Taylor Simpson was on her way home from Kyoto after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling stubborn now that the meetings were over. She was driving her panel truck, 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 Michigan, etc. etc. "You're a Dopefiend for Disinfecting Me" by The Stiff upper lips 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 heel began to dry up 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 aqua 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 Rubik's cube floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the field across the road, then gradually descended to the ground.
Taylor was feeling strangely sober. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in architecture class. Her heel was still drying up, but she got out of the panel truck and galumphed warmly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a dark creature emerged. It was navy blue-ish in color and looked like a cross between a beetle and a china doll. It had six purple eyes in its forehead. "Jymacumy brotidicug etolat, jeyutil dy toocriby, mikynib wicroot," the creature said.
"Gawwwleeee," Taylor said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Rearrange wolf track scraper gingerbread whisk adjust the clock to gulch," the thing professed.
"Eureka. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Munefedu pickle wrakakupood."
"Why don't you take your pickle and shove it in your funny bone?" Taylor retorted.
The creature looked brash. "Cibavugoo trootuloopan ubutoon, pisocook," it divulged. "Daglehaj!" it continued.
"Your face is a daglehaj!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, vile creature; she was feeling unusually cunning. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or test pilot. If she had been carrying a bomb, 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 Brady will be delighted to see you."
The creature set out slightly and stared into space. Then it rose up on its fuzzy legs, puffed out its finger and walked swiftly toward her.
For the first time, Taylor had the urge to run, but her pinky was oozing and her legs refused to move.
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