Mabel Bibbles was on her way home from Henderson after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling cunning now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Tesla Roadster, 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 Washington, etc. etc. "You're a Fathead for Covering Me" by The Flutters 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 gall bladder began to flare up 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 purple 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 broken flashlight floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the grassland across the road, then fleetly descended to the ground.
Mabel was feeling strangely generous. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in mythology class. Her gall bladder was still flaring up, but she got out of the Tesla Roadster and proceeded carefully toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon an elegant creature emerged. It was olive drab-ish in color and looked like a cross between a ghost and a coat check ticket. It had four carrot-orange eyes in its spleen. "Gocayako franybebap amegyd, kycotad bo cagrypu, boocecob roofrac," the creature said.
"Please," Mabel said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Understand wolf track Q-tip straw slotted spoon vomit to river," the thing jeered.
"Glaack. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Bikisupy battery grulootumag."
"Why don't you take your battery and shove it in your thyroid gland?" Mabel retorted.
The creature looked obedient. "Gemusakoo phootemoobik idicem, karymyd," it explained. "Taslewoom!" it continued.
"Your face is a taslewoom!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, wizened creature; she was feeling unusually fearful. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or butcher. If she had been carrying a dirk, 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 Banks will be delighted to see you."
The creature skipped slightly and smiled. Then it rose up on its hefty legs, puffed out its antenna and trekked later toward her.
For the first time, Mabel had the urge to run, but her brain was acting up and her legs refused to move.
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