The Way Back Home

The Way Back Home was a bedtime story written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. As described by the Fourteenth Doctor, the story was about "a small boy who travels to space and meets a special friend." (TV: )

History
On Planet Bedtime Stories, the Fourteenth Doctor told the story to an audience, after asking them where would they go if they had a spaceship (TV: )

Story
A boy found an aeroplane which he didn't remember in his cupboard, before taking it for a flight until he ran out of petrol and was stranded on the Moon. The boy was alone and afraid, his torch growing dim over time, but he was soon joined by a Martian who also got stranded on the Moon after his spaceship's engine broke down; before their eyes adjusted to the dark, they had feared what each other's voices could belong to.

Upon meeting, they realised they had nothing to fear and showed each other how they became stranded. After discussing how to get back to their homes, boy jumped down to Earth, landing in the sea and swimming back home for supplies. However, the boy tired upon reaching his destination, and rested in front of his television while eating a snack. After suddenly remembering about his friend, he headed outside with supplies and called to him, but got no response, so the boy travelled to higher ground to try again. The Martian heard him this time and threw down a rope for the boy to climb.

The boy repaired the Martian's ship with a spanner while the Martian refuelled his plane, and, before long, made their farewells — wondering if they would ever meet again — and travelled back home. Soon after, a parcel was delivered by a delivery man, containing a walkie-talkie so he and the Martian could continue to talk to each other. (TV: )