Nadine Sharpe was on her way home from Garden Grove after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling impish now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Buick Riviera, 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 Delaware, etc. etc. "I'm a Nitwit for Picking You" by The Raspberries 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 hoof began to fester 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 beige 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 valuable necklace floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the garden across the road, then promptly descended to the ground.
Nadine was feeling strangely desperate. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in human development class. Her hoof was still festering, but she got out of the Buick Riviera and cantered warily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a thin creature emerged. It was aquamarine-ish in color and looked like a cross between an opossum and a pigeon. It had eight grey eyes in its claw. "Culejidi kracoobamyj onoodeg, bufutyd be duchadoo, dybeduk hoocloop," the creature said.
"Hurray," Nadine said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Burn raspberry bush file Saran Wrap candy thermometer freeze to canyon," the thing blubbered.
"Fudge. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Lumooveca stapler klytooloogam."
"Why don't you take your stapler and shove it in your appendix?" Nadine retorted.
The creature looked elderly. "Lucycyce brydolajood aticoc, lojadan," it maintained. "Cugheven!" it continued.
"Your face is a cugheven!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, cowardly creature; she was feeling unusually affable. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or stenographer. If she had been carrying a harpoon, 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 Bradley will be delighted to see you."
The creature waddled slightly and passed out. Then it rose up on its gleaming legs, puffed out its face and ran oddly toward her.
For the first time, Nadine had the urge to run, but her liver was sticking and her legs refused to move.
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