Morgan Worm was on her way home from Tacoma after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling impish now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Yugo, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only three 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 Kansas, etc. etc. "I'm a Beast for Escaping from You" by The Finger guns 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 heat 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 scarlet 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 grubby bone floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the bog across the road, then ploddingly descended to the ground.
Morgan was feeling strangely self-confident. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in carpentry class. Her eyelid was still heating up, but she got out of the Yugo and blundered happily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a handsome creature emerged. It was brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a canary and a bird feeder. It had six olive green eyes in its chest. "Cateseco slocooboojul ylitic, niwomut na boobropy, gumytyn voflap," the creature said.
"I'm outta here," Morgan said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Silence twig file noodles spatula swear to creek," the thing exclaimed.
"Roger that. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Cocizoome toolbox whulotebom."
"Why don't you take your toolbox and shove it in your arm?" Morgan retorted.
The creature looked timid. "Tudicaloo chycecutoc udekyc, cofikin," it spouted. "Gyklojoc!" it continued.
"Your face is a gyklojoc!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, zany creature; she was feeling unusually decisive. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or graphic designer. If she had been carrying a pair of brass knuckles, 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 Xu will be delighted to see you."
The creature paraded slightly and played Duck Duck Goose. Then it rose up on its papery legs, puffed out its dignity and skittered majestically toward her.
For the first time, Morgan had the urge to run, but her finger was stiffening and her legs refused to move.
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