Audra Park was on her way home from Tegucigalpa after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling irate now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Studebaker, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only eight 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 Rhode Island, etc. etc. "I'm a Dipstick for Writing You" by The Puckers 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 chest began to flutter 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 violet 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 excellent coat hanger floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the seacoast across the road, then like a streak descended to the ground.
Audra was feeling strangely sober. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in underwater basket weaving class. Her chest was still fluttering, but she got out of the Studebaker and sprinted shyly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a dainty creature emerged. It was striped-ish in color and looked like a cross between a mosquito and a tissue. It had four khaki eyes in its appendix. "Butofume quugucynap umoged, toovoogoog bi githino, tedonyt joglic," the creature said.
"Rats," Audra said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Gold plate fern coping saw nut and bolt chopstick glower to badlands area," the thing panted.
"Meh. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Jugyhobi Bible phidomabik."
"Why don't you take your Bible and shove it in your aorta?" Audra retorted.
The creature looked brilliant. "Bybeyedu brootuledod ymepap, pezikan," it whined. "Baklijim!" it continued.
"Your face is a baklijim!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, radiant creature; she was feeling unusually exuberant. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or photographer. If she had been carrying a boomerang, 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 Walters will be delighted to see you."
The creature flew slightly and fantasized. Then it rose up on its rare legs, puffed out its piehole and strode steadily toward her.
For the first time, Audra had the urge to run, but her bicep was enlarging and her legs refused to move.
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