The crowd gasped.
Lord Redbrick looked stunned. “What?” he asked in disbelief.
Suddenly, a delivery truck appeared. It was headed straight for Gnomeo. After it had passed by, Gnomeo was gone! And in his place was nothing but a blue pile of crushed ceramic.
“No!” Juliet screamed, tying to rush out into the street.
“There has been enough smashing for one day. Get back on your pedestal!” Lord Redbrick shouted.
Juliet struggled to break free, but the Reds dragged her away.
“My poor boy,” Lady Bluebury sobbed as the Blues led her back into their garden.
Only Shroom remained in the alley. He hopped into the middle of the street. The little mushroom nudged the pile of ceramic pieces and discovered that they were only the remains of a blue teapot. Shroom looked down the street and saw that Gnomeo was alive and hanging on to the grille of the truck. When it came to a stop, Gnomeo hopped off—only to be swept up in the slobbering jaws of a bulldog!
Shroom watched as the bulldog disappeared around the corner with Gnomeo.
Gnomeo was getting a grand tour of Stratford-Upon-Avon, traveling all over town in the bulldog’s mouth. He wondered where he would end up.
The dog stopped suddenly and dropped Gnomeo. He dug a hole to bury his new toy.
Gnomeo saw his chance for escape. He rolled away from the dog’s drooly jaws. Then he hopped into a nearby drainpipe.
Gnomeo walked along the inside of the pipe. When he came out the other end, he found himself under a bench in the middle of an open park.
But no sooner had Gnomeo taken a few steps out from under the bench than he spotted a group of teenagers strolling by. They scooped up the little gnome and carried him away.
“Looks like your sister,” one of the boys said to another. The teenagers laughed and tossed Gnomeo back and forth between them like a football. They ran toward the middle of the park.
Now what? Gnomeo wondered.
Back in the Red Garden, two gnomes were trying to wrestle Juliet onto her pedestal.
“You’ve left me no choice,” Lord Redbrick told Juliet. “I lost your mother, and I am not going to lose you.”
With a nod from Lord Redbrick, the goons secured Juliet to her pedestal with heavy-duty superglue.
Stuck in place, Juliet felt her eyes fill with tears. If only her father would listen to her, she could explain. Didn’t he know what it was like to be in love? She gazed over the fence toward the greenhouse. She could just see the stem of another orchid starting to grow through the roof.
She wept for all the things that might have been.
Juliet wasn’t the only one upset by the day’s events.
In the Blue garden, Lady Bluebury wiped a tear from her eye. She thought of Gnomeo and the terrible fact that she would never see him again. But she sobbed all over again when she saw the bunnies holding up a wreath that spelled out gnomeo.
Featherstone was gloomy and alone again. Seeing two young people in love being torn apart reminded him of his own loss. If only there were something he could do.
While each side mourned its loss, Benny was scheming. He would show those Reds once and for all. He huddled with the stone bunnies to give them the details. Pointing to Miss Montague’s house, he made some sketches in the dirt with a stick. He had a plan.
Shroom tried to get Benny’s attention to let him know that Gnomeo was alive but needed their help. But Benny was too busy plotting to destroy the Red garden to notice Shroom.
The small stone mushroom darted across the alley in search of Featherstone. Someone had to help him find Gnomeo before it was too late!
Benny and the stone bunnies crept under Miss Montague’s window. They peered inside to make sure the laptop computer was still on her desk.
Benny weaved his way back through the garden and jumped into a drainage pipe. He walked through the pipe, which ended inside Miss Montague’s washing machine. From there, he made his way to the laptop.
The Kitten Clipper order flashed on the screen. Benny tapped some keys with his foot and danced across the touch pad to cancel the purchase. Next he found the high-powered lawn-crushing machine called the Terrafirminator. Benny danced on the keys and ordered it with one-hour rush delivery!
The bunnies tapped on the window. Miss Montague had returned home unexpectedly. Thinking quickly, Benny disguised himself as a doll on her shelf.
As soon as Miss Montague had left the room, Benny slipped out. Phase one of his mission was now complete.
Back in the park, the teenagers had left Gnomeo on top of a statue of William Shakespeare.
This is my weirdest destination yet, Gnomeo thought as he looked down at the statue of the famous writer. But he made the most of it by telling William Shakespeare (Bill for short) his story. He spared no detail, from his first meeting with Juliet to the final duel with Tybalt.
Bill listened carefully, taking it all in. “Extraordinary, your story,” he said, thinking of a famous play he had once written. “It does put me in mind of another.”
“It does?” Gnomeo asked. How on earth could there be another story like mine?
“Oh, indeed,” replied Bill. “Yes, there are remarkable similarities.”
Gnomeo was hopeful. Maybe this other story could shed some light on his current situation. “What happens? Do they get back together?” he asked.
Bill thought for a moment. “Not exactly,” he said, finally deciding that he should tell the little gnome the grim truth. “The girl feigns her death. The boy finds her and thinks she is dead. Takes his own life. She wakes. Finds him dead. Takes her life. Both dead. The end.”
Bill became so excited as he retold the story that Gnomeo slipped from his head. Luckily, Gnomeo managed to grab hold of the writing quill in Bill’s hand.
“They both die?” Gnomeo asked as he dangled from the tip of the quill. He shot Bill a determined look. “There’s got to be a better ending than that!”
That’s just what they said, Bill thought, gesturing with the quill in his hand as he remembered the two characters from his play. The sudden movement made Gnomeo lose his grip.
Bill gasped as Gnomeo fell toward the ground and certain doom.
Gnomeo held his breath as he fell, waiting to shatter on the concrete below. But instead of hitting the hard ground, Gnomeo landed on Featherstone!
“Featherstone!” Gnomeo shouted with joy as he looked down at his friend. Gnomeo hoped he hadn’t hurt Featherstone!
“One word,” Featherstone said, taking a deep breath and popping himself back into shape. “Plastic!”
“How did you find me?” Gnomeo asked.
Shroom leaped into Gnomeo’s arms, squirming like an excited puppy.
“He sniffed you out,” Featherstone said.
“I knew I could count on you,” Gnomeo told Shroom as the little mushroom continued to gesture as wildly as he could. “What’s that? Juliet is in danger? I’ve got to get back!”
Gnomeo and his friends didn’t waste any time heading back to the gardens. The statue of William Shakespeare watched the three would-be heroes exit the park on their mission to save Juliet.
“It will end in tragedy,” Bill said, shaking his head.
On the other side of town, Benny heard a delivery truck pull into Miss Montague’s driveway. He rubbed his hands together gleefully.
He ran to the driveway and gazed up at the machine. “Ohhhh,” he breathed. What a beauty!
Benny climbed aboard the mower as a crowd of Blues came to admire it. Benny sat in the seat and raised his arms in a V for victory. The crowd cheered.
Lady Bluebury stepped through the crowd. “Benny?” she asked.
“What do you think, Lady B? This baby is fully equipped,” Benny said.
Lady Bluebury looked worried. “Equipped for what?” she asked.
“It has settings for edging, trimming, mulching, and revenge!” Benny replied, his eyes wild.
Lady Bluebury looked toward the fence. She wan
ted those Reds to pay for what they had done to her Gnomeo. “Do it, Benny,” she growled. “Do anything it takes. Make them rue the day they destroyed my son.”
The gnomes cheered again. Lady Bluebury looked up at Benny proudly and declared, “Unleash the dogs of war!”
Benny pressed the Terrafirminator’s start button. The engine roared to life like a tiger and then settled into a deadly purr. The computerized weapon of destruction counted down to one, then lurched into action. A camera popped out of the dashboard and scanned the yard. It locked on to its target: the fence separating the gardens.
Benny switched gears and barreled toward the fence.
The Terrafirminator ripped through the fence. As it entered the Red garden, Benny let out a mighty battle cry. “Raaaaah!”
The goons and dozens of Reds leaped out of the Terrafirminator’s path.
The mower fixed its sights on the red boat planter and demolished it. Reds ran screaming around the garden.
Lord Redbrick winced.
Juliet, Nanette, and Paris watched in horror as Benny’s mechanical beast destroyed their home. And after that, it headed right for the wishing well!
“Yes!” Benny hooted. He was getting revenge for Gnomeo—and it felt good! He was so wrapped up in the moment that he lost control of the machine.
The Terrafirminator switched directions and took aim at the Blue garden. It smashed into the prized toilet planter and got stuck. The impact sent Benny flying.
With the pause in the action, Lord Redbrick came to his senses. “Attack!” he commanded the Reds.
“Counterattack!” shouted Lady Bluebury to the Blues.
The gnomes rushed at each other from both sides. For missiles, they threw fresh garden produce. Soon every gnome was covered in sticky crushed berries and crimson tomato juice. Everyone fought, and no one was safe.
Gnomeo and Shroom rode on Featherstone’s back as the long-legged bird raced along the streets of Stratford-Upon-Avon. Taking a shortcut and avoiding humans, they zoomed through town, leaping over anything in their way. They finally reached the alley on Verona Drive, but Featherstone’s legs became stuck in a trash bag. Exhausted and out of breath, he waved for Gnomeo to go on without him.
Gnomeo scaled the fence and jumped on top of the Red garden shed. But he did not expect the sight below.
The gardens were a war zone. Gnomes fighting gnomes, shrubbery destroyed, and flowers cut down in full bloom. It was total chaos.
Gnomeo spotted Juliet. The crowd swirled around her. “Juliet!” he called out to her.
Juliet looked up at him and gasped. “Gnomeo, you’re alive!” she cried with relief.
She wanted to run to him, but she was still glued to her pedestal.
Gnomeo had to save her! But before he could act, a tomato smacked him in the face. He lost his balance and tumbled from the roof. He landed in the pond below.
“No! No!” Juliet shouted above the noise.
The mob of Red gnomes pelted Gnomeo with berries. He struggled to climb out of the pond.
Meanwhile, a stray berry hit the Terrafirminator’s control panel, setting it to complete destruction mode. The terrifying mower revved as it powered up to break free. Its computerized targeting system was homing in on its next objective—Juliet’s pedestal!
“It’s going to blow!” Benny shouted.
The Terrafirminator suddenly launched itself into the air. The gnomes stopped fighting and watched as it flew over their heads.
Gnomeo tried to free Juliet, but the glue was just too strong.
Lord Redbrick saw his daughter in danger. “No!” he shouted.
“My son!” Lady Bluebury gasped.
Everyone turned to see Gnomeo and Juliet. They were doomed! Doomed!
Bill Shakespeare was right, Gnomeo thought. This is it!
With no way out, Gnomeo looked deeply into Juliet’s eyes.
“It’s no use,” Juliet insisted. “Go!”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Gnomeo told her. As the shadow of the Terrafirminator loomed over them, Gnomeo and Juliet looked at each other sadly. Their love was just not meant to be.
KA-BOOM! The Terrafirminator slammed into Juliet’s grotto and exploded. A huge, billowing cloud of black smoke rose above the houses on Verona Drive.
Then all was quiet.
As the dust settled, Red and Blue gnomes pulled themselves out of the wreckage. They looked around at what had once been the two most beautiful gardens in town. Both were now completely destroyed.
Paris crawled out of the rubble. He and Nanette helped each other to their feet. She had rescued his glasses and now placed them on his nose.
Featherstone, who had finally reached the garden, searched for his two friends. His metal legs trembled under him as he lost hope.
Benny pulled Shroom from a pile of rocks.
Shroom ran to where Juliet’s pedestal had been, looking for Gnomeo. He sniffed for any sign of survivors. Then he shook his head sadly.
Lady Bluebury and Lord Redbrick joined Shroom. They looked at the grotto, now just a pile of rubble.
“No,” Lord Redbrick said softly. Lady Bluebury closed her eyes.
They hung their heads in shame. How had things gotten so out of control?
“I’m sorry about your son,” Lord Redbrick said.
“I’m sorry about your daughter,” Lady Bluebury sobbed.
Lord Redbrick stretched out his hand to Lady Bluebury and said, “This feud…”
“…is over,” Lady Bluebury finished. The feud, which had started off as a playful rivalry, had cost them far too much.
As they shook hands, Lord Redbrick accidentally stepped on the switch that operated Juliet’s mechanized grotto. Some of the rubble at the top of the grotto shifted just a bit. The water began to spray, moving even more rocks.
Lord Redbrick pushed Lady Bluebury out of the way of a falling stone. Lord Redbrick and Lady Bluebury raised their heads as loud music began to play and lights twinkled through the debris. Juliet’s musical grotto rotated up through the rubble.
Then a hand appeared! Could it be?
Gnomeo emerged. He reached down and pulled Juliet up.
They were alive!
Gnomeo and Juliet looked down, and all the gnomes, Red and Blue, began to cheer.
“I don’t know about you,” Gnomeo said, taking Juliet in his arms, “but I think this ending is much better.”
Juliet smiled gratefully. She was happy that she and Gnomeo had survived!
And all the gnomes were relieved as well. The Reds and Blues began to dance, while Gnomeo and Juliet smiled at each other happily. The gardens might have been ruined, but true love was alive and in full bloom.
In the park, Bill Shakespeare smiled. He had to admit it: Some people—and some gnomes—just deserved a happy ending.
Gnomeo and Juliet Page 5
