Eve Radcliffe was on her way home from Brisbane after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling shy now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Pontiac Firebird, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only four 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 Virgin Islands, etc. etc. "I'm a Demon for Believing in You" by The Snickers 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 toe began to get tired 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 carrot-orange 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 narrow bone floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the park across the road, then lethargically descended to the ground.
Eve was feeling strangely sassy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in Spanish class. Her toe was still getting tired, but she got out of the Pontiac Firebird and hopped timidly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a lean creature emerged. It was brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a rattlesnake and a telephone book. It had six striped eyes in its thorax. "Jigoozypi chalodoonit okucen, dosypoop bi miclugi, kitumym gucroj," the creature said.
"Knock me over with a feather," Eve said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Stabilize badger hole feather duster burlap electric paint mixer seethe to steppe," the thing laughed.
"Peachy-keen. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Jekuhabe barbell fregamoojug."
"Why don't you take your barbell and shove it in your claw?" Eve retorted.
The creature looked direct. "Tecoovoomo drigategoom okumol, kejudyj," it vouched. "Boquyjak!" it continued.
"Your face is a boquyjak!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, intrepid creature; she was feeling unusually peculiar. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or blogger. If she had been carrying a broadsword, 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 Clooney will be delighted to see you."
The creature struggled slightly and hid. Then it rose up on its plain legs, puffed out its larynx and sauntered menacingly toward her.
For the first time, Eve had the urge to run, but her hairdo was coming undone and her legs refused to move.
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