The crowd was waiting patiently in the heat and sweat. It was summer, and the organizers hadn't even thought about this. The stage was set, and the crowd was awaiting the grand entry of the participants of the ‘Master Chef of Your Dream 2080’. The year had brought in lots of competition, and many experienced chefs and upcoming young, talented chefs had participated.

This year’s contest was different. The rules were already displayed on a big display stand for all to see. The crowd was here to see the participants compete on that special, newly added rule. The chefs had to use an exceptional ingredient in their recipe that was not available on their planet.

Oh! Did I forget to mention that this was an inter-planet competition between Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and our Earth? All fans and foodies from all four planets were there cheering their favourite chef.

Nitinimo was ready with her pots and pans. All her ingredients were in place, but one. The special one. The name feels different, right? Nitinimo! Well, her father was from Earth. His name was Nitin, and her mother was a Martian called Nimo. It was a love marriage, they say. Nitinimo had taken after her father and became a chef.

The one ingredient that was missing from Nitinimo’s list was a plant from Mars. It was her mother’s secret ingredient in all her cooking. Nitin had used it to make all his dishes special and delectable. How she wishes she could use it today. She was sure to win today’s competition and get the coveted trophy of ‘Master Chef of Your Dream 2080’. It was her dream. She had waited all her life to qualify and reach the finals.

“The competition will start in 2 hours. How do I get that special ingredient, Maurito, from Mars?”. 

Nitinimo thought, “I can zoop up to Mars and get the plant.”

"Yeah, right,"  said Nutro. Her assistant, Nutro, was just as uninterested in cooking as any student is in doing homework. Nitinimo got her Zoopie bike out, and as she just set out to fly, she said to Nutro, “Keep a watch, Nutro. I will be back in an hour, alright.”

Now Nitinimo had been to Mars just once when she was a little girl. A big question was where to find Maurito on Mars. She closed her eyes and dialled her father’s number. Her father, Nitin, did not pick up her call.

“I will find it myself,"  Nitinimo said aloud as if to give herself strength. Her voice was steady. She was brave, and she knew it.

She started with the high Martin market. She visited every shop, but no one had it. One shopkeeper, who was as old as planet Earth herself, advised Nitinimo to look for it in the old Mars mountains. 

“You are likely to find it there, dear; it is all dried up now. It had become rare, and no one dares to use it now. It is as expensive as the diamonds on Earth.”. 

“Thank you, sir; I will go there to find it.’

Time was slow on Mars. So she had to rush. She reached a long stretch of road that turned into a maze. A big maze. Like the one she had seen on Earth when she visited the fair. She was quick and agile when she was little. She had entered the maze and had come out first in a minute, before all the other kids. She was not sure about it now. 

She said a small prayer and entered the maze to find her way towards Maurito. It was said that Maurito was a medicinal herb used in cooking and by the doctors on Mars to treat patients. It was so delicious and used so much that it was now declared extinct.

As she moved ahead slowly, she felt a shiver all over her. It was becoming colder, and daylight was slowly coming to an end. She knew that the sun only gave half of its light to Mars. Mars was a dark planet. Cold, dark, and dry. Nitin had moved to Earth with Nimo just because of this reason. They loved Earth, and so did Nitinimo.

Here back on Earth, Nutro was getting anxious. The competition was on, and soon they would call out Nitinimo’s name. What will he say? He prayed that the competition would stall and Nitinimo would get enough time to return and use her special ingredient. He was angry too. Why couldn't she just use Cardamon from Jupiter, Cinamon that came in every month from Saturn, or even the red string spice that came from Venus?

The other chefs were ready with their dishes. They were relaxing with their assistants. Some were enjoying all the attention they were getting from the media. Only one cabin was empty, and that was Nitinimo’s. Soon the organizers would come looking for her. He had made all preparations, but it was she who would have to finish the cooking and present it. The judges would not accept the assistant to be a chef now, would they?

Back on Mars, moving through the maze, Nitinimo reached the end. It was still dark, but she could see through her nightgoggles that came with the Zoopie bike. She was between a lot of trees. She could sense the trees, plants, and the night-blooming flowers. They had a lot of these at home when she was a kid. Her mom’s hobby was Mars gardening. It stopped when her mother passed away. 

She then sensed something. Something she had known all her life. The known fragrance as if coming from her dad’s kitchen. A small plant with beautiful red flowers caught her attention. It was the Maurito plant. She looked around. There were other plants and flowers, but Maurito was the only one. She remembered what the shopkeeper had said. It was on the edge of being extinct.

Nitinimo gently touched the plant. It was warm and moved a little as she touched it. It was like a small baby that knows a mother’s touch. It felt like the plant recognized her.

“Hello there, Maurito. How are you? You remember my mom, right? She loved you. You made our food delicious. I miss you back on Earth. What happened to you? They say there are only a few of you left. Is that correct, Maurito?”

Nitinimo spoke to the pant as if it were a long-lost friend. She plucked it delicately and kept it in her jacket pocket. Now she had to return to her bike. It was just a question of a few minutes. Her Zoopie bike could take her back to Earth in no time. She could almost feel the trophy in her hands.

She returned to Martin Market and met with the shopkeeper. He was sitting there in his dark shop. A subtle, knowing smile spread across his lips. He nodded to her.

“Thank you, sir, for letting me know about it and helping me find it.”

She zooped back to Earth hurriedly. There were no cheers, no media, no crowd waiting for her. She did not go to the ‘Master Chef of Your Dream 2080’ event venue. She directly landed her Zoopie in her mother's garden. She slowly slipped her hand into her pocket and delicately removed Maurito. She kissed it sweetly and planted it in a cozy corner of the garden.

As she stood there looking at the plant, her dad noticed her and came out. He looked at Maurito and smiled at her. A silent thank you and I love you were exchanged between them. Nitinimo returned to her room while Nitin sat there next to the plant, remembering his beloved wife.

Nitinimo checked her cell. Two hundred missed calls from Nutro. She called him back. She was given a chance to speak only after fifteen minutes. She told her all that had happened that night on Mars.

 “You waited for this chance for a long time, Nitinimo. Why did you let it go? I think you're delirious.”

Nitnimo was silent for some time, and then she answered, “Nutro, I may have lost something I wanted for a long time, but after planting Maurito here on Earth in my mother’s garden, I won something I had lost for a long time.”

“Don't worry, Boss. There will be ‘Master Chef of Your Dream 2081’ and it will be ours.”

“Thank you, Nutro. Next year we won’t have to go hunting for the secret ingredient. It is now in my backyard.” Nitinimo shared her secret with her assistant as both of them smiled and enjoyed the moment.

Back on Mars, an old man, the same shopkeeper, goes to the forest. He removes a bright red flower from his tattered overcoat. He looks at the flower with love and care, as if he were looking at his child. He plants it under a big tree that will protect it from any harm. Teary-eyed, he returns home, thanking the young girl who gave him the flower to keep Maurito from becoming extinct.

It is the year 2081. A grand stage is set up in front of a beautiful restaurant. A delirious crowd welcomes the new ‘Master Chef of Your Dream 2081’ winner and the chef of the year, Miss Nitinimo, on the grand opening of her restaurant, ‘The Maurito.’