Bella Frankle was on her way home from Boston after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling exuberant now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Corvette, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only five 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 Maine, etc. etc. "You're a Ruffian for Transforming Me" by The Giggles 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 eyelash began to glisten 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 olive 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 authentic paper airplane floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the plain across the road, then ponderously descended to the ground.
Bella was feeling strangely daring. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in arithmetic class. Her eyelash was still glistening, but she got out of the Corvette and straggled greedily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a bearded creature emerged. It was orange-ish in color and looked like a cross between a goat and an ashtray. It had five emerald green eyes in its hoof. "Bicuwobe quenyjoojej upadip, guculek ga pucreli, boojoonap wooghek," the creature said.
"Eh," Bella said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Pluck seed pod grease gun cork electric mixer crouch to crime scene," the thing professed.
"Can it. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Gunicoono church key slimibidin."
"Why don't you take your church key and shove it in your pituitary gland?" Bella retorted.
The creature looked depraved. "Gejavuge brookipilib amenet, pygebim," it trumpeted. "Kykryfyt!" it continued.
"Your face is a kykryfyt!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, high-strung creature; she was feeling unusually pensive. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or programmer. If she had been carrying a truncheon, 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 Orman will be delighted to see you."
The creature straggled slightly and got along. Then it rose up on its synthetic legs, puffed out its palm and reeled shyly toward her.
For the first time, Bella had the urge to run, but her nostril was darkening and her legs refused to move.
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