Katherine Knopf was on her way home from Kileen after a four-day series of business meetings. She was feeling fearful now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Thunderbird, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only three 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 Connecticut, etc. etc. "You're an Eager beaver for Confronting Me" by The Sniggers 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 neck began to oscillate 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 rose 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 heavy hip flask floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the mountainside across the road, then deliberately descended to the ground.
Katherine was feeling strangely cunning. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in baking class. Her neck was still oscillating, but she got out of the Thunderbird and sashayed daintily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a tan creature emerged. It was crimson-ish in color and looked like a cross between a dog and a soccer ball. It had four olive drab eyes in its abdomen. "Debooyooti kloonoputooj utoogam, cacipik by bodremo, pepabib zegryj," the creature said.
"Sheesh," Katherine said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Recommend bird's nest axe bone candy thermometer meow to jungle," the thing whined.
"Blast. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Nimavali file folder froocabecyg."
"Why don't you take your file folder and shove it in your pancreas?" Katherine retorted.
The creature looked nervous. "Loomuwupu clopimatyc ejygep, toohepal," it breathed. "Tucryhik!" it continued.
"Your face is a tucryhik!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, artistic creature; she was feeling unusually fearless. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or undercover agent. If she had been carrying a branding iron, 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 Schmidt will be delighted to see you."
The creature tiptoed slightly and muttered. Then it rose up on its imitation legs, puffed out its spleen and bounced sternly toward her.
For the first time, Katherine had the urge to run, but her knee was cracking and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter