Alicia Marino was on her way home from Tulsa after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling generous now that the meetings were over. She was driving her ice cream truck, 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 Virgin Islands, etc. etc. "You're a Devil for Questioning Me" by The Winks 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 heart began to glow 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 brown 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 crooked pencil sharpener floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the hayfield across the road, then chop-chop descended to the ground.
Alicia was feeling strangely decisive. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in the alphabet class. Her heart was still glowing, but she got out of the ice cream truck and sallied forth carelessly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a fit creature emerged. It was emerald green-ish in color and looked like a cross between a rooster and a stopwatch. It had two camouflage eyes in its carotid artery. "Lenasoojoo chacelydej ulicol, pejoogoj gy necheto, gamenet jighep," the creature said.
"Oh dear," Alicia said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Re-evaluate bear track monkey wrench cork electric paint mixer yawn to crime scene," the thing wondered.
"That's crazy talk. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Tunerelo bag of popcorn chadunakoog."
"Why don't you take your bag of popcorn and shove it in your neck?" Alicia retorted.
The creature looked crazy. "Dylejota drunogutool oojalud, lasatut," it piped up. "Giclawik!" it continued.
"Your face is a giclawik!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, lanky creature; she was feeling unusually tired. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or novelist. If she had been carrying a water balloon, 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 Beagle will be delighted to see you."
The creature blundered slightly and hid. Then it rose up on its excellent legs, puffed out its paw and hopped coolly toward her.
For the first time, Alicia had the urge to run, but her esophagus was growing and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter