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

by Maureen Bartone

  He looked up at his sister. “What’s wrong with him?”

  Daisy stood up, walked around Sammie to where Joe was kneeling, and shoved him−hard. Joe fell back on his hands.

  She looked down at him. “You! You did this to him. All of this is your fault!”

  “What? What did I do?”

  “You broke Vinnie’s shell, and for some weird reason−we don’t know why−when Vinnie’s in pain−Sammie’s in pain too!”

  “Wait. Who’s Vinnie?” Joe had no clue what she was talking about.

  “Ugh!”

  She turned on her heels and stormed over to Sammie. Taking the box from his weak hand, she brought it back to Joe and put it near his face.

  “This is Vinnie.”

  As she and Joe peeked into the box, Daisy raised her eyebrows and inhaled slowly as she and Joe stared down at the sickly little gumball person. Vinnie was still, his eyes shut, and Gordy held a large piece of shell to Vinnie’s stomach, crying. He looked up and said, “Daisy. This is bad. Can you get us home as soon as you can? I’m worried he won’t make it.”

  Seeing the distress on Daisy and Joe’s faces, the others peeked in.

  Violet let out a small cry. “You guys, he looks worse than when I saw him a few minutes ago. We have to get them back home and we need to go now!”

  The others agreed. They packed up and prepared to return Gordy and Vinnie to the gumball machine.

  23

  The Tow

  MICHAEL STEPPED IN AND TOOK CHARGE, barking out orders and rushing everyone along.

  “Patrick and Violet, go around back and get Sammie’s wagon−hurry!”

  The two of them took off running down the side of the house toward the backyard.

  Joe stood. “What should I do?”

  His face, which usually held a confident smirk, was crinkled with worry and guilt. He felt bad for Vinnie, but more importantly, he felt horrible that his little brother was in pain because of him.

  Daisy charged him again, pushing him with the palms of her hands and causing him to stumble back.

  “You keep out of this. If something bad happens to Vinnie and Sammie, you’ll have to live with that. Now stay out of our way.”

  Tears stung her eyes, but she stayed strong−a first for her with her big brother. She couldn’t even look at him.

  Joe hung his head, but Daisy didn’t care how he felt. He finally saw the damage he’d done, and it was as if his eyes had opened for the first time. He’d never cared about hurting other people’s feelings. Joe looked around at everyone, and then climbed on his bike and headed for home.

  From the corner of her eye, Daisy saw him leave. They didn’t need his help. He was more trouble than he was worth. She wiped the tears from her eyes and then shoved the water blasters into her backpack.

  Michael put his hand on her shoulder and turned her toward him. His voice was quiet. “Daisy. Try to focus.” Tilting his head toward Sammie and Vinnie, he added, “They need you, okay?”

  Daisy nodded, as she wiped her tears. “You’re right.”

  Before Patrick and Violet came into view, the wagon could be heard banging up the hill. Seeing them, Michael waved them to hurry. They ran with the wagon until they reached the group and Michael went into action.

  “Okay you guys, help me get Sammie into the wagon.”

  The others gathered around Sammie.

  Handing the small jewelry box to Daisy, Michael said, “Here Daisy. You hold this. You’re in charge of Vinnie and Gordy.” Turning to the others, he said, “We’ll have to leave our bikes here and come back for them later.”

  Michael and Patrick hooked their hands under Sammie’s arms, while Violet helped lift his feet. Sammie squeezed his eyes shut and let out a moan. Daisy kept the wagon from rolling forward by putting her foot in front of one of the wheels, as they carefully placed Sammie into the wagon.

  “You’ll have to sit up Sammie. The wagon’s not big enough for you to lie down, okay?” Michael said.

  Taking short breaths, Sammie pinched his lips together and nodded. He leaned his lower back on the edge of the wagon, gripping the sides with his hands.

  Michael continued to lead the group. “Patrick and I will have to pull Sammie in the wagon. Violet, you stay in the back of it. We’ll need your help pushing.”

  “Okay,” Violet said.

  “Is everybody ready?”

  They all nodded.

  Daisy peeked into the box and spoke to Vinnie and Gordy. “Okay, you guys. Hang in there. We’re on our way to the gumball machine.”

  Vinnie’s eyes were still closed, but Gordy nodded his understanding, as he leaned onto Vinnie to protect him from further injury. The group headed back toward the park and the old shed.

  As Patrick and Michael started pulling Sammie on the wagon, it wasn’t long before they realized their progress was too slow.

  “Let’s face it. Sammie’s heavy,” Patrick said. “We’ve only gone one block and my legs are burning.”

  Michael wiped his brow with his arm. “Yeah. Mine too.”

  Violet agreed. “We need Daisy to help us.”

  “I wish there was some way we could pull him on our bikes. This is going to take forever,” Michael said.

  From a distance, Patrick noticed someone approaching them.

  “Hey. Is that Joe?”

  Looking up, Daisy said, “It better not be.”

  Michael watched as the figure came into view. “Yep. That’s Joe,” he said. “Good.”

  Daisy stopped short and turned to Michael. “Good? How is that good?”

  “We need his muscles,” Michael responded.

  Daisy blew out a puff of air and shook her head. She knew he was right, so she held her tongue as Michael cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to Joe.

  “Joe! Hey, Joe! Come here! We need you!”

  Joe slowed his bike and looked up. They watched as he picked up speed and headed in their direction.

  As he approached the group, he braked. “What’s up?” He was as uncertain of their motives as they were of his.

  Michael spoke for the group. “We need your help. We need to get Vinnie and Gordy−the gumball dudes−back to the gumball machine, but Sammie can’t walk.”

  Joe shrugged. “Big deal. Leave him at Zach’s. Go without him.”

  From the wagon, Sammie shouted through his pain, “N-o-o-o! I won’t let you take them back without me!”

  “Come on, Joe,” Michael said. “Can you please help us figure out a way to get them to the shed? We need to work fast.”

  “Fine. I’ll help,” Joe said.

  Daisy was not happy about this, but Michael and Patrick were relieved.

  Joe surveyed the situation and said, “We’ll need some rope to hook up the wagon to at least one bike−but two would be better.”

  “Our bikes are back at Zach’s,” Patrick said.

  “Okay. I’m pretty sure Zach has some rope in his garage,” Joe said. “I’ll go ask if we can borrow it. The rest of you will need your bikes too if you want to move faster.”

  Everyone nodded, and it was decided that Daisy would stay with Sammie.

  “I’ll bring your bike back for you,” Violet said.

  “Okay. Thanks,” Daisy said.

  Patrick, Michael, and Violet ran after Joe, who was ahead of them, pedaling to Zach’s house.

  With Mrs. Wescott’s permission, Joe grabbed three pieces of rope from the garage and headed back to Sammie and Daisy. Violet started walking both her bike and Daisy’s, while Patrick and Michael went ahead on their bikes to start working on the tow for Sammie’s wagon.

  By the time Violet arrived with the bikes, one piece of rope had been looped through the wagon’s handle. The other two pieces of rope were much longer and both were tied to the ends of the first rope. Once they were connected to the first rope, Joe tied one of them under his bike seat, and Michael tied the other one under his bike seat.

  Daisy looked at Sammie. “Are you alright?
” A slight nod was all he could muster. The pain was too excruciating to do more.

  Michael clapped his hands. “Okay. We’re ready to roll.”

  Once everyone was on their bikes, he and Joe led the way, starting off slowly to make sure their makeshift tow would hold.

  Daisy put the box in Sammie’s lap and laid his hands on top of it to keep it secure. She shouted to Michael and Joe. “Be careful you guys. Not too fast. We don’t want Sammie falling out.” The boys nodded.

  Violet and Patrick rode their bikes on either side of the wagon, and Daisy rode behind it. They were finally on their way back to the gumball machine.

  24

  The Shed

  THE CARAVAN OF KIDS on their bikes, with the wagon in tow, rode down the street, turning left and riding through the park. They headed back toward the haunted house and the old shed where Vinnie and Gordy’s gumball machine sat−almost as if waiting for their return.

  As they pulled up to the shed, the kids jumped off their bikes, dropping them where they stopped. They saw a large van sitting in the driveway next to the garage and shed, but no one was in it.

  “Wait here. Let me check things out,” Michael said. He walked around the garage and peeked into the backyard. Looking at the back porch, he saw several boxes stacked on top of each other.

  He returned to the shed where the others were standing and said, “It looks like they’re moving. We’d better hurry. I’m not sure how long it’ll be before they come into the shed to pack things up−including the gumball machine.”

  “That’s not good,” Patrick said.

  “No. It’s not. Let’s get started,” Daisy said.

  She went ahead of the others and heaved open the shed’s creaking door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the grand gumball machine still standing in the corner where they’d left it yesterday. She hadn’t mentioned it to the others, but she’d worried it might be gone. What would they have done? She shook the thought from her head. She didn’t want to imagine what would happen to Sammie or to Vinnie.

  “It’s still here! Bring them in,” she called.

  Michael came in after her.

  “Of course it’s still here. Where’d you think it would be?”

  Daisy grinned and chuckled. “You’re always so calm, Michael. Weren’t you ever worried it might be gone?”

  Shaking his head, Michael smiled. “No. Never. You need to stop worrying.” He chuckled and patted her on her back. “It’s bad for your health.”

  Daisy gave him her best fake smile. “Funny.”

  She tried to be serious, but she couldn’t help but grin. Michael always kept her calm. Still−she was relieved they had arrived.

  The others stopped near the entrance to the shed. The wagon wouldn’t fit, so Violet and Patrick reached under Sammie’s arms, while Joe took his feet. They lifted him from the wagon and carried him inside. Still holding the small box, Sammie held his breath, cringing as they placed him on the dusty floor, his back resting against the wall. Joe went back out to move the wagon behind the shed and out of sight.

  As they stood in the shed, Daisy, Patrick, and Michael felt a strange sensation.

  “Do you feel that?” Michael asked.

  Patrick and Daisy nodded.

  “That’s so weird,” Daisy said.

  “What are you losers talking about?” Joe said as he entered the shed. “I don’t feel anything.”

  “I don’t either,” said Violet.

  “Well, I do,” Patrick said. “It’s like a weird buzzing in my chest.”

  Michael smiled. “Yeah. That’s what I feel too.”

  “Me too,” Daisy said.

  For Joe and Violet, this was their first time in the shed, and they hadn’t taken the wild ride up and into the gumball machine, so they felt nothing. They looked around. There wasn’t much to see−except for one thing. They walked over for a closer look at the magic gumball machine.

  It was tall, coming up to Violet’s chin, but for Joe, it was a little smaller. Still−it was one big gumball machine, and it was filled to the top with huge, colorful gumballs.

  “Wow!” Violet said, reaching out to it.

  “Don’t touch it, Violet!” Patrick shouted.

  He grabbed her hand just as her fingers reached for the clear globe. Violet wasn’t sure why, but she liked the attention she was getting from Patrick. He’d been a bit cranky when she’d first met him, but now, he seemed nice. She smiled and looked at the floor, but looked back up at him as he spoke to her.

  “We don’t need you getting sucked up there all by yourself,” Patrick said.

  He slowly let go of her hand. Their eyes met briefly, and then, embarrassed, they separated. Violet walked over to Daisy, and Patrick walked over to Michael−though they continued glancing at each other from across the shed.

  Joe walked over to Daisy and spoke softly so their little brother couldn’t hear him.

  “I’m not sure what’s going on here, Daisy. I mean, sure, it’s a big gumball machine, but it doesn’t look magic to me. And, Sammie looks terrible. I think we should get Mom and Dad. We need some help.”

  Daisy opened her mouth to argue, but Joe continued. “I mean it. This is serious, and you’re playing games with a silly gumball machine and the two little weirdoes over there.” Joe jerked his head in the direction of the jewelry box in Sammie’s hands. Daisy looked over at her little brother and the small box.

  She turned back to Joe. “No!”

  She spoke too loudly and the rest of the group, including Sammie, looked over at them.

  “What’s wrong?” Violet asked.

  “He wants to get our parents. He thinks Sammie is in real danger,” Daisy said. “I think we should at least wait until we get Gordy and Vinnie back home. Sammie said he feels what Vinnie feels. If we can get Vinnie back home and feeling better, then Sammie will feel better, too. I know it.”

  Joe folded his arms and shook his head. “This is wrong.” He rubbed his hands through his hair. “Fine. You have fifteen minutes. If things aren’t moving along by then, I’m going home to get Mom and Dad. Got it?”

  Daisy let out a short breath. “Got it. Thanks. You won’t be sorry. This will work.”

  Voices outside the shed made everyone stiffen and stop talking. They heard the back door of the van slide along its tracks. Michael put his finger to his mouth telling everyone−especially Sammie−to keep quiet. He walked to the window and looked out. Two men were putting boxes into the back of the van. He watched as they finished and slid the back door closed. The men then walked around to the front of the truck and climbed in. The kids heard the engine turn over and the truck rumble as it began to move.

  After another minute, it was quiet again and Michael turned back to everyone and clapped his hands.

  “Okay. They’re gone. We need to move fast because we have no idea when they’ll return.”

  Patrick shifted his feet back and forth. “What’s the plan?”

  He put his hands behind him and crossed his fingers. Oh, how he hoped Michael remembered to keep him out of the gumball machine.

  “Let’s talk to Gordy and see what he thinks,” Michael said.

  He took the box from Sammie and they looked inside. Their eyes widened and Daisy and Violet put their hands to their mouths. Vinnie was no longer the black and shiny gumball they’d met yesterday. His shell was gray and faded. It looked dry and there were more cracks. The biggest crack was getting longer, almost encircling his entire body. Daisy and Joe looked over at their little brother. He wasn’t moving. His head hung to the side and his eyes were closed. His body was limp, his skin pale, and his breathing shallow.

  “Let’s move this along,” Joe ordered, as he paced back and forth in the tiny shed. Perspiration beaded on his forehead and he felt a tightness forming in his chest.

  Michael looked down into the white box and spoke to Gordy. “Gordy−we’re here. We’re ready to take you and Vinnie back home. What do we need to do when we get there?
How can we help Vinnie get well?”

  Looking up at Michael, Gordy’s voice broke and cracked as he answered. He caught his breath and said, “We’ll need to get him down Pudding Hill right away. He needs to get into the pudding pond. That’s the only thing that will heal his shell, and it will work right away. We really need to hurry, Michael.”

  “But Gordy−how can we do that?” Patrick asked. “Won’t the crack in his shell get worse bouncing down that slide? That first drop from the edge of the cliff onto the slide is a big one. He’ll crack into pieces just from that first jump.”

  “Patrick’s right,” Michael said. “How can we avoid that?”

  Shouting up to them from the tiny box Gordy said, “I don’t think we can, but we should find a way to soften his landing. He’ll need to sit on something to cushion the blow.”

  The kids sat in silence, each trying to think of a plan that might work. At once, Violet’s brown eyes opened wide and a small smile worked its way onto her face. Daisy walked to Violet until she was right in front of her.

  “Violet? What is it? You have an idea, don’t you?”

  25

  Violet’s Idea

  IN THE SHED, the kids gathered around Violet who was nodding and smiling.

  “Well? What is it?” Patrick asked. “What’s your great idea?”

  Violet looked at Joe, but at first, said nothing. Daisy, Patrick, and Michael also turned to look at Joe, who frowned.

  “What? Why is everyone looking at me?”

  Without Violet saying a word, Michael understood. He looked at Joe and nodded.

  “Right! Perfect idea, Violet! Nice work−especially considering you’ve never been in that gumball machine.” He clapped his hands. “Whoo-hoo!”

  Patrick and Joe shook their heads.

  “Can somebody tell us what Violet’s big idea is?” Patrick asked.

  Michael nodded at Violet to explain. After all, it was her idea.

  Violet started by repeating Gordy’s words. “Gordy said we need something big and soft for Vinnie to sit on while going down the slide.” Pointing to Joe, she added, “Joe is our ‘big and soft’ recipe.”

  Joe looked around the room. “What?!”