It was a normal day in the town of Mayberry. The birds were singing, people were smiling, children were playing, and everything was fine in this sleepy little city.
Nobody noticed when, out of nowhere, a blue box began to materialize out of thin air behind the county sheriff's department.
The machine appeared and disappeared a few times, making an odd revving noise a it did so. Once it materialized fully, a door on the side of the box opened and out came a man in a leather jacket, followed by a blonde girl in a Union-Jack shirt. "Ah, here we are, Rose!" said the man to the girl. "1964, Mayberry, USA. Wonderful town, if a bit small, but nice nonetheless. The people here are quite friendly. Overall, the place is really-" "Fantastic?" the girl finished for him. A grin spread across his face. "There's the word!" he exclaimed. "Fantastic!" The pair walked off, eager to explore the town and interact with the locals.
Meanwhile, Deputy Barney Fife was enjoying a quiet afternoon at his station in the Sheriff's Department of Mayberry. Until, that is, he heard an odd noise coming from the side of the building. He stopped what he was doing to listen as the noise seemed to get louder, then fade away, then get louder, and so on. The noise came to a stop, and Barney stood up and began to walk towards the window. He heard voices, and his hand automatically went to the gun that was strapped to his side. Of course, the gun wasn't loaded, but he felt more secure when he had it.
Barney carefully and quietly made his way around the side of the building, all while wielding his gun. When he got to the corner, he paused to listen. He didn't hear any voices, but he still couldn't be entirely sure. These law-breakin' types are sneaky, he thought. You never know when they'll be lyin' in wait, tryin' to pull something on ya. Well, I'm smarter then them, aren't I! They'll learn to fear the name Fearless Fife! The diligent deputy took a deep breath, then jumped out from around the corner to come face-to-face with-
A box.
A big, blue box stood in the middle of the alley. "What in the world...?" he wondered out loud. The box was about 7 feet tall, with small, translucent windows and two doors. Across the top scrawled the words "Police Public Call Box". Police? he thought. Andy didn't tell me we were gettin' something like this. Then again, Andy would have told him if he knew about this, wouldn't he?
Ever so slowly, he crept towards the box for a closer examination, his gun drawn all the while. When he was about a foot away, he paused. Taking a deep breath, he mustered his courage and rapped on the door with his fist. "Open up!" he called. "This is the law!" No one answered. Deputy Fife waited a moment, then tried again. "I said, Open up!" Once again, silence came from the box.
Barney decided that his next course of action would be to try and open the box. He tried the door, which was, of course, locked. No surprises there. He tried to break the lock, but to no avail. He tried picking the lock. Once again, he had no luck whatsoever. The door remained closed.
The good deputy was feeling slightly frustrated, but he knew that he was smarter than the crook that left this big wooden thing here in the first place. "Let's just see how wood holds up after this!" he said, going inside the Police Department in search of something heavy.
He returned shortly afterwards, carrying a crowbar in his hands. "This ought to do the trick!" he said. At first he tried to find a loose board that he could pry off, but his search came back dry. Nevertheless, he attempted to pry the door off its hinges. He grunted and groaned with the effort, but was unable to get any results. The door was as sturdy and stubborn as ever. "Darned thing just doesn't want to open," he muttered.
Fife's next method was to use the blunt end of the crowbar to smash his way into the box. He searched the box for weak spots, but, like before, he could not find any. Barney Fife, however, was just as stubborn as this box, and would do whatever he could to figure out what it was, why it was there, and who put it there. So, once again, he tried. Over and over, he hit the box with the crowbar, with the hope that the following blow would be successful.
Despite all of this, his efforts went in vain. The box stood there, completely unchanged by all of the deputy's efforts. By now, Barney Fife was extremely frustrated. This stupid, sturdy, stubborn box was giving him more trouble than other inanimate object before. Of course, to anyone else the blue box would seem completely harmless, totally innocent. Then again, Barney Fife wasn't your average person. No, he was the Bloodhound of the Law; he could smell trouble a mile away. And this box was trouble. It emitted trouble. It attracted trouble of all sorts. What kind of law-abiding deputy would he be if he just let this box sit?
By now, though, Deputy Barney "Fearless" Fife had had enough. He was spent; he was through; he was exhausted. So today- and only today, mind you- he would settle with writing a ticket. He filled out the note, placed it on the box, and went inside for some much-needed rest.
Several hours later, Sheriff Andy Taylor came back from a fishing trip with his son, Opie, to find Barney fast asleep in the chair. "Hey, Barney!" he called. Barney woke up with a start. "Andy!" he cried. "Come quick! There's a box out in the alley, and-" "What are you-" started Andy, but he was unable to finish as the deputy dragged him out of the building towards the site of that afternoon's activities. They came upon the scene of the "crime" only to find-
An empty alley. There was no blue Police Public Call Box sitting there. "What? But I thought- it couldn't have- they must have- it was here!" stuttered Barney. He tried to explain to Andy what had happened. "Barney," said Andy, "I think you might've let your imagination get away with ya'. You're sure this wasn't a dream you had?" "Positive!" exclaimed the indignant deputy. "It was right- aw, just forget it. I guess you're right, Andy. I was just so sure-" "Aw, don't worry about it," the sheriff told him.
"On a different matter, I met some nice folks down at the lake today," said Andy, changing the subject. "A man- he was a Doctor of some sort- and a girl. They were foreigners, too. British, I think. I invited them to the church picnic this Saturday. They might make it, they said, but they have a habit of bein' late." "Can't wait to meet them," said Barney idly...
Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Thanks for reading this little one-shot of mine! I'd really appreciate it if you'd please leave me a review, even if it's three words telling me if you liked it! I'd enjoy any feedback you can give me.
For those of you who haven't seen either of these amazing television shows (Doctor Who and Andy Griffith):
First of all, why are you here?
Second of all, you should check them out! They are both great for different reasons.
Thanks again for reading! God bless you, and have a good day!