Giggling he could deal with, so long as they kept shoveling. The loose dirt began to weigh down the gelatinous creature and impede its sinuous movements. After a couple more moments, it looked more like a puddle of antifreeze with cat litter thrown on top than an alien life form. The more they kicked, the less fumes rose from it, which allowed the wind to clear out the cloud that hung over the area.

Daniel gave one final, aggravated shove of his foot. Then he turned around to point at Echo and said, “Congratulations. That little guy is your— your— Oh man.“

The tiny alien was gone. A row of itty, bitty footprints led into the darkness.

"Y'know what, forget it. I'm no Captain Kirk. That guy is someone else's problem."