text: Lilly needed more medicine, in fact a better medicine that could save her dying mother, no twelve-year-old girl should watch cancer slowly take a woman from this earth. Many doctors from England and America had tried their best to save Ceilia’s life but time was running out and Lilly had to find another way. Most nights she’d pray for help. Kissing her sleeping mother goodbye, Lilly stepped out of their house and into a cold morning in London, the sky was as blue as her eyes and the sun shone its golden hue upon her face. One particular ray of light seemed to flicker like a beacon, beckoning her to follow its path. She paced forward, oblivious to everything else, she continued towards the ray of sunlight. Just before her foot stepped into the beam, she stopped and glanced all around her. There was nobody in sight, and she continued onwards, allowing the ray of light to swathe her entire body. And then. Like a magician saying hocus pocus. Lilly was gone. * For a split second Lilly was in complete darkness and utter silence, like she was floating in space. And then, she felt the familiar hardness of land beneath her feet in the form of cobbled pathing stones. This place didn’t look like earth. That was soon confirmed when she looked to the crimson sky and saw a violet sun and the clouds were orange too. In the distance beyond the purple haze, tall obelisks lined the horizon, and beyond those were even taller buildings like skyscrapers that she’d always wanted to visit in New York. Following the narrow cobbled pathway, she came upon a large courtyard where alien-looking Pedlars and Hawkers offered wares and goods to busy-bodies that were nothing like humankind. “Welcome... welcome I’m so glad you came,” said a thing, that was tall with long Langley legs and purple rubbery skin that had a face resembling a blobfish with eyes like coal. “Welcome to the galactic marketplace, I am Vweltar." “Where is this place and why am I here?” Asked Lilly. “You are here my dear because you have chosen to come. Welcome to the planet Belgorr. There is a lot of business to discuss, please follow me.” "No I must return home, my mother needs medication. Please... please send me home, I have to save her. I have come here by mistake." "All in good time my dear, but first please follow me." * Lilly followed Vweltar into the hall of the caucus, where a concourse of aliens was seated at a round table. The room fell silent as this earthly looking being approached the table. “My delegates please welcome Lilly from the planet earth,” announced Vweltar. A cacophony of chirps and crackles and squeals resembling the alien’s language made sense to Lilly, thanks to the universal translator that Vweltar had placed around her neck. They were all intrigued by her beauty and were asking if she was for sale. Vweltar intercepted their debates and stringently informed his delegates that no sale was taking place today. “Please tell me why I’m here?” Exclaimed Lilly. Vweltar jumped back in astonishment at the ferocious sound that had blasted towards him. And the aliens muted themselves as their gazes fixed on the little girl. A tall alien stood from his chair, his skin was satin black with the appearance of looking wet, his teeth were jagged like alabaster stalactites, and his fiery red eyes were compelling as Lilly couldn’t help but listen. “I am Zukar and you are among the Belgorrians of Belgorr. We have been watching your planet for quite some time and we must do a trade deal with the people of your planet.” “But what has this got to do with me?” Asked Lilly. “Vweltar I insist that you show me how to get home I must find a way to help my mum.” “Well that is why you are here Lilly,” replied Zukar. “It’s just not your mother you have to save, the entire existence of the human race depends on you.” * Lilly glanced at her wristwatch, according to it, she'd been gone for less than ten minutes. But it'd felt like a whole day, the purple sun had set just moments ago, yet, when she'd arrived it hadn't long risen. Was she a prisoner here? A slave to the Belgorrians. What could these monstrous creatures from outer space, want from earth? Vweltar took hold of her hand and led her off, she dug her heels in and further demanded answers. They fell silent as they watched a screaming girl get dragged away. "Where are you taking me?" Exclaimed Lilly, flailing her legs. "We are preparing you for the marketplace, where you'll participate in the galactic trade." "I don't want to, I have to go home." "That's precisely what you have to do," began Vweltar. "Return home to then arrive back here on Belgorr with something to trade, but make it good. Or, the Belgorrians will feast upon the inhabitants of your world." “Are you saying they’ll eat all the human beings?” “Yes.” “That means they’re gonna eat my mum and my brother! My entire family and friends!” “Lilly, follow the cobbled path in which you came and, when you get to the shimmering pool of light -- step into it and you’ll be home. But don’t forget to return in two days,” said Vweltar. * Humans was on the dinner menu, knowone of this world would believe her that humans was sought of as a delicacy -- a cuisine that couldn’t be untried, unless, she suddenly thought, a better dish of delight and flavour could sate the Belgorrians appetite. Were they just carnivores or just herbivores or a bit of both? she cussed herself for not asking. But what she did do was take a wild guess that they were raw flesh eaters and had never tried cooked meat with seasonings and spices. “They would like a stew with all the trimmings and flavourings possible,” Lilly said aloud, as she walked home. She’d made stew before, at school in her cooking lesson. The recipe was somewhere in her bedroom but, the one vital ingredient she didn’t have, only her grandmother knew how to make dumplings that was worth putting in a stew. Lilly jumped on her ten-speed and peddled as fast as her legs would go, bound for her grandmother’s home, she cussed at the slow-moving traffic as she weaved in and out of the cars and got blasted at by the horns of angry drivers. That didn’t phase her, she continued, if these drivers knew what was at stake, they’d thank her. Grandma was not home. “Where are you?” she frantically said, searching for the recipe book. Nothing in the kitchen draws, she moved on to the living room, nothing there either. Next she tried the dining room, no luck there either. She sprung over to the ottoman and pulled the lid up to a mass of books and sheets of paper, somewhere in that pile had to be the saviour of mankind. * On Lilly’s arrival back, Vweltar was eagerly waiting but disappointment became evident as she’d returned empty handed. She raised a reassuring hand to Vweltar’s countenance and then glanced over her shoulder. Appearing from out of the shimmering pool were cows -- a dozen of them, all pulling carts, loaded with vegetables. “In the name of Belgorria, what an earth is all this?” Expressed Vweltar. “I noticed at the galactic marketplace there is never any food to trade with the punters, well... in this instance, the aliens. So I’m gonna knock-up a feast that I hope will be to Zukar and the Belgorrians liking,” said Lilly. "I had to do a lot of groveling to the farmers to let me have all this for free." “You think that sustenance will be worth trading?” “When they see how good it is, they’ll learn that they don’t have to travel the universe eradicating all forms of life from planet to planet. "What are these creatures?" "They're cows." * All through the painstaking process of preparing the ingredients, Lilly's mind was still back on earth. What if her mother awakened and called her to find she wasn't there, what was she to do? But at least the nurse would be there to comfort her. With the help from some aliens known as the Ghelaks -- no doubt in Lilly's mind they were as savage as the Belgorrians -- they'd come close to devouring the cow and the other eleven that grazed in the field, but Lilly had kept them in order. "Vweltar, why are there so many different alien species residing on this planet?" Asked Lilly, inquisitively. "I thought you would have guessed by now. Belgorr is a trading outpost, it's the biggest marketplace in the universe. And you are now the fifth species to join." "I haven't joined anything Vweltar, I've been lured here against my will." "I was put in the same predicament when I was lured here. Zukar treats my people like fodder, we only breed now for that reason," said Vweltar. "I tried to make a trade but he declined." "What was your trade offer?" “Bloodvime, it’s the liquid that surrounds the land and flows through the tribituries, just like the oceans and rivers on your planet.” “That sounds disgusting, what would Zukar want with that?” “My planet is a living creature, it can replenish its bloodvime, it even has healing properties. But it turned out to be poisonous to them." * The contents within the large cauldron was simmering nicely, the pleasant smell that wafted from it began to draw a crowd around Lilly’s stall. “Come and try my space cuisine stew,” Lilly called. Sellers and buyers alike crowded around her cauldron, and watched as Lilly, stirred the beef chunks and the vegetables and dumplings. A Ghalek arrived and offered a trade for some stew. "What have you to trade with sir?" Asked Lilly. "I hear your mother is not well, a sip of this bloodvime will banish the evil that resides within her." Lilly grab the largest bowl she had and served the Ghalek a double portion, and took the canteen of bloodvime in exchange. "Before any trade can take place, I must try this space cuisine of yours, " said Zukar. Lilly proffered the steaming hot bowl to Zukar and to his delight from the pleasant aroma that filled his nostrils, he poured the lot down in one gulp. And then, like a train's chimney, he belched copious amounts of steam. "This is good, really good," said Zukar, nodding his head. "The people of your earth are no longer worth fodder to us. You must keep us in supply of your space cuisine. You can now make the trade." "Thank you Zukar. I have to return home first with the bloodvime, so my mother can be well again." "Well of course," he replied. * "Lilly, where are you taking me, I've only just got my strength back?" "I'm so glad you're alive and well mother, we have some cooking to do. And I think you won't mind where we have to go." "Where are we going?" "I won't spoil it but, it's a place you would've thought never existed."