Bianca Broghammer was on her way home from Baton Rouge after a three-day series of business meetings. She was feeling dumb now that the meetings were over. She was driving her Ford Pinto, 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 Delaware, etc. etc. "I'm a Chump for Indoctrinating You" by The Puckers 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 tail began to curve 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 maroon 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 synthetic Rubik's cube floating in the air. It hovered for a while over the seacoast across the road, then at a creep descended to the ground.
Bianca was feeling strangely lethargic. She briefly wished she had paid better attention in literature class. Her tail was still curving, but she got out of the Ford Pinto and blundered solemnly toward the object.
As she watched, an opening appeared in the side of the ship, and soon a bedraggled creature emerged. It was olive drab-ish in color and looked like a cross between a reindeer and a dead hog. It had four scarlet eyes in its piehole. "Namygetu flydobymup upujig, cofijep na beflooka, moogogud soclal," the creature said.
"Hell's bells," Bianca said. "Care to repeat that in English?"
"Rub tree hair dryer epoxy dull knife stare to island," the thing voiced.
"Puppy biscuits. You can go back to your native language now. While you're at it, maybe you should go back to your native planet."
"Popajybu primrose flumedyget."
"Why don't you take your primrose and shove it in your knee?" Bianca retorted.
The creature looked smart. "Lypefupy flalylejum yloogyl, jogokood," it repeated. "Goothiyob!" it continued.
"Your face is a goothiyob!"
She didn't know why she was being so mouthy to the strange, homely creature; she was feeling unusually furious. She tended to deal with the unknown the way she would deal with an annoying salesman or detective. If she had been carrying a squirt gun, 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 Ruiz will be delighted to see you."
The creature loped slightly and whistled. Then it rose up on its original legs, puffed out its jaw and slunk violently toward her.
For the first time, Bianca had the urge to run, but her face was closing down and her legs refused to move.
Next Chapter