BELLYACHE Read online

  Since the group couldn’t decide between two different desserts, Mr. Baker proclaimed, “We will just have to get both of them.”

  “Can I show Peter how it works?” Poke asked eagerly.

  “You sure can,” the mayor answered, stepping aside.

  First up was the artichoke soufflé, which they found in a dryer. Poke demonstrated how to get it.

  “We are sitting at site number eleven in the Laundry Room,” Poke informed him. “The site number is on the table where we sat.” Peter hadn’t noticed. Poke pressed the number one twice and then he pressed the laundry button. The dryer made a buzzing noise as if a load of laundry had finished drying. All the buttons on the machine stopped flashing. Poke opened the door and chose the artichoke soufflé. In Bella’s raspy voice, the dryer informed them that a charge of $3.79 would be added to their bill.

  “If you pick something up by mistake or change your mind, you put it back and it will not charge you. I think there is a sensor or something that knows how much it weighs,” Poke told him.

  “That’s pretty inventive,” Peter stated.

  “Give it a try,” Poke said, pointing out which dessert Peter should choose. Peter got the second dessert, snow pea and radish pudding, out of the washer the same way. Instead of a buzz, the washer made a dinging noise and said that a charge of $2.99 would be added to their bill.

  The looks on their faces as they ate their desserts were the same heavenly smiles of humans consuming their favorite desserts. Peter tried hard not to get grossed out by what they were eating. He reminded himself how he might make them feel.

  The take-out box was made of silky smooth paper and laid flat on the table. It was a replica of Bella’s restaurant. Bella opened the paper up and there were two slits for a hand to fit through to carry it. She put the food in, fastened it shut, and handed it to Peter. He admired it as he took it and thanked her for her hospitality.

  “It was so nice to have met you. I will see you again tonight at the parade.” She patted him on the head and continued to wait on other tables.

  “She’s coming to the parade,” Peter repeated to Poke.

  “Of course she is. Everyone in Maple Town is,” informed Poke.

  Peter was starting to get a little nervous about being the honored guest at a parade all for him. The closest he’d come to being the center of attention at a large function was when he played a farmer in a school play a few years back. He wasn’t very good at it, either; he kept nibbling on the props, the carrots in his wheelbarrow. He lost track of time, and when he was cued to go on stage, he had a mouthful of carrots and couldn’t say his lines clearly. Carrots were spewing out of his mouth all over the stage. Everyone thought it was humorous—everyone except for Peter, of course. He wouldn’t eat carrots or hardly look at them for a good half year after that.

  “Well, I need to get back to work. Let’s get a move on,” the mayor commanded.

  Everyone rose from the table simultaneously. Peter then realized he would have to pass Joe on the way out. Ignore him is what he intended to do.

  Peter positioned himself beside Poke on the side away from Joe. He heard the Bakers and Poke saying their hellos as they walked on. He knew Joe and his father were next. He felt the anger building inside of him as it had before, and his hand clenched the take-out dome, crushing it slightly. He felt the paper start to crumple, and he stopped. Instead, he clenched his teeth. He heard Joe’s obnoxious voice saying hello and the others exchanging their greetings. He looked straight ahead and continued on clenching his teeth until he was safely past them. If he did not see Joe for the rest of his visit in Maple Town, he would be more than happy. He knew it was possible he would run into Joe at the parade. He shuddered to think about it.

  The Parade

  The festivities would launch at Maple Town Hall. Poke rode along with the Bakers and Peter. Mr. Baker courteously invited Carol Winston to ride with them, but she refused to ride near a rabid human who might strike at any time. If Poke wanted to lose a finger, he was certainly welcome to do so. Peter wasn’t too upset that Carol did not join them. He was quite relieved. On the car ride there, no one seemed to be their same sociable selves. No one said anything the whole ride.

  When they arrived, cars lined the shiny candy wrapper streets, and many Candonites were hoofing it, heading for the steps of the building. There were so many of them, all glorious and exciting to look at.

  Peter was positively nervous now. He could feel his hands turning clammy, his socks getting sweaty, and his stomach filling with butterflies. He gave himself a pep talk and thought there would be no carrots so he wouldn’t have to worry about that. He chuckled slightly. However, he did not feel any less nervous. Mrs. Baker must have picked up on how he was feeling.

  As they were exiting the car, she whispered to him, “I have faith in you, Peter.” Peter smiled back. He took a deep breath of the sweet-smelling air and relished the moment.

  “Will I have to say anything?” he asked Poke.

  “You mean like a speech?”

  “Yeah.”

  “No, you just wave.”

  “Oh.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be right beside you.” Poke nudged him.

  Knowing Poke would be with him gave Peter a sense of relief. They made their way up the steps to a luminous violet podium. A huge yellow banner that read “Honoree Parade” hung from the building. Peter knew he was that honoree, and he welled up with pride. He stood a bit taller and lifted his chin slightly as he climbed the steps. He passed by the old gumdrop man he had seen in Old Town the day before. The man was leaning on his crutch, waving at him. Peter waved back. They approached another familiar Candonite. It was Officer O’Bryan. He greeted the mayor, Poke, and Peter with a firm handshake, and kissed Mrs. Baker on the top of her hand as he had done the day before.

  “It is nearly time to begin. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen our other guest of honor,” Officer O’Bryan informed them, looking around the multitude of people. The mayor, Mrs. Baker, and Poke did the same. Peter thought, Another guest of honor? He began combing the crowd even though he had no clue who he was looking for.

  Moments later, Officer O’Bryan introduced a Candonite woman who resembled a slice of pie. “This is the lady who makes this parade happen, Evelyn Hart, president of the council.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Peter said, shaking her hand, which felt uncannily like pie crust, only none flaked off in his hand.

  “A pleasure to meet you as well, Peter,” she said. Peter noticed that she blinked an awful lot when she talked. She turned her attention elsewhere. “Where is our other guest? Oh dear. This is cutting it close.” She turned her attention back to Peter and said, “Well, I will just have to explain this twice. This is how the festivities will proceed: first the mayor will say the traditional parade day speech. Oh, I do hope that Judge Greg shows up soon. Then you will board the last float of the parade with our other honoree.”

  Peter was about to ask her who the other honoree might be when she looked beyond him and shrieked with relief, “Oh, there is the judge now! I thought I was going to bust my crust if they did not show up soon.” She laughed and snorted at the same time.

  Peter saw a rather hefty dark chocolate candy bar Candonite coming quickly through the mass of people up the stairs toward him. He must be the judge. He stood and watched as the Candonite man reached the top, turned to look over his shoulder, and stepped aside to reveal the other honoree. Peter saw a face he was oh so familiar with and couldn’t contain his happiness. It was…Lina. But how is that possible? She was also overjoyed to see him. He ran up to her and gave her the biggest hug he had given anyone in a while.

  “Okay, okay, enough of this mushy gushy stuff,” she said as Peter released her. He was a tad embarrassed but quickly gathered himself.

  Peter rattled off in rapid-fire succession, “I am so glad to see you. I thought no one would believe me when I told them about this place. Now that you are here…well, they have to! How a
bout that? I believe Nana was here too when she was younger. How did you get here? Was it the same way I did? How long have you been here?”

  “Calm down, Peter. I want to know the same things about you,” Lina interrupted. “But, first, let me introduce someone. I don’t want to be rude.” She turned to the robust candy bar Candonite and said, “This is Judge Greg. I have been staying with him and his family since yesterday.”

  “Hello, young man,” the judge said in an exceptionally deep voice that matched his stature.

  “Hello,” Peter responded.

  Evelyn Hart had made her way over to them and said hurriedly, “We have no time to chat. We must get this show on the road.” Pleased with herself, she laughed and snorted again, saying, “We really do need to get this show on the road.”

  Judge Greg escorted Peter and Lina to the spots where they would stand during the ceremony. Peter was super-excited and nervous at the same time. Lina was there, so it made the experience even more extraordinary. The noises of the crowd quieted when Mayor Baker approached the podium. Out of respect for the mayor and the judge, Lina and Peter were very quiet even though they wanted to talk about their adventures.

  “Good people of Maple Town, thank you for joining us this evening. We have in our midst two very fine humans. We have gathered to honor them tonight. My wife and I have had the pleasure of young Peter Fischer staying with us.” He turned toward Peter and motioned for him to move forward. Peter did so hesitantly and waved at the mass of Candonites. His spirit soared as the crowd cheered back. What had he done to deserve such treatment? He did not know, but he sure was soaking it up. He waved once more, and the crowd roared again. He stepped back toward Lina, who was smiling proudly.

  Mayor Baker continued, “At this time, I would like to introduce you to a wonderful girl named Lina Young. Judge Greg and his family have had the pleasure to spend time with her.”

  The mayor turned toward Lina and made the same motions to her. She stepped forward and waved as Peter had before, only she didn’t attempt the second wave. She returned to stand next to Peter. She was smiling bigger than he had ever seen her smile. He was so glad to be sharing this moment with her. She really was a great friend.

  “Now, I would like to ask that you would find it in your hearts to agree with me on this following statement. I understand that these children have come to us by doing wrong…by Bellyache.” At hearing this, Peter’s stomach dropped, his spirits plummeted. He looked at Lina in dismay. She looked as if she might want to hide behind Judge Greg. They shared the same shame. They had lied, disobeyed their loved ones, and gorged themselves loony. “But I believe they have learned their lesson!” The crowd roared again in confident agreement. This made the children breathe sighs of relief.

  Mayor Baker stepped aside, and Evelyn Hart took the podium. “At this time, I’d like to ask the float riders to please man your floats. The parade will begin shortly. Also, the Student Union will be selling desserts on the north lawn to help fund their next trip to Honeyville and to assist with the upkeep of our fabulous parade floats. Thank you, and good evening.” She then scuttled over to Peter and Lina. “Come, children, come with me.” The Bakers, Judge Greg, and Poke followed. The rest of the crowd turned toward the streets, and some headed toward the north lawn. They were preparing to watch the parade.

  Poke came alongside Peter, and he introduced him to Lina. “This is Poke. He is visiting his aunt who lives next door to the Bakers.” Carol Winston crept into Peter’s mind as he spoke, and he shook her out of it as swiftly as he could.

  “Hi. I have to say, I totally love your town. I wish we could stay longer. Don’t you, Peter?” she said enthusiastically.

  “Heck yeah!” Peter replied.

  “So what happened, anyway? How did you get here?” Lina inquired.

  Peter explained to her how he had found himself standing next to her now. He was more interested in finding out how she was there.

  When they reached the back entrance of the town hall, they heard voices behind the exit door. Evelyn Hart gave them directions, “Please wait here. I need to make sure everything is in order before we get started. Order is absolutely essential for a perfect parade.” Then she stepped out.

  While they waited, Lina shared her story of how she came to find herself in this wondrous place. She reminded Peter of how her dad had told her that the candy she bought at Papa’s Sweet Shop had to last all week. That night after dinner, she went to her room and began reading an article in a sports magazine. There was a picture of famous baseball players, one of whom was holding a candy bar. She started craving her candy. She went to the kitchen drawer where she had stashed it and couldn’t decide what she wanted, so she took the whole lot upstairs with her. Once she made her choice, she intended to bring the rest back downstairs. Instead, she started tossing piece after piece into her mouth while she read. The next thing she knew, there was nothing to put back. She told of how she started feeling icky and laid her head down on her desk. The next thing she remembered, she had fallen asleep and woke up to an image of a brown package on her computer screen floating around. It had gleaming red letters reading “Special Delivery.” She told of how it looked as though it were popping off the screen. The overwhelming urge to touch it was unbearable.

  “The rest of the story you already know, Peter,” she concluded.

  They were amazed at how similar their stories were, and they agreed they would never stuff themselves silly like that again. They both also admitted to feeling bad about what they had done.

  “Our parents must be worried sick about us,” Lina stated.

  Until then, Peter hadn’t thought of it. Everyone was probably freaking out! How selfish he had been to not even think of how his family must be feeling. He certainly hoped they weren’t blaming his grandpa for anything. He began to feel overcome with guilt.

  “Worried sick,” Peter repeated in a whisper.

  “I am sure everything will be just fine. You are good children who made a mistake. Mistakes are worth forgiveness when you truly mean you’re sorry,” Mrs. Baker said in a sweet, soothing voice.

  This made them feel better. Just then, the back door flung open and Evelyn came in carrying two golden medallions with royal blue ribbons tied to them. They were beautiful, and they shined so brightly that everyone had to squint to get a good look at them. Peter hoped one was for him.

  “These are for you two.” Evelyn hesitated for a moment and stared at the children before putting the medallions around Lina and Peter’s necks. “Wear them with pride, children.” There was a hint of apprehension in her voice. “They are one hundred years old and made by our beloved ancestors.”

  “Thank you,” they said in unison.

  They both admired their exquisite gifts. They were exactly alike. Inscribed on each medallion were the words “Forgive” on the front and “Free” on the back. On the front were three hills and three castles that adorned their tops. Carved pictures of a human boy and girl were on the back.

  “I wonder who they were,” Lina said, barely audible.

  The children stared at their medallions.

  Evelyn Hart’s voice broke the silence. “Let’s get this baby started!” she said as she flailed her arms and opened the door to lead them out.

  The floats were impressive and familiar.

  “Look,” Peter said excitedly to Lina, “the Statue of Liberty!”

  “Over there, Peter, it’s Mount Rushmore!”

  Peter and Lina recited the recognizable features of the floats.

  “Empire State Building!”

  “The Eiffel Tower!”

  “The Great Sphinx!”

  “The Great Wall of China!”

  “The Leaning Tower of Pisa!”

  They saw one very familiar place at the same time and said, “Disney World!” They both laughed. There were plenty of other famous places amidst the floats as well. It was a tribute to the world Peter and Lina were from. Some of the floats were hovering; others
were still on the ground. There were twelve in total, all manned by Candonites. Evelyn Hart led them to their float, the last one in the line.

  “Isn’t it incredible here?” Lina stated to Peter.

  “Yeah, I wish we didn’t have to go so soon,” Peter confessed.

  “Me, too!”

  Their float was the one that had Disney World and several other famous places on it. They admitted it was the one they wanted to ride on the most. When they reached the float, they saw that no one was on it. Evelyn Hart pressed her foot down on an emerald green button on the side of the float and out came steps to allow them to climb up.

  “All aboard!” Evelyn called and snorted with delight at her comment once again.

  The children boarded first, and behind them the Bakers clutched hands and exchanged a look of sorrow that the children did not see. The Bakers regained control of their feelings and displayed gracious smiles upon boarding the float. When they were all on board, Evelyn Hart pushed the emerald button again, and the steps disappeared back into the float.

  “Good luck, and I wish you all well!” Evelyn Hart called. She then turned swiftly and scuttled away with her hands together and her head down. The children thought she must be worried about the parade going smoothly.

  In front of the float, there was a steering wheel with some buttons in the middle. Mayor Baker stepped up to the wheel. The children positioned themselves together toward the center of the float, and Mrs. Baker kept near her husband. Judge Greg lingered at the back of the float. Moments later, there was a loud, explosive cannon sound, and the parade was on its way.

  Peter and Lina felt giant butterflies in their stomachs as soon as the float began to move.

  “What do you think the medallions mean, Peter?” Lina asked, mystified.

  Peter was too busy concentrating on how he was going to wave at the crowd. He said, “I think it means they forgave us for gorging ourselves silly with things resembling the Candonites before we arrived in Maple Town.”