At the same moment everyone dropped their feather-whips so Enrico could see their dyed clothes.

Enrico’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped.

‘Yellow!’ He looked nauseated. He pointed a trembling finger at them and averted his head. ‘You are all in violation of the Anti-Yellow legislation!’

‘Look behind us, Enrico,’ said Topaz. ‘So is the whole planet.’

‘What are you talking about?’ Enrico snapped.

Nicola, Topaz and the others moved their ShobGobbles aside, like a curtain opening on a stage.

‘Wha–’ Enrico nearly fell from his ShobGobble. He dropped his feather-whip and held up his hands as though he were shielding his eyes from the sun. He gibbered to himself, ‘Yellow. Yucky yellow. Yucky, yucky yellow.’

‘Ah, I beg your pardon, sir, but are you okay?’ asked the largest of the Security Thugs.

‘Darling?’ called out Carmelita from the sleigh. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’

Enrico looked like he was suffering from a bad case of carsickness. He lifted his chin as though to check that he hadn’t imagined such a horrible sight and then scrunched his eyes shut in horror. ‘All my people! My people all dressed in yucky, yucky yellow!’

‘It’s time to resign, Enrico,’ said Topaz. ‘Your people have had enough.’

‘Never!’ said Enrico, but he was looking steadfastly at the ground, as though he were concentrating hard on not vomiting.

‘Um, sir, what would you like us to do?’ asked the largest Security Thug.

‘Des–’ began Enrico, but he couldn’t get the word out. He wiped a hand across his sweaty forehead.

‘Dessert?’ guessed the Security Thug. ‘You feel like dessert? I don’t know if now is the time, sir.’

Enrico shook his head in frustration. ‘Desp–’

‘Despicable!’ said the Security Thug. ‘Yes, sir, I agree. What they’ve done is quite despicable. That’s a good point.’

‘Desp–’ tried Enrico again, before retching.

It was so obvious that Enrico was trying to say the words ‘despair gas’ that Nicola nearly said it for him. Instead, she said, ‘Start the music, boys.’

Sean and Joshua nodded.

Seconds later the rhythmic sound of the Screaming Puppies singing their number one hit, ‘Snake Bite’, filled the air.

The people of Shobble, who hadn’t heard music for over twenty years, lifted their heads in confused delight and began to move to the beat, their arms still linked.

Enrico clapped his hands over his ears and fell forward over his ShobGobble’s neck.

‘Well, really, darling, whatever is the matter?’ his wife called out from the sleigh.

‘Music!’ Enrico spoke through clenched teeth. ‘Mucky music! It hurts my ears! Stop that music! You are disobeying the Quiet-Please decree!’

‘Although it’s actually quite catchy, sir,’ said the lead Security Thug, nodding his head in time to the music.

‘Mucky music and yucky yellow! It’s too much!’ moaned Enrico.

Sean grinned at Nicola. ‘Told you that Screaming Puppies CD would come in handy.’