but i could n't leave my people ... . and the longer we stood in silence the worse the situation seemed to grow . the sudden appearance of the alien shook me up . i gave her an irritated half-smile and handed it over . `` you have about twenty-four hours , ted . i mus - she yawned again - must have been having a bad dream . i scanned the room , desperate to find the exit . later that evening she and i had a mother daughter discussion about the facts of life as they would affect me . 