Life In The Gumball Machine

by Maureen Bartone

  Instead of heading for the big, scary house, he stepped a little further into the shed. Turning to the right, just past the door, he saw something shiny that was reflecting from the thin ray of sunlight that was sneaking in through the cracks of the shed’s wall. He walked toward it to see what it was. It was a dirty, old gumball machine that was tipped against the wall of the shed.

  “Hmm. That’s strange,” he said. He reached for the machine and tipped it upright. As he did this, he could see and hear all of the gumballs rolling into their new positions. He wondered how old these gumballs were, and whether gumballs expired. He couldn’t help himself. He wanted a gumball and he didn’t care how old it was. He figured gumballs were the type of candy that never went bad, so he reached into his front pocket and took out the change he had taken from Daisy’s dresser. He saw that the machine needed nickels for it to work, so he kept the two nickels and returned the rest of the coins to his pocket. He was anxious to see what kind of gumball he would get. He wanted a purple one, but then again, his favorite color was green. He shrugged. Either would be fine. He liked to make his lips turn colors. That was the best part of gumballs. He loved to sneak up on his mom and scare her with a big roar and his scary purple (or green) lips.

  Still feeling nervous about the scary shed he was in, Sammie quickly slipped a nickel into the slot, and turned the crank. It creaked as he turned it, and down came an orange gumball. He watched it roll down – around and around.

  He frowned. “Awe, man. Orange. Yuck!”

  Suddenly, from faraway, he heard a strange sound. He wasn’t sure, but it sounded like a – like a scream, but he didn’t know what it was, or where it was coming from.

  Then, out of the blue, the gumball machine started to shake like crazy.

  Sammie jumped back, hitting the wall and hurting his back. He didn’t really notice the pain because he was too frightened. Breathing hard, he ran out of the shed back to his bike. He looked down the alley, hoping that someone would come to help him. He looked to his left, and then to his right. There was no one in sight. He was so terrified, that he had to sit down for a minute to think.

  From inside the shed, he could hear the gumball machine starting to shake even harder. In fact, it was shaking so hard, that Sammie could see the shed wall moving from the force of the machine hitting it. Bang! Bang! Bang!

  “Oh, boy. This is not good,” he said.

  He went back to the shed’s door and peered in at the gumball machine. It had made a large hole in the side wall, which now allowed much more sun to shine through. Although he saw it with his own eyes, he still couldn’t believe it. The gumball machine was bouncing and shaking. What kind of crazy gumball machine is this?

  Suddenly, it started making a strange noise that Sammie could not identify.

  Was it a cracking sound? Or was it a banging sound? Whatever it was, it was getting louder and louder. He was just about to take off running, when he thought he heard someone scream. That sound scared him enough to stop him in his tracks. The scream was getting louder, and it was now clear to Sammie that it was coming from inside the gumball machine! How could that be? It’s impossible for a person to be inside a gumball machine. Impossible! Maybe it was a haunted gumball machine, like the haunted house. He wanted to get out of there as fast as he could, but his feet wouldn’t move. He was much too frightened.

  As he stood there, frozen, staring at the machine, he thought he saw something besides gumballs, near the top of the tunnel. He blinked his eyes hard, and looked more closely. Staying a safe distance away, he saw what looked like a small hand near the top of the slide. He blinked again and shook his head, hoping to clear his vision. Unfortunately, the hand was still there. Next to the hand, he saw a – a head? Yes. It was definitely an upside-down head. The hand and the head were tiny, and they seemed to be moving very slowly. Then, he saw two feet with tennis shoes, slipping down, near the upside-down head and the hand.

  Sammie straightened up. “Hey, I’ve seen those tennis shoes before.”

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  THE SHAKE-DOWN

  Inside the gumball machine, and about five minutes after they started eating their gumball lunch, the Gumble house started to shake. Everyone ran for cover.

  Daisy, Patrick and Michael felt the entire gumball world move and vibrate. They immediately became very frightened as they lost their balance, and tried to hang onto each other. The thundering noise created by all the moving, plain gumballs was deafening.

  “EARTHQUAKE!” shouted Patrick.

  “No, this is not an earthquake. This is a SHAKE-DOWN!” Gordy shouted back. “You better go. This may be your only chance to get home. You need to run back to the spot where you arrived. The latch should open soon, but it won’t stay open for long.”

  The children agreed, and quickly said their goodbyes to Gordy and his family, and to Vinnie. “Thank you for everything,” said Daisy. “It was a fun and amazing experience that I will never forget.” Both the boys agreed. Gordy followed them out the door, giving them directions to the machine’s entrance as they ran.

  “Remember when we were walking down Pink Street?” Gordy continued, as he rolled with the children.

  “Yes. I remember,” Michael said.

  “Good. Then, walk down Yellow Street here, until you get to Pink Street.

  When you get to Pink Street, take a left and go all the way down. Do you remember the place where you landed when you first got here?”

  Michael nodded. “I do.”

  “Good.” Gordy said. “You have to go back over the hill and that’s where the latch is. I’d come with you, but it’s too dangerous. We have to stay here. You better hurry, or you might not make it.”

  “Thanks again. We’ll miss you gumball guys!” said Patrick, patting Gordy on his smooth, round back. The children started to run.

  Michael turned back to wave, and saw Gordy’s figure growing smaller in the distance. “Yeah, it’s been fun,” Michael shouted.

  Gordy waved to the children. “Goodbye!”

  “Goodbye!” The children ran as fast as they could down the rumbling road.

  When they turned left onto Pink Street, they saw that all the plain gumballs were rolling in every possible direction. They had to dodge them, and sometimes jump over them, as they ran.

  “It’s like dodge ball at school,” Patrick said.

  Daisy pointed toward a hill up ahead. “That’s not like dodge ball,” she said.

  At the top of the hill, they could see a large group of plain gumballs rolling down in their direction. This was the same hill the three of them had slid down just a few hours earlier, and it was the same hill they now needed to climb.

  Daisy was afraid. “Where did all these gumballs come from?” she asked the boys. “They’re in our way!”

  “This doesn’t look good. We’re not going to make it!” Michael was shaking his head, as he continued to run and jump over the plain gumballs.

  They again felt the floor of the gumball machine shift beneath them, and they all screamed. “AAHH!”

  “Hurry you guys! We have to get over there now!” said Michael. As they ran up the hill toward the latch, they had to jump and dodge the darting gumballs. Suddenly, there was a deafening sound as the gumballs rushed down the hill like an avalanche, and headed straight for the children.

  “Look out!” Patrick yelled over the noise, pointing to the avalanche. They continued to run, jump, and trip over the hundreds and hundreds of gumballs that were rolling all around them. Just as the avalanche of gumballs was nearing the bottom of the hill, Michael fell. He became pinned against a tree by a bunch of gumballs. Daisy and Patrick continued to run and dodge the approaching avalanche, not realizing that Michael was trapped.

  “Pat! Daisy! Help me – I’m stuck!” Michael screamed. “Don’t leave me!

  H-E-L-P!” He was terrified.

  Hearing his screams, Daisy and Patrick stopped in their tracks, and looked back at Michael. When they saw that he was in
trouble, they ran toward him, pushing the gumballs out of their way until they reached him.

  “Grab my hand!” yelled Patrick. Michael reached out, but Patrick’s hand wasn’t close enough. There were still too many gumballs pinning him to the tree. Meanwhile, the avalanche of gumballs in the distance was closing in on them, and more gumballs kept rolling in and around Michael, trapping him further from Patrick’s grip.

  “Hurry!” he screamed. Patrick stretched his arm a little closer, and finally Michael was able to grab it. Daisy held onto Patrick’s waist, making a short chain, and she did not let go. They pulled their weight backward, and slowly, Michael started to move out from his trap. At one point, they had to pull him even harder, as he rolled on top of the sea of gumballs. Finally, Michael was able to stand on his own two feet.

  “We need to hurry. Come on! Let’s go!” said Patrick. Although they were exhausted, they ran, and then climbed, up the hill, as fast as they could. There was no time to lose!

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  GOING HOME

  As they approached the top of the hill, they soon realized that they had another small hill to run down. At least there were no more gumballs in their way. They started the short run down the hill. Looking ahead, Daisy pointed. “There’s the latch! I hope we’re not too late!” The closer they moved toward the latch, the faster they ran. Their legs were tired and rubbery, but they knew they had to press on or they would miss what could be their only chance to escape.

  Sensing they were going to make it, Daisy smiled and said, “I think we’re going home!” Just as she finished saying those words, the floor latch flew open.

  Michael shouted. “Yay! It’s open! Hurry – get in!”

  They all jumped in at the same time, and immediately crashed into one another. As they slid down the tunnel, they started to scream. “AAHH!!” But after traveling only a short distance, they came to an abrupt stop, causing them to slam tightly on top of each other. They all groaned. This abrupt stop surprised them. They didn’t get very far at all, and this worried Daisy.

  They looked around and saw that they were stuck in the narrow space right below the entrance to the slide that would take them back home. Daisy was upside down, with one of her arms hanging down toward the bottom of the slide. It was pressed against her head. This was a most uncomfortable position. To make matters worse, Patrick’s stinky tennis shoes were right in her face. Yuck! Directly above Patrick, was Michael, who was sitting directly on top of him.

  Patrick shouted upward. “Hey! Get off of me, Mike! You’re heavy!”

  Michael shouted down to him. “Sorry, dude. I can’t. I’m stuck and my legs won’t move.”

  Daisy screamed up to the boys. “This is just great. We’re stuck!”

  “Duh!” replied Michael, sarcastically.

  “How are we ever going to get out of this?” Patrick asked. “We could die up here!” Sensing Patrick’s fear, Michael tried to calm him down. “Don’t worry Pat, we’ll figure something out.” Michael had trouble believing his own words.

  “It’s Patrick. My name is Patrick, not Pat – and not dude!”

  “Whatever, dude! This is hardly the time to be arguing about what name I call you!” Michael shook his head. Patrick glared up at Michael.

  “Stop arguing you guys! Let’s try to think,” said Daisy, as she struggled to breath. Of the three of them, she was the most uncomfortable because she was upside down.

  “Well, obviously we can’t all fit down the slide at once. It’s not wide enough. We have to somehow get free from each other, and go down one at a time,” Patrick yelled from above.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” Michael said. “We need to go down one at a time, right?”

  “Yeah. Isn’t that what I just said?” Patrick asked. His angry tone did not hide his fear.

  Michael ignored Patrick, and continued to explain his idea.

  “Well, the two top people – which would be me and Patrick . . .”

  “Duhhhh,” Patrick interrupted.

  Michael clenched his teeth and continued, “. . . we have to reach up and try to grab the opening and hang on.”

  “But what if it shuts on our fingers?” Patrick asked.

  “Hurry up! The blood is rushing to my head and I’m not feeling so hot!” cried Daisy.

  “If the top starts to shut, we’ll have to let go,” Michael continued.

  “Okay,” said Patrick.

  “Hurry!” Daisy moaned.

  “Okay, okay, we’re going!” Michael yelled back. “On the count of three, one ... two ...”

  “Wait! Wait!” Patrick interrupted. “Is that one ... two ... three ... and then jump? Or is it one ... two ... three – jump on three?”

  Daisy moaned. “Ugh! I’m getting dizzy down here!”

  “Okay, okay,” said Michael. “Patrick, it’s one ... two ... three ... and then jump. You got it?”

  “Got it,” said Patrick.

  “Okay. Ready?”

  Patrick nodded.

  “One ... two ... three ... JUMP!!” Both boys reached over their heads for the entrance to the gumball machine and grabbed the floor of the opening. When they did that, the three instantly became untangled. Daisy quickly began falling down the slide, head first, and on her stomach.

  Michael hung from the edge, with his feet dangling beneath him. “It worked!” He looked down at Daisy. “Oh, man! She’s going down fast!”

  Daisy screamed louder than she’d ever screamed before, as she quickly swirled down, and around the slide. “AAHH!!” The sucking force was just as strong as it was on the ride up – and, it was just as cold. The frost instantly returned to her face, hair, hands, and feet. She could feel an icicle on her hair, and it was banging on her forehead.

  Still dangling at the top of the slide, Michael said, “Okay, Patrick, your turn.

  Go ahead. Let go. I’ll come down right after you. We have to hurry or we’re going to lose some fingers real quick.”

  “Okay, see you at the bottom,” said Patrick. He remembered the last time they said that to each other. It was at Pudding Hill. Funny, he thought. I’m not as afraid this time.

  Suddenly, before Patrick let go, the gumball machine again started to shake. The latch above their heads began to rattle and creak, and was bending down toward them. It was starting to close, and was on the verge of slamming down on their fingers!

  “Let go!” Michael shouted. Patrick instantly let go and fell, feet-first, screaming all the way down. “AAHH!!”

  At that moment, the latch made a loud creaking noise, and started to tip forward. Michael knew this was it. The latch would come crashing down in a second, so he quickly let go. He began the rapid journey down, and around the gumball slide, and, like Patrick and Daisy, he was screaming all the way. “AAHH!!”

  ******

  Back in the shed, Sammie watched a tiny body coming down from inside the top of the gumball machine. He thought he could see an arm, an upside-down head – and those tennis shoes. He definitely recognized those tennis shoes. At first, they were all tangled up. Then, they separated. Because they were so small, he couldn’t tell who they were. First there was one person, then another one – and then another one!

  He cautiously stepped closer to the machine for a better look. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The faces looked just like his sister, Daisy, and her two buddies, Patrick and Michael! No way! That couldn’t be! How could they possibly get in there?!

  *****

  The ride down went quickly. As Daisy reached the bottom of the slide, she slowed down, and began to shake and hiccup. “H-I-C-C-U-P!” She felt that same electric charge shoot through her body, and that same strong force that felt like she was being sucked away. However, this time, she was being sucked out of the gumball machine. Oh, how she wished she wasn’t upside down.

  At the bottom of the tunnel, and still on her stomach, Daisy banged her head as she came crashing through the opening. “Ouch!” As soon as her whole body was out, she hiccupped again
. Her body shook and jerked, and shook and jerked, until she stretched back to her normal size. Talk about a growth spurt!

  Sammie’s mouth dropped open. He could not believe his eyes! It was his sister, and she went from tiny to normal in a matter of seconds. What the heck was going on?!

  As Daisy stood up and pulled herself together, she saw her brother. “Sssammie, you – you sssaved us!” Daisy was still freezing and covered in frost. She gave him a big hug. She had never been so happy to see him!

  “Daisy, what are you guys doing inside the gumball machine? How did you do that?” asked Sammie. “And why do you have a big icicle on your head?”

  Daisy had no time to answer all of his questions. They could hear Patrick’s screams coming from inside the tunnel. They turned to look, and saw him swirling around – feet first – and headed for the opening at the bottom of the tunnel. The sound of his voice was getting louder and closer. Daisy and Sammie also heard his hiccups in the distance, getting louder and louder. Daisy was still out of breath and slightly dizzy from the wild ride (and from being upside-down for so long) when she turned to Sammie.

  “Quick! Sammie! Help me get them out!”

  “What the heck were you doing in the gumball machine Daisy?!” screamed Sammie, as they both kneeled near the entrance of the gumball machine.

  “I’ll tell you later. Just help me get the guys out.”

  They looked in and saw Patrick. He was sliding around and down – feet first.

  “AAHH!” “H-I-C-C-U-P! H-I-C-C-U-P!”

  Daisy yelled up the tunnel. “Don’t hiccup too soon, Patrick!”

  “Like I can – H-I-C-C-U-P – help that!” he shouted back.