"Never leave your planet without a book," said Nicola in the same serious tone that Georgio had used.
"Why, that's what I always say!" Georgio looked quite intrigued. "What an extraordinary coincidence."
"Erm. Not really," began Nicola, but then Plum's voice came on again. "Passengers, please remain seated at all times during blastoff. Ten, nine, eight, seven . . ."
"If only we could watch a movie to pass the time," said Georgio worriedly. "We're about to suffer from acute boredom."
Nicola realized that Georgio was a little like her dad. He'd rather be eaten by a crocodile than be bored.
"Three, two, one--blastoff!"
KABOOM!
The spaceship filled with bright eye-hurting flashes of turquoise and yellow lights. It shook so much that Nicola held on tightly to her armrests. It felt like she was being spun around in a tumble dryer. She caught sight of Georgio with both his arms stretched high in the air as he let out a tremendous yawn.
There were three loud thuds:
Thud.Thud.Thud.
And then silence.
"Well, thank goodness." Georgio slapped his knees with satisfaction. "I'm quite exhausted. Did you enjoy your trip?"
"What trip?" asked Nicola. "Five seconds must have passed!"
"Actually it was 3.4928494092 seconds," said Georgio. "What a bore, eh? Let's hope you don't suffer from space lag. Come on, I'm sure you're dying to stretch your legs!"
Nicola unbuckled her seat belt and followed Georgio down a short flight of stairs out of the spaceship wondering what strange and wonderful sights she was about to see.
"Welcome to Globagaskar!" cried Georgio, and he flung open his arms.
Nicola's foot hovered over the last step of the spaceship. The word momentous came into her head.This was definitely a momentous moment. She thought about how Neil Armstrong had said "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" when he first walked on the moon.
She should say something similar. She cleared her throat and said slowly, "One small step for Nicola, one giant leap--WHO-HOA!" she shouted.Then splat, she was facedown on the asphalt ground.
"Yes, well, hurry up," said Georgio. "And I don't know what you've learned from those ridiculous science-fiction television programs they show on your planet, but here on Globagaskar, we walk upright. On our feet."
Nicola picked herself up. She felt so ashamed. How would she ever manage saving planet Earth if she couldn't even manage one teeny tiny momentous moment?
CHAPTER 9
There was something very, very familiar about this place. Nicola peered about, trying to adjust her eyes to the gloom.
"This looks just like--" She couldn't put her finger on it.
Then it hit her. "This looks just like a garage!"
"Well, I expect that's because this is a garage," said Georgio. "We've parked in the garage of the local community hall where we hold our Save the Little Earthlings Committee meetings."
"Let me know if you need me to do any more flying for you," Plum came down the stairs of the spaceship and tossed Georgio a set of keys. She was dressed now in a black leather jacket with her hair all loose and messy.
"Plum also flies an aero-motorbike." Georgio shook his
head admiringly. "You wouldn't catch me on one."
"I'm off to meet my boyfriend," said Plum. "Best of luck at the palace tomorrow, Nicola. I hope you save your planet. It's one of my favorites."
"Thank you," said Nicola. Oh, for heaven's sake, even Plum was depending on her!