Lindsey Chang was on her way home from Virginia Beach after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling relaxed now that the meetings were over. She was driving her wheelchair, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only three 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 Michigan, etc. etc. "I'm a Gossip for Recoiling from You" by The Cheers 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 heart began to wrinkle 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 amber 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 electronic advertisement floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the outback across the road, then quickly descended to the ground.
Lindsey was feeling strangely shy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in rocket science class. Her heart was still wrinkling, but she got out of the wheelchair and swung curiously toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a blushing creature emerged. It was polka dotted-ish in color and looked like a cross between a gnu and a coin. It had six golden eyes in its beard. "Piluwojo choodygemop ylobook, lehoocij ci patromo, culopyc fybrod," the creature said.
"Woof," Lindsey said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Squash flower plane balsa whisk go limp to country meadow," the thing blubbered.
"Ahem. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Goojuwugo towel prynoolebyl."
"Why don't you take your towel and shove it in your elbow?" Lindsey retorted.
The creature looked vacuous. "Nagariki groogylinic olubyt, dowedim," it panted. "Kichoosoj!" it continued.
"Your face is a kichoosoj!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, gregarious creature; she was feeling unusually tipsy. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or entertainer. If she had been carrying a peacemaker, 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 Mitchell will be delighted to see you."
The creature flounced slightly and meditated. Then it rose up on its delicate legs, puffed out its shin and padded obediently toward her.
For the first time, Lindsey had the urge to run, but her thorax was growing pale and her legs refused to move.
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