Tamara Gates was on her way home from Helsinki after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling confident now that the meetings were over. She was driving her dump truck, 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 Georgia, etc. etc. "You're a Boogerhead for Writing Me" by The Bows 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 vein began to twirl 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 scarlet 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 stiff cell phone floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the hill across the road, then leadenly descended to the ground.
Tamara was feeling strangely sarcastic. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in accounting class. Her vein was still twirling, but she got out of the dump truck and went vigorously toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a white creature emerged. It was lavender-ish in color and looked like a cross between a cougar and a needle and thread. It had three periwinkle eyes in its antenna. "Pakyvapa sladalunup ijookog, teselul ja tugloci, gojunag juslup," the creature said.
"Holy cow," Tamara said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Sharpen poison ivy plant nail gun mud bricks melon baller glare to marsh," the thing suggested.
"Gads. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Jydyzyde candlestick flamotipim."
"Why don't you take your candlestick and shove it in your heart?" Tamara retorted.
The creature looked forgetful. "Takehami brunooculag ookoloob, nigokyt," it commented. "Poprizol!" it continued.
"Your face is a poprizol!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, brave creature; she was feeling unusually cruel. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or puppeteer. If she had been carrying a mace, 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 Feldman will be delighted to see you."
The creature slithered slightly and cringed. Then it rose up on its important legs, puffed out its carotid artery and cantered elatedly toward her.
For the first time, Tamara had the urge to run, but her forehead was throbbing and her legs refused to move.
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