Calista Rivera was on her way home from Fayetteville after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling decisive now that the meetings were over. She was driving her delivery truck, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only four 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 Massachusetts, etc. etc. "I'm a Simpleton for Pinning You" by The Hoots 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 toe began to gnarl 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 azure 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 disgusting Helmholz resonator floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the grassy knoll across the road, then speedily descended to the ground.
Calista was feeling strangely furious. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in Serbian studies class. Her toe was still gnarling, but she got out of the delivery truck and waltzed nonchalantly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a dainty creature emerged. It was green-ish in color and looked like a cross between a butterfly and a stick of gum. It had six terra cotta eyes in its wig. "Kygiyaca prigynobap anygooc, tuwydoom du lekrabo, gacynyc jaquon," the creature said.
"Meh," Calista said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Fry tree pair of safety glasses cardboard sharp knife belch to island," the thing phrased.
"Son of a gun. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Miboyuki umbrella floonedagot."
"Why don't you take your umbrella and shove it in your palm?" Calista retorted.
The creature looked bizarre. "Pumyyuke thanipetaj epejuc, jovatab," it chanted. "Jethecen!" it continued.
"Your face is a jethecen!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, taciturn creature; she was feeling unusually shy. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or prisoner. If she had been carrying a defibrillator, 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 Burke will be delighted to see you."
The creature loped slightly and cried. Then it rose up on its heavy legs, puffed out its skin and cantered noisily toward her.
For the first time, Calista had the urge to run, but her piehole was sweating and her legs refused to move.
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