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

by Maureen Bartone

  Michael agreed. “Good plan. Ready?”

  The others nodded and headed into the kitchen. Daisy went to the kitchen sink where her mom was washing dishes and started to help her dry the larger bowls and pans. Her mom thanked her with a smile. The two of them had done dishes hundreds of times, so it seemed natural to her mom, even though Daisy’s stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies.

  Michael grabbed the broom and started to sweep the kitchen floor, while Patrick and Violet sat at the table near the garbage bag containing their new friends, Vinnie and Gordy.

  Daisy’s dad left for a minute and returned to the kitchen with another garbage bag. He set it on the floor and stuffed more party trash into it. As everyone worked, Patrick and Violet heard some miniature-sounding shouts coming from the garbage bag, and Patrick jumped from his seat.

  “Whoa!” he yelled. Michael, Daisy, and her parents stopped and looked at them. Violet hadn’t moved, but her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Daisy’s dad as he approached Patrick and Violet.

  “Sorry. It’s nothing,” Violet said. “We just saw a big bug and it crawled right by Patrick’s foot. It was pretty big and it just startled us. We’re fine.” Violet smiled and tried to act casual. She hoped Vinnie and Gordy kept quiet.

  Daisy’s dad asked where the bug went and started searching around the garbage bag near Violet’s feet. Because he was so close to it, all four children started talking at once, trying to distract him−hoping he’d move away from it.

  Daisy’s dad frowned and stared at them. “What is wrong with you kids?”

  He turned, reached down and grabbed the garbage bag. Violet and Patrick jumped up from their seats but said nothing. Mr. Lannon picked up the second bag with the same hand, opened the back door with his other hand, and before the kids could do anything, he tossed them both out the back door and clear across the back porch. The bags banged into one another as they landed near the edge of the stairs.

  INSIDE THE GARBAGE BAG, Gordy and Vinnie flew up and around.

  “A-a-h-h! Gordy! What is happening?” Vinnie shouted.

  “Hang on Vinnie! It’ll be over soon!” Gordy shouted.

  Gordy clung to a dirty paper cup and crawled in just as they landed and bounced across the porch.

  Boom! Boom! Ka-bang! Bop!

  The bag landed hard and then stopped. In the paper cup, Gordy banged and rolled around in it a couple of times before stopping. Putting his hands to his mouth, he shouted out to Vinnie.

  “Are you okay Vinnie?”

  Vinnie was able to plant himself in a piece of leftover cake and frosting. He got smacked by some paper cups and plates, but the cake cushioned his landing.

  “I think so!”

  They sat inside the bag−quiet and still−and worried. This world was a dangerous place! They heard muffled voices and felt more movement. Gordy felt himself roll back and forth inside his cup.

  “Uh-oh. Here we g-o-o again!”

  Vinnie plunged both hands into the cake and frosting and grabbed on. He didn’t want to be tossed around again.

  Inside the paper cup, it was impossible for Gordy to brace himself because there was nothing for him to hold onto.

  For an instant, the garbage bag Vinnie and Gordy were in leaned on the other bag until its weight pushed them both tumbling down the five steps, rolling over and over.

  “A-a-h-h!”

  The bag landed in the wet grass with a hard thud. Deep inside, the stinky, hot garbage flipped and flopped, sending Gordy and Vinnie deeper into the trash. The two tiny gumballs could hear the pouring rain splatting onto the plastic bag as they scrambled to get themselves upright.

  Tic-tic-tic-tic. Tic-tic-tic-tic.

  IN THE KITCHEN, the children stared out the door, their mouths open. Violet held her hands to her cheeks. They knew Vinnie and Gordy were no longer in the safety of the paper cup. They’d failed miserably in keeping the little guys safe, and it hadn’t even been an hour. At this rate, they’d never make it through the night.

  From the kitchen sink where she was doing dishes, Daisy’s mom looked over at the kids. She frowned and shook her head.

  “What is wrong with you kids tonight? You sure are acting strangely. It’s just a small thunderstorm. Honest to goodness, you’d think you saw a ghost or something. I think it’s time for everyone to go home. It’s been a long day.”

  Daisy’s dad agreed. “Come on kids, I’ll drive you home.”

  Patrick turned to look at Daisy’s dad. “But … ”

  He was worried about Vinnie and Gordy out in the storm. The rain continued to pour, and the dark sky was lit only by the occasional flash of lightening. He was also terrified of the thunder but didn’t want to admit it. Everyone knew thunder was nowhere near as dangerous as lightning, but still, it made him shake. Though he tried to hide it, he was afraid to go out in the storm to rescue them.

  “But what?” asked Mr. Lannon.

  Daisy had to think fast. Walking over to her mom she said, “Can’t they stay a little longer? I don’t want my birthday party to end yet.” She clasped her hands together and used her best puppy-dog eyes.

  “Pl-e-e-a-s-e?”

  Michael, Patrick, and Violet each gave Daisy’s mom a similar pleading look.

  Mr. Lannon turned to his wife and smiled. “I don’t mind if they stay. But it’s up to you.”

  Daisy could see it in her mom’s face. She was caving. Mrs. Lannon tried to frown, but underneath it was the slight curve of a smile.

  She sighed. “Okay. Your friends can stay one more hour.” She looked at Michael, Patrick, and Violet. “But call your parents and let them know.”

  “Yay!” The four kids celebrated with high-fives all around.

  Daisy’s dad shook his head and smiled. His wife sure was a softy. When it came to the kids, she always had trouble saying no. She smiled back at him.

  Trying to sound stern, he said, “Fine. One hour. Not a minute longer. Got it?”

  The kids nodded, trying to hide their relief.

  After the phone calls were made and Daisy’s parents went upstairs, the kids sat around the kitchen table to plan their next move.

  “Man, that was close,” Michael said.

  Violet nodded. “It sure was. Now, what do we do? It’s still pouring.”

  Michael sat back in his chair and looked up as if the answer was on the ceiling. He put his finger to his chin and tapped it. The others waited and watched him think. After a moment, and with a smile and a glimmer in his eye, he sat up.

  “Okay. Here’s the plan. Three of us will go out there and dig through the trash, while one of us keeps a lookout for Daisy’s parents.”

  Patrick raised his hand. “Ooh! Can I be the lookout?” he asked.

  Violet was new to the group, so she had no idea that Patrick was a scaredy-cat. But Michael and Daisy knew. When they were stuck up in the gumball machine earlier this morning, he was terrified to explore the strange little world. He was also the last one to jump over the cliff onto Pudding Hill because he was so afraid.

  Oh, yes, they knew. And now, his shaking foot told them everything. He did not want to go out in that storm. So, when Patrick asked if he could be the lookout, there was just no point in arguing.

  “Sure Patrick. You can be the lookout,” Michael said.

  Relieved, Patrick slumped. “Thanks.”

  With Patrick now on guard-duty, Michael gave Daisy and Violet their assignments.

  “Daisy, do you have an umbrella?”

  Daisy nodded and walked to the broom closet near the kitchen sink. She opened the door, reached in and pulled out a long, black umbrella. As she walked back to the table, Michael continued giving his instructions.

  “Okay. Daisy, you hold the umbrella.”

  Turning to Violet, he said, “Violet, you hold open the garbage bag while I dig through the trash.”

  Michael’s body shivered a bit, as he turned down his lips and scrunched his no
se. The thought of digging through that pile of sticky, dirty, smelly trash grossed him out. The girls gave him a funny look.

  “Are you going to be able to do this?” Violet asked.

  Michael took a breath. “Well, as usual, no one else is going to do it, so I have to.”

  “Hey, it’s your fault they’re in there in the first place,” Patrick said.

  Michael raised his hands in front of him. “I know. I know.”

  He wanted to kick himself. The thought of being up to his elbows in garbage made his stomach turn. But it was his fault, so he accepted the job. He turned to the group.

  “Okay. Is everybody ready?”

  Daisy’s eyes widened. “Wait! I have an idea.”

  The other three watched as she walked to the kitchen sink, bent down and opened the cupboard underneath. When she returned, she held a pair of rubber gloves.

  “Here. My mom uses these to clean the dishes. They protect her fancy nail polish.”

  Michael smiled. “Thanks. This will definitely help.”

  He put the gloves on, and then raised his hands out near his waist. “Okay. Now is everybody ready?”

  “Wait! I have another idea,” Daisy said. The other kids chuckled as she went back to the broom closet and found a flashlight. Returning to the group, she handed it to Michael.

  “You’ll need this, too.”

  Michael nodded. “Yes, I will. Good thinking.”

  He then grabbed an apple from a bowl sitting on the counter and handed it to Patrick. “If someone comes into the kitchen, take a big bite of this apple and chew it while you’re answering any questions they may ask you. They won’t understand a word you say.”

  Taking the apple, Patrick smiled and nodded. “Okay.” He sniffed it. “Mmm. I love apples.”

  Michael looked out the window near the kitchen table and said, “The thunder and lightning stopped, so it should be safe to go outside.”

  Michael turned to Daisy and Violet. “Ready?” The girls nodded.

  He opened the door and the three of them stepped out onto the back porch. Although the worst of the storm had passed, it was still pouring rain, and it was getting dark. Daisy opened the umbrella.

  After Michael shut the door behind him, Patrick could hear the girls’ squeals as they ran down the porch stairs and into the rain. He sat at the kitchen table holding his apple. The room was silent, but not for long. He took a huge bite of the juicy red fruit.

  Crunch!

  Chewing loudly, he waited, still feeling a bit nervous and anxious. He wondered how Vinnie and Gordy were doing.

  5

  The Garbage Bag

  INSIDE THE DEPTHS of the disgusting, smelly, and sticky black garbage bag, Vinnie and Gordy started to panic. It was dark. No light could penetrate the thick, black plastic. After being violently tossed, and as the bag plummeted down the stairs, they tumbled deeper into the bag−each in a different direction. Vinnie bounced and bumped down much deeper than Gordy, who had fallen out of the paper cup but managed to land on top of a piece of cake. Another paper plate sat on top of him and he couldn’t move it. He felt like a paper plate sandwich.

  The two gumballs screamed for help and screamed to each other, but the pounding thunder, coupled with the rat-a-tat-tat of the rain peppering the garbage bag, made it impossible for them to hear anything, or for the kids to hear them.

  After the thunder and lightning subsided, Vinnie called out to Gordy.

  “Gordy? Can you hear me?”

  Gordy could hear Vinnie’s voice, but barely. He sensed that Vinnie was far below him, so he pointed his mouth in a downward direction to respond.

  “I can hear you, Vinnie! Sit tight. I’m sure the children will come to our rescue in no time!”

  Vinnie shouted up to Gordy, “I sure hope so! It’s getting a bit hot and smelly down here!”

  OUTSIDE, the children went to work. With the rain pelting their backs, Michael struggled to untie the knot from the first bag while Daisy and Violet waited. After a minute, he loosened and untied it.

  “Got it,” Michael said. “Okay, Violet−you need to hold both ends of the bag wide open while I put my head in to see if I can at least hear their voices.”

  Violet nodded.

  “I sure hope they’re in this first bag. I don’t want to dig through two of them!”

  The umbrella wasn’t helping much, as the wind whipped raindrops into the girls’ faces. They could only blink the rain water out of their eyes because their hands were being used for more important things. Daisy held the umbrella, while Violet held open the bag. In no time, their hair was soaked. Violet’s braid kept her hair from blowing around, but Daisy’s hair wasn’t pulled back and thick strands slapped the sides of her face.

  Michael turned on the flashlight and pointed it toward the smelly trash. He poked his head in and groaned.

  “Nasty!”

  The stink of birthday party trash filled his nostrils. The combination of sour hot dogs, baked beans, and soggy cake made his stomach lurch.

  “Ugh! Disgusting!”

  The smell kept him from going in any further, so he tried shouting.

  “Vinnie! Gordy! Can you hear me? It’s Michael! Are you in here?” His loud voice carried to both of the frightened gumballs.

  At the bottom of the bag, Vinnie shouted back. “Michael! Thank goodness! We’re in here. Help us out. Please!”

  At the same time, Gordy also shouted for help. “Yes, please! Hurry, Michael!”

  Their tiny voices didn’t carry as loudly as Michael’s, so Michael only heard Gordy’s voice.

  Outside, the wind and rain continued to smack Daisy and Violet in the face. Michael lifted his head from the bag to update the girls.

  “I heard Gordy. He sounds okay.”

  “What about Vinnie?” Daisy asked.

  Michael shook his head. “Nothing yet.” He went back to work.

  Holding the flashlight in one hand, he used the other gloved hand to gingerly pick out each piece of disgusting trash. He was grateful for the rubber gloves because everything he touched was sticky. He groaned as he plucked out filthy paper cups, plates, and plastic forks dripping with ketchup, baked beans, and cake frosting. He had quite a pile out on the lawn and was beginning to get frustrated when he lifted a paper plate and saw Gordy stuck in a big glob of frosting.

  Michael smiled. “There you are!” He plucked Gordy from his sticky situation and handed him to Violet, who was waiting with a clean paper cup. As she tipped it on its side, Michael rolled him in. Gordy looked like he was wearing frosting gloves and frosting shoes. Violet tipped the cup upright and peered in to see her new guest.

  “Oh! He’s so cute,” she said.

  She brought the cup to her face and said, “Hello! My name is Violet. I’m ten years old, and I just moved in across the street from Daisy. What’s your name?”

  Gordy was standing, trying to wipe the gooey frosting from his little hands and body. He looked up when spoken to, and smiled. He waved his frosting-covered hand.

  “Hello, young lady. My name is Gordy Gumble. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can get to know one another after I’ve had a chance to freshen up.” He looked at himself and back up at Violet. “I’m in a bit of a sticky mess.”

  “Don’t worry, Gordy. We’ll get you cleaned up as soon as we find Vinnie.”

  “Okay. I hope Michael finds him soon. Will you let me know the minute you hear any news?”

  Violet smiled and said, “I sure will.”

  “Good, because I think he’s starting to panic. Will you tell Michael it sounds like he’s at the very bottom of the bag?”

  Violet leaned down to give Michael Gordy’s message. Michael stood up and peered in the cup.

  “I’m going back in to get him now. It won’t be much longer, okay buddy?”

  “Okay,” Gordy said, wringing his hands.

  Water rolled down Michael’s face as he turned to the girls and took a deep breath. “I’m going back in. Wish
me luck.”

  The girls smiled. “Good luck!”

  By now, the wind had died down a bit, but the rain continued to pour.

  STILL SITTING AT THE KITCHEN TABLE, Patrick was getting nervous. What was taking them so long? He heard footsteps and grabbed the apple. He was expecting Daisy’s mom or dad, but instead−in walked her big brother, Joe.

  Joe was 13 years old and much bigger and stronger than Patrick. He was mean to everyone, but he especially loved to mess with Patrick. His deep brown eyes always had an angry glare. He had dark hair that was buzzed short because he thought it made him look tough.

  Patrick was very afraid of Joe and for good reason. Over the years, Joe had pushed him down, slapped his head, and sat on him. He also locked him in Daisy’s garage, where he was stuck for two hours. Patrick had screamed out for help, but no one heard him until Daisy’s mom came home and let him out. Joe got into a lot of trouble from his parents for that prank. That part made Patrick happy, but afterward, Joe was so mad that he got in trouble because of Patrick, that he became even meaner.

  And it wasn’t just Patrick who was Joe’s victim. Michael, Daisy, her little brother Sammie, and lots of other kids in the neighborhood had suffered at the hands of big Joe. They learned early on to run in the opposite direction if they saw him coming. But every once in a while, he’d sneak up behind someone and do something mean.

  He was even worse when he was with his friends. It was as if he wanted to show everyone how big and bad he was. They would laugh and watch Joe pick on some poor kid, and no one would step in to stop him.

  As Joe walked into the kitchen, Patrick sat up tall. Joe was barefoot, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, exposing his muscular calves and beefy arms. Patrick felt something flip-flop deep in his stomach.

  Of all the people to walk into the kitchen, why did it have to be Joe?

  Patrick wondered how a thirteen-year-old could have so many muscles. They were everywhere! At home, when no one was watching, Patrick would look in the mirror and squeeze the muscles in his arms, and then flex them. But there was never anything to look at. He was too skinny. Muscles seemed to be afraid of Patrick’s body.