Date: Wed, 21 May 1997 00:13:28 -0600

From: Cleo 

Subject: SRU: Goodie Gumdrops









Well, I said I'd take a crack at the SRU Universe, so here's

my story. I think you'll all have lots of pun with this.

  - Cleo

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Spells 'R US: Goodie Gumdrops and Sour Tarts

By Cleo Kraft

 -----------

Robert cursed and kicked his flat tire.

"Of all the rotten luck in the world, I get stranded in the middle of

dullsville," he complained. "Come on Ned, help me with this tire. We're

going into that little town over there and see about getting it fixed."



Ned finished looking in the trunk for the hundredth time in disbelief.



"I don't know, Rob, I can't figure out why you don't pack a spare on

road trips like this."



Ned continued to rummage through garbage in the trunk.



"Come on and do something to help me," Robert said rolling the tire

right at his friend. The tire bumped Neds leg and rolled off into a

ditch.



"There, now, see? Ya happy? Now go get it," Ned said angrily. "I should

have never come with you on this road trip."



An old man wearing tie-dye robes and matching pointy hat came riding by

on a unicycle.



He was singing "Daisy" and mumbling things about being all out of toad

stools, rabbit ears, and having to ride his bike to some tropical island.



"Hey, get a load of the clown," Ned pointed and laughed. "He's off his

rocker."



The old man seemed uninterested in granting a response to Ned's remark.

Instead, the old guy continued pedaling onward along the two lane highway

away from the only town in the area.



Through more arguing and complaining, the two eventually made it to town

while rolling their flat tire along the way.



To their surprise, there wasn't even a gas station open. The only place

open was a run down shop called Spells 'R Us. 



"Looks like they converted an old western hotel into a novelty shop or

something," Robert remarked leaving the tire propped against a barrel

on the sidewalk.



Peering through the dusty front window panes, Ned saw something and

said,"Hey, look! Kittens!"



"Now what do you suppose they're doing selling pets in a run down

ghost town like this for? Kind of funny if you ask me," Rob said and

pushed through the swinging doors. Ned followed him inside.



The place looked like an antique shop that specialized in novelty

collectables.



An old man suddenly stood up from behind the counter and popped on a

little, white pointed cap.



"Looks like the old geezer who we saw earlier, right?" Ned asked elbowing

his friend.



Rob did a double take when he saw the old man.



"Yeah, weird," Rob said.



"Hello Ned and Robert," the old man croaked. "Car problems? How may I help

you today? A rental car perhaps? At Spells R Us, just leave your troubles

with Gus."



"Who's Gus?" Rob asked. "And how the heck did you know our names and the

rest?"

                                                                        

"I know many things, and Gus is just a lacky out back who drives the cab

in this town. Pay that no mind. I have bigger and better things that will

interest you rather than your meager car troubles," the old man said and

brought out a box full of candies.



"Sorry, I'm not hungry," said Rob while looking at a box of rocks.



"I'll try one," Ned said.



"Okay, now the little pink ones are Grandma Goodie Gumdrops, and the

yellow ones are Sophies Sour Tarts," the old man said. "Please, just one

only. I'm trying to run a business here. These are just samples."



"What are you doing selling rocks for?" Rob asked rattling the little

box of stones.



The old man looked at his watch while Ned chewed on a sour tart.



"Uh, please, help yourself," the old man said.



Rob just gave the old man a stony look.



"You're brothers aren't you?" Rob asked looking deep into the face of the

old man. "You two are twin brothers."



The old man got nervous and stammered,"N-no...ah, shoot. How'd you guess?

You...y-you won't tell on me will you? I was just tending shop."



Rob felt a tug on his shirt sleeve and turned to look.



"Just a minute Ned," he said and looked down to see a little girl standing

there amongst a pile of clothes. She pinched his arm and kicked him in the

shin.



"Ow! Hey, what the hell.....?" Rob asked and the little girl started running

around the shop breaking things.

                                        

"Aw, darn it all...my brother's gonna kill me because of this," the old man

said walking out with a broom and a dustpan. "I knew those sour tarts were

only going to be trouble."



The little girl ran around smashing things. She still wore a now overly

large, blue t-shirt that had been on her previous form - that of Ned.

She took down a box full of old vinyls and threw each album at the wall.



"Hey, stop that you little brat!" the old man called out. "Oh, no. Not

another broken record . . ."



"Ned? Is that really you? What happened to your body?" Rob asked the

little girl. She ignored him and ran over to the counter and began

grabbing handfuls of candy.



Just then, another old man rode in the shop through the double doors.

He was still riding a unicycle.



"I forgot something while I was . . ." the old man said and fell off his

bike, crashing into a rack of clothes.



Rob lifted the old man up to his feet.



"Thank you, Rob," the old man in tie-dye said and took the little girl

by the shoulders. "Now down to business."



"Lemme go!" the girl cried and struggled.



"Tisk...tisk...tisk," the old man said and saw the candies she held in

her hands.



"Sorry boss," Gus said with a shrug. "But you never let me have fun with

the customers anymore. I just figured since you were away, nobody would

know the difference - us being twins and all."



"My dear, foolish brother," the store owner said patting his brother

on the back. "How many times do I have to tell you? Never, never, never!

Never fake candies to strangers."



"So you're the good one?" Rob asked the tie-dye man.



"In a manner of speaking but don't judge your elders, young man," the old

man said. "I never let Gus run shop while I'm gone. He's just a stock boy,

but he's learning. Aren't you Gus?"



"Yeah," Gus replied setting his broom down. "I was going to be a lumberjack

but I don't sing too well . . ."



"I don't get it," Rob said shrugging.



"Nope, neither wood I but I saw what you mean," Gus said. "In wizard years

I'm only tree."



"Yes, yes, and I forgive you Gus," the shop owner said. "I'm hate having

to come along and undo his little mischief but I can't have everyone running

around in the wrong bodies, can I little girl?"

                                                

The little girl bit the wizard on the hand and he yelled in pain and released

her. She ran out of the shop with her bunch of candies.



"Shorter in form but quick in spirit," Gus remarked. "Should I go after her?"



"She's my friend," Rob said walking to the door. "I'll bring her back. I just

hope you can change her back. I'd hate to have to explain this to her...er

her girlfriend."



Rob went outside and saw the girl running down the street. She was heading

for the playground.



"Ned...er - hey you! Come back here!" Rob called out and began to run down

the sidewalk.



He ran out onto the grass. The little girl climbed on the jungle gym and

quickly perched up on top. She waited there and swayed her bare feet in

the air while picking through her supply of candies. She found one she

liked and unwrapped it.



Rob arrived at the base of the monkey bars and panted for breath.



"You...shouldn't run...like......that," he said trying to catch his

breath. "Now come down here this instant."



"No!" she yelled and crossed her arms.



"Okay, then I'll come up there," said Rob in a tired voice.



The girl sat up at the top on the bars. She watched as Rob slowly climbed

towards her.



Rob grabbed onto a rung and his hands slipped.



He fell forward through the bars and landed on his back.



"Stupid, little brat...," he cursed. "You spit on the bars you stupid little

brat...."



He looked up and watched as the little girl swung down and landed on the

tan bark beside him.

While he still remained on his back, trying to recover from the fall,

she kicked some dirt in his face.



"Ahhh.....my eyes!" Rob cried out and felt something drop down into his

open mouth. He nearly choked but somehow his reflexes made him swallow

whatever it was.



"Wanna nother candy?" the girl asked.



"What?!" he yelled. "You didn't...."



"Yup."



Rob began to shrink down in size.



"What kind did you give me?" Rob asked. "A Sour Tart?"



"Nope."



"Goodie gumdrops!" Rob exclaimed in a little girls voice.



___-----___



Gus and the wizard looked out the window of their little shop and saw two

little girls playing on the playground. One girl was punching and teasing

the other one.



"Shouldn't we change them back?" Gus asked.



"No, brother, good and evil must exist if balance shall be maintained in

the world. One good girl, one bad," the wizard said and picked up his

unicycle. "Plus, I'm still out of toad stools and rabbit ears."



Gus smiled and watched his brother ride out of the shop.



"Time to wait for some new customers," Gus said taking his place behind

the counter.



He glanced at his box of pet rocks and laughed.

___-----___

Moral of the story: Gus work isn't bad, and candy has it youth-es



(at least in the realm of Spells R Us)

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