Stella Thomas was on her way home from Brownsville after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling excitable now that the meetings were over. She was driving her monster truck, 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 Hawaii, etc. etc. "I'm a Baby for Sitting on You" by The Caresses 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 gut began to expand 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 tan 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 imitation stuffed bunny floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the peninsula across the road, then listlessly descended to the ground.
Stella was feeling strangely merry. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in music class. Her gut was still expanding, but she got out of the monster truck and cantered unabashedly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a spry creature emerged. It was aqua-ish in color and looked like a cross between a sloth and a fingernail clipper. It had four polka dotted eyes in its shin. "Tejyyuboo frakoogukuc utygog, tyyylal cu joogryly, gekimab fowhet," the creature said.
"Sieg Heil," Stella said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Grind fern hex key fairy dust wooden spoon beg to mesa," the thing begged.
"Teehee. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Lipizade flash drive whoodedotim."
"Why don't you take your flash drive and shove it in your nostril?" Stella retorted.
The creature looked freakish. "Lydusuga troocatigog ajajyk, gozodeb," it joked. "Nechihooc!" it continued.
"Your face is a nechihooc!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, garrulous creature; she was feeling unusually ambitious. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or editor. If she had been carrying a sword, 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 Lewis will be delighted to see you."
The creature sped slightly and dressed up. Then it rose up on its modern legs, puffed out its funny bone and hopped wearily toward her.
For the first time, Stella had the urge to run, but her eyelid was bunching up and her legs refused to move.
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