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February 28th, 1992

6 years old

Rose tottled up the ladder of a playground structure.

The ladder had huge gaps between rungs, and Rose struggled going up each one. There were twenty rungs on the wooden ladder, and it went straight to the sky. If Rose wanted to turn back, which she didn't, she was seven rungs to high to back down now.

She was supposed to be in the sandbox with her friend Mickey, but Rose wanted to go on the 'big kid' playground.

The ladder itself was rickety at best, dangerously put together at most. The wood had chipped, and cracked in multiple places, but Rose was convinced to climb this ladder, that this made her a 'big girl'.

Rose mom was happily chat away with the other parents, and Mickey was lookout for Rose.

A determined look etched on Rose's face as she went up another rung, this being the tenth rung.

"Need some help?" A voice intoned lightly behind Rose.

Rose held tightly to the rung closest to her, and looked behind her. A man with long, brown curls, and a Victorian outfit was smiling sweetly at her.

Rose shook her head, "I can do this." Rose said with firm resolution.

To prove her point she went up another rung, only this time she felt a bit sick by going higher.

"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should." He said indifferently, with wisdom that was clearly not shown upon his face.

Rose slowly climbed up two rungs, and said, "What'd ya mean, mister?" Rose questioned, looking at him with curious eyes and her head slightly cocked.

His smiled widened slightly and sweetly, and said, "My name is The Doctor, what's yours?"

"I'm Rose." Rose said, climbing up another three rungs, slowly but surely.

"Well, Rose,"The Doctor said, looking at her as she climbed three more rungs, one more from the top, "What I was trying to say is that you can do things, build a sandcastle or have a piece of candy, but sometimes all because you can do them, doesn't mean you should." He said, softly

Rose's eyebrows knit together, as she looked at the last rung with deep thought.

The Doctor's smile widened further at her concentration. "Why do you want to climb the ladder in the first place, Petal?"

Rose brushed off the nickname, and said, "All the big kids climb up this ladder at least once, to prove they're mat-tour." Rose eliberated with slight trouble on mature.

"The thing about being mat-tour," Teasing her lightly, the Doctor said, drawing her attention, "is your not a little kid anymore. Don't you like playing in the sandbox? Adventuring in the bushes? Big kids don't do that."

Rose thought hard, and said, "I don't wanna be mat-tour. I need help getting down."

Rose felt two hands on her back, and she immediately turned in his arms and held tightly to his neck.

He lowered her to the ground, and let go. He squatted next to her, looking at her eye to eye. "Well Petal, I have to go. Although, there is one thing I want to leave you with, one last piece of advice. Never be afraid to ask for help. Everyone needs help."

Rose cocked her head to the side, "Even you?"

The Doctor smiled widely, "Especially me."

He ruffled her hair, and walked of onto the street. Rose smiled in the direction he left, and waddled over to the sandbox.

She plunked herself inside the sandbox and smiled to her friend, "I wanna be a doctor, and help people."

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