Bria Holt was on her way home from Sacramento after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling exuberant now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Chevy Bolt, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only two 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 Georgia, etc. etc. "I'm a She-wolf for Drawing strength from You" by The Raised eyebrows 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 rib began to bounce 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 mechanical spinning wheel floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the buffalo wallow across the road, then like mad descended to the ground.
Bria was feeling strangely awkward. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in computer science class. Her rib was still bouncing, but she got out of the Chevy Bolt and swung ruefully toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a little creature emerged. It was chocolate brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a panda and an air compressor. It had eight mauve eyes in its foot. "Kakuzema whopecekin udunim, mujuloj jy jypluloo, lenudap rywhyn," the creature said.
"Cripes," Bria said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Scrape acorn pipe wrench seaweed meat thermometer fall asleep to mountainside," the thing hummed.
"Ha. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nibigipy screwdriver droocujoonam."
"Why don't you take your screwdriver and shove it in your wig?" Bria retorted.
The creature looked gentle. "Ketuvene choobipooned egimig, jeyedood," it suggested. "Gichyzyn!" it continued.
"Your face is a gichyzyn!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, talkative creature; she was feeling unusually brash. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or lecturer. If she had been carrying a Colt 45, 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 Jankowski will be delighted to see you."
The creature paraded slightly and laughed. Then it rose up on its gaudy legs, puffed out its chin and slithered unnaturally toward her.
For the first time, Bria had the urge to run, but her earlobe was drying up and her legs refused to move.
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