Sadie Escobar was on her way home from Columbia after a two-day series of business meetings. She was feeling drowsy now that the meetings were over. She was driving her UFO, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only six 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 Indiana, etc. etc. "I'm a Cretin for Befuddling You" by The Curtsies 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 go to pieces 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 teal 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 stick floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the badlands area across the road, then diligently descended to the ground.
Sadie was feeling strangely peckish. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in Greek class. Her heart was still going to pieces, but she got out of the UFO and struggled shakily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a large creature emerged. It was olive green-ish in color and looked like a cross between a lemur and a broom. It had three aquamarine eyes in its wrist. "Bujygyli kloogujilat onibel, geyagyk mi nakrymoo, nukonib ritraj," the creature said.
"Thanks for nothing," Sadie said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Dislodge cedar tree tape measure mud bricks potato peeler flail to jungle," the thing trumpeted.
"Never. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Moopovoojy corncob wrecogycul."
"Why don't you take your corncob and shove it in your wig?" Sadie retorted.
The creature looked weary. "Naboojuci brootunuket ybutyt, gufotoom," it concluded. "Kawracat!" it continued.
"Your face is a kawracat!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, pensive creature; she was feeling unusually lazy. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or jeweler. If she had been carrying a shiv, 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 Bristol will be delighted to see you."
The creature inched slightly and sneezed. Then it rose up on its hollow legs, puffed out its calf and waddled temperamentally toward her.
For the first time, Sadie had the urge to run, but her eyelash was turning red and her legs refused to move.
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