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medication had been changed, was this a hallucination or just a very vivid dream? He felt lucid and completely aware of his surroundings, yet here were two people who looked like they had escaped from an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, talking with him whilst being ignored by the rest of the staff. As I have very little else in my diary, I am all ears.
    Wingu Kanzul looked puzzled and then he registered understanding as if he had just deciphered a piece of code. He nodded. “Your body has been so badly damaged that it cannot be repaired here and cannot function without these machines, so your life is about to be terminated. The healers have no idea that your mind is still healthy and functioning.”
    This much I know , Travis said irritably, mostly to hide his sudden fear of imminent death, so what’s your point?
    “Come with us, we can repair your body and make your life worthwhile again.” Travis considered this; his life had hardly been worthwhile before the accident. Even so, he had no wish to leave this life, especially in such an ignominious fashion.
    Who are you? He repeated.
    “I am Wingu Kanzul and…”
    No! Travis interrupted. I know your names, who are you? More to the point, what are you? Where did you dream up those kooky names? If my body is so badly damaged, how come we’re talking, and what is it you want with me? Who on Earth are ‘The Originals’? The questions, initially dammed up, burst forth in a sudden torrent. Wingu Kanzul waited patiently for the flow to ease.
    “We are scientists and we are offering you the chance to breathe clean air again, walk again and be free of these arcane machines.” he gestured dismissively at the array of medical equipment with a disparaging wave of his hand. “In short, to live again.”
    Is this some sort of new treatment? If you’re scientists, why aren’t you discussing this with the doctors? Even the nurse ignored you.
    “We chose for them not to see us.” The male replied simply.
    “This is getting us nowhere!” Xnuk Ek’s interjection was terse and irritable. “He cannot even comprehend the situation. Let us just take him now and you can debate later.”
    “No, he must come voluntarily.” Xnuk Ek’ looked sullen but acquiesced. The male appeared to be the superior, while the female played the part of the impatient apprentice.
     
    The drugs and dream theory played over Travis’ mind, then the sceptical salesman took over.
    If you have the technology to fix me up, what’s in it for you? This sort of treatment is not going to come cheap. I’m sure it’s not available on the NHS and I can’t afford to go private. The two visitors exchanged puzzled looks. Are you asking me to be some sort of guinea pig? Maybe I am having problems understanding as Shunech said - his pronunciation was atrocious and Xnuk Ek’s scowl took on a look of pure hatred - but you are not answering my questions, so just tell me simply what you are offering me and what you want in return .
    “As I said, we are scientists.” The male repeated as if talking to a child. “We are from a star system some one hundred light years from here. We are communicating because you have a natural telepathic ability that we can hear.” Wingu Kanzul paused for a moment.
    Continue . The scepticism in Travis cut through the air between them like a knife.
    “We want you to come with us. On the way home we will repair your body. It will be better than before the accident.”
    Don’t bullshit a bullshitter! This ain’t Star Trek, there ain’t no Warp Drive. Travis shot back. “Even I know interstellar travel is impossible in real life.”
    “What you say is true with your level of technology but we do have the technology to travel between stars. The journey will still take approximately fifty rotations of this planet.”
    Continue. What do I have that you want? - Travis was still sceptical. - There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
    “We are dying. Over two thousand years ago there was a