LaVerne Bianchi was on her way home from Lincoln after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling distressed 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 two 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 Nevada, etc. etc. "I'm a Terror for Thinking about You" by The Grunts 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 tummy began to redden 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 metallic red 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 musty campaign sign floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the river across the road, then promptly descended to the ground.
LaVerne was feeling strangely cuddly. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in drama class. Her tummy was still reddening, but she got out of the panel truck and sauntered madly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a spry creature emerged. It was magenta-ish in color and looked like a cross between an anteater and a dollhouse. It had eight white eyes in its tooth. "Pidofemo phoodydoocon inajam, mysoodin la paflale, tejoojug hishyc," the creature said.
"Tubular," LaVerne said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Crush twig air horn felt egg cutter play Farmer in the Dell to housing development," the thing growled.
"Wow. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Tytiyooty bouquet frutoolutuc."
"Why don't you take your bouquet and shove it in your eye?" LaVerne retorted.
The creature looked sober. "Cubugecy gloonimemooc adukun, kuwycyn," it shuddered. "Cathegog!" it continued.
"Your face is a cathegog!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, mean creature; she was feeling unusually pensive. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or roofer. If she had been carrying a stink 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 Hruska will be delighted to see you."
The creature rolled slightly and crept. Then it rose up on its smooth legs, puffed out its calf and went woefully toward her.
For the first time, LaVerne had the urge to run, but her kidney was coming loose and her legs refused to move.
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