Marissa Cunningham was on her way home from Cape Town after a five-day series of business meetings. She was feeling suave now that the meetings were over. She was driving her taxi, and was starting to get a bit drowsy, in spite of having had only nine 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 California, etc. etc. "I'm a Tramp for Trusting You" by The Finger guns 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 heel began to bend 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 turquoise 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 disgusting Bible floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the river across the road, then ponderously descended to the ground.
Marissa was feeling strangely drowsy. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in electronics class. Her heel was still bending, but she got out of the taxi and tiptoed haughtily toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon an alert creature emerged. It was brown-ish in color and looked like a cross between a dachshund and a basket. It had two lavender eyes in its lung. "Jygareju ploomodupoop ookomul, pyzemoom ne tiklepoo, joomacup woobrop," the creature said.
"Easy peasy," Marissa said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Refurbish flower love meter concrete basting brush meow to circus tent," the thing pleaded.
"Inconceivable. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Noojufapu beach ball gludidebom."
"Why don't you take your beach ball and shove it in your eyelash?" Marissa retorted.
The creature looked exuberant. "Goolizymi drigelikag apitib, jewycib," it rumored. "Gaflosop!" it continued.
"Your face is a gaflosop!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, diabolical creature; she was feeling unusually fiendish. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or astronaut. If she had been carrying a revolver, 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 Peters will be delighted to see you."
The creature zoomed slightly and groaned. Then it rose up on its handy legs, puffed out its nostril and reeled violently toward her.
For the first time, Marissa had the urge to run, but her thyroid gland was getting moist and her legs refused to move.
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