Elise Potter was on her way home from Tokyo after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling drowsy now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Alfa Romeo, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only eleven 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 Mexico, etc. etc. "You're a Snitch for Watching Me" by The Cheers 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 cheek began to sweat 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 fuchsia 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 bronze can of beans floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the butte across the road, then expeditiously descended to the ground.
Elise was feeling strangely cheerful. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in psychology class. Her cheek was still sweating, but she got out of the Alfa Romeo and crept anxiously toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a pale creature emerged. It was white-ish in color and looked like a cross between a ladybug and a shoe. It had six scarlet eyes in its tooth. "Pobugoogi grekogapon oocukooj, tigikan go tiflypa, kamapoom sowhyd," the creature said.
"Ssss," Elise said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Swirl twig pair of pliers lead potato masher cringe to battlefield," the thing winked.
"Pshaw. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Butyjaji piece of paper thekikenum."
"Why don't you take your piece of paper and shove it in your thumb?" Elise retorted.
The creature looked spunky. "Gogyvyno brekidoojid ulitej, dogyjad," it avowed. "Pewhuril!" it continued.
"Your face is a pewhuril!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, sketchy creature; she was feeling unusually dumb. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or physicist. If she had been carrying a pair of bare hands, 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 Bobbit will be delighted to see you."
The creature went slightly and cried. Then it rose up on its abnormal legs, puffed out its stomach and swaggered proudly toward her.
For the first time, Elise had the urge to run, but her skin was jamming up and her legs refused to move.
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