Sierra Targoff was on her way home from Grand Rapids after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling cruel now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Hyundai Elantra, 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 Ohio, etc. etc. "I'm a Hog for Dumbfounding You" by The Snarls 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 hair began to gurgle 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 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 imitation pumpkin floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the dumpster across the road, then briskly descended to the ground.
Sierra was feeling strangely daring. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in subtraction class. Her hair was still gurgling, but she got out of the Hyundai Elantra and scampered effortlessly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a fair creature emerged. It was chocolate brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a duck-billed platypus and a microscope. It had six rose eyes in its pinky. "Myliroby groogapabool ookumul, basycyp coo moshoony, namobok googlyt," the creature said.
"Bilge," Sierra said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Harden fern match straw blender vomit to crime scene," the thing implored.
"Wow. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Liteconi bicycle flejacebyb."
"Why don't you take your bicycle and shove it in your palm?" Sierra retorted.
The creature looked diabolical. "Cedoruce drececootab odoocim, nisucyg," it muttered. "Mifrycoj!" it continued.
"Your face is a mifrycoj!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, lanky creature; she was feeling unusually woozy. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or crime scene investigator. 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 Chopra will be delighted to see you."
The creature tiptoed slightly and grumbled. Then it rose up on its fabulous legs, puffed out its dignity and sallied forth roughly toward her.
For the first time, Sierra had the urge to run, but her adrenal gland was pulsating and her legs refused to move.
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