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"Right," said Georgio. "This way, Nicola."
He pressed a button on the wall and it slid smoothly open.
"After you." Georgio waved Nicola past him. She stepped tentatively forward, then jumped in fright when she heard thunderous applause.
She was on a stage. A group of people just as tall as Georgio--some even taller--were standing in a semicircle below her, clapping vigorously. She looked around to see whom they were applauding and realized she was the only person on the stage.These giant people were all cheering for her! She stood awkwardly, biting her lip. Should she bow? They were much too happy to see her.They were clearly expecting something she couldn't possibly provide. She wanted to say, "No, no, it's just me, ordinary Nicola!"
Georgio came striding onto the stage behind her and went straight to a lectern with a microphone.
"That's right, ladies and gentlemen, it took some doing, but I have found the Earthling Ambassador. May I present the first ever Earthling to grace our planet . . . Nicola Berry!"
The audience clapped even louder. Nicola squirmed and plucked at her Earthling Ambassador sash.
"I know you're all dying to hear from Nicola herself, and in just a moment I'll ask her to say a few words."
What? Now she was going to have to give a speech? This was starting to seem more like a really difficult school assignment than a top secret mission.
"However, I would first like to introduce each of you to Nicola. As you know, Nicola, every member of the Save the Little Earthlings Committee had a hand in coming up with the list of questions that helped identify you. First up, may I present . . . Mr. Rory Racrory!"
A bald, bespectacled man stepped forward, blushed, and bobbed his head. "An honor to meet you, Nicola."
"Rory is Globagaskar's leading letterologist," said Georgio. "He suggested I needed to find someone with at least one letter r in their name."
"Yes, indeed, my studies show that people with rs in their names tend to be rational, reliable, and relentless," said Rory. "The more rs the better, I say!"
Mmmm, thought Nicola. Could it be that Rory is partial to rs because he had so many of them in his own name?
"Next we have the lovely Mrs. Molly Smith."
A plump, freckled lady with red curly hair waved cheerily up at Nicola. "Hello, Nicola! I included the question about freckles, because I've always found you just can't trust a person who doesn't have at least three freckles."
Nicola smiled politely and thought, You're all as mad as hatters!
A woman in a gauzy robe with hundreds of clinking silver bracelets sliding up and down her arms stepped forward.
"This is Ileria," said Georgio. "She's a highly respected astrologer who told us the Earthling Ambassador's birthday would be in March, April, December, or June."
"May the stars align in your favor, Nicola!" Ileria bowed deeply.
"And next we have law enforcement professional, Sergeant Tom Atkins," said Georgio. "He very sensibly recommended we check for skills indicating courage, such as backward Rollerblading."
A square-chested man in what looked like a police uniform gave Nicola a sharp salute. "Greetings, young Earthling."
Nicola straightened her back. Could he tell just by looking at her that she wasn't really a courageous person at all?
"Next is Pamela George, one of this planet's most reputable color experts."
A woman wearing a large purple hat, long purple gloves, and a flouncy purple dress said, "Hello, dear. I made sure we checked you had something purple in your wardrobe because research shows people who like purple are passionate, talented, and capable of achieving great things."
Nicola winced. She didn't even like purple! The only reason her bathing suit was purple was because she'd been in a rush to buy a new one for the swimming carnival and that was the only one left in her size.
Georgio said, "Here we have our Committee psychic, Ella Bell, who predicted that something of great importance would happen on an Earth beach beginning with the letter B.That's why we thought it might be a clever idea to ask if your favorite beach began with the letter B!"
An extremely ordinary-looking woman in a skirt and blouse said, "Hello, Nicola. Congratulations."
She certainly didn't look like someone with special psychic abilities.
"And last but not least is pet shop manager Mr. Puck." Georgio indicated a man with a colorful parrot on his shoulder. "Mr. Puck suggested we look for someone who owned a pet fish because fish owners tend to be extremely responsible."
