The Shape of the Hole (short story)

The Shape of the Hole was the first story in the Bernice Summerfield anthology A Life of Surprises. It was written by Paul Cornell.

Plot
A year after deciding that she would try to find "him", Benny again leaves Peter, Keith and Rebecca with Jason, whom she has remarried, although she feels guilty for doing so. She has thus far had no luck locating him, with Braxiatel, in the wine cellars of an Old Earth monastery, telling her that he had no brother nor did he currently employ anybody.

Because of her failed attempts, Benny came to search for his grave instead. She found graves reportedly belonging to him on Earth, Olleril, Artaris, Kyrol and Quiescia, but all of them were empty. This time, she has heard a story about how he came to a planet and helped establish a world government, returning over the years to help with various crises before his visits came to an end. The people of the planet cannot agree when the visits stopped, nor where his grave is. Benny finds a tumulus without an inscription and finds it empty. His grave will, she realises, always be empty.

Characters

 * Bernice Summerfield
 * Irving Braxiatel
 * Jason Kane
 * Peter Summerfield
 * Keith Branigan Kane-Summerfield
 * Rebecca Kane-Summerfield

Continuity

 * One of the ways Benny thinks the Doctor might appear is being found in a safe. He once did exactly that, though not to her. (AUDIO: Thin Ice)
 * This Benny has remarried Jason and has three children: Peter, (PROSE: The Glass Prison) Keith and Rebecca. (PROSE: Return of the Living Dad etc.)
 * Benny finds the Doctor's grave on Earth, Olleril, (PROSE: Tragedy Day) Artaris, (AUDIO: Excelis Dawns, The Plague Herds of Excelis) Kyrol (COMIC: Children of the Revolution) and Quiescia. (PROSE: Alien Bodies)