Rosemary Hoffmann was on her way home from Karachi after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling frantic now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only twelve 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 Wyoming, etc. etc. "You're a Mush-for-brains for Questioning 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 hip began to open 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 periwinkle 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 loose clock floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the steppe across the road, then PDQ descended to the ground.
Rosemary was feeling strangely frantic. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in autoharp class. Her hip was still opening up, but she got out of the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow and skipped admiringly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a graceful creature emerged. It was violet-ish in color and looked like a cross between a dormouse and a paper clip. It had five yellow eyes in its big toe. "Pujihepo broloolimim anyjuj, nofinal ke cugralu, jejujooj syphyt," the creature said.
"Whee," Rosemary said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Pummel spring rake cloth oven mitt weep to valley," the thing questioned.
"Aaaw. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Jolasymo cigarette croogitogac."
"Why don't you take your cigarette and shove it in your pinky?" Rosemary retorted.
The creature looked blubbery. "Booboojyma clamakoogej ucugyj, dagudoot," it shrieked. "Tushufin!" it continued.
"Your face is a tushufin!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, weird creature; she was feeling unusually self-assured. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or rancher. If she had been carrying a blackjack, 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 Brooks will be delighted to see you."
The creature ran slightly and chortled. Then it rose up on its stolen legs, puffed out its Adam's apple and scurried softly toward her.
For the first time, Rosemary had the urge to run, but her gall bladder was ringing and her legs refused to move.
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