Life In The Gumball Machine – Vinnie And Gordy’s Return

by Maureen Bartone

  Daisy and the boys had been terrified when they first met these two strangers. The two gumballs also had been afraid of the children. Eventually, everyone realized there was nothing to worry about, and they became good friends.

  As leaders of the magic world, Vinnie and Gordy showed Daisy, Michael, and Patrick around, and introduced them to their families and all of their friends. Then the kids danced with the little gumball children and explored the gumball world. Their fun ended with a long and winding slide that led to a big pond of pink, gooey bubblegum pudding.

  There were some scary times in the gumball world as well, and the children worried that they’d never escape. They realized that their only way home was when the gumball world started to rumble and shake, sending gumballs rolling everywhere, and eventually sucking them back down the spiraling tunnel.

  AS THE TWO BOYS whispered to each other, Violet walked up and peeked in their little circle. “What’s going on? Is something wrong?”

  Michael squished his hand together and brought it behind his back, muffling Vinnie and Gordy’s voices. He remembered that Daisy had planned to tell Violet about their little adventure, so he thought it would be okay to let her in on this new problem. He pulled his hand back out in front of him and opened it to show her.

  Violet’s eyes widened and her mouth opened, but no words came out.

  Patrick tried to stay calm. He took hold of her arms and spoke softly.

  “Violet, could you have Daisy come here for a minute?”

  Violet smiled. “Sure Pat.”

  Patrick shot a side glance at Michael before he said, “Ah−Violet?”

  Violet turned to look at him. “Yes, Pat?”

  “I know you’re new to the group and all, but just so you know, my name is Patrick, not Pat. Okay? Patrick. Got it?” He raised his eyebrows, ready for an argument.

  Violet’s smile fell. She felt silly. “Sure. Sorry Patrick. I didn’t know.”

  Patrick nodded. “Okay. Good. Thank you. I just wanted to get that straight.”

  “I’ll be right back.” Violet ran off, calling out to Daisy, who turned to see a look of concern on her new friend’s face.

  Michael turned to look at Patrick and bobbed his head. “Smooth.”

  “What? I hate being called ‘Pat.’ She needs to know that. Otherwise, it could become a bad habit for her, and that would just upset me even more.”

  Michael sighed and shook his head. “Whatever Patrick.”

  The two boys waited in silence for Violet and Daisy to return.

  VIOLET WAS BREATHLESS as she ran up to Daisy.

  “Is something wrong Violet?”

  Violet panted a bit as she spoke. “Patrick and Michael need to see you right away. It’s important.”

  Daisy looked across the yard at her two friends. They looked worried, so she jogged around her party guests to get to them, with Violet following behind her.

  “What’s up, guys?”

  “It’s more like−what’s down,” Michael said. He opened the palm of his hand.

  Daisy took in a deep breath as the four of them looked down at the two little prizes sitting in Michael’s hand.

  Daisy brought her hands to her face. “Uh-oh.”

  Violet stared down at the little creatures. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. The two gumballs moved and talked. Their eyes blinked, and their arms and feet moved. They were alive!

  “Wow! They’re so cute!” Violet reached in and touched them.

  The two gumballs saw her large finger heading straight for them and backed away, bracing themselves, as this new girl with the warm, brown eyes and dark hair, greeted them. Her touch tickled, and they couldn’t help but giggle.

  Vinnie and Gordy were excited to once again see the friends they’d made earlier that morning. They never expected to see the children again, and yet, there they were. The two gumballs smiled and waved up to the group of large heads looking down on them.

  “Hi, Daisy!”

  Daisy put her hands to her cheeks and looked at the boys.

  “What the heck are they doing here? How are we going to get them back?”

  The boys shook their heads. They had no answers.

  She turned and walked away but then came back, shaking her head.

  “We can’t let anyone see them−or hear them.”

  She looked down at the two tiny gumball people, and then up at Patrick and Michael.

  “You guys, we are in big trouble!”

  “What was your first clue?” Patrick asked.

  Daisy closed her eyes and inhaled, slowly letting the air out.

  Violet was thrilled that they allowed her to stay and be included in their big secret. She’d had a hard time believing Daisy’s story, and now she was having a hard time believing what she was seeing. She again looked down at Michael’s hand.

  “I want to hold them,” she said.

  Patrick put his finger to his lips. “Shh! Keep it down.” He looked over at the party guests. “We don’t want the other kids running over here.”

  “Oh. Right. Sorry,” Violet whispered. She wished he would stop scolding her.

  Daisy had enough of gumballs for one day. After all, it was only a few hours ago that she, Patrick, and Michael barely escaped from that crazy gumball machine. They were lucky to be here at her birthday party. So Daisy was none too happy to see more gumballs. But it was when those two little gumball guys started waving their hands and saying hello, that Daisy’s heart seemed to flip-flop.

  Since no one had any ideas, Michael took charge.

  “Well, they can’t stay here,” he said. “Someone could chew them up and spit them out. We have to get them back to their home−back to the gumball machine.”

  Although these miniature talking gumballs were their new friends, none of the children wanted to go back up and into that gumball machine.

  Despite the danger, Daisy and Patrick agreed with Michael. It was important to get Vinnie and Gordy safely back to their gumball world.

  “We can’t get them back there tonight,” Daisy said. “We’ll have to do it tomorrow.”

  “You’re right,” Michael said. “After your party, we’ll have to come up with a plan to keep them safe until morning. And then tomorrow, we’ll ride our bikes back to the shed.”

  This new experience and the feeling of adventure made Violet’s heart soar. Nothing in Chicago could compare.

  However, Patrick’s expression concerned Violet. He backed away, shaking his head in response to Michael’s suggestion that they return the gumballs to the magic gumball machine.

  As he looked at Michael, Patrick rubbed his hands together and started breathing hard.

  “Are you serious? Are you suggesting that we go back up into that crazy gumball machine?” He shook his head again. “No way, man. No way. No way. We barely escaped that machine with our lives. And that was just a couple of hours ago. I’m not up to it, I tell you. I’m just not up to it.” He combed his fingers through his silky hair, as he paced back and forth.

  Still holding the tiny gumballs, Michael said, “I know how you feel Patrick, but Vinnie and Gordy are our friends. They saved us when we thought we’d never escape the gumball world. We have to help them.”

  “Yeah, but you know what this means, don’t you?” Violet heard the panic rising in Patrick’s voice.

  “What? What does it mean?” she asked.

  “It means that one of us will have to go back up there to take them back,” Daisy said.

  Michael shook his head. “Not just one of us. We’ll need at least two people. We can’t take the chance of having someone get stuck in there. Remember how the latch slammed down after we were sucked in there? Well, now we know that it takes at least two people to open that latch. It’s too heavy for one person. If only one goes, he−or she−may never escape.”

  Patrick’s voice squeaked. “But−why can’t we just open the top of the gumball machine and put them back in that way?”

  “Hey.
That’s a great idea, Patrick. We’ll have to be careful, though. Just touching that machine could cause us to shrink and get sucked back up again. It could be dangerous,” Daisy said. “What do you think, Michael?”

  The children all looked at Michael, waiting for his response. Even though Patrick was a year older than the other three, Michael had taken a leadership role in their earlier adventure, and it seemed natural to let that role continue.

  Michael responded to Daisy’s question. “Daisy’s right. Remember, the second we touched that gumball machine−bam! It started going bonkers. I’m not sure that lifting the top and dropping them in will be that easy. I’m not even sure the top comes off without a key. Let’s think this through and see what ideas we can come up with.”

  Some of Daisy’s party guests started laughing and shouting, and the sound distracted the four kids for a moment.

  “We have to think of something fast. I need to get back to my party,” Daisy said.

  “Yeah, but what do we do with these two in the meantime?” asked Patrick.

  The four kids looked down at Michael’s hand. The two gumballs had been listening to everything they’d said.

  Michael rubbed his forehead and chewed on his lip. “I’m not sure, but whatever it is, we can’t let anyone find out. That could be too dangerous for them. We need to hide them−now.”

  4

  The Storm

  AS THE KIDS discussed their plan for the two little gumball guys, a gust of wind blasted across Daisy’s backyard. They looked up at the sky and saw that a storm was gathering in the north. Daisy’s parents were rounding up her birthday guests. Her mom turned to Daisy and called out to her.

  “Daisy, a storm is coming. Help me get everyone inside. And will somebody untie Lola and get her in the house?”

  “Okay, Mom!”

  Daisy turned to Violet and the boys. “We have to get in the house. Patrick, can you get Lola and bring her inside?”

  Patrick frowned. “Sure.”

  Lola was Daisy’s big floppy dog. She was a Black Lab-Saint Bernard mix. Her long fur was soft and its color was mixed swirls of white and caramel. She was a very friendly and happy dog who loved kids.

  Her head came up to Patrick’s waist. He liked dogs, but Lola was so big. She always jumped up on his chest and licked his face. He had trouble keeping her from knocking him to the ground. He wasn’t too sure he was strong enough to bring her into the house. He took a deep breath and walked over to her.

  He bent his knees and put out his hands. “Hello, Lola. Are you ready to go inside? There’s a storm coming.”

  Lola patted her front paws, ready to play. She was excited that someone was paying attention to her. Patrick stood up, ready to back away when she lifted her front paws and jumped up onto his chest.

  “Down, Lola, down!”

  As she came back down, Patrick looked at his shirt. Dirty paw prints now dragged down the front of it.

  “Awe, man! Lola, look what you did.”

  He tried to brush the mud off with his hands, but it didn’t matter. The shirt was filthy. Shaking his head, Patrick unhooked her from her leash. He could feel her trying to run, so he held onto her collar as tightly as he could. He had to dig his shoes into the grass to hold her back, and his grip on her collar was tight as he tried to stop her from taking off.

  This is one big, strong dog!

  While Patrick fought to get Lola into the house, Daisy reached for a plastic cup and dumped its contents in the grass. She handed the cup to Michael.

  Michael took the cup. “Gordy told me we can’t let them get wet or they’ll lose their candy coating.”

  “Okay, then use your shirt to dry out the cup. We can keep them in there until we figure out a plan.”

  Michael nodded, taking the cup and wiping it dry with his shirt. Unlike Patrick’s cleanly nature, Michael barely even noticed that the tail of his shirt was now stained with the pink punch.

  Turning the cup sideways, Michael carefully rolled the little gumball guys into it. Vinnie and Gordy felt themselves tip and spin. They banged into each other as they rolled to their new temporary home.

  Michael looked down at them and said, “Will you guys be okay in there?”

  The two gumballs looked at him and gave him their thumbs-up.

  “Okay, let’s get you into the house.”

  He covered the cup with his hand. Daisy and Violet ran with him in through the back door of Daisy’s house just as the thunder started clapping, and the rain began pelting their heads.

  Once inside, the party seemed even louder. Everyone was excited as they laughed and talked about the surprise thunderstorm. Daisy’s mom and dad were asking her guests to call their parents and let them know the party was over.

  Michael placed the cup containing their surprise visitors on the coffee table in Daisy’s living room. He kept a close eye on it, making sure the loud group of kids standing nearby wouldn’t bump the table.

  After a few minutes, he became distracted with all of the excitement and chatter. When he peeked in on Vinnie and Gordy, they were still in there and doing fine. He then took a moment to call his mom to let her know he was staying at Daisy’s a bit longer. He finished his call just as the other kids raced to the window to look at the lightning show going on outside. He too, ran to the window to watch the excitement.

  Meanwhile, Daisy’s dad was walking around the room with a garbage bag, tossing the discarded plastic cups and plates.

  Michael’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered his precious cargo. He turned to the coffee table to pick up the cup containing Vinnie and Gordy, but when he saw that the cup was no longer on the table, he threw back his head and groaned. Daisy heard him and came running.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She followed his gaze as he watched her dad heading into the kitchen with a large, black garbage bag. Daisy couldn’t believe her eyes and grabbed Michael’s arm.

  With a sharp whisper, she said, “I thought you were watching the cup!”

  Michael whispered back. “Yell at me later. Let’s go−before they get thrown into the dumpster!”

  The thought of that made them look at each other and then dash toward her dad. They caught up to him just as he entered the kitchen and then slowed down before he saw them.

  Daisy’s dad was popular with all of her friends. He was tall and thin with short brown hair, and his brown eyes were warm and kind. He was funny and friendly, and he was always willing to help any of them out any time they needed it.

  Daisy appreciated the hard work her parents did for her party, and always wanted to do her part. But this time, she had an ulterior motive.

  “Here, Dad. Let me help you.” She took the bag from him.

  Her dad smiled as he released it to her. “Why thank you, Daisy. That’s very nice of you. Just leave it by the back door. I’ll take it out to the dumpster after it stops raining.”

  “Okay,” she said.

  He left her to handle the bag and went to the sink to start washing dishes. She turned to Michael. “Help me with this, will you? It’s kind of heavy.”

  “Here, give it to me,” he said.

  He dragged it to the kitchen door. With her dad still in the kitchen, all they could do was leave the bag, and look at each other. Michael widened his eyes and jerked his head toward her dad. He mouthed the words “now what?” Daisy shrugged.

  They had no choice but to return to the living room, leaving Vinnie and Gordy somewhere down in the dark and nasty garbage bag.

  Once back in the living room, they lingered near the swinging kitchen door, occasionally peeking in the kitchen to keep an eye on the garbage bag.

  Michael leaned in and whispered to Daisy. “How will we ever find them in all of that disgusting trash? Yuck!”

  “Easy,” Daisy whispered back. “We’ll just call to them. Their voices will guide us.”

  Michael smiled and nodded. “Excellent point.”

  Patrick and Violet noticed Daisy and Michae
l acting strangely near the kitchen door.

  “I wonder what they’re doing,” Patrick said.

  “Let’s check it out,” Violet said.

  Some of the children had already been picked up by their parents, and the rest were still in the living room laughing, talking loudly, and acting silly. Daisy’s mom was saying goodbye to one of the guests when she called to Daisy.

  “Daisy, please come and thank your guests.”

  “Be right there Mom,” she called. Turning to Michael she said, “Don’t take your eyes off of that bag.”

  When Patrick and Violet walked over to them, she told Michael to take turns with them, so it wouldn’t look suspicious.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but it already looks suspicious,” Patrick said.

  “Yeah,” Violet said. “What’s going on?”

  Michael explained what had happened and that Gordy and Vinnie were now slogging around in the ice-cream-and-cake-trash.

  Patrick wrinkled his face. “Yuck!” he said. “That’s disgusting!”

  Just thinking about their two little gumball pals swimming in the sweet and sticky garbage made him shiver.

  “I know,” Michael said. “We need to get them out of there−soon! They’re not supposed to get wet.”

  When the last of Daisy’s guests left, Daisy’s mom asked Patrick and Michael if they needed a ride home.

  “Pretty soon, Mrs. Lannon,” Michael replied.

  She walked past them and went into the kitchen, the door swinging behind her. Daisy stopped at the kitchen door with the rest of them.

  “Is everything still okay?”

  “Yep. Your dad’s still in there cleaning,” Michael said.

  “What’s the plan?” Violet asked.

  “We wait, I guess,” Michael responded.

  “Wait for what? No way. We need to get in there now or it will look too obvious,” Patrick said.

  “He’s right,” Daisy said. “We need to go in there and act natural. Violet and Patrick, you sit at the table next to the bag, and Michael, you and I will start helping them clean.”