Life In The Gumball Machine –
Vinnie And Gordy’s Return
Maureen Bartone
Copyright © 2013 by Maureen Bartone.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher/author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book design © 2013, BookDesignTemplates.com
Illustrations by MikeMotz.com
Woodbury, MN / Maureen Bartone — First Edition
ISBN-13:978-1537590387
ISBN-10: 1537590383
Printed in the United States of America
Contact Maureen Bartone at: [email protected]
Subjects include: time travel, time travel fiction, time travel books, science fiction, humorous fiction, family relationships, friendship, sword & sorcery, social skills & school life, growing up & facts of life, science fiction & scary stories, fantasy & magic, chapter books, middle grade books, kids’ reading, reading, literature & fiction, humorous, gumball machine
Contents
The Party
Friends
Surprise!
The Storm
The Garbage Bag
Bedtime
A New Day
A New Friendship
The Laundry Room
A Magical Connection
I Lost Them!
The Ride
Shared Pain
Joe and Zach
Where Are They?
They’ve Been Kidnapped!
The Plan
Gordy and Vinnie Meet Joe and Zach
Preparing for the Show
Zach’s Mom
The Ambush
Vinnie and Sammie
The Tow
The Shed
Violet’s Idea
The Surprise Trip
The Wait
The Gumball World
They’re So Big!
Cecilia
The Wait
Free-Fall
Sammie
The Toss
Pudding Pond
We’re Too Late!
The Waterfall
It’s Time
The Shake-Down
What’s Taking So Long?
It’s Time To Go
Violet’s Frosty Return
Patrick’s Advice
Joe’s Last Hope
Patrick’s Frosty Return
The Voice
Joe’s Coming!
Joe’s Frosty Return
Time To Go Home
Goodbye
For My Parents,
David and Patricia O’Connor,
I love you!
1
The Party
DAISY’S BLUE EYES were bright with excitement as she watched her friends running around her backyard. Today was her tenth birthday. Could this day get any better? She’d been waiting forever to get into double‑digits. Ten. Wow. She felt so grown up!
But−the best part of her day happened earlier. She and her best friends, Michael and Patrick, found a big, dusty gumball machine in a shed behind a scary old house near the playground. The house was so old and rickety that the kids swore it was haunted.
It was in that hot and dusty shed where the start of a magical day took place. She still couldn’t believe it really happened−but it did. Once inside that shed, they’d taken a closer look at the gumball machine. They’d never seen one that big. It was almost as tall as they were, and it was filled with huge, colorful gumballs. It had a cool, swirling tunnel that takes the gumball on its long journey down and around to the bottom, where it lands in a slot just inside a metal latch.
Daisy had wanted to give it a try even though Michael and Patrick thought it was a bad idea. They said the gumballs might be too old. As it turned out, eating one of those gumballs was the least of their problems.
The gumball machine gave them a huge surprise. When Daisy touched the top of it, it started to vibrate and rumble. She’d felt something strange as soon as she’d touched it. Her body felt weird. At first, it just jerked and jolted, scaring Michael and Patrick. But then−she started to bend forward and she felt her body getting smaller. At first, she looked like she was shivering. But when Michael and Patrick took her hands to pull her away from the gumball machine, they too started to shiver and jerk.
That’s when it happened. They’d shrunk down to the size of a gumball, and the gumball machine turned into a giant vacuum. It sucked their shrunken, tiny bodies into the latch, and they banged and swirled their way up and around, and up and around. The air inside the tunnel was freezing, and soon their bodies looked like miniature icicles.
At the top of the tunnel, they were tossed up and into the gumball machine. Once they were inside with the gumballs, they continued to soar upward until they smashed into the top of the glass globe. They then fell straight down, crash-landing inside this weird gumball world.
They were terrified and confused by what had happened. How could it be real? But it was real. And when their heads cleared, they realized that the latch was shut tight and they couldn’t get it open. They were trapped.
Although they were afraid, they had no choice but to explore the strange little place and hope to find another way out. During their journey, they encountered a colorful world of gumball people, gumball trees and−well−gumball everything! It turned out to be a very bright and happy place.
Throughout their journey, they met many new friends, including two very special friends−Vinnie Gumba and Gordy Gumble.
Vinnie was a black gumball and Gordy was a white gumball. They were older and larger than most of the other gumball people, and they were the leaders of the gumball world. The others respected them and trusted them. The kids learned early on that Vinnie and Gordy were loved by everyone. The two gumball leaders took the kids around their little world and showed them many incredible things. The children had an experience they would never forget, and Vinnie and Gordy eventually helped them find their way back home.
NOW, HERE AT HER BIRTHDAY PARTY, Daisy sat next to her new friend, Violet, who’d recently moved in across the street from Daisy. They’d met only an hour earlier when Daisy walked over to Violet’s house to introduce herself and invite her to her birthday party. Since then, this was the first time they’d had a chance to talk and get to know one another.
Because Violet was new to the neighborhood, Daisy’s tenth birthday party was also the first time she’d met Patrick and Michael, as well as all of Daisy’s other friends.
Violet was a pretty, ten-year-old and was still a little shy around her new friends. She had large brown eyes with long lashes. Her skin was the color of caramel, and her long, dark hair reached the middle of her back. Today she had it pulled back into a braid, with a purple bow on the end. Purple was her favorite color, “like the violet flower,” her mother always said.
She hadn’t been on the adventure with Daisy and the boys, but Daisy was excited to tell her all about it. Violet was very excited to be included in their secret. It made her feel special−like she was already a part of
their group.
She had many friends back in Chicago, and moving to this smaller town had worried her. She missed her friends and thought she would never meet any new ones.
Now, as Daisy and Violet sat together, they each had a strong feeling that they’d be good friends. Daisy was excited to finally have a girlfriend. Michael and Patrick were great, but she’d always wanted someone who lived near her, and who would want to do “girlie” things with her, like painting their fingernails, fixing their hair, and going shopping for clothes together. Now, she’d be able to do that. She couldn’t wait to start their friendship. In fact, she thought, why not start now?
“Hey Violet,” Daisy said. “Remember when I said I’d tell you how I got so dirty and messy earlier today?”
“Yes,” Violet said smiling.
“Well, this is what happened, but don’t tell the other kids, okay? It’ll be our little secret.”
“Okay.” Violet didn’t care what the secret was. She was thrilled to be Daisy’s only friend to hear it. As Daisy told her story, Violet shook her head in disbelief. The story began and ended in an old shed, but it was what happened in between that kept Violet at the edge of her seat. Daisy told her everything, and throughout her story, Violet interrupted with “no way,” or “how can that even be possible?” Daisy responded with a nod of her head and said, “I know it’s hard to believe, but it is true. Just ask Patrick and Michael. They’ll tell you.”
Daisy and Violet continued chatting as they walked the backyard, mingling with Daisy’s other friends. Violet fit right in with everyone, and she was excited to meet such nice kids.
Daisy breathed in the warm summer air and looked around her backyard. She was pleased with her party and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. As she headed toward the table with the cake and the food, she looked up at the vibrant blue sky. It was clear, except for a tuft of dark clouds low on the horizon.
Looks like rain.
But for now, it was sunny and hot−almost too hot. She looked at her parents. They were working hard at the picnic table near the back door where Daisy was headed. Her dad was holding a garbage bag, as her mother filled it with trash from the party−wrapping paper from the presents, and dirty paper plates, cups, and plastic forks, sticky with cake frosting and ice cream.
Daisy felt like skipping and singing. She couldn’t believe she had fourteen friends at her party. She didn’t think she even had fourteen friends. She looked around the yard and counted them. There were four boys and ten girls. Some of them were running around with her dog, Lola, and some sat in small groups, talking.
The festivities were nearing an end, and that made Daisy sad. She wished this feeling would last forever. She caught site of Patrick and Michael, who were talking near the edge of the backyard. Michael was holding something in his hand and the two of them were staring down at it.
What are they up to?
2
Friends
LIKE DAISY, Michael was also ten years old. He was the smartest and funniest kid in the class. It was his humor that made him popular with the other kids. To Daisy, Michael seemed much older than the rest of the kids their age. He always knew the right thing to say to someone who was feeling blue and was a natural leader. At camp, he was the one who took the flashlight and walked at the head of the line when they did a nighttime hike. He was never worried or afraid, and always seemed to know the right thing to do at the right time.
He loved sports and was very good at basketball and football. His appearance was nothing like Patrick’s. He was not neat or well-dressed, and he liked to wear baggy pants and baggy shorts. He never tucked in his shirts, and yet, his light brown, spiked hair and twinkling brown eyes made the girls giggle whenever he was around. He did not like girls hanging on him. They were always coming at him, and trying to touch his hair. Once, he asked Daisy why they did that.
“Why can’t they keep their hands to themselves?” he asked.
Daisy shrugged and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know. Maybe they think you’re cute, or something. I don’t see it, myself.”
Michael gave her a little shove, and they both laughed.
At age eleven, Daisy’s other best friend, Patrick, was the oldest kid in the class. He was tall and thin, with freckles on his face, and braces on his teeth. Everything about him was thin. His face was thin, and his body was thin. Even his hair was thin. It was the same color as the silk that grows on corn-on-the-cob, and it was just as fine. His hair moved whenever his head moved. If he nodded to say “yes” or “no,” his hair would brush all around his face. Even when he talked, his hair tapped against his cheeks.
His light blue eyes were difficult to see through the large-rimmed glasses that hung on his nose. They were too big for him, so they also moved when he walked, or talked, or nodded his head. He didn’t like them, but he needed them to see, and he was always worried about losing them. Patrick liked to stay neat and clean. His shirt was always tucked in, his hair was always brushed, and his shoes were never dirty.
Daisy and Michael liked Patrick because he was such a funny kid. He didn’t try to be funny, but he was a bit clumsy, so he often tripped while just walking, and he always tripped while running.
He was also a big “fraidy-cat.” But that was just because he had such bad luck. Terrible stuff always happened to him, and that’s why he lost his sense of adventure. He never wanted to try new things because he was certain he’d get hurt, or dirty, or get into trouble. He was always either worried or afraid. Despite his worries and fears, Daisy and Michael dragged him along on all of their adventures. Patrick would complain, but he never said no.
His biggest problem was girls. He liked them, but they made him nervous. That’s why he surprised himself when he was able to talk to Violet and carry on a normal conversation. He felt comfortable around her. He secretly thought she was pretty, but he was too nervous to tell anyone. If she ever found out, he’d be so embarrassed!
Some of the kids at school thought it was strange that Daisy hung around boys. They teased her and called her a tomboy. Maybe she was a tomboy. She loved playing sports and climbing trees and didn’t mind getting dirty. And today, she even lost her fear of getting tackled, after playing a game of football with a bunch of gumball people in the magic gumball machine.
Wow. Was that only this morning? What a day I’ve had.
Daisy shook her head. It still felt like a dream. But if it was a dream, then Patrick and Michael dreamed the same thing.
3
Surprise!
NEAR THE END of the birthday festivities, Violet walked toward Daisy and sat next to her.
“This was a great party, Daisy. Thanks for inviting me. Your friends are really nice.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you could come, and I’m glad you were able to meet my friends. I knew you’d like them.”
As they walked toward the food table, they looked over at Michael and Patrick. Daisy wondered what they were talking about, but she couldn’t hear them. Then she saw Patrick put his hands to his face and spin in a circle. From across the yard, she heard him say, “No way!”
Daisy’s mom interrupted her thoughts as she called out to her from over at the picnic table.
“Daisy, can you come here for a minute?”
“Sure Mom.” Turning to Violet, Daisy said, “Can you go over there and see what Patrick and Michael are doing? I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Sure,” Violet said. She turned and skipped toward the boys.
REACHING INTO HIS POCKET, Michael pulled out two small, smooth gumballs−one was black, and the other was white. He put them in his hand and showed Patrick.
“Hey, Patrick. Where’d these gumballs come from?”
Patrick leaned in to look at Michael’s hand. He raised his eyebrows and looked sideways at Michael.
“I don’t know. Maybe they came from ‘you-know-where.’” He bent over and laughed. “Maybe they’ll start hiccupping and turn into gigantic gumballs right be
fore our eyes and then roll over all of us.” He started laughing so hard, he had to hold his stomach.
Michael tilted his head and frowned. “That’s not funny, Patrick.”
Looking down at the palm of his hand, both he and Patrick looked at the gumballs, then blinked and looked again.
“What the heck?” Patrick reached for one of the gumballs and, as he did, it moved in Michael’s hand. Patrick yanked back his hand and shouted, “Whoa!”
Some of the party guests stopped talking and looked over at them.
Michael smiled at the crowd and raised his hands. “Don’t worry, everyone,” he laughed. “Everything is fine. It’s nothing. Never mind. Go back to what you were doing.”
The two boys turned their attention back to the tiny movement in Michael’s hand. He brought his hand up closer so they could be sure that their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them. Indeed, two tiny gumballs were waving their little hands and smiling up at the two boys.
“Hi, Michael! Surprise!” said the white gumball. “Remember us? As you can see, we need your help. We were sucked back with you, and ended up in your pocket just as the latch closed.”
Michael stretched his mouth. “Uh-oh.”
The two leaders of the gumball world were now sitting in the palm of his hand.
The black gumball, Vinnie Gumba, had a sweet candy-coated shell that was shiny and perfectly round−almost fat. He had big, round white eyes, and pointed white eyebrows that always made him look confused. His mouth was also white and straight, with just the slightest curve on the left side. His arms were white and thin, and his hands and feet were white and seemed larger than they should be. He also wore a white belt around his waist, which Daisy always thought was strange.
A belt without pants? What’s the point?
Gordy Gumble had a white candy-coated shell, and his tiny body was oval-shaped. He was longer and thinner than Vinnie, so this made him taller, too. He had round black eyes that pointed upward near their outside corners, and black eyebrows that were high above his eyes. They made him look happy all the time. His black arms, hands, and feet were also very large.
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