The Mysterious Traveling Market

Chapter 1 - The Old Curiosity Ship

"The universe is a curious place full of unlikely things. I know because I am one of them."

In a vast field of stars some seem displaced, askew from where they should be, as if a force is disrupting them, like a boat making little ripples as it slowly passes through water. As it comes closer there is the faint outline of the large object causing this effect. If it wasn't moving at all it would be invisible, but as it comes closer it's apparent that it's some kind of vessel, which somehow reflects everything it passes in front of.

As the picture zooms out further it become obvious that this is the view from a screen and that a grey haired older man is watching it intently. Farther away from the initial image and it is revealed that he is not alone. A woman of Indian origins in her twenties is watching with him, trying to see what he is pointing out. They are beside a console of unusual controls in a room that is both full of high and low technology, of Victorian decor and otherworldly elements.

"Doctor," she says referring to the older man, "I'm still not seeing it. I mean I know I'm seeing something, but I'm not quite sure what it is."

"Well, that is because you see, you observe, but you have no idea what could cause such an anomaly. Is it natural, is it supernatural, or is it man made? Well since I don't believe in ghosts, at least not the dearly departed dead kind, and since there is more in the universe than what narrow–minded man has come up with, I know exactly what I am looking at. I just never expected to see it."

"Now that's left me even more confused than when we started. Is that your idea of a simple explanation?"

"Don't rush me. I'm getting there. Let me enjoy the sense of mystery (or maybe it's just confusion) on your face for a moment. This is a myth I've been chasing the rumors of for some time, until I was convinced it wasn't real myself."

"Well you can't expect to keep me in suspense for much longer, because you've now admitted you know exactly what it is and are just playing silly buggers by not telling me."

"Spoil sport! It is – as you would have undoubtedly have fathomed eventually – an interstellar market selling it's wares. A very advanced and unusual one at that."

"You do love knowing more than someone else a little too much."

"But not as much as being able to explain in great detail what other people do not know."

"So, how is that a market? When I think of markets I think of stalls set up on Sunday mornings to sell over–ripe fruit, badly sewn clothes and dubious gadgets that break after a week."

"That's the type! Well not exactly the same type. Think of this as more like the Grand Bazaar of ancient Cairo, or the Souks of Marrakech, with haggling vendors selling their spoils from far flung traders. Yet this isn't a place to offload dodgy goods from the back of a lorry. This is the repository of the best curiosities of the galaxy, and their wares are as near to magic as technology can reproduce."

"Shopping? You're taking me shopping? That's really sweet of you, as it's the last thing many men want to do with a woman, but I'm not any woman, and didn't travel millions of miles with you to pick up a few plastic baubles. A giant almost invisible space craft just for that?"

"Well. That was not the reaction I was hoping for, but I'll just have to wait until we actually arrive for you to fully appreciate what we've encountered. Trust me, you'll like it."

"I'm still working out how far to trust you, but this time I'll take your word for it. Let's take a look then. Let me see if you can impress me."

His eyebrow raises in reaction. A challenge has been given that the Doctor intends to prove himself equal to. He turns a dial and pulls a lever, which is followed by unearthly whooshing sound and the feeling of a landing that jolts him and his companion for a moment until they gain their footing.