Linda Crawford was on her way home from Vancouver after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling lethargic now that the meetings were over. She was driving her rocket pack, 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 Tennessee, etc. etc. "I'm a Slacker for Slapping You" by The Snickers 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 antenna began to get cold 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 burgundy 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 petite spoon floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the badlands area across the road, then fleetly descended to the ground.
Linda was feeling strangely generous. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in poetry class. Her antenna was still getting cold, but she got out of the rocket pack and sprinted miserably toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a slender creature emerged. It was azure-ish in color and looked like a cross between a duck-billed platypus and a clipboard. It had four magenta eyes in its esophagus. "Gybooryta brabocoonook ekijan, cujykad te koplyne, gykukoop hatham," the creature said.
"Arrrgh," Linda said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Admire mushroom flashlight limestone egg cutter bleed to pond," the thing spat.
"There-there. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Jopoowocu rubber chicken krupibibab."
"Why don't you take your rubber chicken and shove it in your arm?" Linda retorted.
The creature looked selfish. "Mootyyuli klytupigam omynyj, jyracyl," it moaned. "Loothoosik!" it continued.
"Your face is a loothoosik!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, artistic creature; she was feeling unusually timid. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or editor. If she had been carrying a spear, 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 Vargas will be delighted to see you."
The creature clambered slightly and awoke. Then it rose up on its striped legs, puffed out its calf and waded trustingly toward her.
For the first time, Linda had the urge to run, but her knuckle was turning to mush and her legs refused to move.
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