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"Oh, Doctor!" Peri exclaimed as she entered the control room at 11:45 p.m., Dec. 31st. "It's so, so. . . ." Words failed her as she looked around. The walls were festooned with multi-colored crepe paper streamers, mostly in clashing colors, while dozens of bright balloons bobbed against the ceiling, strings hanging down. The Doctor, standing next to a helium pump, was solemnly tying the last balloon onto Mekon's tail. Mekon was letting him do it only because all his attention was concentrated on the ball of string tucked firmly under the Doctor's arm.
"Yes, Peri?"
"It's so--you!" Peri ducked under a sprig of mistletoe,jumped up and caught a balloon. "Is there champagne, too?"
"Of course!" said the Doctor. He finished tying the balloon-string onto Mekon's tail and tossed the ball of string onto the floor. The big orange cat bounded down after it, not seeming to notice the bright red balloon that bounded along with him. Peri giggled and the Doctor smirked. "And I've got the scanner tuned so you can watch the Big Apple come down at midnight."
The Doctor went to a side-table set with an ice bucket and two glasses. "Ah," he said, gazing with satisfaction at the bottle of champagne that stood in the ice bucket. "I knew old Monty would find me a good one. 'Champagne's not my usual line, Doctor,' he told me. 'But a customer's request/Is what he'll like the best!'" Drawing the bottle out of the ice, he added, "Stand aside, Peri!"
"Oh look, Doctor!"
Pulling off the gold paper and gently beginning to dislodge the cork, the Doctor frowned and said, "Peri, this is a very delicate operation requiring exquisite concentration--"
"Look at Mekon!" Peri interrupted. The cat had finally discovered the balloon and was chasing it round and round. Finally Mekon applied some strategy and swatted the string with a paw, only to get one claw caught. The string pulled his tail one way and his paw another, and Mekon landed on his back, rolling himself into an angry tangle.
The Doctor laughed, inadvertently shaking the champagne bottle. The cork poped out and shattered Mekon's balloon. Mekon squawked and jumped three feet straight into the air. Landing on his feet, he looked around, then began picking bits of string and balloon off himself with a casual air, apparently trying to give the impression that he was taking an ordinary bath.
The Doctor managed to right the bottle without pouring too much more champagne on himself; Peri was laughing so hard that she could hardly hold her glass still as the Doctor poured champagne into it. "There goes the apple!" she cried, pointing to the scanner which was tuned to the New Year's countdown in Times Square.
The Doctor turned the sound on and they chanted with the people on the screen: "Five, four, three, two, one--HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
"To the New Year, Peri!"
"To the New Year, Doctor!" They clinked glasses. Peri took a gulp of champagne. It was awfully good. Suddenly she felt whiskers tickling her knees. She looked down to see Mekon up on his hind legs, trying to get his paws on her arm. "He wants some champagne, Doctor!"
"He wants anything anybody else is having," growled the Doctor. "I'm thoroughly convinced that the only way to make him eat cat food is to eat it ourselves." He promptly belied his gruff words by producing from nowhere a saucer, pouring champagne into it, and setting it down before the delighted cat. Mekon took a sip, got bubbles in his nose, and sneezed.
"Now, Peri, there's one more Earth ritual to be followed," said the Doctor. He took her arm and steered her over to the mistletoe. Mekon followed.
"Well, okay, Doctor, but you know, in America, you have to close your eyes. It's the rule," Peri said emphatically.
"Okay." The Doctor complied. Shutting his eyes and leaning forward slightly to where he thought Peri was, he bestowed a demure peck on something unexpectedly fuzzy. Then something began sandpapering his nose! The Doctor opened his eyes and found himself staring into one huge yellow eye, which, by crossing his own eyes he was able to resolve into two yellow eyes in a fuzzy orange face. Mekon was licking his nose. He relented. "Happy New Year, you beast," he said, patting the cat's head.
Peri set Mekon down and hugged the Doctor. "Happy New Year, you old softy!"