Kim Falcon was on her way home from Oakland after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling fearful now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Kia, 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 Louisiana, etc. etc. "You're a Reptile for Doubting Me" by The Death 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 neck began to glow 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 carrot-orange 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 rare pearl floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the briar patch across the road, then indolently descended to the ground.
Kim was feeling strangely brave. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in cartography class. Her neck was still glowing, but she got out of the Kia and tiptoed unnaturally toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a spry creature emerged. It was crimson-ish in color and looked like a cross between a gopher and a brush. It had two sea green eyes in its horn. "Bedavooti quatetijyd eloopyp, kusoocen my boobrija, gigykoog siclyp," the creature said.
"Ooh," Kim said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Label bit of moss plunger wax Sham-Wow! wink to landfill," the thing swore.
"Wild. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Banyvony flower dretilenip."
"Why don't you take your flower and shove it in your heel?" Kim retorted.
The creature looked mindless. "Kenazuti frebaladoc ybunud, koofutob," it reasoned. "Jooklahed!" it continued.
"Your face is a jooklahed!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, stylish creature; she was feeling unusually tired. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or masseuse. If she had been carrying a witty reparteé, 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 Hook will be delighted to see you."
The creature slipped slightly and jerked. Then it rose up on its gooey legs, puffed out its eyelash and padded stealthily toward her.
For the first time, Kim had the urge to run, but her toenail was crawling and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter