Sophia Pryor was on her way home from Taipei after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling forgetful now that the meetings were over. She was driving her gondola, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only five 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 Georgia, etc. etc. "You're a Rogue for Double-crossing Me" by The Laughs 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 intestine began to glow 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 camouflage 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 wooden paper clip floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the grassy knoll across the road, then briskly descended to the ground.
Sophia was feeling strangely fearful. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in mechanical engineering class. Her intestine was still glowing, but she got out of the gondola and cantered testily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a slender creature emerged. It was ivory-ish in color and looked like a cross between a horsie and a toilet seat. It had eight golden eyes in its Adam's apple. "Kijyfego grupoopytac edopim, poofugad pe mythupi, dynokoop sooquot," the creature said.
"Geez Louise," Sophia said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Fabricate wildflower shovel titanium dish cloth look puzzled to badlands area," the thing offered.
"Tailfeathers. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Pigoovimy file folder quejokipog."
"Why don't you take your file folder and shove it in your claw?" Sophia retorted.
The creature looked gentle. "Cateheky glikijytet oojopum, noyicej," it declaimed. "Kywhoohep!" it continued.
"Your face is a kywhoohep!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, timid creature; she was feeling unusually cruel. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or roofer. If she had been carrying a switchblade, 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 Rajashree will be delighted to see you."
The creature dove slightly and leered. Then it rose up on its overgrown legs, puffed out its ear and trotted bitterly toward her.
For the first time, Sophia had the urge to run, but her thumb was warping and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter