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

by Maureen Bartone

  As they approached the back of the house, they heard a voice coming from an open window above their heads. They stopped short and listened. It was a woman’s voice−probably Zach’s mom, thought Daisy. She was talking on the phone. The three of them tiptoed to the garden hose, a few feet beyond the window.

  Violet removed Sammie’s backpack from her shoulders and dropped it to the ground. Kneeling next to it, she started pulling out the items he’d packed. There were two water blasters, a Frisbee, and a package of balloons left over from Daisy’s birthday party.

  “A Frisbee?” Daisy whispered. “What are we supposed to do with this?”

  “It’s a distraction,” Sammie said. “I’ll throw it. I’m pretty good at it.”

  Violet gave him a high-five. “Oh! Good idea!”

  They quietly busied themselves filling water blasters and balloons with water from the hose. The silence was interrupted by a loud voice.

  “Hey! What are you kids doing?”

  Daisy, Sammie, and Violet stumbled and tripped over each other. It was Zach’s mom. She recognized Joe’s sister and brother but had never seen the other girl before.

  “Oh, hi, Mrs. Wescott. We’re just−a-h-h … ” Daisy had no words to explain what they were doing. Sammie and Violet were speechless as well.

  “Are those water balloons?” she asked.

  Just then, Sammie winced, and made a small groan. He tried to stifle it but he didn’t fool Zach’s mom.

  “Are you hurt Sammie? Did Zach do something to you?” Mrs. Wescott asked.

  “No, Mrs. Wescott. I mean−yes−I’m hurt, but Zach didn’t do it. That’s not why we’re here.”

  Zach’s mom scrunched her face and looked at Daisy for an answer.

  “Mrs. Wescott, Zach and our brother, Joe, took something that belongs to us−well−they took them from Sammie−but they belong to all of us.”

  “Really? What did they take?”

  “They took my two special gumballs,” Sammie blurted.

  “Gumballs? That’s what you’re so worked up about?”

  “You don’t understand. They’re very special and Zach and Joe stole them from me.”

  Sammie then described how mean Joe and Zach treated him back at his house.

  Mrs. Wescott shook her head. “I don’t like that. That’s wrong. I’ve talked to Zach over and over about his terrible behavior. Apparently, he hasn’t been listening.”

  Sammie’s eyes brimmed with tears. Mrs. Wescott could see he was very upset, and she felt terrible that her son played even the slightest role in scaring or hurting this sweet kid. They’d talked about it many times. Obviously, Zach wasn’t listening.

  Daisy could read her thoughts and knew Zach was in trouble, but yet, she was still surprised when Mrs. Wescott said, “What can I do to help?”

  The three kids smiled. “Awesome!” Sammie said.

  Daisy introduced her to Violet while Sammie pulled out the rest of the balloons from the package. They told Mrs. Wescott that Patrick and Michael had more balloons over on the other side of the house. Mrs. Wescott nodded and smiled, beginning to understand their plan. She helped by placing the opening of each balloon onto the hose nozzle. She held it while Violet slowly turned on the water to fill them. As each balloon was filled with water, Mrs. Wescott tied it in a knot. Sammie and Daisy stepped in to fill the jumbo-sized water blasters−the kind you have to pump before shooting. They had two of those, and Patrick and Michael had one.

  As they finished filling and tying each water balloon, Daisy carefully placed them into the wagon. On the other side of the house, Patrick and Michael were also busy filling balloons and the water blaster.

  “Okay, we’re ready,” Violet said. “But how will Patrick and Michael know we’re ready? And how will we know when they’re ready?”

  Mrs. Wescott stood up. “I’ll take care of that,” she said.

  Wiping her hands on her pants, she walked back toward the front of the house and around to the other side, where Patrick and Michael were working.

  They were surprised to see Mrs. Wescott walk toward them and thought they might be in trouble for using her hose−until she smiled and waved.

  “Hi, guys! I just want you to know that I’m here to help you get back the gumballs Zach and Joe stole from you.”

  Large smiles broke out on Patrick and Michael’s faces. They couldn’t believe their ears.

  “That’s so cool!” Patrick said.

  Mrs. Wescott continued. “Now, I’m not sure why you’re making such a fuss over a couple of gumballs. Honestly, you’d think they could talk or something.”

  Michael blurted out a quick laugh but caught himself. Mrs. Wescott barely noticed.

  “What I don’t like, is my son getting mixed up in any teasing or badgering of other kids. That poor little Sammie−I felt so sorry for him when he described how Zach and Joe roughed him up and took his−um−gumballs. No. It’s time those two boys learned a lesson.”

  Patrick and Michael nodded.

  “Are you guys ready?” she asked. “Because the other three are all set.”

  The boys nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll go around front, go into the house, and come out the back door. When you hear me open the door and ask Zach what he’s doing−and I will say it nice and loud for you−that will be your sign. You can go ahead and unload. You got it?”

  Patrick and Michael giggled and nodded. How cool was it to have Zach’s mom helping them ambush her own son? Awesome!

  “Alright then,” she said. “Get ready. Here I go.”

  The boys took their positions as she walked to the front of the house. Before going in, she went around to the other side and gave Sammie and the girls a “thumbs-up” signal. The three of them returned the “thumbs-up” and took their positions.

  Daisy and Sammie had the water blasters and Violet had the wheel barrel full of water balloons and the Frisbee. They waited and listened to the muffled sounds of Joe and Zach’s voices, and their audience’s occasional response of “ooh” and “ah” and “cool.”

  After about sixty seconds, the back door opened and Zach’s mom called out to Zach, just as planned.

  “Zach! What are you doing out there?”

  21

  The Ambush

  MRS. WESCOTT’S SIGNAL was loud and clear. Patrick and Michael heard her at the same time Daisy, Violet, and Sammie heard her. Zach and Joe had no idea what was about to happen as they turned toward the house at the sound of Mrs. Wescott’s voice.

  Zach opened his mouth to respond to his mom’s call when he and Joe saw a Frisbee flying toward them from their right. As they turned to see who threw it, Zach was slammed on the left side of his face by a red water balloon.

  Boom!

  Patrick’s aim was perfect. Zach’s head jerked to the right and then back. He stood there, shocked and bending his head to let the cold water drip away from his eyes.

  Joe looked at Zach’s soaking wet body, and, just as he turned to see where it came from−

  Boom!

  Another water balloon−this time thrown by Michael−smacked him on his chest, spraying water across his body and up onto his face. The splash continued to spray past him and onto Zach, but neither of the two boys had time to react because Zach was hit in the arm with another water balloon−this time from a different direction−thrown by Violet, who was screaming with laughter.

  “Yeah! Whoo-hoo! This is awesome!” she yelled.

  Joe and Zach were now catching it from two directions. They started backing up toward the audience of boys still sitting in their chairs, who were now laughing and cheering. Those boys jumped up and turned to get out of the line of fire, but had nowhere to go. They were trapped by the tall fence in the back of the yard and the water balloon war in front of them. They backed up as close to the fence as they could and tried to stay out of the way. They were enjoying the scene, laughing and shouting each time Zach and Joe got plastered with another water balloon.

  “Whoa!
Did you see that?” Jonah yelled. “Ha ha! This is awesome!”

  “Yeah. This show keeps getting better and better!” Ben laughed.

  Ryan turned and pointed. “Hey, look! Zach’s mom is in on it!”

  The five of them howled and cheered for Zach’s mom.

  “Get ‘em Mrs. Wescott. Whoo-hoo!”

  Mark sang a little song. “Ha ha! Zach, watch out for your mommy!”

  Their screams and laughter grew louder as the show unfolded. This entertainment was worth every penny!

  With Michael and Patrick throwing water balloons on one side of the yard, and Daisy, Violet, and Sammie throwing them on the other side, it didn’t take long for their ammunition to run out. When it did, Mrs. Wescott and Patrick returned to the sides of the house to get the garden hoses.

  Mrs. Wescott came around the corner laughing and pointing the hose as it blasted cold water several feet in front of her. At the same time, Patrick came around with the other hose. Michael was next to Patrick with the huge water blaster, and Daisy came at them with hers. Zach and Joe were now getting attacked with the hoses and water blasters from both directions. They ran back to the fence as the other boys scattered. Now, Zach and Joe were trapped.

  “Come on you guys. Stop!” Joe shouted.

  “Mom! Stop!” Zach yelled.

  Meanwhile, Gordy and Vinnie were crouched in the small box, listening to the chaos. They heard shouting and screams of laughter−from all directions−and they heard what sounded like drops of water, banging all around them, but they had no idea what was going on. As the loud screams continued, they felt themselves being swooped over and then up. As they traveled through the air, the cover to the box flew off, and sprinkles of water and the bright sun fell across them, shocking their senses.

  “Stay close together,” Gordy yelled to Vinnie. “We need to duck into this cotton as much as we can to stay dry. There’s a whole lot of water being thrown around out there. You can’t afford to get any in your cracks.”

  “I want to go home, Gordy! I want to go home!” Vinnie cried.

  Gordy tried to comfort him. “I know, Vinnie. Just hang on a bit longer. I think the kids are out there fighting for us.”

  Vinnie nodded, trying to hold back his sobs. “Okay. Okay. I hope you’re right because I can’t take much more of this.”

  Sammie and Violet ran through the rush of water to get to the tiny box, still sitting high above them, in the palm of Joe’s hand.

  Gordy and Vinnie were tossed to one side of the box, and then the other, rolling, rolling, back and forth, banging the sides of the box. They looked up and saw the bright blue sky and floating white puffy clouds. The cotton did little to cushion the blows, although it absorbed much of the water drops. With each bang against the box wall, came a scream of pain from Vinnie.

  “A-a-h-h! Ouch! Make it stop! Make it stop!”

  “Hang in there buddy! Don’t give up,” Gordy shouted as they bounced and banged inside the box.

  Sammie and Violet ran through the frenzy of water to get to Joe. They could see the box in his hand high above his head. He held it tight as he continued to get blasted by the hoses.

  Zach raised his arms to block the blasts of water, but it didn’t help.

  “Mom! What are you doing?” he shouted. “Stop!”

  “Ha ha!” she laughed. “This is what you and Joe get for treating a little eight-year-old kid like that. Whoo-hoo!” Mrs. Wescott couldn’t conceal her joy. She hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.

  “Keep it going you guys,” Michael shouted.

  By now, they were all soaked from the cross-fire of water. They laughed and cheered each other on, as the water-attack continued. Even the five boys from the audience were cheering Mrs. Wescott, urging her to keep spraying Joe and Zach.

  “Ha ha! Not so tough now, are you?” she shouted as she blasted them with cold water.

  Joe and Zach tried to dodge the water. They turned their bodies and bent over as the water slammed their backs. Once Violet and Sammie knew that Joe and Zach were unable to see them, they ran at the two older boys, diving onto Joe, who fell hard. As he hit the ground, the box flew from his hand and rolled onto the grass, throwing Vinnie and Gordy into different directions.

  Sammie winced, feeling Vinnie’s pain from the crash to the ground. Violet reached across the grass and scooped up the two gumballs, placing them back into the box that Sammie now held.

  Zach too fell to the ground, exhausted from the pummeling. As the two older boys begged for mercy, Sammie and Violet got up and ran back toward the house.

  Joe didn’t realize he’d lost his moneymakers. He was too busy holding his hands up and screaming for mercy. “Okay! Okay! You win!”

  “Mom! Stop!” Zach shouted.

  Zach’s mom let go of the nozzle and the water stopped. Then she turned to Patrick, Michael, and Daisy. “Alright, alright, you guys. That’s enough.”

  Patrick let go of his nozzle and the water trickled to a stop. Daisy and Michael had long ago run out of ammunition for their water blasters. The water had stopped, but the laughter continued for a few more minutes while everyone caught their breath.

  “That was so much fun!” Mrs. Wescott said. Water poured down her head and her soaking hair was plastered to her face. “Thank you for breaking up my day. Whoo-hoo! That was terrific!”

  Joe and Zach stood and looked at each other. Their shirts were stuck to their chests, as water dripped from their heads and into their eyes and mouths. Joe felt the squish of water in his tennis shoes.

  Although they enjoyed the water war, Joe and Zach did not like being the source of everyone’s laughter. Joe’s anger grew as he watched the kids from the audience laugh and point at him. Zach’s mom continued to laugh, as did Daisy, Patrick, and Michael. Joe shook his head and wiped the water from his face. This was not cool and those nerds would pay for this.

  In all the excitement, no one noticed that Violet and Sammie and the small white box were gone.

  After Zach’s mom stopped laughing and pulled herself together, and the kids from the audience left, she took her son and walked him near the back door to their house. Once they were alone, she turned to him and said, “Do you know why this just happened?”

  Zach nodded. He knew Joe’s little brother told her what he and Joe did−and he knew he was in trouble.

  His mom continued, “Well, let me tell you something, mister. What just happened may have been fun, but the fun is over for you. You’re grounded.”

  Zach’s shoulders fell and his frown covered his entire face. “But Mom!”

  “No ‘buts.’ I will not have a bully for a son. Do you hear me?” Zach looked at the ground and kicked some dirt.

  “Yes. I hear you.”

  “What you and Joe did to that sweet little Sammie makes me sick to my stomach. And for what? A couple of gumballs?”

  “But Mom! They’re not just ordinary gumballs!”

  “I said, no ‘buts.’” She pointed toward the back door.

  “Upstairs. And you’re also grounded from talking to Joe−for two weeks. And I will call his mother to let her know what he did.”

  Zach knew it was useless to argue. He hung his head and did what he was told. He walked inside but turned to take one last look at Joe and the others before he walked up to his room.

  22

  Vinnie and Sammie

  SAMMIE AND VIOLET RAN through the water war and were soaked by the time they reached the other side. Once they passed everyone, they ran up the side of the house toward the front yard.

  Running only worsened the stabbing pain in Sammie’s side, causing him to limp and slow his pace. Violet turned back to help him.

  “What’s wrong Sammie? Is it your side again?” Sammie winced and nodded.

  She put her arm around him and helped him walk until they neared the front of the house. Once there, Sammie collapsed, still holding the small white box as he landed. Violet knelt beside him.

  “It’s getting wo
rse, isn’t it?”

  Sammie nodded, unable to speak. Handing her the box, his voice a whisper, he said, “Check on them. See if they’re okay.”

  Violet took the box and looked in. Her breath caught in her throat as she put her hand to her mouth. Gordy and Vinnie were huddled inside the cotton, Vinnie lying on his side, his eyes closed. The crack in his shell was much bigger and a large piece had fallen off. Gordy struggled to hold it in place. His eyes filled with tears as he looked up and spoke to Violet.

  “Violet. This is bad. We need to get him home−now−or he won’t make it.”

  Violet tried to sound calm. “Don’t worry Gordy. We’ll get you home. Hang on just a little bit longer, okay?”

  “How much longer?”

  “I’ll go get Daisy and the boys. They’re in the backyard. We’ll race you back to the gumball machine. Okay?”

  Gordy nodded, fighting back his tears. “Hurry!”

  Violet turned to Sammie. “Here, hold the box. I’ll be right back.”

  She ran down the side of the house to the backyard, shouting to the others. “You guys! Vinnie and Sammie are in real bad shape. We have to go−now!”

  Zach and his mom had gone into the house. Daisy, Patrick, and Michael were arguing with Joe when they heard Violet’s call.

  The four of them turned, knowing from her tone that this was serious. The argument was forgotten as they grabbed the backpacks and ran to Violet.

  “This way,” she said.

  Daisy, Michael, Patrick, and even Joe, followed her up the side of the house. Ahead, they saw Sammie lying on the ground hugging his side with one arm and clinging to the small box with the other.

  They ran to him. Daisy dropped to her knees, tears forming in her blue eyes. The others were astonished to see how terrible Sammie looked. Joe came up and knelt beside him, a worried look on his face.