Grace Garston was on her way home from Fort Wayne after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling calm now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Hyundai Elantra, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only five drinks with dinner. The drone of the engine and tires was taking its toll, and she was having that familiar internal discussion about just having an hour more of driving, but she should really stop and rest, but it's not really safe to stop alongside the road in this remote part of Louisiana, etc. etc. "I'm a Poopyhead for Lying to You" by The Snorts was squawking on the radio. She was too tired to search for something better.
Suddenly, she was wide awake. She had seen something, or heard something, or felt something, and it startled her. She didn't know what it was, but her hand began to redden and her heart was pounding in her chest.
She wasn't consciously aware of stopping her vehicle, but found herself parked on the shoulder of the road, staring at a bright pulsing indigo light in the sky. She was hearing a deep humming sound as well, but couldn't tell whether it was from the object above her or in her own head. The radio for some reason was silent. The light grew larger as it approached, and it began to take on a shape, sort of like a huge crisp button floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the veld across the road, then eagerly descended to the ground.
Grace was feeling strangely furious. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in geneaology class. Her hand was still reddening, but she got out of the Hyundai Elantra and sprinted wildly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a blue-eyed creature emerged. It was pea green-ish in color and looked like a cross between a seal and a hockey puck. It had two blue eyes in its fingernail. "Nylicyda plimepibeg ynukoog, terybem ne lotroky, lojanip foowhoog," the creature said.
"Grody to the max," Grace said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Balance flower trowel sandstone meat tenderizer meow to cave," the thing grunted.
"Ha-ha. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Didoozame hammer slidylajyj."
"Why don't you take your hammer and shove it in your mouth?" Grace retorted.
The creature looked ungainly. "Cilavupi trumoojatij ootykan, ducibyn," it provoked. "Byglozed!" it continued.
"Your face is a byglozed!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, deadly creature; she was feeling unusually angry. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or flight attendant. If she had been carrying a set of nunchucks, the conversation might have taken a very different turn.
"So, what are you here for? I suppose you want me to take you to my leader. I'm sure President Tooker will be delighted to see you."
The creature marched slightly and sniffed. Then it rose up on its valuable legs, puffed out its tongue and tore shyly toward her.
For the first time, Grace had the urge to run, but her larynx was shrinking and her legs refused to move.
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