All my life, I have prided myself on a better than average imagination.

Even my elementary school report cards were filled with comments from my teachers pointing out to my parents that:

“Doris has a very vivid imagination.”

However, unfortunately my vivid imagination has now been compromised, thanks to writer Stephen Moffat the brains behind the now successful Doctor Who and Sherlock BBC television series.

My undoing is thanks to his season five Doctor Who episode called…

“The Beast Below.”

My tale of woe begins about fifteen years ago, working the midnight shift at the post office.

A had a good friend that I worked with who shared my interest in science fiction. He also knew that I had a penchant for writing.

“I want you to write me a story…”

…he said to me one night during lunch break.

“What kind of story?”

…I asked him.

“I want it to be about a whale that flies in space, and I want you to call him Fuzzy.”

I was gob smacked to say the least.

However, in the interests of friendship and good conversation, I decided to give it a try.

For weeks, and then months, that is all he wanted to talk about. In fact, he was so keen on the idea that almost every day he would come up with a new idea or nuance to add to the story.

While listening to him explain his ideas, I brainstormed till my head hurt but unfortunately, it was all for naught.

I could not picture it.

My vivid imagination was failing me.

Eventually, I had to give him the bad news that I was unable to move forward with his story about Fuzzy, the space whale.

It just did I not seem plausible to me.

Now… Fast forward to about five years ago.

I was watching the Doctor Who episode from season five, which was Matt Smith’s first season as the eleventh Doctor. It was the second episode after he whisks Amelia Pond away the night before her wedding.

The episode was called… “The Beast Below.”

The episode revolves around a mystery about a spaceship that can travel through space with no propulsion engine.

Finally, come the closing scenes where the mystery is finally solved and the hero is made known. And the hero is…

Yes…

A flying whale.

Kudos to you Stephen Moffat, he who has put my vibrant vivid imagination to shame.

You’re imagination is apparently so much more vivid than mine.

But after all, you are the brainstorm to Doctor Who AND the Sherlock series.

Now looking back, I’m glad that it was you that outsmarted me and no one else.

And so, for now the game board stands at:

Doris’s Vivid Imagination: 0 Stephen Moffat’s Flying Whale: 1

But don’t get too confident dear Stephen.

In the words of one of my favourite overlooked heroes:

“I’ll get you next time my pretty….”