Norma Jean Ming was on her way home from Corona after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling resolute now that the meetings were over. She was driving her mail 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 Wisconsin, etc. etc. "You're a Sneak for Stalking Me" by The Cheers 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 knuckle began to shake 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 grubby spool of thread floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the meadow across the road, then like all get-out descended to the ground.
Norma Jean was feeling strangely merry. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in constitutional law class. Her knuckle was still shaking, but she got out of the mail truck and proceeded strangely toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a little creature emerged. It was brilliant orange-ish in color and looked like a cross between a kitten and a needle and thread. It had two blue eyes in its jaw. "Jynegibe prigicecyk atanel, poovajem ma ceghooco, belinook footrut," the creature said.
"Adios," Norma Jean said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Strengthen bit of moss glue gun plutonium corkscrew vomit to hillside," the thing avowed.
"Eeshk. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nupojicu dictionary whunugotul."
"Why don't you take your dictionary and shove it in your lung?" Norma Jean retorted.
The creature looked disorganized. "Penifoja sletynojog ajitoc, jofadil," it giggled. "Moklegil!" it continued.
"Your face is a moklegil!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, cute creature; she was feeling unusually excitable. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or high school teacher. If she had been carrying a lance, 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 Wagner will be delighted to see you."
The creature inched slightly and howled. Then it rose up on its shiny legs, puffed out its gut and trotted hungrily toward her.
For the first time, Norma Jean had the urge to run, but her thorax was tormenting and her legs refused to move.
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