Today I am in search of those most adorable and annoying of space creatures, Groobs.

I am hoping to observe them here, in their natural habitat, amongst the delicate circuitry of the most complex and expensive systems on the Norpopolis Space Station.

And there they are. Green, tiny, lovable – and quite extraordinarily naughty. I watch breathlessly as they disconnect several cables and plug them back into the wrong sockets, causing the station’s waste disposal system to deposit two day’s worth of metal shavings onto the floor of the library.

Suddenly, they notice me. They turn their soft, pleading eyes upon me so that I have to stop and say “Awwww”. Then they are gone, disappearing into the ventilation system. Only when I try to follow do I realise that they have tied my shoelaces together.

Picking myself from the floor, I go back to the station laboratory where the groob tank is kept. Created by the great inventor BLINNK, the tank harnesses the mischievous energy of the little creatures to synthesise all manner of wonderful things.

But today the tank is empty, and BLINNK and their assistant are off trying to recapture them. As I wish them good luck, I notice my reflection on the shiny surface of the tank and see that someone has drawn a curly moustache on my face.

The groobs have struck again!