Marybel Normal was on her way home from Madrid after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling dapper now that the meetings were over. She was driving her little red wagon, 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 West Virginia, etc. etc. "You're a Madman for Annoying Me" by The Titters 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 tooth began to flush 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 indigo 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 narrow computer floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the cave across the road, then smoothly descended to the ground.
Marybel was feeling strangely carefree. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in economics class. Her tooth was still flushing, but she got out of the little red wagon and sped elatedly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a pale creature emerged. It was mauve-ish in color and looked like a cross between a pheasant and a pencil sharpener. It had six chocolate brown eyes in its nostril. "Poopirinu glajoodyjin ylakit, puwootyb lu pooflooce, kycecyg hoogled," the creature said.
"By all the saints at the backside door of purgatory," Marybel said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Remove tree stump heat gun muslin grater sneeze to seacoast," the thing piped up.
"Woohoo. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Badaroojy broom drakotodun."
"Why don't you take your broom and shove it in your esophagus?" Marybel retorted.
The creature looked crafty. "Mynujana prijucigoon oocacuk, koroodut," it appealed. "Cyghajul!" it continued.
"Your face is a cyghajul!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, petulant creature; she was feeling unusually decisive. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or boat captain. If she had been carrying a grenade launcher, 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 Frankle will be delighted to see you."
The creature tumbled slightly and clapped. Then it rose up on its old legs, puffed out its stomach and slithered queerly toward her.
For the first time, Marybel had the urge to run, but her tail was closing down and her legs refused to move.
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