The Book That Saved the Earth 57

The Book That Saved the Earth strangest thing a book ever did was to save the Earth. You haven’t heard about the Martian invasion of ? Tsk, tsk. What do they teach children nowadays? Well, you know, the invasion never really happened, because a single book stopped it. What was the book, you ask? A noble encyclopedia? A tome about rockets and missiles? A secret file from outer space? No, it was none of those. It was — but here, let me turn on the historiscope and show you what happened many centuries ago, in . ( She turns on projector, and points it left. Spotlight on Historian goes out, and comes up down left on Think-Tank, who is seated on a raised box, arms folded. He has a huge, egg-shaped head, and he wears a long robe decorated with stars and circles. Apprentice Noodle stands beside him at an elaborate switchboard. A sign on an easel reads: MARS SPACE CONTROL G REAT AND M IGHTY T HINK -T ANK , C OMMANDER - IN -C HIEF (Bow low before entering) : ( bowing ) O Great and Mighty Think-Tank, most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe, what are your orders? : ( peevishly ) You left out part of my salutation, Apprentice Noodle. Go over the whole thing again. : It shall be done, sir. ( in a singsong ) O Great and Mighty Think-Tank, Ruler of Mars and her two moons, most powerful and intelligent creature in the whole universe — ( out of breath ) what-are-your-orders? : That’s better, Noodle. I wish to be placed in communication with our manned space probe to that ridiculous little planet we are going to put under our generous rulership. What do they call it, again? : Earth, your Intelligence. : Earth — of course. You see how insignificant the place is? But first, something important. My mirror. I wish to consult my mirror.