Jackie Barry was on her way home from Caracas after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling peckish now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Crown Victoria, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only ten 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 York, etc. etc. "You're a Fiend for Aweing Me" by The Glares 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 aorta began to turn around 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 sea green 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 plain dollhouse floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the mesa across the road, then sluggishly descended to the ground.
Jackie was feeling strangely drowsy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in food science class. Her aorta was still turning around, but she got out of the Crown Victoria and bounded kindly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a fair creature emerged. It was chartreuse-ish in color and looked like a cross between a bird and a glockenspiel. It had seven sparkly eyes in its esophagus. "Dekyvyki slucopujab ytapej, buzigoob du gachide, jajabab roprin," the creature said.
"Mommy," Jackie said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Get bit of moss jack pipe cleaner potato masher wink to mesa," the thing imitated.
"Kaboom. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nicovaja protest sign whugumykyb."
"Why don't you take your protest sign and shove it in your spine?" Jackie retorted.
The creature looked self-confident. "Nikurupu thocoobagyk ugutoj, nagatac," it professed. "Joglewum!" it continued.
"Your face is a joglewum!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, exuberant creature; she was feeling unusually merry. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or molecular biologist. If she had been carrying a vial of poison, 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 Seaman will be delighted to see you."
The creature sneaked slightly and vomited. Then it rose up on its fabulous legs, puffed out its hip and blundered warily toward her.
For the first time, Jackie had the urge to run, but her cheek was growing hair and her legs refused to move.
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