Whitby is an absolutely fantastic location for stories of just about any kind from horror to romance through science fiction. If I had my way I’d set a heck of a lot more stories there. It has everything. The Dracula connection with the ruined abbey and the old churchyard at the top of the cliff, the Captain Cook connection with the memorial on the other cliff, a town inbetween that is still largely unspoilt and a sea-faring tradition as well. Having included a Dracula theme in the very first Marion and Kristoph story, it was almost inevitable that I would have to bring the two lovers there.

Marion and Kristoph’s visit to Whitby turns the relationship up several notches. Not only do they acknowledge their affection for each other, but by the end of the two stories, Kristoph has revealed his full secret. He starts over breakfast by showing off his powers of mind-reading, and realising that Marion needs to be brought into his secret carefully. He gets it wrong the first time, and scares her. After that, it has to be slow and delicate going.

The vigil on the hill sets up one theme which will always go through these stories. A love of sunsets and sunrises. This was something that my friend Prue was putting into her Ninth Doctor stories at the same time, and I made sure that Chrístõ in the Theta Sigma tales also stopped to watch a sunset from time to time.

Marion’s thoughts about Kristoph, the story woven in her head about him being a former criminal who had done a terrible deed and had atoned for it, was a way of padding the story out a little, but it also became a way of ensuring that Marion’s reaction to his revelation was much easier the second time. After all, an alien is surely less frightening than a murderer?

Robin Hood’s Bay, where the second part of the story finishes up, is a place with some personal history for me. My parents went there on their honeymoon and I remember seeing photographs of it in the family album from an early age. And that’s the only reason why it got into the story. It is a fantastic setting for that last part of Kristoph’s revelation, though.

And now Marion knows the truth, and they have acknowledged their love. I could have called it a day there. The Human woman and the alien man have sealed their own fates. But by now there was a fan base growing for Marion and Kristoph and I had to go on!

http://www.whitby.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitby

http://www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood%27s_Bay