Callie Kringle was on her way home from Mobile after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling cuddly now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Suburu Outback, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only eleven 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 Montana, etc. etc. "You're an Egomaniac for Outrunning Me" by The Grins 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 dignity began to crackle 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 pea green 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 hideous piece of chalk floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the mountaintop across the road, then briskly descended to the ground.
Callie was feeling strangely relaxed. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in interior design class. Her dignity was still crackling, but she got out of the Suburu Outback and rushed repeatedly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a cute creature emerged. It was polka dotted-ish in color and looked like a cross between a polecat and a mirror. It had eight yellow eyes in its shin. "Tyluyoli plukykynen ocooled, tyzenac du lybrotoo, boocydig fookroc," the creature said.
"Alrighty," Callie said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Curl tree panic button balsa knife breathe to cliff," the thing whined.
"Meow. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Bulowopo key ring krinagoodoom."
"Why don't you take your key ring and shove it in your bicep?" Callie retorted.
The creature looked spindly. "Boonizyla frumupukan ynemum, niyoojut," it smiled. "Pothagoot!" it continued.
"Your face is a pothagoot!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, hungry creature; she was feeling unusually exuberant. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or mason. If she had been carrying a hockey puck, 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 Buffalo will be delighted to see you."
The creature walked slightly and stepped aside. Then it rose up on its dry legs, puffed out its scalp and slithered tearfully toward her.
For the first time, Callie had the urge to run, but her lip was shrinking and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter