He must have passed out. Human had no recollection of how he got here, but he was lying on a table in a round room bathed in very bright rose light.
The creature he had met outside was beside him, along with eight other similar-looking beings, all peering at him with those grey eyes. They were shyly conversing in the strange language he had heard earlier.
He was feeling no fear; in fact, he felt nothing. He was just watching everything, like those out-of-body experiences he had read about.
"Brocenabig elecil," one said. "Gygooromy," another replied. They menacingly raised up two strange metallic devices above his tail, plunged the tips of them in, and removed it. They squashed the tail, then put it in a used ivory container that was hovering beside them. They then did the same with his spine, and his lung. It all seemed very strange, mostly because he was aware he should be feeling very reassured, but actually was simply observing.
The beings continued their obnoxious conversation, while he lay there, with the curious thought that he probably shouldn't try to get up while his tail, spine, and lung were missing. Meanwhile, one of the aliens lightly touched the side of the container, and his body parts were automatically whisked away and out of sight. "Who says?," he thought to himself, "I guess that's that."
The other aliens continued conversing and prodding what was left of his body. "Mugasalya," one pleaded. "Pabysid," another responded.
"Kooloyomo?" he said abruptly, surprising himself — and, evidently, everyone.
The room was suddenly full of animated alien conversation. "Gubejuc?" "Goomayijy jatahalu kekeroda." "Bedejaboo." "Golafyn!"
The most articulate of the aliens then moved fervently to his side. "I hope we have not inconvenienced you," it mused, in perfect robotic English. "We come in peace. We will return you to your Ford pickup when we are finished."
He actually felt pretty inconvenienced, insofar as someone without feeling could feel. "Cijyvubo," he stormed. "May I have my tail back? And my spine and lung?"
He realized that there was no language being used to communicate. All were understanding each other without the need to translate.
"They are currently in the lab, being pulled. We will return them shortly."
"That's good to know," he replied, with only a little irony. "I am waiting quickly."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Yeah, well, I'll just lie here and cooperate until I get my spine back," he recited.
The poking and prodding and conversation continued. The words were just background sound unless they were directed toward him. The rose light bathed him in a peaceful feeling, and he was oblivious to the passage of time.
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