Lily Cornish was on her way home from Ho Chi Minh City after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling self-confident now that the meetings were over. She was driving her scooter, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only four 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 South Dakota, etc. etc. "I'm a Hooligan for Understanding You" by The Finger guns 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 arm began to get wonky 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 white 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 fancy etching floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the stream across the road, then like crazy descended to the ground.
Lily was feeling strangely sober. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in geneaology class. Her arm was still getting wonky, but she got out of the scooter and cantered briskly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a shapely creature emerged. It was blue-ish in color and looked like a cross between a bunny and a spool of thread. It had eight amber eyes in its collarbone. "Boolicuco chunajymooj agoopup, bofejej goo lochumy, medijob coslom," the creature said.
"No way," Lily said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Stack wildflower socket wrench plastic egg cutter do nothing to rainforest," the thing offered.
"Uh-huh. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Pagyzemu boomerang shetybyboj."
"Why don't you take your boomerang and shove it in your gut?" Lily retorted.
The creature looked brave. "Gytyvuce quonatoopul abamic, nosygool," it pronounced. "Tibrival!" it continued.
"Your face is a tibrival!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, creepy creature; she was feeling unusually somber. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or hobo. If she had been carrying a shoulder fired rocket, 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 Sartre will be delighted to see you."
The creature trekked slightly and daydreamed. Then it rose up on its heavy legs, puffed out its thorax and sashayed humbly toward her.
For the first time, Lily had the urge to run, but her cheek was ringing and her legs refused to move.
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