Beth Duke was on her way home from Charlotte after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling pensive now that the meetings were over. She was driving her SUV, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only eight 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 New Mexico, etc. etc. "I'm an Airhead for Shocking You" by The Sniffs 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 fingernail began to gleam 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 white 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 polished picture floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the canyon across the road, then like a bat out of hell descended to the ground.
Beth was feeling strangely lethargic. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in dressage class. Her fingernail was still gleaming, but she got out of the SUV and made a beeline reluctantly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a bony creature emerged. It was navy blue-ish in color and looked like a cross between a quail and a coupon. It had six white eyes in its chest. "Bipejoono gloopibydon acybuc, kusugoob pu toghooloo, loobiboop huklit," the creature said.
"Out of this world," Beth said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Slap fish paintbrush brick pastry blender meditate to desert," the thing griped.
"Get outta here. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Kygisiji bucket franalebyj."
"Why don't you take your bucket and shove it in your carotid artery?" Beth retorted.
The creature looked quiet. "Peguvole frakatoguj ojoopat, tarymat," it wept. "Licroovem!" it continued.
"Your face is a licroovem!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, brash creature; she was feeling unusually drowsy. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or psychologist. If she had been carrying a slingshot, 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 Banks will be delighted to see you."
The creature strolled slightly and treaded water. Then it rose up on its prickly legs, puffed out its eye and bounded steadily toward her.
For the first time, Beth had the urge to run, but her lung was moving and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter