The tranquil atmosphere of the forest was suddenly broken by a loud scream. A few minutes later, four frantic figures burst through the clearing, sprinting toward a blue police box.

There was a loud roar from somewhere deeper in the woods, along with the unmistakable sounds of something very large giving chase.

It had started out as an unusually pleasant day. This time the Doctor had landed them in an apparently uninhabited forest. The weather was mild, everything seemed so calm and quiet, and at Susan's insistence they had decided that they might as well take some time to relax.

Ian had been wary at first. While the girls were exclaiming over some local fauna (a thing that looked like a weird cross between a hare and a deer), he was quietly waiting for the inevitable adventure. Any minute, they would be captured by angry locals, or something would explode, or somebody would get sick, or they would be separated from the TARDIS…it was unavoidable. Wherever they went, trouble was sure to occur.

But it never did. He voiced his concerns to the Doctor who simply told him to lighten up. And after about an hour, Ian did. A quick exploration of the woods led them to a shallow river under tall alien trees. Instead of getting involved in an interplanetary conspiracy, they had a picnic.

It was a meal that could best be described as "assorted", because they were limited to whatever was in the fridge. Later, it was Barbara who suggested they go for a swim. The Doctor had declined to join them, being content to sit and write in his journal.

The water was clear enough that they could see the colourful fish swimming around their feet. They spent hours splashing around, making up games and exploring the river. Ian teased Barbara with a seven-legged starfish, and Susan insisted that she had developed a psychological connection with an otter and couldn't it come with them?

When the sun began to set, they said goodbye to the otter and made their way back to the TARDIS. Halfway back, they realized they were being followed.

Now they were huddled around the ship as the thing drew closer. Susan clung tightly to Barbara, while the Doctor frantically searched his pockets for the key.

The key was gone.

And the monster was upon them.

It lumbered across the clearing surprisingly quickly. Nine feet tall. A raptor-like head with rows of sharp teeth. Long, pillar-like arms that reached the ground with six long claws. A long, whip-like tail tipped with spikes. They braced themselves as it drew near and raised a hairy paw…

…and tipped its tiny bowler hat in greeting.

"Hello there! Apologies for startling you, but I believe you dropped this key on the riverbed. Thought you might be wanting it."