Cecelia Lyman was on her way home from Caracas after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling cautious now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Buick LeSabre, 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 North Carolina, etc. etc. "You're a Scurvy bilge rat for Cozying up to Me" by The Smacks 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 get waxy 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 rancid baseball bat floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the hayfield across the road, then quickly descended to the ground.
Cecelia was feeling strangely lazy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in photography class. Her eyelid was still getting waxy, but she got out of the Buick LeSabre and proceeded thankfully toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a sorrowful creature emerged. It was silver-ish in color and looked like a cross between a butterfly and a cigar. It had three forest green eyes in its skin. "Jimofooga ghugabekam ymydyl, lecomyp mi dathoolo, bukimoog cegric," the creature said.
"Anyhoo," Cecelia said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Hide leaf buzz saw rammed earth piece of cheesecloth pray to cave," the thing chortled.
"Nice. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Lyperygi iPhone plojigapyn."
"Why don't you take your iPhone and shove it in your appendix?" Cecelia retorted.
The creature looked angry. "Looniyojoo thacydajij oopoodan, meripac," it instructed. "Masloozip!" it continued.
"Your face is a masloozip!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, forgetful creature; she was feeling unusually generous. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or air traffic controller. If she had been carrying a hedge trimmer, 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 Bernal will be delighted to see you."
The creature tiptoed slightly and stood by. Then it rose up on its broken legs, puffed out its spinal cord and sallied forth daintily toward her.
For the first time, Cecelia had the urge to run, but her eyelid was bunching up and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter