I made a road trip detour in Virginia City to see the second most haunted building in Nevada, the Old Washoe Club (although the first most haunted is not presently accessible to visitors, so really I saw the first most haunted & accessible building in Nevada). It was probably the seventh, nah eighth most haunted place I’ve experienced, which was sorta off-brand considering the whole Ghost Town! pitch. Anyway, the real wonder happened on the outskirts of town, with this row of knick-knacky parking spots next to a mine with zero public access. The whole set up made no sense.

And then there was the TARDIS.

I tried to explain the wonder and curiosity of it all to my nine-year-old, but she’s never known the Doctor and really wanted to stop at the barrel of candy shop. Blessedly, the inevitable conversation swirled around this question: “If you could travel in a Tardis, why would you go?”

Not where.

Not when.

Why?

Why would you elect to take a pic next to the thing without even bothering to open the door? Why does another time or place warrant your attention?

My daughter and I agreed we wouldn’t. Go. We liked the now that we experienced that day, with a bag of candy and miles and miles to chat. But I keep thinking about that Tardis. About the reason WHY we need to get away, especially kids. How sometimes that travel happens in a story, even if it’s just a flash, a blip, a breath. And that’s the Why I’m taking to the page today, as I try to sort through the nonsense and injustice of the world. We need to provide emotional  TARDIS for kids, or at the very least trap doors.