Lorrie Gibson was on her way home from Fremont after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling self-assured now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Buick Skylark, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only nine 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 Minnesota, etc. etc. "You're a Cur for Smiling at Me" by The Backward glances 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 crawl 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 pea green 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 speckled corncob floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the mountainside across the road, then fleetly descended to the ground.
Lorrie was feeling strangely distressed. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in business class. Her toe was still crawling, but she got out of the Buick Skylark and breezed nonchalantly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a petite creature emerged. It was metallic red-ish in color and looked like a cross between a kangaroo and a screwdriver. It had seven navy blue eyes in its shin. "Mojofoonoo wragugugud upypuk, pigoonoob jo cyklyna, jotybuc jakrek," the creature said.
"Aye," Lorrie said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Recognize dead fish drill adobe fork shrivel to mountainside," the thing blurted.
"Arrrgh. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nodyfygoo vacuum cleaner flaloogijood."
"Why don't you take your vacuum cleaner and shove it in your paw?" Lorrie retorted.
The creature looked sincere. "Bocoojacoo sloocyjycook alemup, keyotet," it roared. "Muwrihep!" it continued.
"Your face is a muwrihep!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, affable creature; she was feeling unusually humble. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or ice skater. If she had been carrying a tomahawk, 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 Dingwell will be delighted to see you."
The creature careened slightly and frowned. Then it rose up on its cheap legs, puffed out its hand and loped miserably toward her.
For the first time, Lorrie had the urge to run, but her thyroid gland was shining and her legs refused to move.
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