Joe’s confidence annoyed Patrick. It was as if he knew people were afraid of him, and he enjoyed it. He sure liked scaring Patrick.
Joe walked up to the table and stared down at Patrick. He was standing much too close for Patrick’s liking.
With his hands off to his sides, he tipped his head and said, “What’s up doof? Where are your little pals? What happened? Did they ditch you because you’re such a loser?”
Patrick took a huge bite of the apple and then answered Joe. “They’re chomp … glomp … glug … glugging … wain.”
Joe stepped back and stared at Patrick as if he was from another planet. He rolled his eyes and said, “What is wrong with you? Ugh!” He grabbed a large bag of potato chips and left the kitchen.
Still chewing, Patrick slouched in his chair and let out a puff of air. Then, he swallowed his bite of the apple and smiled.
It worked!
Although his legs were shaking, he was proud of himself.
INSIDE THE GARBAGE BAG, Vinnie heard the rustling of the bag and the trash and Michael’s calls to him, but Michael still couldn’t hear him call back. He could see a bit better now that the flashlight was back in the bag. He kept calling and waving to Michael.
“Here I am Michael! I’m down here!” He repeated himself every so often as the light grew brighter.
Michael continued pulling out the trash, carefully inspecting everything. Each time he went back into the bag, he called out to Vinnie, but still heard no response. After he pulled out the large cake box, he finally heard Vinnie’s tiny voice calling to him.
Michael peered out of the bag and smiled up at the girls.
“I hear him!”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Daisy said.
There wasn’t much left in the bag, so Michael pushed his hand near the bottom and started feeling around with his fingers. Daisy and Violet looked down at Michael’s face waiting for his reaction to signal he had him. A moment passed, with no signal. As Michael’s fingers rubbed the bottom of the bag, Daisy and Violet saw his face light up.
“I think I’ve got him!”
“Yay!” said Daisy and Violet together.
They were glad Vinnie and Gordy had been rescued and that this chore was nearly finished. The temperature had dropped since the sun set. Their hair and clothes were now soaking wet, and they were getting cold.
Michael pulled his hand from the bag and opened his fingers. In his hand sat Vinnie, smiling and waving. His feet were covered in mustard. Michael wiped it off with his finger as Vinnie called up to him.
“Michael−thank goodness you found me! I’ve never been so afraid in my life. It was so dark and scary and smelly in there! And everything was so sticky. And it was so loud. Oh−so scary! Thank you for rescuing me. Is Gordy alright?”
“He’s fine. He’s right here.” Michael lowered Vinnie into the cup with Gordy. The two gumballs embraced. When Vinnie pulled back, he was covered in frosting.
“Yuck,” he said. “What’s this stuff? It’s all over me, and it’s all over you.” He put his hand to his nose and sniffed it.
“I think it’s cake frosting,” Gordy replied. “It’s delicious. Try it. You’ll like it.”
Vinnie scooped up a big glob of frosting with his finger and licked it. He nodded and smiled. “Yum!”
“Don’t worry you guys. We’ll get you all cleaned up.” Michael said.
“Okay, Michael. Thank you,” said Gordy. “But remember. No water. We’ll lose our candy coating.”
“Oh! That’s right,” Michael said. “What should we use?”
“Just a dry towel will work. Whatever sugary stuff is left will soak right into our shells.”
“Can we get out of this rain now?” Daisy asked.
“Yep. Let’s go,” Michael said.
She and Violet happily dropped the garbage bag as they headed for the house. The light from the back porch helped to illuminate the yard, but it was still pretty dark. When Daisy tripped over something, she realized all the trash Michael pulled out of the garbage bag needed to be put back in.
“Ugh. Yuck! Michael−the garbage!”
Michael turned back. “No way. I had to take it out. You can put it back. Besides, I need to get them inside.” He laughed and ran up the porch stairs.
Daisy sighed and her shoulders slumped. “Gross.”
Violet smiled. “Don’t worry, Daisy. I’ll help you.”
Daisy smiled too. “Thanks.”
The two girls knelt down on the wet grass and stayed in the rain a few more minutes picking up all the trash and throwing it back into the garbage bag. After they tied it up and placed it next to the other bag at the bottom of the steps, they ran up the back stairs and headed into the house.
As they stumbled into the kitchen squeezing the water from their hair, Daisy and Violet saw Patrick and Michael already cleaning the sticky goo off of Vinnie and Gordy.
Daisy asked Patrick whether he’d had any visitors.
“Just Joe,” Patrick said. Giving his head a confident nod, he said, “I handled it. I gave him a big ‘hello’ with a mouthful of apple. Ha ha! He didn’t know what to think.”
They all laughed. “Nice work, dude,” Michael said. He and Patrick did a fist-bump. Any time they could mess with big, mean Joe, it was a small victory.
Their laughter and talking continued until Daisy’s dad walked into the kitchen. I hate to break up all of the fun, but it’s time for your friends to go home, Daisy. The storm is expected to kick up again and I want to get everyone home before that happens.”
Daisy frowned. “But Dad … ”
He raised his hand up to stop her. “No ‘buts.’ You can play tomorrow.” He turned to the others. “Let’s go kids. Patrick and Michael get in the car while I walk Violet across the street.”
“Okay Mr. Lannon,” Michael said.
Daisy’s dad lingered in the kitchen looking at the mail. Michael looked at Daisy and then down at the paper cup. She nodded. She knew what to do. She would take good care of their tiny friends.
Then she clapped her hands and said, “Okay you guys. Thanks a lot for coming to my party, and for the great presents. Let’s go for a bike ride tomorrow.”
They said their goodbyes and walked into the living room to leave through the front door. It was quiet in the kitchen. Daisy was alone with Gordy and Vinnie, who were still sitting at the bottom of the paper cup. She peeked in and spoke softly to them.
“Let’s get you two up to bed. It’s getting late and you must be exhausted.”
Gordy and Vinnie just nodded. They were too tired to talk.
What a day!
6
Bedtime
DAISY FELT THE WEIGHT of her day as she carried her two little friends upstairs and into her bedroom. Setting the cup on her dresser, she looked down at them. From inside the cup, Gordy and Vinnie could only see Daisy’s large blue eyes. To them, they looked like two big blue moons with eyelashes. They heard her speak softly and gently to them, and read the concern and worry in her eyes.
“Are you guys doing okay?”
The two little gumballs smiled and nodded. Daisy saw how tired they were. She reached down and gently touched each of them with her finger. Gordy and Vinnie listened as she continued to speak softly.
“We feel just awful about what happened. But don’t worry, we’ll take good care of you, and get you home tomorrow. I promise.”
“We know you will, Daisy,” said Gordy.
Daisy smiled. “Okay. Good.” She turned to leave but stopped. “Wait. I can’t believe I never thought about this before, but are either of you hungry or thirsty? Can I get you something?”
As soon as those words crossed her lips, she wondered what might be down in the kitchen that would satisfy their hunger or thirst. Luckily, there was no need to worry.
With his little hand, Vinnie waved away her offer and said, “Oh, no. We’re fine. We both licked the rest of the cake frosting that was stuck on Gordy’s waist. It was deli
cious.”
Daisy laughed. “Well, you did a good job. He’s sparkling clean.”
“Yes indeed,” Gordy said, as he turned in a circle and posed.
“Oh, wait.” Vinnie stuck out his finger, wiped off a glob of frosting from behind Gordy’s ear and stuck it in his mouth. “I missed a spot.”
They all chuckled, and Daisy thought their little laughs sounded magical.
“Well, you two get some rest. We have another big day ahead of us tomorrow.”
The two little buddies nodded. They were comfortable, but they were anxious to get back home to their gumball world.
THE RAIN CONTINUED to pelt the roof. In her dark room, Daisy laid in her bed listening to her parents’ muffled voices coming from down in the kitchen. She was exhausted. It was a birthday she’d never forget. She snuggled down under the covers and smiled as she listened to the quiet snoring coming from the chair near the window. She’d rolled Vinnie and Gordy out of the paper cup and moved them into the pocket of the yellow blouse she’d worn at her birthday party. They giggled when they felt the soft fabric and instantly felt more comfortable and warm.
She laid there in the stillness, watching the silent lightning illuminate both of her bedroom windows through the shades. The window across the hall in her parents’ room also lit up at the exact same time. Flashes of light−then darkness.
It’s like a dance.
She thought about her day and the power of the strange and magical experience that changed her forever. Sure, it was scary up in that gumball machine, not knowing whether they would ever get out and come home. But, it was also the most exciting time of her life. They’d met so many wonderful people−well gumball people. Some were mean, but most of them were nice. Just like here on earth, she thought. After the mean ones had treated her so terribly, she vowed never do that to another person. She’d never realized words could hurt so much.
She stretched and yawned. After watching the lightening show for a few more minutes, she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
7
A New Day
THOUGH THE WINDOW SHADES in Daisy’s room were closed, she was awakened by the sun’s rays filtering through and shining directly onto her face. As she stirred, she thought it was just another average morning. But as her head cleared, she bolted upright. Her memory of yesterday’s events came flooding back. First, the wild flight up and into that strange gumball machine, the scary ride back, her birthday party, meeting her new friend, Violet, and then−to top it all off−the arrival of her two new gumball friends, Gordy and Vinnie. Few people have a day like that.
She felt fortunate that such fun and exciting things were happening to her−and today would be no exception. She jumped out of bed and ran over to the yellow blouse on the chair, and peeked in. Vinnie and Gordy both smiled up at her.
“Good morning, Daisy,” Vinnie said.
Daisy smiled. “Good morning! Did you guys sleep okay?”
“It was a little crowded,” Gordy said. “Vinnie took up most of the space.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry about that.”
Then Vinnie grabbed a piece of the yellow fabric and said, “But we love this soft stuff.”
Daisy laughed. “Good! I’m glad I thought of putting you in there. It’s much softer than a paper cup. And as soon as Violet and the boys get here, we’ll climb on our bikes and take you back to the gumball machine.”
“Wonderful. We’ll wait here,” Vinnie said.
Daisy laughed. That was a good one. Where would they go? They can’t even get out of the blouse. She ran downstairs to eat a bowl of cereal and some toast. She was starving! They’d be safe in her blouse pocket while she got ready for the day. She cleared her dishes and ran back to her room. She was about to take her shower when she thought of something.
I’d better move them out of that window. It might get too hot.
She walked to the chair, picked up the yellow blouse, and carefully placed it on her bed. She tipped the blouse, and the two little gumball guys rolled out onto her soft pillow.
“Hi, you guys. I’m going to take a shower, but I wanted to get you out of the sun.”
The white and black gumballs smiled up at her. “Okay. But before you go, watch this Daisy,” Vinnie said. He curled his body into a ball, rolled down the pillow, and landed on her bed. He kept rolling until he ran into her yellow blouse. He jumped back up and wiggled his hips.
“Whoo-hoo! That was fun!” Vinnie yelled.
“Let me try,” Gordy said. He mimicked Vinnie’s roll and landed just beside him near the yellow blouse.
“You’re right Vinnie. That was fun!” he said. He too wiggled his hips.
Daisy laughed and clapped. “That was awesome you guys.” She touched them with her finger.
“I’m so glad you’re here with us. I wish you could stay forever.”
“We do too, Daisy,” Vinnie said.
He and Gordy were smiling up at her, and Daisy felt a warm love for them. She really did wish she could keep them forever. But she knew this world was a dangerous place for them. So keeping them with her could never happen.
“We all know that it’s better if we get you back home. So, for now, get back into the pocket of my blouse until I take my shower. Patrick and Michael are on their way over. We’ll get you back to the gumball machine and with your families, safe and sound, okay?”
“Okay Daisy,” Gordy said, as he and Vinnie rolled back into the pocket of her blouse.
Satisfied they were safe, she left her room, went across the hall and into the bathroom to take her shower.
8
A New Friendship
ACROSS THE HALL from Daisy’s bedroom, her little brother, Sammie, was in his room. For about the tenth time this morning, he went to the mirror to check himself out. His mom wanted him to cut his hair, but he refused. Natalie at school said she thought his blond curls were cute. He agreed. He thought he looked pretty handsome. There was no way he was cutting his hair. He’d have to figure out a way to stall any of Mom’s haircut plans. He winked at himself and flexed his muscles. One more month and he’d be nine years old. Then, next year, he’d be in double-digits.
Sweet!
Confident with his good looks and growing muscles, he walked away from the mirror and threw an invisible basketball.
“Swoosh! Three points! The crowd roared! H‑a‑a‑h‑h!”
He put his hands on his hips, stood in the middle of his room, and looked around.
What should I do next?
He decided to play catch with his dog, Lola. He walked over to his closet, went down on his knees, and dug around for his baseball. As he rustled around the pile of junk, he heard his sister talking quietly from across the room.
Who is she talking to?
He then heard the muffled voices of his parents coming from downstairs. As he reached further into the closet, he turned his head to keep his nose away from the smell of his gym shoes. With his arm still reaching into the closet, he looked out his bedroom door and watched as Daisy crossed the hall and went into the bathroom.
Hmm. Shower-time.
He knew she’d be in there forever, so, after Daisy closed the bathroom door, Sammie tiptoed across the hall to her room and peeked around the door.
Hmm. No one is here. But who was she talking to? Herself? No way.
Then, he remembered the stuff that happened yesterday. Daisy and the boys−and that new girl from across the street−had acted pretty strangely.
What were they trying to hide?
Whatever it was, he should have been included. After all, he was the one who rescued Daisy and the two boys from the magic gumball machine. If it hadn’t been for him putting the nickel into the slot, they’d still be there today. It wasn’t fair. He wanted to be included in on their new secret.
Determined to figure out what that secret was, Sammie stepped into Daisy’s room and started looking around for clues. He knew how much Daisy hated it when he snooped around in
her room, so he peered over his shoulder every few seconds to make sure she wasn’t coming back.
First, he pulled open each of her dresser drawers and swooshed around the clothes. Next, he got down on his knees and looked under her bed.
Nothing.
He peeked into her closet.
Nothing.
Putting his hands on his hips, he tipped his head−thinking and frowning.
Hmm.
He continued to search her entire room. But still, he found nothing.
Frustrated, he sat on the edge of Daisy’s bed−elbows on his knees and curled hands on his chin−thinking some more. Except for the sounds of nature coming from the open window, the room was silent.
But then−what was that?
He sat up and turned his ear to listen. There it was again! This time, it sounded like it was right next to him on the bed. He jumped up and ran to the door. He turned to look back at the bed. There was nothing on it except one of Daisy’s blouses−the yellow one she wore to her party yesterday. He listened closely and then tiptoed back to the bed. Turning his ear toward the blouse, he strained to hear the noise again. Nothing.
Why am I staring at a blouse? Blouses can’t talk.
But … he did hear something coming from that direction.
He was about to turn and leave when he saw the blouse move a little bit.
“Whoa!”
He backed away, his eyes wide and his hands up, ready to give the blouse a karate-chop. He waited, still poised to attack the blouse, but nothing else happened.
I must be seeing things.
He turned to leave, when, out of the corner of his eye, her blouse moved again!
He stood like a frozen statue−too afraid to move−which was unusual for him because few things scared him. He loved adventure, he loved scary rides at the amusement park, and he wasn’t afraid of bugs or picking up garter snakes. At eight years old, his mom said he enjoyed life on the wild side.
After a minute of standing motionless, he again tiptoed toward the yellow blouse. Once at the foot of Daisy’s bed, he went down on his knees to take a closer look. When the blouse moved again, he jerked back, but leaned in again and lifted it a little bit. Under some of the cloth was the pocket, and that was what was moving.
Life In The Gumball Machine – Vinnie And Gordy’s Return Page 4
