Life In The Gumball Machine Read online

  Covering his mouth with his hands, Gordy said, “Oops! Sorry! We’re not used to lifting people as big as you are. I guess we were trying too hard.”

  Patrick slowly picked himself up off the ground. “This sure has been a rough morning. You guys are pretty strong for gumballs.”

  When the children finished their celebration, they ran under a nearby waterfall to rinse off the sticky pink pudding. “I sure hope this comes off,” Patrick said to Daisy.

  Daisy smiled. “I don’t think your shirt will ever be the same.”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be the same,” Patrick said. He couldn’t help but smile – just a little.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE GAME

  After the children had a chance to dry off (the water rolled right off of the gumballs), they all walked to an open field where it looked like a game of football was in progress. Michael and Patrick hoped they could join in, and asked Gordy and Vinnie if it would be all right.

  “Of course,” Vinnie said. “Would you like to join us, Daisy”?

  “Daisy hates football. She doesn’t like to be tackled,” said Michael. Daisy glared at him.

  “From the looks of that big gumball out there, I’m not so sure I want to play your version of football either,” Patrick said. He was worried.

  “Oh, that’s just Jawbreaker,” Vinnie said. “He’s not as rough as he looks.”

  “Jawbreaker? That’s his name?” Michael asked. This could get rough, he thought.

  Jawbreaker was the biggest gumball the children had seen since they arrived inside the gumball machine. He had many swirling colors – yellow, green, red and blue. His eyebrows were very close together making him look angry all the time.

  “Sure, his name is Jawbreaker. Why?” asked Vinnie. He saw the look of fear on their faces. “Oh, don’t worry,” he laughed. “He probably won’t break your jaws. You’re a little too tall for him.”

  Gordy clapped his hands. “Come on everybody. Let’s join the game!”

  Vinnie and Gordy ran ahead, calling to Jawbreaker. Daisy folded her arms.

  “I am not playing with that brute,” she said sternly.

  “Oh come on, Dais’. We can take these guys. I know we can. They’re smaller than us – and they’re round! Let’s show them how it’s done,” Michael pleaded. “They’re gumballs. They don’t know how to play football!”

  “Yeah! This’ll be fun,” Patrick added. His fear was disappearing. He tucked in his sticky shirt and adjusted his glasses. “Let’s do this,” he said.

  As they approached the two teams, Jawbreaker looked up at the children. He had been expecting them. “You! Come here! You’re on my team!” he pointed and shouted to Daisy. Daisy’s legs weakened with fear, making them instantly feel like rubber. She looked at the boys hoping they would rescue her, but they were useless because now they looked afraid. She shook her head at them in disgust. This was quite a turn-around from their big talk just a minute ago. She had no choice. She slowly walked over to Jawbreaker’s team. There were six other gumballs standing around Jawbreaker, and they all stared at Daisy as she approached them. She lowered her eyes to the ground, fearful that they would start shouting at her at any moment. Suddenly, a very large green gumball rolled over to Jawbreaker.

  “Come on, Jawbreaker. I don’t want that freak on our team,” he said. Daisy stopped in her tracks. She felt as if she had just been kicked in the stomach. Was he talking about me?

  “Oh keep your yap shut, Steeler,” Jawbreaker said to the mean green gumball.

  Steeler? His name was Steeler? Oh, this is just great, thought Daisy. I’m playing football – which I hate – with two gigantic gumballs named Jawbreaker and Steeler. And – Steeler thinks I’m a freak. This just gets better and better. Her hands were shaking with nerves. This ought to be fun.

  “Well come on, man,” Steeler continued. “Look at her.”

  Some of the others from the gumball team agreed with Steeler. “Yeah, we don’t want her on our team.”

  Steeler continued. “First of all, she’s a girl.” A girl? Daisy wished she had the courage to ask him what was wrong with being a girl, but she was much too frightened to ever do that.

  “Second of all,” Steeler said, “she has all kinds of strange things going on with her.” Daisy felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She was embarrassed and she was angry. Steeler wouldn’t stop talking.

  “Her coloring is all off,” he said. “I mean, what color is she, anyway? It’s like – no color.” She was fuming. I have no color? What is he talking about?

  “Yeah, and look at that stuff coming out of the top of her,” said a blue gumball.

  “It’s called hair,” Daisy snapped. Wow. Where did she drum up the courage to say that?

  “Well, whatever you call it, it’s weird,” Steeler said. “And, look at her arms. Plus, she can’t roll because she’s not round. She’s so – bumpy. What good is she going to do us?” Daisy had never been treated so mean before in her life and she felt awful standing there listening to them.

  “Boy, you sure are mean. No one has ever said such cruel things to me about the way I look. Why should you care what I look like? You don’t even know me. Looks don’t matter. It’s what kind of person – or – gumball – or whatever you are on the inside, that matters, not what you look like on the outside.”

  Daisy had no idea where she was getting all of this courage to talk back to Steeler, but it felt good. For a split second, she was reminded of Violet, back home. Why did she keep thinking about her?

  Daisy continued to scold Steeler. “You must be made out of stone, not sweet candy like most of the real, good gumballs I have met here.” Now, she was shouting. She was so mad that it felt like her blood was boiling.

  “Ohh! Steeler! She put you in your place,” laughed the blue gumball. “Come with me, young lady. Anyone who stands up to Steeler, is a friend of mine.” The blue gumball put his arm around her waist and walked her towards the rest of the team.

  “That’s enough, Steeler. Now just back off,” ordered Jawbreaker.

  “Fine. I still don’t like her, and I don’t want her on my team. But if she has to play with us, I guess there’s nothing I can do about it.” Steeler glared at Daisy, turned, and rolled to the middle of the field.

  Jawbreaker rolled up to Daisy. “Don’t worry about him. It’s too bad that some of us up here in the gumball world judge others by the way they look, not by what’s on the inside.”

  “It makes me feel bad to have someone treat me like that,” Daisy said. “I am a very nice person. I don’t know why he doesn’t like me. I didn’t do anything to him. I actually thought everyone liked me. I guess that’s not very smart, huh?”

  “Well, I don’t know how things are where you come from, but up here in the gumball world, there will always be a gumball who doesn’t like another gumball just because of the color of his shell,” said Jawbreaker. “Some may think their color is prettier, or shinier than another’s color. It’s kind of silly when you think about it, because on the inside, all of us gumballs are made out of the same thing – sugar. So, don’t let what Steeler said bother you. Just let it roll off your – these things – whatever they are.”

  “Shoulders?” Daisy asked with a smile.

  “Yes, shoulders, if that’s what you call them. Just let it roll off of your shoulders.”

  “Thanks. I’ll try to remember that.” Daisy smiled. Wow. For a big, mean looking brute of a gumball, he sure was turning out to be pretty nice. I was wrong to think he would be mean to me just because he looked mean. She felt a little better, but she was still nervous about playing football!

  The rest of the team invited her into their huddle. This was her first huddle since she was seven years old. Somehow, that seemed like a hundred years ago. They whispered their play, and gave Daisy her instructions. She prayed she wouldn’t get tackled, and she prayed she wouldn’t let her new teammates down – especially, Steeler. Who knows what he might do to her? />
  Because Michael and Patrick were not invited onto Jawbreaker’s team, they walked over to the other team. The team seemed like a nice bunch of gumballs – until the huddle. Michael and Patrick had never heard such rough-sounding plays! They were worried about Daisy – and themselves. After all, if these guys played rough, they could only imagine how rough Jawbreaker’s team played.

  The two teams lined up for the first play.

  “Hut one – hut two.” Jawbreaker had the ball and was looking for someone who could catch it. Patrick and Michael started blocking the players on Daisy’s team. This wasn’t as easy as they thought, because her team came at them with full force – like cannonballs! The gumballs’ smaller sizes allowed them to roll up and grab Patrick and Michael by their knees, or sometimes just roll them over at their knees. They were down before they knew what hit them. In the meantime, Daisy was doing just what Jawbreaker told her to do – run. When she turned around to see who was chasing her, she saw the football coming right at her.

  “Uh-oh.” Instinctively, she raised her arms up to catch the ball and felt it ease into her hands. Wow! I actually caught a football! She was thrilled and couldn’t contain her smile. She turned toward the goal and started to run – fast!

  Daisy kept mumbling out loud, as she ran as fast as she could. “Please don’t let them tackle me! Please don’t let them tackle me!” Behind her, she could hear the thunder of little gumballs quickly rolling toward her. It sounded to Daisy like a bunch of bowling balls rolling down a bowling lane all at once. How could such small little guys make so much noise? She knew if they grabbed her by the ankles, she would go down just like Patrick and Michael. She turned her head, and saw a couple of bigger gumballs rolling straight for her. She was almost at the end-zone, when she heard a crash and saw Jawbreaker knock the last gumball out of her way. She continued running until she ran in for a touchdown.

  “I did it! I did it!” she screamed, jumping up and down. Jawbreaker rolled up and high-fived her, as did the rest of her teammates (except Steeler – he just grumbled and rolled in the other direction).

  Jumping up and down, she shouted, “You guys! I did it! I made a touchdown!” The boys came running over to congratulate her.

  “Good job Daisy!” Patrick said, giving her a noogie on her head.

  Michael agreed. “Yeah! That was pretty cool. I never knew you could handle a football like that. Maybe you will join us next time we have a game at home,” said Michael. He was grinning from ear to ear because he was so happy for Daisy.

  They continued playing football for another hour, and even though Daisy was tackled a couple of times, she still had a good time. Thanks to her new friend, Jawbreaker, Daisy’s team won the game.

  Afterwards, Michael looked at Daisy and said, “I still can’t believe you actually played football, that you actually allowed yourself to get tackled and you actually got a touchdown. It’s a miracle.”

  “Oh, it’s no miracle, Michael. Now that I know I rock at playing football, you two better look out!” Daisy started laughing so hard, that the two boys couldn’t help but laugh as well. Arm-in-arm, the three children walked happily off the field. After saying goodbye to their new football friends, they left with Vinnie and Gordy to get some lunch at Gordy’s house.

  CHAPTER NINE

  MEETING THE GUMBLES

  Upon entering Gordy’s house, Daisy immediately noticed that all of the furniture in the house had round, smooth edges. Sitting on the round couch in the living room, was an older-looking white gumball lady. Daisy could tell she was older because her shell was a little cracked, her color was faded to a light gray, and her shape was soft-looking, not quite perfectly round like the others. The old gumball lady slowly rolled off the couch, and started nervously rubbing her hands together.

  “Ma, this is Daisy, Michael and Patrick. They are the ones from the outside world that you saw earlier at the party,” Gordy said, smiling. Gordy’s mother gave them a slight smile and reached out her hand to welcome them.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, looking up at Daisy. “I want to call you children, but you are so big. Are you children or adults – or – giants maybe?” She giggled a little bit.

  “They are children, Mrs. Gumble,” said Vinnie.

  Some other gumballs entered the living room and Daisy saw that, even though she thought all the gumballs in the gumball world really looked alike, these gumballs actually looked very much like Gordy.

  “Daisy, Michael, Patrick, I’d like you to meet my wife, Glenda Gumble and our children, Gertrude, Gordy, Jr., and Gilbert Gumble. We are the Gumble family.”

  “Hi,” said Gilbert, who appeared to be the smallest of the Gumble children.

  “Hi,” replied Daisy. “It’s very nice to meet all of you.”

  After the children were introduced to the Gumble family, they all sat down for lunch. Daisy and Patrick sat next to each other, and Grandma Gumble asked Michael to sit next to her. Michael reluctantly walked over and sat in the chair next to her. Patrick and Daisy giggled under their breath, and then Patrick whispered to Daisy, “Poor Michael. Looks like somebody else thinks he’s cute, just like at school!”

  “You are all so darling,” Grandma Gumble said. “But, if you don’t mind my asking, what are these?” she asked, as she reached over to Michael’s thigh and squeezed it hard. Michael held in a groan, as Daisy and Patrick continued to giggle.

  “Those are legs,” answered Michael, rubbing his sore thigh. “We use them to walk and run.”

  “Can I try them?” she asked, again reaching to grab Michael’s leg. “No, you can’t try them because they don’t come off,” Michael said, trying to be patient.

  “Oh, I see. Sorry.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “I suppose this doesn’t come off either,” she said, as she reached over to pinch the skin on Michael’s arm.

  “Ouch! No. That doesn’t come off either – not without a lot of pain,” he added, rubbing his arm. He glanced across the table and saw that Daisy and Patrick were giggling. “Real funny you guys. Ha ha.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Grandma Gumble continued. “It just feels and looks so different. I just wondered what it would look like on me. I thought we could trade.”

  “Ma, you can’t trade his skin for your candy coating. It just doesn’t work that way. Now, keep your hands off of him,” said Gordy.

  At that moment, Gordy’s wife, Glenda, brought a tray of food to the table. On it were gumball sandwiches and gumball chips, and more pink bubble-gum pudding for dessert! Everything looked different, but to the three children, it all tasted the same – like gumballs.

  CHAPTER TEN

  SAMMIE

  Daisy’s younger brother, Sammie, checked himself out in his bedroom mirror. He had just thrown on a pair of basketball shorts and a t-shirt, and began combing his hair. He was glad his blond curls had recently been cut off. He hated those curls! Now his hair was nice and short, just the way he liked it. He knew that today was his sister’s birthday, but he was thinking about his own birthday – his ninth – which was coming up next month.

  Sammie left his room, crossed the hall, and went into Daisy’s room to give her the birthday card he had made for her. When he didn’t see her, he turned to place it on her dresser, and noticed she had some coins sitting there. He leaned closer to see how much money she had. There were two quarters, three dimes, three nickels, and six pennies. Sammie had asked his mom for some money for a candy bar at the store, but she said she didn’t have any change. He knew Daisy would be very mad if she found out he was taking some of her money, but he would be sure to tell her that he would pay her back. He left the two quarters and took one dime, two nickels and two pennies, stuffed them into his pocket, and ran down to the kitchen.

  Entering the kitchen he said, “Hey Mom. Where’s Daisy? I have a birthday card for her.”

  “Oh, that’s so sweet of you, Sammie. I don’t know where she is. She left with the boys quite a while
ago. I’m actually starting to get a little worried. She needs to get home soon to get ready for her birthday party. Would you mind hopping on your bike and riding up to the playground to see if you can find her?”

  “Awe, Mom! Do I have to?”

  “Come on, Sammie, please? Could you just do your mother this one favor?

  It would really help me out.”

  “Fine. I’ll go.”

  “Thank you. Maybe later, I’ll buy you a candy bar for your troubles.”

  “Okay! It’s a deal,” he said. Sammie smiled as he ran out the back door and hopped on his bike.

  “Try to hurry up, Sammie.”

  “Okay. I will!” he shouted.

  Sammie pedaled up the same street the three kids rode up only a few hours earlier. He headed for the school playground taking the same short-cut that all the kids used. As he rode down the alley, trying to ride around the potholes and large rocks, he spotted what he thought was Patrick’s bike near an old garage. He slowed down to check it out.

  Yep. That’s Pat’s bike. He pulled over, got off of his bike and put down the kickstand. On further inspection, he saw Daisy’s new bike and Michael’s bike standing near Patrick’s, just outside the door of an old, rundown shed next to the old garage. He slowly walked toward the shed, and pushed open the door.

  “Daisy? Are you in here?” he called, as he peered into the shed. No answer. Just silence. He didn’t want to go in because it was dark and dusty – and scary. There were some old tires and tools laying on the floor, and an old workbench off to the left. He was afraid the kids would sneak up and scare the wits out of him, like they usually do.

  Again he called, “Daisy? Patrick? Come on you guys. I know you’re in here. It’s not funny, and you’re not scaring me. Mom’s looking for you Daisy. You better come out.”

  He waited. No one answered, and no one jumped out to scare him. They must not be here, he thought. I wonder where they are. Why would they leave their bikes just sitting here? Someone could steal them. Daisy would be in big trouble if anything happened to her new bike. Maybe they were fooling around and went into that scary, haunted house just up the yard a bit. He hoped not. He did not want to go looking for them in there.