A Thud and a Giggle

WHOOSH! Brian tumbled. It wasn't a graceful tumble, not like the kind he practiced when he imagined himself on a grand stage, bowing to thunderous applause. This was more of a… bewildered, head-over-heels, *oh-my-gosh-what-is-happening* tumble. He felt a strange pulling sensation, like being stretched and squeezed all at once, and then, with a gentle, cushioned THUD, he landed.

He lay there for a moment, his jar wobbling precariously, his little arms and legs splayed out in a most un-tap-dancer-like fashion. The familiar red dust of Mars was gone, replaced by something soft, springy, and a vibrant, impossible green. It tickled his tentacles. He wiggled them experimentally. Yep, definitely ticklish. He blinked his big, curious eyes, his brain whirring with a million questions. Where was he? What was this fluffy, green stuff? And most importantly, were there any good surfaces for tap dancing around?

Slowly, carefully, Brian righted himself in his jar. He took a deep breath, the air smelling wonderfully fresh and… flowery? Not the dry, dusty scent of Mars at all. He peered around, his gaze taking in a dizzying array of colors and shapes. Tall, wobbly structures in bright blues and yellows reached towards a sky so intensely blue it made his Martian brain ache. Strange, squealing noises filled the air, sounds he’d never heard before. And everywhere, *everywhere*, there were… beings. Many of them. Small, energetic beings with two legs, two arms, and heads full of what looked like a riot of colorful fluff.