What do aliens eat? Liam wondered, looking at his plate of carrots and peas.
"Grandpa," Liam asked, tugging on his grandpa's shirt. "Do aliens like carrots?"
Grandpa, who was reading a book about pirates, chuckled. "That's a good question, Liam! Maybe they like space carrots!"
Liam giggled. Space carrots! What would those look like? He decided to find out. He knew just the place to ask: the Magic Desert! Grandpa had told him stories about it.
"Grandpa, can we go to the Magic Desert? Please?" Liam pleaded.
Grandpa put down his book. "The Magic Desert? It's far away, Liam. We'd need a spaceship!"
Liam's eyes widened. "A spaceship! Like the one in my picture book?"
"Even better," Grandpa winked. He took a deep breath and blew into a small, silver ball he always carried in his pocket. It expanded with a loud POP!, becoming a giant, shiny spaceship!
Liam gasped. "Wow!"
They climbed inside, and Grandpa flipped a few switches. The spaceship whirred to life, and soon they were soaring through the sky, past fluffy white clouds, towards the Magic Desert.
When they landed, Liam couldn't believe his eyes. The desert was a sea of shimmering sand dunes that stretched as far as he could see. But the most amazing thing? The sand wasn't just plain brown. It shimmered with every color imaginable – pink, blue, green, even rainbow stripes!
Suddenly, the sand in front of them began to bubble and swirl. A giant, wobbly head popped out. It was purple with bright yellow spots and had one enormous eye in the middle.
"Greetings!" the head boomed, its voice deep and rumbly. "Welcome to the Magic Desert. I am Zorp."
Liam, a little scared at first, peeked out from behind Grandpa's leg. "Hi, Zorp. I'm Liam. Do you eat space carrots?"
Zorp let out a sound like a giggle. "Space carrots? No, little one. We eat color!"
"Color?" Liam repeated, confused.
Zorp nodded. "The Magic Desert's sand is special. Each color gives us different energy, just like your food gives you energy!" He pointed his eye at Liam's plate, which was still clutched in his hand. "Those orange carrots give you energy to run and jump, and those green peas help you grow big and strong."
Liam looked down at his plate, understanding dawning on his face. "So, eating good food is like eating colors?"
"Exactly!" Zorp boomed happily. Then, with a wiggle and a pop, he disappeared back into the sand.
Liam and Grandpa spent the rest of the day exploring the Magic Desert, marveling at the dazzling colors. Liam even saw a group of aliens having a picnic, snacking on bright pink sand dunes and drinking shimmering blue sand-smoothies.
As they flew back home in their spaceship, Liam, his tummy full from a dinner of chicken and broccoli, smiled up at Grandpa. “Grandpa, I think I’ll eat all my colors from now on!”
Grandpa laughed, giving Liam a big hug. “That’s my boy! Eating all your colors keeps you healthy and strong, just like the aliens in the Magic Desert.”
Liam snuggled into his grandpa, his head full of colorful sand dunes and friendly aliens. He couldn't wait to tell everyone at school about the importance of eating their colors!
