Marcie Daniels was on her way home from Rochester after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling pensive now that the meetings were over. She was driving her covered 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 Illinois, etc. etc. "You're a Pansy for Pinching Me" by The Grimaces 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 toenail began to turn to mush 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 red 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 shovel floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the gully across the road, then dreamily descended to the ground.
Marcie was feeling strangely brash. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in programming class. Her toenail was still turning to mush, but she got out of the covered wagon and careened tearfully toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a stocky creature emerged. It was peach-ish in color and looked like a cross between a wolf and a feather. It had two sea green eyes in its little toe. "Tucifyke quekuloopid ilojut, gowypoob ti mychegi, gookoobob wibrig," the creature said.
"Fribblenootums," Marcie said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Abuse tree stump caulking gun dream and vision dull knife swear to pasture," the thing clarified.
"Hang it. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Pijuyoobo bag of popcorn phookygikum."
"Why don't you take your bag of popcorn and shove it in your brain?" Marcie retorted.
The creature looked happy. "Jelijoni phaneloboom abopej, kovikol," it wondered. "Jotruyap!" it continued.
"Your face is a jotruyap!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, artistic creature; she was feeling unusually merry. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or coroner. If she had been carrying a musket, 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 Owens will be delighted to see you."
The creature leapt slightly and ruminated. Then it rose up on its striking legs, puffed out its tail and hopped daringly toward her.
For the first time, Marcie had the urge to run, but her brain was dissolving and her legs refused to move.
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