'Shimlara, didn't you study Shobble at school?' asked Mully.
Shimlara had an advantage over the Earthlings - they barely knew anything about other inhabited planets. After all, Earthling teachers weren't aware they even existed.
Shimlara said, 'Don't ask me about Shobble's history, but I can tell you guys the most important thing: it's where ShobbleChoc comes from!'
'ShobbleChoc?' asked Nicola.
'It's the most delicious chocolate in the galaxy,' said Mully. 'They say it's impossible to have a sad thought while eating ShobbleChoc. It's made from freshly mined marshmallow and pure chocolate drilled straight from Shobble's chocolate fields. They export it all around the universe.'
'Not to Earth,' said Greta.
Mully gave her a rather pitying smile. 'That's because Earthlings get so upset when sales representatives from other planets drop by. They call perfectly ordinary spaceships "UFOs" and everyone runs about waving their hands above their heads, making it hard to do business. I'm afraid no Earthling has ever eaten real chocolate - just that fake, manufactured stuff.'
'ShobbleChoc!' said Georgio, looking dreamy. 'Every bite is a summer holiday. Every mouthful is a symphony.'
Nicola looked around the table and saw that all the Earthlings were quietly licking their lips, imagining the taste of this incredible chocolate.
'Now that I think about it,' said Mully thoughtfully, 'it's been very hard to get ShobbleChoc lately.'
'Don't you just order it from the Telepathy Chef?' asked Sean, who had been very taken with this particular Globagaskarian appliance on their last trip. All you had to do was close your eyes and think of a particular food, and the Telepathy Chef delivered it.
'Look what happens.' Shimlara pointed at the gold hutch in the centre of the table. She closed her eyes and then pressed a large red button. A tray instantly slid out from the hutch. It contained a note and one green apple.
The note said, Sorry. ShobbleChoc not available. How about a nice, healthy apple instead?
'Sounds like Mum,' said Sean gloomily, just as a shrieking noise came from another room.
'What's that?' asked Nicola, alarmed.
'It's our new ring tone,' said Georgio. 'I'll get it.'
'Are the people on Shobble as tall as Globagaskarians?' Katie asked Mully.
'No, Shobble is a young planet like Earth,' said Mully. 'So Shobblings are about the same height as Earthlings.'
'What about their technology?' asked Tyler. 'Do they have great gadgets like on Globagaskar?'
'No way! Globagaskar is the most technologically advanced planet in the galaxy,' said Shimlara proudly.
'Well, technology isn't everything,' said Mully. 'Shobble might be old-fashioned, but it's an especially beautiful planet. Do you know, it has over a thousand permanent rainbows?'
When Georgio came back from the phone Nicola noticed he looked distracted.
'Is everything okay, Dad?' asked Shimlara.
'What? Oh yes, perfectly fine. Well now, you'd better not keep the charming Enrico waiting, eh? Need to make a good impression by being punctual!'
Nicola watched as Georgio and Mully shot each other meaningful, worried looks. Something serious was going on, but obviously Shimlara's parents weren't going to tell them about it today.
Nicola stood up and said, 'Let's go to Shobble, Space Brigade!'
7
'I think I can see the rainbows!' shouted Katie.
They had taken off from the Gorgioskio swimming pool just a few minutes earlier. Now the spaceship was hovering in starlit darkness over what looked like a tiny, glowing golf ball. Nicola pressed her nose against the window and saw that the glow was caused by hundreds of rainbows shimmering above the planet.
'Prepare for landing,' said Tyler into the microphone. Nicola could see he was rigid with nerves. She reached over and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. 'You're doing great,' she said quietly.