. Melissa chides them for it, and they head for the monorail. On the way, Melissa sees a strange man who she thinks looks like an adventurer.

Melissa's mum asks her what she'd like for her present, and that starts her parents arguing again. She animates a stuffed snake, scaring several park visitors. She and her parents are first in line for the monorail. On the ride, the toy animals come to life.

After the ride, they go to the Dragon's Maze. As Melissa runs through the maze, she can hear her parents arguing again. As she becomes more and more upset, she sees the strange man again. He says he's the Doctor, and she is being controlled by an alien sprite that was abandoned in this location hundreds of years ago. She doesn't believe him, but thinks she's in control. The serpent ride comes to life, threatening her parents' lives. With some effort, Melissa is able to take control and everything returns to normal.

Melissa's parents buy her a present, and she and her mother leave. Melissa notices her dad's sad face.

Characters

 * Seventh Doctor
 * Melissa
 * Sandra
 * Jason

Worldbuilding

 * Melissa has spaghetti and Diet Coke at the park.
 * Melissa's father thinks it's funny that her English teacher is Scottish.
 * "Spookasem" is an Afrikaans word for candy floss.

Continuity
to be added