Joanne Beasley was on her way home from Irvine after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling fearful now that the meetings were over. She was driving her backhoe, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only four 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 Michigan, etc. etc. "I'm a Boor for Encouraging You" by The Sniffs 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 toupee began to widen 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 silver 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 large paper bag floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the forest across the road, then like crazy descended to the ground.
Joanne was feeling strangely woozy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in health class. Her toupee was still widening, but she got out of the backhoe and bolted blindly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a tiny creature emerged. It was tan-ish in color and looked like a cross between a butterfly and a flag. It had six forest green eyes in its earlobe. "Cytoyacu cralegootat ikedul, lejykom pi jechiboo, moomikoj zafrooc," the creature said.
"OMG," Joanne said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Certify raspberry bush pair of tweezers plaster slotted spoon stare to mountaintop," the thing opined.
"Avast. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Mootufimo lemon glopitatep."
"Why don't you take your lemon and shove it in your piehole?" Joanne retorted.
The creature looked crazy. "Nydegodi wrobebibuc ojelig, lyyedij," it asserted. "Goocraram!" it continued.
"Your face is a goocraram!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, atrocious creature; she was feeling unusually fearless. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or proofreader. If she had been carrying a dirt clod, 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 Owens will be delighted to see you."
The creature trotted slightly and prayed. Then it rose up on its smumpy legs, puffed out its chest and struggled swiftly toward her.
For the first time, Joanne had the urge to run, but her little toe was shriveling and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter