As the sleigh drew closer, they got a closer look at the ShobGobbles. Each animal had three intelligent brown eyes fringed with long curly eyelashes under one elegantly arched eyebrow. They had tiny kitten-like ears, snub noses and luxuriously feathered wings that flapped gently by their sides. Their legs were thin and spindly, with large chunky hooves. They were making soft chirping sounds like sparrows.

‘Oh, they’re beautiful,’ said Katie, who loved animals.

‘Ugly-looking things,’ shuddered Greta, who didn’t.

The man in the top hat pulled on the reins. The sleigh came to a stop and he held up a small board with the words Space Brigade? written in chalk.

‘Oh, yes,’ said Nicola after a second. ‘That’s us!’

The man immediately leapt down from the sleigh, lifted his top hat and bowed. He was mostly bald except for a circle of fuzzy red hair. He was a bit like Santa Claus without the beard: short and plump, with round apple-red cheeks, a big smile and shiny deep-set eyes like raisins in a gingerbread man. To her immense surprise he walked straight up to Nicola and gave her a big warm hug.

‘Oh!’ Nicola patted the man on the back awkwardly. ‘Hi there.’

He then proceeded to silently hug each member of the Space Brigade.

‘I just remembered something else we learned,’ Shimlara whispered quietly to Nicola. ‘Shobblings are the nicest, kindest people in the whole galaxy.’

‘Can’t they talk?’ Nicola whispered back.

‘Um, I don’t know. I might have stopped listening during that part. It’s sort of remarkable that I’ve remembered this much.’

The man was busy writing down something else. It took ages. The members of the Space Brigade exchanged puzzled glances. Finally he held up the board.

Hi there! My name is Silent Fred. I am your driver. Welcome! You will be warm and comfy under the rug in the sleigh with a delicious hot chocolate. I will take you straight to the Commander-in-Chief’s cottage. Welcome! (You are the first Earthlings I have ever met. You look very nice and normal! Do you speak Onglish? I hope so!)

‘Onglish?’ said Nicola to Shimlara.

‘It’s ninety-nine point nine per cent the same as English,’ said Shimlara. ‘Or ninety-nine point six. Anyway, it’s almost exactly the same.’

‘Oh, okay. Yes, we speak Onglish,’ said Nicola. ‘Thank you very much, ah, Silent Fred.’

Silent Fred gestured at her backpack. Nicola handed it over and he stowed it carefully on a ledge under the sleigh. He did the same for everyone else, and then helped them all climb aboard.

There were two seats on either side of the sleigh facing each other. Once they were all sitting down, Silent Fred spread a soft white rug across their knees. He produced a red thermos and poured each of them a mug of creamy hot chocolate.

‘That smells so good!’ said Katie.