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

by Maureen Bartone

  But he didn’t relax for long. Out of nowhere, a large white gumball came whizzing down from somewhere above his head and plopped down right in his lap. It startled him and hurt his stomach as he let out a shriek that caused gumball birds to fly from the trees. This was one big gumball!

  What next?

  He was about to toss the large white gumball over the side when he saw it move. That’s when he realized it was the same gumball dude he’d carried in his shirt pocket, and the same one he’d lifted onto the lightning bolt. That crazy green peacock must have tossed him into his lap.

  The white gumball looked up at Joe with sad, pleading eyes and at once, Joe felt sorry for him. He then felt guilty because he knew the two little gumballs, and Joe’s little brother, Sammie, were all injured because of his actions. His heart ached for the gumball man sitting in his lap. He wanted to help him, so he wrapped his arms around Gordy and held him tight as they whisked around the sticky, pink slide.

  Shortly after Gordy landed in his lap, Joe looked up and saw Cecilia toss from the lightning bolt, what looked to be a boy with blond curly hair. As the boy fell from the sky, swirling round and round, Joe caught his breath.

  That looks like Sammie!

  As the boy approached, Joe knew it was Sammie, and he panicked.

  He’s not supposed to be here. We left him back in the shed, safe with Daisy and Michael!

  Joe’s stomach lurched and twisted in knots as he called out to his little brother.

  “Sammie! No! No−Sammie!”

  Sammie’s body flipped and twisted as he plummeted toward them. It looked like Violet was his target, so Joe tried to get her attention. He wanted her to get ready to catch him, but she couldn’t hear him over the roar of the wind and the slide’s sloshing and crashing waves of pudding.

  A lump grew in Joe’s throat as he watched Sammie fall. His helplessness frustrated him.

  This is my fault. I’m Sammie’s big brother. I’m supposed to watch over him and protect him.

  He couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to Sammie−or to Daisy. They were family, after all.

  Joe continued calling out to Violet, but she never looked back.

  Boy, is she in for a big surprise.

  Sammie was coming down fast. Joe watched as he landed hard, right in Violet’s lap.

  O-o-h! That must have hurt!

  He shook his head and let out a hard sigh, relieved Sammie landed right where he was supposed to. Joe looked up at Cecilia, but she was already gone. He shook his head. She sure had great aim.

  All Joe could do now was hold onto Gordy and hope for the best. Patrick, Violet, and Joe sped down and around Pudding Hill with their passengers in tow.

  The last big hill was ahead.

  JUST ABOVE PATRICK, Violet was giggling and having a ball. She couldn’t believe she’d been sad to move away from her old neighborhood. If they hadn’t moved, she wouldn’t be here right now having the best time of her life.

  She was about to call down to Patrick to express her glee, when something fell from the sky, smashing right into her lap. Her waist buckled from the weight and she let out a piercing scream, not from pain, but from shock and surprise. The force of what landed in her lap took her breath away, but strangely, the blow didn’t hurt her. She started to panic and tried to push it off of her, but when she looked to see what it was, she was surprised to see Sammie. She wrapped her arms around him and held on tight. His head hung to the side and his eyes were closed.

  How did he get here? He didn’t come up with them. Did he come up later?

  She had no time to make sense of it. The pink goo swept them down the slide, faster and faster. She had no idea how long this ride would last. The only thing she did know was that Daisy told her there was a sticky pond of bubblegum at the bottom. She readied herself for that final plunge.

  35

  Pudding Pond

  AS PATRICK NEARED the end of the slide, he could see the pudding pond in the distance and he knew the final big hill was coming up soon. The fog was lifting, and he watched as the gumball world transformed into the beautiful place he remembered from yesterday.

  The gumball city had roads that traveled in circles, round houses, and trees with colorful gumballs mixed in the leaves, to make them look like flowers. The sky was pink now, the way it was supposed to be, and of course, he loved that purple grass. So many colors−he couldn’t help but smile.

  Up ahead, he saw the banks of the pudding pond surrounded by all of the gumball buddies he’d met yesterday. They were jumping up and down and clapping and cheering. The roar of the crowd intensified as he approached and, just like yesterday, the air held a strong scent of sweet bubblegum. But before he could slide into the pudding pond, the big hill was upon him. First, the slide went straight up−up−up! Patrick felt his body and head tilt back until he could see the pink sky just beyond his toes. He held Vinnie tightly in his arms and, in an instant, they were airborne. For a second, they floated. Patrick tipped his head sideways and looked below at all of his new friends. He tried to yell out a big “hello,” but instead, all that came out was a scream.

  “A-a-h-h!”

  Then, just as quickly as he and Vinnie flew up, Patrick felt himself drop−straight down. Again, it felt like his stomach lurched up to his throat. He hadn’t remembered flying this high into the sky, nor did he remember this steep fall, when he rode this very hill yesterday.

  Soaring feet-first, Patrick’s hair flew up and out. Clinging to his glasses with one hand, he squeezed Vinnie to his chest with the other, as they zoomed toward the pudding pond.

  Down, Down, down!

  With Vinnie’s wide body in the way, Patrick peered sideways and saw the pond coming up fast.

  He inhaled and held his breath as he let go of Vinnie, just as he crash-landed, feet-first, into the pink goo. Both of them plunged deep into the warm and sticky pudding. Patrick continued to hold his breath and keep his eyes closed until gravity stopped him. He then kicked and pushed his way up through the thick waves until he reached the surface. He gasped as he met the fresh air, pink slop pouring down his face. The gumballs were waiting in nervous silence as they watched him come up−alone.

  Patrick looked around.

  No Vinnie!

  He took another deep breath and dove back into the goo. With his eyes closed and his cheeks puffed with air, he swished his hands out in front of him feeling for Vinnie. Patrick finally felt the smooth shell, hooked his arms under Vinnie’s arms, and kicked as he pulled him up to the surface. A chorus of cheers cut through the silence as they finally saw Vinnie rise from the depths. Patrick again sucked in fresh air as he struggled to pull Vinnie to shore.

  At the edge of the pond, Patrick stood waist-deep in gooey globs of pink, holding Vinnie, who was also coated with the stuff. The pink bubblegum pudding was caked in Patrick’s hair, dripped from his head, and poured down his shoulders. He knew his shirt was ruined. He tried not to think about that.

  He looked down at Vinnie who was now completely pink and sticky, but his eyes were still closed. He wasn’t moving. With some help from two of the larger gumballs, they carried Vinnie’s heavy, wet body to the pond’s bank and laid him on the ground.

  A crowd gathered. Patrick recognized Mrs. Gumble, Gordy’s wife, and their kids. The white gumball family was accompanied by a black gumball lady and two small, black gumball kids. Patrick guessed they were Vinnie’s family because they looked just like him and they were hurrying toward Vinnie with tears in their eyes.

  Wiping the sticky stuff from his face, Patrick remembered his glasses. The butterflies returned as he frantically returned to the pond of sticky stuff, swishing his hands around, hoping to find them. His mom would be so angry if he lost them. After a few seconds, he felt them deep down and yanked them up. They were a pink mess, but at least he found them.

  Patrick had no time to speak to Gordy or Vinnie’s families because the other gumball people on the banks of the pudding pond started screa
ming and shouting at him to get out of the way. He turned and looked up at the slide. Violet was coming! He heard her screams as she flew off and up toward the sky. She hung there for a second and then headed straight down toward the pudding pond, her legs kicking the air. Patrick squinted to see her. Without his glasses, she was just a blur.

  Wait a minute. Who was that in her arms?

  He chuckled.

  That looks just like Sammie. Impossible. Sammie’s back in the shed, too sick to make such a trip.

  Whoever she was holding, he didn’t look good. His body looked limp and lifeless−his feet and arms flopping every which-way. Patrick and the others moved back toward the shoreline to make room for the next jumper to land in the pudding pond.

  Still clinging to Sammie’s limp body, Violet let out a curdled screamed as she soared through the air, and then started to drop.

  Whoosh!

  “A-a-h-h!”

  As gravity forced them downward, Violet lost her grip on Sammie and he flew from her arms. Her body sailed in one direction, and Sammie’s lifeless body went in the other.

  “Oh no!” Violet screamed. “Patrick! Catch Sammie!”

  Patrick heard her words, but he couldn’t quite grasp what she was saying.

  Sammie? That’s Sammie? How can this be?

  Patrick had no time to ponder this mystery. He ran into the pudding pond, his legs trudging through the thick, heavy stuff, trying to judge where Sammie might land. Wiping the sticky pudding from his eyes and mouth, he found a spot and waited, arms outstretched, legs braced. He shook his head.

  Oh, boy. Not good.

  Boom!

  Sammie landed hard in his arms. The force and weight of Sammie’s body dropped Patrick to his knees, and, for the third time in two days, he was plunged back into the pudding pond. This time, he was holding Sammie’s limp body in his arms.

  He came up fast, still holding Sammie. He looked over and saw Violet jumping up for air. The sticky goo weighed him down, and it didn’t help that Sammie too now weighed twice as much from all the pudding covering his body. With Sammie in his arms, Patrick once again dragged himself through the bubblegum pudding. He climbed out and placed Sammie on the purple grass next to Vinnie. They both laid there, eyes closed, lifeless.

  Violet came slogging out of the pond and up to Patrick. Dripping in pink pudding and breathless, she said, “Is he okay?”

  But as she peered past Patrick, she saw for herself. Sammie lay next to Vinnie with his eyes closed. His entire body was pink and he wasn’t moving.

  Grabbing his arm, she said, “Oh no, Patrick! It didn’t work! It didn’t work!”

  Neither of them seemed to notice or care that they were dripping in pink pudding.

  Patrick turned to her. “Violet. What is Sammie doing here? How did he get here? He was too sick!”

  “I−I don’t know. He just landed in my arms as I was sliding down Pudding Hill. I have no idea how it happened, but it was a perfect landing. The real question is did Daisy and Michael send him up here? And if they did, why?”

  A loud scream from high above interrupted their conversation. They turned to see Joe mid-air−his feet high above his head. His body was turned sideways as gravity pulled him down toward the pudding pond. Patrick and Violet could see he was holding a large white gumball. Gordy!

  36

  We’re Too Late!

  JOE SCREAMED loud and long as he flew through the air.

  This is not fun! Not fun at all!

  Still, he never let go of Gordy. He knew his little brother’s life depended on it.

  “A-a-h-h!”

  His scream caught in his throat as he felt his body stop and then switch from going up−to coming down.

  “Please be a soft landing. Please, please, please!”

  As he fell through the sky, Joe heard a lot of screaming. He looked below and saw Patrick and Violet and a bunch of gumball people shouting up to him and cheering him on.

  “Don’t worry, Joe! You’re going to be fine!” Violet yelled.

  “Hang on to Gordy, Joe!” Patrick shouted. “Don’t drop him!”

  Splash!

  Joe clung tightly to Gordy as they plunged deep into the pudding pond. He kicked his legs and held his breath as he swam toward the surface−up−up−up. In seconds, he burst out of the pink pudding, gasping for air.

  Strangely, the ground moved under his feet. First, he was deep below the surface, and the next thing he knew, he was able to stand.

  How did that happen?

  When he came up for air, he kept his eyes closed as he took in a deep breath. The sweet taste of bubblegum dripped onto his lips and tongue, the smell of it was almost too much. He tried to open his eyes, but the pudding was all over his face. Still holding Gordy in his arms, he tried to wipe his eyes with his arm and shoulder. That worked well enough to help him see Patrick and Violet wading toward him. They too had pink slime dripping down their heads.

  He shouted to them. “Oh boy! What a ride, huh?!”

  Violet laughed as she tried to run. “I know! It was unbelievable!”

  Joe continued. “I have to tell you, I was pretty scared for a while!” He smacked his hand into the pudding. “Whoo-hoo! That was so awesome!”

  The three of them started laughing, relieved that they were all safe.

  “It was epic!” Patrick said. “But still− even though that was my second trip down Pudding Hill−let me tell you−it was just as scary the second time.”

  As Patrick and Violet helped Joe carry Gordy to shore, he began to cough and choke.

  “Oh! Gordy’s waking up!” Violet said. “Hurry. Let’s get him over by Vinnie and Sammie.”

  Out of breath, they slogged through the thick pudding. Joe was excited to see Gordy coming back to life. When they reached the shore, he put him down next to Vinnie and Sammie, both of whom still laid silently on the soft, purple grass, their eyes closed, and their bodies motionless.

  After a few minutes, Gordy was able to sit up. As his head cleared, he remembered what was happening. He crawled over to his two best friends−Vinnie and Sammie−and placed one hand on each of them. Turning to Joe, his voice cracked a bit as he said, “We were too late, weren’t we? It didn’t work.”

  Joe didn’t speak. A lump formed in his throat and his eyes stung as he looked over at his baby brother laying there, covered in pink bubblegum. Violet tried to wipe it away from Sammie’s eyes, mouth and nose, but it just smeared. He looked so small and helpless. There had to be a way to wake him, but Joe could think of nothing.

  The crowd of gumball people gathered around Vinnie and Sammie. Muffled cries could be heard throughout the crowd as they watched and waited.

  Joe’s panic turned to hopelessness. Sammie wasn’t waking up. He didn’t know what to do to make him better. How could this have happened? The lump in his throat grew, and he pressed his eyes with his fingers to hold back the tears. Patrick and Violet said nothing, as they sat next to Joe and Gordy in a small circle around Vinnie and Sammie.

  After a while, one of the smaller gumball kids−a cute blue little baby−jumped to his feet and pointed his tiny finger to the sky.

  “Look!”

  Everyone turned their heads to the sky and saw the massive green peacock−Cecilia−soaring toward them on her burning blue lightning bolt−her feathers unfolded in all their glory.

  The lightning bolt slowed to a stop and hovered directly above Sammie and Vinnie. Unsure of what to expect from her, Joe, Violet, and Patrick jumped to their feet and formed a wall to protect their friends.

  Cecilia waved one side of her feathered span and pointed it at Sammie and Vinnie. Then−just as quickly−she swung it back, her piercing eyes shooting bright yellow beams. After she narrowed her burning gaze at Sammie and Vinnie, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. She remained quiet, her eyes closed. At first, nothing happened. Then, she opened her eyes and rainbow-colored lasers shot through the sky until they hovered just above the two motio
nless bodies.

  Cecilia held her laser-stargaze for only seconds, but to Joe, it seemed like an eternity. He didn’t like what she was doing to his brother, but he sensed she was trying to help. Maybe all along, she’d been trying to help. So he waited, saying nothing.

  He was beginning to worry about the time. Had they been up here for an hour yet? It seemed like six hours. Daisy and Michael would be putting the nickel into the slot of the gumball machine any time now. All he could do was hope they’d wait a little longer.

  His worries were interrupted by Violet’s shouts. “Look! Vinnie’s foot just moved!”

  “Oh, my!” Gordy said, as he put his arm around Vinnie’s wife, Mrs. Gumba, who smiled and wiped a tear from her eye. Vinnie’s little gumball kids stood near their mother, their eyes darting from her face to their dad’s. The crowd moved in to get a closer look.

  “Oh! I saw it. Did you see that Joe?” Patrick said. “That has to be a good sign!”

  Joe patted Patrick on the shoulder. “I sure hope so.”

  Seconds passed, and then, Vinnie’s hands, fingers, and feet started to move. Slowly, his eyes opened and he started looking around. His family rushed to him, hugging and kissing him. Gordy and his family joined in the celebration. They were all reunited once more. No one was more relieved than Gordy that his best friend was finally well again. He was so thankful to the children for their help in bringing his best friend back home.

  Joe’s shoulders slumped as he let out a deep sigh. He’d hoped this meant good news for Sammie as well. But so far, there was no change. Sammie remained motionless.

  He leaned in close to Sammie’s face and whispered to him.

  “Come on, Sammie. Wake up.”

  Giving him a little shake, Joe continued to prod, his voice becoming louder and more urgent.

  “Come on! Please, Sammie! Wake up!”

  Joe touched Sammie’s arm, and his breath caught in his throat as he saw Sammie’s fingers wiggle.

  Joe jumped to his knees. “Did you see that? He moved his fingers!”

  “I saw it!” Violet shouted. She crouched nearer to Sammie and whispered in his ear. “Come on Sammie. Wake up!”