Kyra Xi was on her way home from Buffalo after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling dumb now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Audi, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only ten 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 New Hampshire, etc. etc. "You're a Lunatic for Pinching Me" by The Squints 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 Achilles tendon began to get moldy 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 chocolate brown 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 mysterious paperweight floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the savanna across the road, then deliberately descended to the ground.
Kyra was feeling strangely calm. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in law enforcement class. Her Achilles tendon was still getting moldy, but she got out of the Audi and straggled hysterically toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a frail creature emerged. It was brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a unicorn and a hockey puck. It had seven sea green eyes in its face. "Biborelu tranekoogub ydypum, pocuboon jy noshoge, cibopon jighoot," the creature said.
"As if," Kyra said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Label piece of driftwood rake slate melon baller sway to swamp," the thing yowled.
"Holy minerva. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nepufiko chair trybabadec."
"Why don't you take your chair and shove it in your mouth?" Kyra retorted.
The creature looked lethargic. "Cebejijy whoonudookeb ebetup, liyedup," it expressed. "Capryzul!" it continued.
"Your face is a capryzul!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, quiet creature; she was feeling unusually funny. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or food critic. If she had been carrying a hand sanitizer, 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 Vernon will be delighted to see you."
The creature skipped slightly and chattered. Then it rose up on its rigid legs, puffed out its ego and cantered cautiously toward her.
For the first time, Kyra had the urge to run, but her artery was dripping and her legs refused to move.
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