In The Pink
by
Jayboyd
This is inspired by the goings-on in e10's Televerses story(see e10's site). What happens before this story: a television presenter goes sky-diving. His plane by-accidentally wheels out of one universe, into Sylvia and Kellie's living room and from there into another universe. Unfortunately, this other world is an utterly different place - and of a majorly different scale... The presenter parachutes out, still talking on his headset about what he's doing. He doesn't know what's happened, obviously. He falls slowly as the plane passes on overhead. Then he releases his parachute and looks down. There, he sees a gigantic container of shining liquid below, towards which he freefalls... He frowns, but doesn't miss a beat, keeping the light nattering up for his - supposedly - interested viewers. The pink sea rushes up toward him, seeming to seethe and bob, though it may just be the wind about him. Two thoughts flash through his head: a) Yoghurt - b) celebrity candid camera - dammit, I don't need this! I'm not famous enough to risk being made a fool of! --------- In the (now) same universe, Olivia Donner is making an advert in Sweden. She is sprawled on a couch in a studio; it's made up to look like a living room. Before her is a table. Beyond that, there is the director, the camera crew, and the various aides running busily to and fro. People are getting ready for the next shot when, over the table, there is a flash of light. A runner in the midst of re-plumping the pillow blinks as something brightens in the air, then fades. No one else notices, being too pre-occupied with the work. Then, the director goes behind the camera. "Ok, Ms. Donner. Do you think you could try and be sexy?" Olivia Nods. "Excellent." He leans down and peers into the camera. "Well, let us have action," he says. She is amused by the director's casual command; but she Olivia leans over the table as she was asked to do; and she dips the spoon into the pot of yoghurt. ------------- The presenter crashes down with a splash, the parachute collapsing over him. He struggles and frees himself, then looks around - for a camera, or to see if there are people standing on the edge of the giant container. He sees no-one. Whatever this stuff is, he isn't sinking(he's simply too small to properly push down the weight). So he pulls off his parachute and starts trying to - awkwardly - swim through the pink glimmering liquid. He feels the liquid slosh about him, as the container shakes. Then he feels everything rising up, and up... ------------- Olivia takes a spoon of yoghurt out, unknowingly spooning the presenter up in the yoghurt as well. He is at sea in it, trying to pull himself out but only managing not to get pulled under further. It has very thick and he still doesn't sink too deep, or drown, as it gathers around his waist. He starts to pull himself through it, heading for the solid rim, which is close by. Mid struggle, he feels a warm wind pick up and begin swirling around him - and then start becoming warmer.. He turns and sees Olivia's face. She is still far enough away that her whole face is in full view. Her lips are curved in a smile for the camera, her eyes seemingly lowered to look down at him. But it's just what she's been told to do. Her eyes flicker over him. His movements are too small to see. He doesn't look human at all. He looks like a little black pip. Probably why she doesn't notice any movement is that he isn't moving; all he's doing is staring up at her giant face. He doesn't realise his predicament. He stares at what he thinks is her image, not the real her. Then he feels her warm breath wash over him, as she opens her mouth. --------------------------------- It opens slowly, filling up the tv presenter's vision. He stares into the darkness of it and his eyes widen. "Hey -" he says, "what the - what-" He thinks of calling his agent, and reaches into his pocket for his mobile. At the same time, he says to his cameraman through his mouthpiece: "Joe, there's something weird going on here. What has Mary gotten me into? Is she even paying attention to her job? Because she better - I hate to..." and he continues to brow-beat the cameraman far up in the plane. He's the only person the presenter can get; there's something wrong with the signal. ----------------- The cameraman is sitting in the back of the plane away from the pilot, not looking out the window. He is very tired from the night before - deeply hungover - and the sound of the plane is hurting his head. He already took six painkillers to get him through the day. He just wants to land and have a drink... "Olivia Donner's face." Man, the camera-man thinks. Are YOU taking too many uppers to keep on top. ------------------------------ The pilot is confused over the readings he's getting. He doesn't want to say anything - these tv people are very nervous folk - but he thinks something's wrong with the guidance system on the plane. There're mountains where there shouldn't be. He might have to work it out the old fashioned way - that is, look out the window. The presenter has time to have this conversation because Olivia has stopped - her director is needing to fix some positioning and lighting. She still holds the spoon but lowers it a little and puts her face in her hand. She blows a stray hair off of her face, bored with this recording over and over. She looks at the spoon of yoghurt. It's the tenth spoon this morning. She is getting sick of it. She studies the goop - the pink shining blob, the dark seeds. Strawberry flavour, she thinks; I will never eat strawberry again. Her eyes fall on one seed in the centre as she thinks: at least its real fruit. Yes. Hurray. On her scale, the seed is a tiny wine blob. She can't see that, on a much more microscopic scale, the seed she is looking at is the tiny helmeted, backpacked, red-coated presenter waving his arms; nor can she hear his irritated voice shouting down the mobile from the yoghurt's centre on her spoon. ---------------------- Then, she's allowed to go again. "3.2.1 - action!" the director says. Olivia straightens up, puts on her smile, and lifts the spoon to her mouth. "- and there's all this weird goo. Is this one of those celebrity...stitch-ups..." The presenter trails off half through a sentence as he sees Olivia's mouth rapidly growing bigger. He studies the soft, blisteringly full, and gigantic lips in amazement. They are beginning to fill up his vision. They part. Olivia opens her mouth wide. She sighs as if, finally, she has found the perfect dessert. Again, he stares into the darkness of her mouth. He gazes in awe at the deep dark there. He feels a coldness come over him, the hair rising on the back of his neck. Warm air blows over him from the direction of her mouth, tugging at his hair and the hood of his coat. What is this? Some sort of IMAX ride? Olivia slowly brings the spoon to her lips. The wind is cold now and is howling about him - this time, blowing toward her - and her mouth grows even bigger - he feels his container shaking. It begins to move faster now - like a roller coaster - as it rushes to her gaping jaws. The speed of the ride is not frightening, it's terrifying. He takes a very nervous breath, and accidentally drops the phone. It lands in the yoghurt and starts to sink. He reaches down and fumbles for it, trying to pull it out. "Damn -" he says, a shout of panic rising in him. He almost has it. His hand reaches for it, but the phone sinks further. He looks up at the "pictureâ" - and sees her upper lip rush over him like the rim of a tunnel. He holds his breath as a rapid series of images pass over: deep red creases, a brief gleam of white - "Hey-" he starts - -------------------- Olivia slips the spoon into her mouth. She closes her eyes as she does so, just as the ad copy demands. Her teeth close, clinking loudly against the metal handle behind him. Darkness falls around him. The howl of the cold wind is suddenly cut off as her soft lips close together, enclosing the spoon and its contents. The presenter looks around him, trying to find some light, something to see. Nothing. He goes to move, then - There is a tremendous vibration. It reverberates through his bones and his head. Everything around him shakes. He feels sick from it. He shouts something but it's so loud he can't hear his own voice. "Mmm" Olivia says softly, to herself, and raises her eyebrows just a little. She slides the spoon back out. ------------ "Hey, Pete. You okay?" The camera-man frowns, and looks over at the pilot, who is ignoring him. He shrugs to himself. Why is he on this assignment? Wasn't there a party in the Arctic he was due at? Something to do with penguins, blast it. He looks over at the pilot again, who is still ignoring him: he is peering out the window, vaguely turning the controls, glancing ever-so-often down at a sheet on his lap. The camera-man thinks: Okay... ----------- The contents collapse of the spoon onto the tongue. The presenter can't see anything as he gets up. He reaches out and steadies himself by placing his hands on a large round lump rising from the ground. As he fumbles, he leans on the top of it, and his hand presses down on it. Almost immediately, something sizzles and frothes against his hand. The sensation itches. He pulls his hand away and wipes the stuff stuck to it. --------------- This makes Olivia dimly aware of him: or at least that there is something else in the yoghurt. He's leaning on one of her tastebuds. The sizzling is the 'bud reacting to his touch. She can taste him - a faint tang on the very edge of her tongue. Olivia closes her eyes, showing sensual pleasure in the taste of the yoghurt(for the camera of course. It's not like it's chocolate). She takes a deep breath in through her nose, and smiles with her lips closed. "Okay, hold that..."says the director. We"ll go on, but - Olivia - if we have to shoot again: the 'mm' thing is't necessary.The ad's being dubbed over." Inside, mentally, Olivia sighs. But she's professional. She hides her impatience. -------------------------- Inside -physically - Olivia lets the yoghurt rest on her tongue; and inside her physically as well - the presenter breathes a sigh of relief. The ride has stopped and he's alright. Although - he's still reeling from the shock of the bizarre experience. But however unique it is, he is still VERY angry. He doesn't admit it to himself but he was terrified. He managed to grab his mobile phone again - but he almost lost it! That's expensive equipment! He's going to have words with his agent. To give him NO warning of what was happening. He can not be treated like this! He turns around and tries to get an idea of the place he's in. He can hear the sizzling still but also, underneath it, a deep muffled pounding - like there's some huge machine pumping water through the walls. Other strange sounds he can't identify. It's so hot he is sweating. Then he hears voices in the distance - but they are echoey , like someone giving out orders over an tannoy. "Hello?"he calls. But there's no answer. Bloody idiots. And everything is wet. He decides to find somewhere dry. He has all this time because a runner unplugged the camera by accident. Olivia can feel the yoghurt easing its way down her throat. It’s annoying. The presenter fumbles around a bit - he touches something spongy, feels a hard wall behind him; but it's too dark to tell what things look like. There are a lot of kinks to this thing, whatever it is - this - this ride(he tells himself). There must be a light switch around here so he can see his surroundings. Although he wants to be a professional, this place is freaking him out. He goes to lean against the wall. But instead he is thrown off his feet and to the ground. The floor beneath him shakes, like an earthquake. What the hell now? But he barely gets time to react when - ----------------- Olivia presses the yoghurt to the roof of her mouth. She rubs it against her palate. The presenter is caught by her tongue in the movement, lifted away from her molar and plunged into the yoghurt. He coughs and takes a deep breath, swallowing some yoghurt. He slaps his head off the sharp corner of something floating in it. "Ow-" his ears are ringing from the impact. "My phone" He yells. He remembers his headphones. "What the hell is going on, Joe?’ He shouts this at the cameraman. "Um -" says the camera man. He's worried. "Hold on, I'll try and get Mary. Maybe we should just pick you up and head home?" "Can you go somewhere we can a sight of you?" asks the cameraman. But all he hears is the presenter yelling, in fear or anger, he can’t tell. The presenter finds himself freed from the goop again, dropping onto a soft and shuddering slope. He is very shaken. He twists around to get up on the unsteady surface beneath him but, instead, to his horror, he finds the ground tipping beneath him. Along with yoghurt, which he can hear tumbling past him, he starts tumbling across the bumpy surface he is on - that is, Olivia's tongue - Olivia swallows. There is a thunderous noise, like something huge has been raised and then splashed down into liquid - wierdly, it sounds like 'gulp'- and the presenter suddely finds himself dropping straight down. He yells in terror and, desperately, grabs at anything to stop him falling. A throat is made to stop things that are small enough to fall in from sticking. Yet, he does find something - a large seed, as big as a car, jutting out of the slime along her esophagus - and he grabs onto it. But then he feels IT begin to slide. Everything about him is moving downwards, quickly, speeding up. She feels the cold yoghurt slipping down for the sixth time today. God, how often do I have to do this, she wonders. At this stage, I'd anything else just to not taste this stuff anymore. "HELP" he yells upwards. "Anyone there?" There is - but her ears can't hear him, all the way down there inside her. She swallows again, to wash the taste out.