“Sorry, I’m late gu-uhh…”

Twerp’s jaw dropped with a thud, along with his favorite scuffed baseball. Being tardy for practice again today turned out to be downright lucky.

Glowing and charred earth pointed from the outfield, through second base, to a twenty foot crater belching smoke right where the pitcher’s mound had been. A huge black encrusted egg lay cracked wide, glittering like a disco ball in the bright afternoon sunlight.

But that wasn’t what made Twerp ready to catch pop-flies with his mouth.
Covering home plate sat a mountain of purple scaled horror, bulbous eyes rolling, massive belly writhing as it popped the last of Twerp’s team mates into its huge mouth.

Twerp froze, eyes bugging and not knowing whether to faint or fight, when his irrational mind made the decision for him.

Twerp giggled.

The high asthmatic sound brought the beast’s head swiveling around fast as a missed home run swing, mouth gaping.

Twerp turned to run but his feet disappeared in coils of hot purple alien tongue.