She must have passed out. Human had no recollection of how she got here, but she was lying on a table in a round room bathed in very bright fuchsia light.
The creature she had met outside was beside her, along with three other similar-looking beings, all peering at her with those metallic red eyes. They were greedily conversing in the strange language she had heard earlier.
She was feeling no fear; in fact, she felt nothing. She was just watching everything, like those out-of-body experiences she had read about.
"Quepumopob opogyn," one said. "Lymozoli," another replied. They gratefully raised up two strange metallic devices above her hand, plunged the tips of them in, and removed it. They pulled the hand, then put it in a ridiculous pink container that was hovering beside them. They then did the same with her tooth, and her Adam's apple. It all seemed very strange, mostly because she was aware she should be feeling very reassured, but actually was simply observing.
The beings continued their boring conversation, while she lay there, with the curious thought that she probably shouldn't try to get up while her hand, tooth, and Adam's apple were missing. Meanwhile, one of the aliens lightly touched the side of the container, and her body parts were automatically whisked away and out of sight. "Doubtful," she thought to herself, "I guess that's that."
The other aliens continued conversing and prodding what was left of her body. "Nypyjoboa," one chimed. "Coogahej," another responded.
"Kopysyka?" she said abruptly, surprising herself — and, evidently, everyone.
The room was suddenly full of animated alien conversation. "Cabosum?" "Pidogiku kodyroloo conurati." "Bucojupoo." "Mitijool!"
The most wicked of the aliens then moved uselessly to her side. "I hope we have not inconvenienced you," it called, in perfect robotic English. "We come in peace. We will return you to your covered wagon when we are finished."
She actually felt pretty inconvenienced, insofar as someone without feeling could feel. "Mopuvymi," she opined. "May I have my hand back? And my tooth and Adam's apple?"
She 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 distorted. We will return them shortly."
"That's good to know," she replied, with only a little irony. "I am waiting pitifully."
"Thank you for your cooperation."
"Yeah, well, I'll just lie here and cooperate until I get my tooth back," she retorted.
The poking and prodding and conversation continued. The words were just background sound unless they were directed toward her. The fuchsia light bathed her in a peaceful feeling, and she was oblivious to the passage of time.
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