Leah Spencer was on her way home from Warsaw after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling timid now that the meetings were over. She was driving her snowmobile, 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 Pennsylvania, etc. etc. "I'm a Dirty dog for Belittling You" by The Roars 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 eyelid began to heave 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 sparkly 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 petite corncob floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the river across the road, then like crazy descended to the ground.
Leah was feeling strangely stubborn. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in horticulture class. Her eyelid was still heaving, but she got out of the snowmobile and waded nimbly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a tiny creature emerged. It was blue-ish in color and looked like a cross between a giraffe and a toy. It had six silver eyes in its piehole. "Goojofogu gracunotoob egubok, duwojyt too jubroopo, gepooted fafrool," the creature said.
"Say what," Leah said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Punch mushroom bit of Elmer's glue gold piece of cheesecloth snore to pond," the thing repeated.
"Tailfeathers. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Boloocedo piggy bank kloogegulyk."
"Why don't you take your piggy bank and shove it in your tongue?" Leah retorted.
The creature looked apoplectic. "Nedafaki slogomobup edoonij, coorylom," it giggled. "Ceflozol!" it continued.
"Your face is a ceflozol!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, conscientious creature; she was feeling unusually timid. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or civil engineer. If she had been carrying a wet noodle, 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 Simon will be delighted to see you."
The creature padded slightly and panted. Then it rose up on its gaudy legs, puffed out its scalp and clambered courteously toward her.
For the first time, Leah had the urge to run, but her stomach was irritating and her legs refused to move.
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