George's Cosmic Treasure Hunt by Lucy Hawking Read Free Book Online Page B

got work to do. Follow me.” She took him around to the back of the house, where a huge tree shaded a veranda with a table and chairs on it.
    â€œUp the tree!” Annie instructed him. “It’s the only place we can talk!” She shinned up to a large overhanging branch. George slowly clambered after her. Susan had come out onto the veranda, carrying a tray. She stood underneath Annie and George, with Emmett close behind her.
    â€œHello, George!” she called up into the tree. “It’s nice to see you! Even if I can’t actually see you.”
    â€œHello, Susan,” George called back. “Thanks for inviting me.”
    â€œAnnie, don’t you think George might like a rest?And something to eat and drink after his journey?”
    â€œGive it to the tree,” said Annie, sticking her head out through the papery green-and-white leaves. She reached down with an arm and grabbed a juice box, which she handed back to George, and then a load of cookies.
    â€œOkay, we’re good now!” she sang. “Bye, other people! You can vamoose!”
    Emmett just stood there, looking longingly up into the tree.
    â€œCan Emmett come up and join you?” asked Susan.

    â€œQuite literally,” said Annie, “no. He might fall out of one of the brancheroonies and damage his amazing brain cell count. Better stay safely on the ground. Ciao, you guys! George and I are busy.”
    From the tree, they heard Susan sigh. “Why don’t you sit here?” she said to Emmett, arranging a chair for him under the branches. “I’m sure they’ll come down soon.”
    Emmett made a small snuffling noise, and they heard Susan comforting him.
    â€œIgnore him—he’s a total crybaby!” Annie whispered to George. “And don’t start feeling sorry for him—that’s lethal. The minute you show weakness, he pounces. I felt sorry for him the first time he cried. And then he bit me. My mom’s too sappy—she just can’t see it.”
    Susan’s footsteps tapped away into the house.
    â€œOkay, hold on to that branch,” ordered Annie, “in case you faint away in shock at what I have to tell you.”
    â€œWhat is it?” said George.
    â€œHuge news,” confirmed Annie. “So huge-ously huge, your bottom will fall through your pants in surprise.” She looked at him expectantly.
    â€œWell, tell me,” said George patiently.
    â€œPromise you won’t think I’ve gone bananas?”
    â€œUm, well, I pretty much thought you were already,” admitted George. “So that won’t change anything.”
    Annie swatted him with her free hand.
    â€œOuch!” he said, laughing. “That hurt.”
    â€œGeorge, are you okay?” came a little voice from below. “Do you need protection from the renegade one? She can be really evil.”
    â€œShut up, Emmett!” Annie shouted down. “And stop listening to our conversation.”
    â€œI’m not trying to listen!” came Emmett’s high-pitched whine. “It’s not my fault that you’re sending a stream of useless vibrations into the atmosphere.”
    â€œThen go somewhere else!” yelled Annie.
    â€œNo!” said Emmett obstinately. “I’m staying here in case George needs my superintelligent assistance. I don’t want him to waste his bandwidth on your rudimentary communication.”
    Annie rolled her eyes up to heaven and sighed. She inched along the branch toward George and whispered in his ear: “I’ve had a message from aliens.”

    â€œAliens!” said George loudly, forgetting about Emmett below. “You’ve had a message from aliens!”
    â€œShush!” said Annie frantically. But it was too late.
    â€œDoes the young female humanoid really believe that a life-form intelligent enough to send a message across the vast expanse of space would pick her to receive