- Chapter 2 -
"Laa-Laa Land"
(For the sake of this AU FanFiction, Teletubbyland is categorized as an M-Class exoplanet, codenamed 'TTL-MCEP 3e1292913986 b'. You'll see why it's named in the later chapters.)
When the yellow Teletubby caught him placing his palms on the TV screen, she quickly yet gracefully took the opportunity to grab both his arms through the display and yanked him from his home in no more than two life-changing seconds!
Everything was swirly yet silent for a few moments around him, but when he soon emerged from the other side of the portal like a living projectile, and somehow in one piece from all the quantum forces he experienced at once...
"No way! It's a human, just like us!" yelled the Narrator in astonishment when he witnessed what the Teletubby had brought from the device. "You've managed to pull a human being through a portal!?"
"Oooh, human! From portal? Yay!" the 8'6" Teletubby naturally cheered and bounced with glee.
"Agh... what just happened? Uh, where am I? Why am I hearing new voices around me?" he moaned and twitched. "Oh, you there – how do you possess the strength to pull me here so effortlessly? Wait... how have I not been disintegrated!? I also never expected you to be much taller than I imagined! WHY THE HECK AM I HERE?! WHA-" he continued to deliver these series of sentences in a blisteringly fast speed that it spiraled down into a full-blown frenzy, resulting in a panic attack.
He frantically flailed his arms and aimlessly darted to such an extent that it felt like he was a part of an endless running game, played all over again. He was extremely agitated and frightened, so much so that he almost peed his pants. That's not all – sweat had drenched his entire upper torso, his pupils dilated to the size of a bead, his cheeks turned bright red instead of pale, and unbridled fear waved down his spine like a lightning bolt in contact with the ground, recorded in slow motion during a heavy thunderstorm, which in turn petrified him, leaving uncontrollable shivers sent straight throughout his body!
He had no idea how to interact with these otherworldly creatures at all!
But as he was getting increasingly fatigued after sprinting for long distances – an unintentional feat, given that he's never run a marathon before and currently in a dimension more than that of Earth's gravity...
...there was a beacon of hope from the yellow Teletubby.
"Oh, no! Please calm down, human... it's the only way! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you so much like that! You don't need to panic, so take it easy, and breathe-" she attempted to console, in a surprising revelation that she can speak proper English, and tried to stop him by grasping his shoulders as hard as she could.
Unfortunately, it had worsened the predicament.
"YOU SPEAK FLUENT ENGLISH?!" screeched both Calvin and the Narrator in shock when they heard her speaking eloquently for the first time.
"Surprise! I guess you never knew what happens behind closed doors!" she replied with a high-pitched giggle. "And in your case – portals! Welcome, fellow human!" she beckoned towards him, who was utterly dumbfounded.
"Are you kidding me?! All this time, I thought you spoke nothing but gibberish! Great, what am I going to do now!? I can't do anything but scream into the unknown – AAARRRGGGH!" he bawled his lungs out like an express train horn, then fell down to his knees and crouched himself into a ball like Sonic the Hedgehog or any other biologically advanced character who could demonstrate that, and trembled with his eyes shut when she had the chance to interact with him, while considering venturing back into the contraption containing the portal that brought him here in the first place.
Instead, he impulsively ran further and further away from the object that sprinting back towards it at maximum speed would take at least an hour to be within reach of it! And for some reason, according to the program's inconsistent schedule, it has been assigned to appear at random locations spread across the surface of Teletubbyland for 10 - 12 minutes per day, due of the duration of the episode!
Fortunately, she was encouraging and helpful enough to accompany him every step of the way, even towards the middle of nowhere.
"Aw... there, there. I'll be here for you whenever and wherever you are, alright? Don't worry, you're going to be fine!" she reassured and nuzzled him.
After hearing the soothing response made by the Teletubby, he started to calm down. He straightened himself up, opened his eyes, and peered up at her. He finally stopped shivering, his panic began to dissipate, and his mind started blooming with new memories, yet remaining shy and nervous despite her efforts to regain his confidence and self-control.
"Heeey, that's much better... I can feel the eagerness in your body bubbling up significantly! Ah, it's so wonderful watching you grow! So, how are you feeling, human?" she complimented amiably in such a way that it made him speechless.
"What... in the world... is happening... in front of my eyes...?" the Narrator stammered and blanked out, rendering him dumbstruck as well!
"Huh...? Oh, um... we haven't expressed ourselves, uh... creature to crea- nope, snap out of it!" he murmured and voluntarily knocked his head. "Okay, let's try again. We... never "met" each other in person- you know what, disregard everything I've said. Well, except for one thing – can you tell me your name?"
"You can speak up as much as you can, I believe in you!" she comforted and bouncily rose him up from the ground. "I'm Laa-Laa. It's finally great to meet you, now that you're slowly but steadily getting more confident!" she merrily greeted.
"Thanks. And nice to meet you too... Laa-Laa," he timorously exchanged handshakes, only to find out that she has the power to shake him like a baby rattle. "WOAAA- I need a timeout! Whew, you're impossibly strong for a Teletubby like- uh-oh..." he initially panted dizzily but realized that he blew his cover, or so he thought.
"Ooooooh, how do you know? Did you watch us before? Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Laa-Laa gasped and shrieked with exhilaration.
She wanted as many answers as possible from him straight away by bouncing and jiggling him wildly.
"Uhrgblghrhlgb... ow, that hurts. Alright, I'll admit it – I have watched many episodes of you guys on cable TV, are you happy now?" he confessed. "But, compared to last time, you surprisingly look and sound... refined. Your voice too – it's... younger, and more lively," he flattered to reduce his diffidence.
"Awww, that's so sweet of you! Thank you, human... in fact, this is for making me happy!" she blushed and played with his cheeks while continuously singing and laughing.
"Yeblablhghlr... blyou clablgn stblogblp blgnolhw... blwblwblw... (Yeah... you can stop now... ugh...)" he drawled while his cheeks were continuously being pinched and pulled by her.
"Your cheeks are so mushy like a sponge!" she cheekily remarked.
"Wblghablthg...?! Mlushbly..!? Iblg... dblonblt... hblgablve... mlushblygh... chblgehleblks... foblghr Gblhofldbls sblghakegbl...! (What...?! Mushy...!? I... don't... have... mushy... cheeks... for God's sake...!)" he awkwardly tried to speak up.
"I can't determine if this is either a wholesome or a weird sight to behold, to be honest..." the Narrator said to himself, perplexed.
He instantly became shy again when he moved her hands out of the way after a minute of playing, or maybe his cheeks couldn't handle the tensile stress caused by her playful actions...
"Ahhh! This time, it hurt a lot more! Stop!" he implored.
"Hehehe! It's fun getting to know you, don't you think?" she simpered, which made him sigh in regret.
"Laa-Laa wanted to know the name of the human," the Narrator intervened.
"Oh, I forgot to ask you that! Oops! What's your name?" she snickered while coming closer towards him.
"It's Calvin, as in... um, never mind. I've heard a rumor from a long time ago that you have a hard time saying proper names in general, is that right?" he queried.
"Nahhh, silly!" she laughed. "Although some of it is true; I still have to practice pronouncing long and complex words in my vocabulary. Buuut, I've got some simple and fun names for you!" she teased.
"Oh, boy. What've you got?" he sighed.
"Can I call you: 'Cavin'? 'Caaal'? 'Viiin'? 'Calypoo'?" she giggled with each one louder than the last until she inevitably ROFL'd.
"No, no, no, no, no, no... not the last one, please!" he shouted but began to join in the laughter after some time. "For context, my mom used to call me that particular nickname a lot when I was a kid because I was so dumb and innocent, and I played the victim card by not acting against it! As you can see clearly, I'm an adult now so I would prefer "Cavin" as my option since it sounds closer to my real name!" he disclosed. "And I predicted that you'd choose that one anyway," he facepalmed but decided to let it slide. "You know what, let's end this one on a good note here – I'm fine with whatever you want to call me; anything goes," he shrugged it off in the end.
"Then it's decided. I'll call you "Cavin" from now on! Hurray!" she cheered while jumping and clapping. "Eh-oh, Cavin! Aw, why the long face? Hey, let me see you smile nice and wide!" she excitedly greeted and laughed once again, waving her hands in glee.
"Eh-oh, Laa-Laa. I'm good, thanks..." he softly chuckled and finally grinned back.
Laughter is truly the best medicine when it comes to encountering a beaming Teletubby, especially Laa-Laa.
