The Book that saved the Earth

Main Points of the Story

1. The story is set in the twentieth century, five centuries ago.

2. Historiscope takes us back to 2040.

3. Great Mighty Think-Tank is the Commander-in-Chief and the ruler of Mars.

4. Apprentice Noodles, Captain Omega, Lieutenant Iota and Sergeant Oop are with
him in Mars Central Control.

5. Think-Tank calls Martians a handsome race and they are more attractive than the
ugly Earthlings.

6. Think-Tank wants to invade that ‘primitive ball of mud’ known as Earth before
lunch.
7. All are examining books but can’t identify them. Oop makes a guess that those
things (books) are hats.

8. Think-Tank closely examines those books. He holds one of them in his hand.

9. Think-Tank calls it (a book) a sandwich. Sandwiches are the main staple diet of the
Earthlings.

10. To confirm his opinion, Think-Tank orders Captain Omega to eat an item (a
book), a sandwich.

11. At last, Oop tastes it and finds it not delicious.

12. Noodles suggest that he has seen surveyor films of those sandwiches (books).
The Earthlings don’t eat them but use them as a communication device.

13. Think-Tank agrees and orders Omega to listen to them.

14. When Captain Omega fails to hear anything, Noodles makes another suggestion.

15. He discloses that the Earthlings don’t listen to the sandwiches (books) but open
and watch them.

16. Then, Think-Tank declares that those sandwiches are not for ear communication.
They are for eye-communication.

17. Omega picks a large volume ‘Mother Goose’ which contains pictures of
Earthlings.
18. When no one is able to know the meanings of the lines, dots and pictures,
Doodle suggests that space people should be given vitamins to improve their
intelligence.

19. All of them swallow vitamins down their mouth.

20. Omega reads the rhyme of ‘Mistress Mary’ and Think-Tank interprets it in his
own way.

21. Think-Tank declares that the ‘Mistress Mary’ rhyme tells that Earthlings have
discovered how to combine agriculture and mining. They can grow crops of rare
metals. They can grow high explosives too.

22. Then Iota reads out the rhyme of ‘Hey diddle!”

23. Think-Tank interprets the rhyme saying that the Earthlings have reached a high
level of civilisation. Even dogs have a sense of humor. They may be launching an
interplanetary invasion.

24. Think-Tank orders to notify the invasion fleet that there will be no invasion today.

25. Then the rhyme of ‘Humpty Dumpty had a great fall’ is read.

26. Think-Tank declares after looking at the pictures of Humpty-Dumpty that the
Earthlings have seen him. The words ‘Had a great fall’ mean that they plan to
capture Mars Central Control and him.
27. He asks Noodles to prepare a space capsule for him to escape.

28. He orders that Mars must be evacuated immediately. They will go to a new place
a hundred million miles away from Mars-Alpha Centauri.

29. Historian tells how one dusty old book of nursery rhymes ‘Mother Goose’, saved
the world from a Martians invasion.

30. Great and Mighty Think-Tank was replaced by the wise and wonderful man,
Noodles.

31. The Earthlings taught the Martians the difference between sandwiches and
books.