‘You don’t need to imagine that.’ Georgio ran a hand through his hair suavely and lifted his nose. ‘Just turn your head and look at me!’

‘Now, Shimlara, I want you to be polite when you meet Enrico,’ said Mully. ‘Don’t embarrass me by putting your elbows on the table, or reading his mind!’

Although the people of Globagaskar had the ability to read minds, and project their voices into other people’s minds, it was considered quite bad manners.

‘Who, me?’ said Shimlara innocently.

Mully rolled her eyes. ‘Anyway, what is this mission Enrico wants you to handle?’

‘We’re hoping it’s something really dangerous and scary,’ said Sean.

‘I met Enrico once,’ mused Georgio. ‘I thought he had a very untrustworthy-looking nose. He didn’t seem an especially brave fellow either.’

Mully ignored him. ‘I’m sorry to disappoint you, Sean, but if you’re going to Shobble, it won’t be a dangerous mission. Nothing bad has ever happened in the entire history of the planet of Shobble. They’re proud of that.’

‘Never a moment’s trouble on our pretty planet of Shobble,’ quoted Georgio. ‘That’s their slogan. Not very imaginative. Enrico probably thought of it.’

‘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.