The Church of Saint Sebastian (short story)

The Church of Saint Sebastian was the ninth short story in the Short Trips anthology Short Trips: The History of Christmas. It was written by Stacey Smith? and featured the Fifth Doctor and Nyssa.

Summary
The Doctor and Nyssa are visiting a tribe of gypsies in Lebanon, on the last Christmas Eve of the twelfth century. A gypsy girl, Ioanna, tells Nyssa that on the last Christmas Eve of every century, the dead appear to those responsible for their deaths. They appear in the church, to which the villagers refuse to allow the gypsies admittance. Ioanna blames herself for her mother's death, so she wishes to attend the church service. The Doctor believes aliens are the source of the manifestations.

The Doctor talks to the village leader, Zick, trying to convince him to let the gypsies attend the service, but Zick refuses. Nyssa and Ioanna, however, sneak into the church during this diversion; Ioanna sees her mother, and Nyssa sees her father. Outside the church, villagers and gypsies fight; during the fight Zick shoves the Doctor and he lands inside the church. Suddenly there are more manifestations, many of which are not human — they are the deaths for which the Doctor is responsible. The villagers and gypsies unite in blaming the Doctor and Nyssa, and burn the church to the ground while Nyssa and the Doctor escape.

Back in the TARDIS, the Doctor explains to Nyssa that among the deaths he saw were the deaths he will cause in the future — including the villagers and gypsies, who will die in the fire they started.

Characters

 * Fifth Doctor
 * Nyssa
 * Ioanna
 * Zick
 * Braughie

Worldbuilding

 * The Doctor performs magic tricks to distract Zick.
 * Nyssa sees an apparition of her father.

Continuity
to be added