Lucky Esser was on his way home from Hanoi after a four-day series of business meetings. He was feeling fearful now that the meetings were over. He was driving his Plymouth, 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 he was having that familiar internal discussion about just having an hour more of driving, but he should really stop and rest, but it's not really safe to stop alongside the road in this remote part of South Carolina, etc. etc. "I'm a Blackguard for Imitating You" by The Snickers was squawking on the radio. He was too tired to search for something better.
Suddenly, he was wide awake. He had seen something, or heard something, or felt something, and it startled him. He didn't know what it was, but his leg began to lighten up and his heart was pounding in his chest.
He wasn't consciously aware of stopping his vehicle, but found himself parked on the shoulder of the road, staring at a bright pulsing lavender light in the sky. He was hearing a deep humming sound as well, but couldn't tell whether it was from the object above him or in his 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 imitation paintbrush floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the hillside across the road, then briskly descended to the ground.
Lucky was feeling strangely furious. He briefly wished he had paid better attention in aeronautics class. His leg was still lightening up, but he got out of the Plymouth and whirled repeatedly toward the object.
As he watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a scruffy creature emerged. It was pea green-ish in color and looked like a cross between an anaconda and an antenna. It had two green eyes in its scalp. "Nibefoku gloocitaboob abagoot, cewygac boo nubrige, gubityn citrej," the creature said.
"Whew," Lucky said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Check dead fish garden hoe thatch candy thermometer cheer up to marsh," the thing intimated.
"Remarkable. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Temivynoo hand puppet whobocopym."
"Why don't you take your hand puppet and shove it in your larynx?" Lucky retorted.
The creature looked stern. "Doomewapy crobijojyk idemaj, jejuloom," it yammered. "Mephogyj!" it continued.
"Your face is a mephogyj!"
He didn't know why he was being so mouthy to the strange, impish creature; he was feeling unusually sarcastic. He tended to deal with the unknown the way he would deal with an annoying salesman or tutor. If he 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 Kennedy will be delighted to see you."
The creature straggled slightly and watched. Then it rose up on its hollow legs, puffed out its bladder and rolled hopelessly toward him.
For the first time, Lucky had the urge to run, but his palm was dangling and his legs refused to move.
Next Chapter