Welcome to Issue Five

Welcome once again to the Gummizine. 1999 is finally here and to start the year we will look back at last years fanfiction releases. I began a poll in November of last year to find out who the fans thought was the best fanfiction writer of the year. The vote was very close due to the amount of good fanfic that was available, but there was a clear winner. That winner was Carla who has had fanfic feature right here in the Gummizine twice before and I'm sure will again in the future. This issue contains all of the fanfic available to me of hers and the other candidates for the fanfic award. I hope you enjoy them and continue to enjoy them as they are released.

Sincerely,
Flip of Dunwyn

These are the three stories that were available when the poll went up. In these stories important events take place and new characters are introduced.

Return to Gummi Glen
by Carla

The Glen Gummies moved into Ursalia. Zummi would cast a spell and send them to

the Gummi Islands whenever they wanted to get away, and would send the Barbic

Gummis there too if they liked. They were fairly happy in Ursalia. They had

other Gummies to spend time with and they were safe from ogres. But they all

still missed Gummi Glen after the termite destroyed it and Lady Bane flooded

it.

Zummi and Sir Thornberry spent a lot of time in the Great Library. They would

chat, read a lot, and discuss Gummi history. One day Zummi was reading a book

about places where the ancient Gummies lived.

"Sir Thornberry, come look at this." Zummi called from across the room

"What?"he answered

"Under a large pile of books, I found this book called Gummi places. It's

still in good condition. It shows all Gummi cities and hiding places. It even

shows all passages in all the rooms." Zummi said.

"That's strange. I have never noticed that one, but I am really glad that you

found it." Sir Thornberry said smiling.

They flipped through the book together. They saw many Gummi places, and read

some descriptions. Then, they came to a section about Gummi Glen. Zummi

sighed.

"What's wrong pal?" Sir Thornberry asked as he patted Zummi on the shoulder.

"I just can't help feeling a little homesick. At the Glen, we all had our

share of problems, such as ogres.. But overall, we were happy there, even if

it was just the seven of us plus Cavin and Calla coming to visit. I also

really miss things such as the books. I wanted to go back for them, but it was

impossible to get to them after that supertermite put it in ruins. we all

barely made it out alive. Plus, as much as we like the Barbic Gummis, we don't

really fit in with them. We Glen Gummis are very different from them." Zummi

said this, then sighed again.

" I know just how you feel Zummi. I miss my old home too. I spent many years

alone guarding Ursalia, and it wasn't easy. Those troggles made me nuts, and I

got really lonely for Gummi company. But, I had to do my duty. Look on the

bright side, at least you have never been alone. You have lived with six bears

who you love very much. Plus, you still managed to save the Breat Gook, um the

Great Book. Hmm, I'm starting to sound like you."

Zummi cracked a weak smile and patted Sir Thornberry on the back. "I don't

know how you did it. Don't worry, you're not alone anymore.You're right about

everything, but I still miss the glen. I can't help it. See ya later pal."

"Until tomorow!" uttered Thornberry.

Zummi took the book upstairs into his room. He did nothing but sit there in

his room and look at pictures of the glen for several days. He only came out

to go to the bathroom and eat. He was completely silent at the table, and ate

very little. After a couple of days, the other Glen Gummies started to take

notice. One morning, Zummi didn't even come down to eat.They began talking

over all the noise and loud chewing that could be heard in the dining hall.

Those barbic's were loud.

"Where's Zummi?" Tummi asked.

"Beats me." answered Cubbi

"I've been so worried about the poor dear. He is really quiet and picks at

his food."Grammi said with a worried look on her face.

Tummi gasped. "How awful, he's on a diet."

"Na, I'm sure there's nothing wrong with him." Gruffi said reassuringly.

"Hmm, I haven't seen him in the library in a couple of days. That's not like

him."said Sir Thornberry.

Cindi's eyes widened."I hope he isn't feeling sick or anything."

Gusto put his arm around her and said to everyone"You know, at his age, that

isn't good."

Sunni finished chewing her pancake. "I'll go to his room and see what's

wrong."She left the dining hall.She walked upstairs ito his room, and knocked

on the door.

"Come in." said Zummi in a tired voice.He was sitting still, in the chair,

looking at the book on his dresser. Sunni walked over to him, put her arm

around him, and her head on his shoulder.

"What's the matter Zummi? We're all really worried. You haven't been yourself

lately. Can't you at least come down and eat?" Sunni noticed a picture of the

Glen.

Zummi held her hand. "Don't worry about me, I just don't feel much like

eating."

Sunni walked away, closed the door behind her, and went downstairs. the other

bears wanted to know what was wrong.

"He just sat there, looking at pictures of Gummi Glen in this book. I

think he feels homesick. I don't blame him. I miss seeing Calla all the time

and spending time in Dunwyn."

"I miss Cavin." said Cubbi.

"I miss my garden." said Tummi.

"Yeah, and I miss my old tools." Gruffi admitted."But, Ursalia is our home

now, and we all have to learn to live with it."

"Wait a minute Sun. Did you say he was holding still? Inspiration strikes!"

Gusto spoke. Then, he and Cindi look at eachother. They ran out of the room,

and began dragging a chunk of wood upstairs. Tummi ran over and helped them.

When they got to Zummi's room, Cindi knocked on the door.

"Come in." Zummi said.

They walked in."I know you're feeling kind of low Zummers, but me and Cindi

couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a masterpiece." said Gusto with

enthusiasm.

"Go right ahead, it won't bother me." said Zummi in a weak voice. Gusto and

Cindi began carving away at the wood.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Tummi asked the melancholy old bear.

"I'm afraid not" he answered.

Tummi went downstairs. Gusto and Cindi became absorbed with their project.

They worked on it for hours until Zummi decided to go to bed. They said

goodnight and walked out of the room.

The next morning, Zummi didn't come down to eat again.

"Good Grief." Gruffi whined."Not again!"

"Tummi Dear, could you bring him up a plate? Don't eat it on the way

up."Grammi requested.

"Sure, no problem. Thanks for the warning." Tummi said as he walked up with

some food. He went upstairs, knocked on the door, and Zummi let him come in.

As usual, Zummi was sitting down and looking at the book.

" I brought you some breakfast." said Tummi

"No thank you." said Zummi sounding deppressed.

Tummi put the plate next to the book. He cut a piece of fried egg. He stuck a

forkful into Zummi's mouth really quickly. Zummi turned his head away from the

book and looked at him while he chewed.

Tummi grinned. "Well, at least I got you to move. I'll leave the food up here

just in case you change your mind, okay? See ya."

"Goodbye." said Zummi shaking his head.

Gusto and Cindi walked into his room shortly after Tummi left.They put

finishing touches on the carving. It was abstract and strange looking. Cindi

put a cloth over it. Gusto went downstairs and brought Tummi back up.The three

of them brought it downstairs and placed it near where all the Glen Gummis

were sitting.

"Here is our latest masterpiece! We call it Zummi in despair." uttered Cindi

enthusiastically.Gusto unveiled it. Gruffi gave it a dirty look. The other

glen Gummies looked at it strangely. A couple of barbic gummi bears walked by

and tried not to laugh at it.

"What the heck is that?" Gruffi yelled.

"I can see the resemblance. " said Sir Thornberry.

"You would." said Gruffi.

Grammi shook her head. "Come on Sunni. Let's go upstairs, and try to cheer

him up." she sounded annoyed. She and Sunni went into his room. Sunni

whispered into Grammi's ear, and she smiled.They walked over to Zummi's chair.

One stood on each side

of him.

"Mwa!" One of them kissed each one of his cheeks at the same time. He just

sat there.

"Land sakes! This is serious." Grammi whined. They went downstairs together.

Cubbi then entered the room.

"Hey Zummi! I know how to make you smile." Cubbi stood behind him and began

tickling his belly. Zummi laughed really hard, and the chair fell over. They

began tickling eachother on the floor and giggling. Then, Zummi got back up,

picked the chair back up, and sat back down in front of the book again.

"I give up."said the discouraged young bear. Cubbi ran out of the room, found

Gruffi, and told him what had happened. Gruffi then went into Zummi's room.

"Look Zummi, we all miss Gummi Glen. Just deal with it, and eat something

before you have a dizzy spell." Gruffi said this and then stormed out of the

room. Zummi's face lit up.

"Deal with it." Zummi repeated softly.

"Spell!" he exclaimed

He ate his fried egg, which was cold by then, but he had just gotten his

appetite back. He ran downstairs,and went outside and into the entrance to

the Great Library. Sir Thornberry was sitting there looking at a book. He

noticed that he came in.

"Hey Zummi, long time no see!" he said

"Hello." he said as he walked towards to the Great Book. He flipped

through it.

"Aha!!" Zummi yelled."I just found a spell that can bring back Gummi

Glen!" Zummi ran out of the library, and found Grammi and Gruffi outside.

"We have to go to Gummi Glen tomorow, I just found a restoration

spell." exclaimed Zummi.

"That's great!" said Grammi.

"I don't know, it sounds too good to be true, but I guess it's worth a

shot." said Gruffi.

The next day, after they said their goodbyes and packed the few belongings

they had. The glen Gummis rode the quick tunnels went back to their home. The

flood was gone, but there was still some dmage. Cindi and Gusto walked off and

went to Gusto's old home behind the waterfall. When they arrived, they stared

at the wreck that was once their home. Zummi took out his notes. He looked at

the glen.

"I sure hope this works. I know the old ways are no more,but put

things back the way they were before." he chanted

All the Damage done on the Glen was gone. The rest of the forest was

back to normal too. Cindi and Gusto were overjoyed as they watched Gusto's

home and his artwork become beautiful again.The problem was, Zummi

accidentally Zapped Grammi and Gruffi and turned them into cubs. Gruffi was an

infant, and Grammi appeared to be about Cubbi's age.

Zummi looked through his notes. "Oh dear. I need to look for the

counter spell in the Great Book, I can't seem to find it."

"WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"Gruffi cried.

Sunni held Gruffi, gave him a kiss, and tried to soothe him."There,

there Gruffi, you'll be back to normal soon, I hope."

They all went into the glen through the entrances in the tree. It

just like they remembered it. Everything was just like it used to be before

the supertermite destroyed it. They had never been happier to see it. Grammi

chased Cubbi into the hall, and began playing a game of tag.Tummi tried his

very best to watch them.

"Wow Grammi, I never knew you were this much fun!" Cubbi shouted.

"I feel years younger! said Grammi. "Your it!" she caught him and

Cubbi began chasing after her.

Meanwhile, Zummi was in his old library looking for the counter spell

in the Great book. Sunni walked in. She had her arms stretched out, and was

holding up baby Gruffi by the armpits with her head turned to the side. She

had a disgusted look on her face.

"Zummi, eeww! Gruffi needs to be changed!" she whined.

" I am looking for the counter spell right now, why don't you ask

Gusto or Cindi to do it? he asked.

"They are at Gusto's place behind the waterfall. You know how the

lovebirds are. I'm not getting them." said Sunni.

"Then change him. He used to change yours. It's not going to kill you

to change one of his." said Zummi sounding annoyed.

Sunni sniffed the air and shivered. "Wanna bet! You're the one who

goofed the spell, you should change him." she answered back.

Gruffi screamed. Zummi was not in the mood to argue. He went into the

bathroom, and changed Gruffi's diaper. He then handed him back to Sunni."Here,

you keep him amused while I look for the spell." he said.

Sunni sat on the floor of the library, made silly faces and noises at

Gruffi, and tickled his chin."Aww, what a cute baby coochy coochy-OWW!" she

screamed as Gruffi bit her finger. "What a little grouch!"

Zummi smiled widely and laughed his usual silly laugh."Some things

never change."

Sunni smiled as she shook her sore finger out."It's nice that you have

your smile back, I really missed it."

Zummi giggled. "I almost forgot how cute him and Grammi were. But I

have the spell right here. I have to change them back,especially before Gruffi

needs another diaper, or Grammi and Cubbi tear the Glen up worse than the

termite did. I remember Grammi and I being the terrible twosome as cubs."

Sunni walked into the hallway where Cubbi and Grammi were playing.

"Alright Grammi! Zummi found the counter spell. It's time for you to

go back to normal." Sunni yelled.

"No!" Grammi protested. " I like being a cub!"

"Come on Grammi. You have to grow up sometime. No better time than

now." Tummi said as he picked little Grammi up.

"Alright." Grammi whined sadly.

Tummi gave Grammi a piggy back ride into the library, and Sunni and

Cubbi followed them. Sunni put baby Gruffi on the floor in the middle of the

room, and Grammi sat down next to him.

"Stand back everybody. Grummow ummup nummow!" Zummi chanted.

Gruffi and Grammi became grownups.

"It's so nice to finally have things back to normal." said Grammi.

"That's for sure!" said Gruffi

Gruffi and Grammi were back to their old selves. Gummi Glen, and Zummi's smile

were back the way everyone liked them. Everything was back to normal, for now.

Two Medalions?
by Carla

After Silli had arrived in the Glen, she pushed Cavin, Calla and the Gummies to overthrow Lady Bane.
"She is too powerful." said Zummi."The only way to fight her is with magic, and mine is no match for hers."
"I wish there was some way to get rid of her.The people of Dunwyn are suffering." said Cavin.
"So did we. And so did the animals when she flooded the forest." said Sunni.
"My poor father is in the dungeon." said Calla.
Suzie spoke. "Maybe if we stole the medalion from her one of us could study the Great Book and we could have two wizards."
Silli grinned. "Exactly what I was thinking. We could sneak into the castle and steal it while she sleeps."
Zummi looked nervous. "Even if we did manage to steal the medalion, we don't know for sure if anyone here would be able to use it. Remember that in order to use a Gummi medalion you must have some magic already within you and it must choose you. Besides, magic takes practice and Lady Bane has centuries of experience and would be a big challenge."
"I'm starting to see your point." said Gruffi with a big frown on his face. "You'll do your mumbo jumbo and have it backfire. You and whoever helping you will be lucky if you end up throwrugs. There is nothing anyone can do."
"But we have to try. Give it time." said Calla.
"Well, we can start by getting the medalion. Every little bit helps." urged Sunni.
"She keeps it with her at all times darling." Granny said to Sunni."Stealing it is too dangerous and out of the question." said Grammi.
"We've all had many adventures before this. I know we can do it. All we need to do is try." said Cavin.
"Absolutely not! Nobody here is going to get killed. And That's final!" Gruffi yelled and then stomped his foot.
"Alright. Very well. If you say so." said Silli. She then looked at Calla and winked. Calla slowly and subtly nodded her head.

Later on, night came. Everyone was asleep except for Calla, Suzie, and Silli. Calla went into Cavin's room and shook him.
"Cavin, wake up. We are going to the castle to steal the medalion."
"Alright, I'll go wake up Cubbi and Sunni."
At that moment, they both walked in with Suzie and Silli.
"Silli and Suzie woke us up already. Come on, Let's go!" said Cubbi.
They took three lanterns with them. They exited Gummi Glen through a door covered in grass. They entered the castle through a passage in the stone wall. They moved a stone, and were in the hallway across from Lady Bane's room. It was the room that was once occupied by King Gregor.
"Alright, Cubbi and Sunni, you keep a look out for troggles. Silli and Suzie go into Lady Bane's room and steal the medalion. Cavin and I will be in the dungeon with my poor father. We will be right back."
"Will do!" said Silli.
"Okey dokey!" said Cubbi.
Each group kept a lantern with them. Sunni and Cubbi stood in the hallway. Suzie opened the door to Lady Bane's bedroom carefully. Silli followed while holding the lantern. She placed it on a rug in the middle of the floor. She made sure that it was dim so it wouldn't wake Lady Bane up.
They both walked towards the bed. Silli stood on the right side, and Suzie stood on the left. They both slowly lifted the blanket off of the slumbering witch.
"Blast it! She doesn't have it on." whispered Suzie.
"Where could she be keeping that thing?" whispered Silli.
Lady Bane began to toss and turn.
"Get those Gummies! I have to get my hands on them!" she yelled in her sleep. She grabbed Suzie. She was held tightly under her left arm.
"Talk about getting a grip!" whispered Suzie as she struggled to get loose. Silli began to walk over to the right side of the bed to help her.
"No, find the medalion. I'll be fine."
Silli searched under the bed."Not here either." she whispered.
She began to look on the nightstand. King Gregor's crown was in plain view. She also saw spell books and magical items. she digged through them.
Among them was a black velvet pouch. She opened it.
"Aha! here it is!" she whispered enthusiastically. She put the medalion around her neck.
Suzie groaned softly. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tightly trying to break from the witch's tight grasp. Silli walked over and gently pried her arm off.
"Phew, that was close." whispered Suzie.
They both began to walk out of the room. Suzie tripped over the lantern and fell with a loud thump. The glass shattered. The rug slowly went into flames. Lady Bane woke up and they both ran out of the room as fast as their feet could carry them. Lady Bane woke up in a rage and looked at them.
"My rug! My Gummi medalion! How dare you!" She jumped out of bed and water came shooting out of her fingers putting the fire out.
"Troggles!" Lady Bane screamed. "Get those Gummi Bears!"

Silli and Suzie had gotten into the wall in the hallway just in time and were safe. However, the troggles grabbed Sunni and Cubbi. Lady Bane saw them and pink light came out of her fingers. Sunni and Cubbi were levitated by it.

Meanwhile, Cavin and Calla were in the dungeon. Calla put her arm through the bars and shook King Gregor.
"Father, wake up."
King Gregor woke up startled, but was overjoyed to see them.
"Calla! Cavin!" he cried.
Sir Tuxford was in a cell with him and woke up.
"I'm so glad that you escaped. I was so worried." said King Gregor.
"Well done! But will you be freeing us anytime soon?" asked Sir Tuxford.
"We will do our best sir." answered Cavin.
"We promise to get you out of here some day." said Calla.
"We better get going soon. Otherwise, that witch will wake up and make us join you two." said Cavin.
Calla held King Gregor's hand and placed it near her cheek. She slowly let go of it and ran.
"Goodbye!" said Cavin and Calla at the same time. They ran up the stairs. King Gregor and Sir Tuxford waved.
"The fate of the Kingdom depends on them. I hope with all my might that they can restore it to what it once was." said King Gregor.
"So do I Sire, so do I." said Sir Tuxford.

Cavin and Calla crept into the hallway quietly. They stood unnoticed behind the troggles. Lady Bane's attention was focused on Sunni and Cubbi.
Suzie ran out of the wall very quickly, went behind Lady Bane, and yanked her hair. Her head was pulled back hard. The magic light coming from her fingers disapeared dropping the two cubs. Calla ran over and caught Sunni, and Cavin caught Cubbi.
"Thanks!" said Sunni.
"Yeah! said Cubbi.

Silli ran out of the wall. She took the medalion and held it up with her right hand.
"Hey Lady Insane! Looky what I got!" she yelled mockingly. Suzie let go of her hair, and the witch's attention focused on Silli. Just as she looked at her, she disapeared in a cloud of purple smoke and ended up on a beam near the ceiling. The witch looked around with a confused expression on her face.
"Where did she go!" she growled.
Silli cleared her throat. She imitated Lady Bane's voice perfectly.
"Troggles! Stand on your heads, kick your legs, and make noises like a goat!"
They did what she told them to do."Baaaaaaa!" they bleated.

Calla, Cavin, Cubbi, and Suzie ran down the hallway into Calla's room. Suzie and Cubbi chugged Gummiberry juice and bounced out of the window with Calla and placed her on the ground. They immediately bounced back up and did
the same for Cavin. They waited outside for Silli and Sunni.

Silli jumped down from the beam, grabbed Sunni, and disapeared in a cloud of purple smoke once more.
"Ooh! You idiots!" Lady Bane screamed. Lightening bolts shot out of her fingers towards the troggles. They stood rightside up, stopped making goat noises, and were chased down the hallway. Sunni and Silli reapeared at the other end of the hallway.
"Wow, how did you do that?" said Sunni.
"Silli giggled."It's an old gypsy secret."
They began walking outside.

"I hope they come out soon" said Cavin with a worried look on his face.
"Me too." cried Calla, who was just as worried.
"Here they are!" said Cubbi.
They all walked out of Dunwyn and into the forest. They all gazed at the medalion. They took turns trying it on.
"I can't believe we pulled it off." breathed Silli.
"Me neither!" said Sunni
"I've never had so much adventure in my life!" said Suzie.
"We have." said Cavin and Cubbi together.

They continued walking and chatting. When they got to Gummi Glen, they entered through the doors at the front of the tree. They all landed in the living room. Tummi was sitting in a chair habing a late night snack of marple nut cookies with milk.
"Where were you guys?" asked Tummi.
Sunni held up the medalion and smiled.
"Wow!" said Tummi.
"I'm exhausted. I'm going to sleep." yawned Calla.
The others agreed and they all went off to bed except for Silli and
Tummi.
"I don't know about them, but I'm hungry after all that. Where does
Grammi keep the cookies? Are there any left?" asked Silli.
"Sure, I'll get you some."
Tummi got her some cookies and milk and sat down next to her on the couch.
"Thanks." said Silli while she picked up a cookie.
"No problem. What happened?"
They both finished eating the cookies and talked about what had happened. When Silli was finished with her story, she was exhausted.
"I'm glad you made it out OK."
Silli didn't answer. She had fallen asleep. Her head was rested on his shoulder. He gently picked her up and held her in his arms. He walked into her room and placed her in bed.
"Good thing Meggi is asleep. She might've take this the wrong way." He thought to himself. He tucked her in, walked away, and went to bed himself.

The next morning Grammi called everyone down to breakfast. Everyone came to the table except for the ones who had taken the medalion.
"Where could those kids be?" asked Grammi.
"They're still asleep. I'll wake them up." said Gruffi.
"No, don't. They went through a lot last night. They stole the medalion." said Tummi.
"They did what! We clearly told them not to!" yelled Gruffi.
"Well, they did anyway." said Grammi softly." Let's just be grateful they made it out. We'll settle this when they wake up. They have to be tired after that little escapade last night."
They finished eating. Everyone remained in the room waiting for the adventurers to awaken. Cubbi woke up first. He then woke the others up. They all dressed and went into the dining room. Grammi, Zummi, and Gruffi stood there with their arms folded. They had scowls on their faces.
"We told you not to go. You are only kids, and you could have been hurt." Zummi admonished. His facial expression and voice softened."But I'm still very proud of what you have accomplished, and glad that you did. Where is the medalion?"
Sunni ran to her room, got the medalion, and handed it to Zummi.
"The medalion will glow when it finds someone able to use it. Let's hope it glows for someone here."
"Pummoint, Nummow!" he chanted. He held the stolen medalion up. Everyone watched eagerly. The medalion pulled Zummi towards Silli and Suzie and shined brightly. Zummi seperated the two. He held it up near Suzie's heart, It glowed. The same thing happened with Silli.
"We have two sorceresses here." he said.
Everyone gasped.
"You take it Silli. You have more experience with magic." said Suzie.
Zummi handed it to Silli and she put it on. She hugged Suzie. "Thank you."
"That amulet is powerful too. I'll try and help you learn how to use it. I've been researching it in the Great Book." said Zummi. He then faced Silli."
"I can help you learn how to use the medalion Silli. Whoo hoo! two apprentices!" Zummi explained cheerfully. He put one arm around each of them and led them into the library.
"Oh no! Three of them!" Gruffi complained. He put his hand on his forehead and shook his head.

Megan is new to writing fanfiction, but has a million and one great ideas. This is her only complete story so far, but keep an eye out. I'm betting we'll be seeing more.

FALL'S FAREWELL

By Megan

It was about 9:30 in the evening when Grammi crept silently into the
library, being careful not to startle Zummi, who by now was snoozing
peacefully in a chair with a book nestled in his lap.
Oh, dear, Grammi thought to herself, Zummi has fallen asleep im his
chair again. I told him time and again that sleeping in chairs is the
source of all his back problems. She reached over to the snoring bear and
gently tapped his shoulder. "Zummi," she whispered, "It's time for bed.
You need to wake up now so you can go to sleep."
"Huh? Oh, hello Grammi. I guess I dozed off while reading. Did I
miss anything?"
"Not much. I told Meggie she was welcome to stay for a few days if she
liked. I couldn't send her home to Ursalia so soon. Tummi's so fond of
her. Plus I really appreciate her help around the kitchen."
"Yes, we ALL appreciate that, Grammi," joked Zummi.
Grammi glared at Zummi. Apparantly she didn't quite see the humor in
his remark, though she made no comment of it. She just said, "You know,
Zummi, when we were young, Gummi Glen was bursting with activity. I
remember there being lots of bears here when we were cubs. But our numbers
slowly dwindled. Some of us got ill and never recovered. Still others,
like Sunni's and Cubbi's folks, were forced to leave for New Gumbrea. After
that it was just Gruffi, Tummi, Sunni, Cubbi and us. Nothing ever changed
and we got accustomed to seeing the same faces. I'm not complaining. I
just think it's remarkable that the existence that we have known for quite
some time has changed so swiftly, almost over night it seems. First we met
Cavin and Calla, Gusto and then the Barbics. Now Gruffi's sister Cindi and
your neice Silli live with us. And let's not forget Suzie."
"Yes, Grammi, when you put it that way, it is funny how our numbers
have tripled--no, quadrupled--so fast. I guess it's like the 'old days' again."
The glare in Grammi's eyes had disappeared into a dreamy wistfulness as
she reflected back to those days of yore. By now she was sitting across
from her old friend. She smiled and said, "Remember that Fall's Farewell,
when you asked me to accompany you to the banquet. You were so bashful and
nervous then. I thought it was very sweet."
Zummi chuckled, "Well, courtship was relatively new to me then. I
remember stepping all over your feet when we danced."
Grammi, "Yes, but I didn't say anything. We don't do that at Fall's
Farewell now."
"Do what?"
"Dance. And sing. I remember lots of dancing and singing. We would
spend the whole day before decorating and cooking to prepare for the
celebration. But now we just, well, do nothing, really. Fall's Farewell is
just an excuse for us to do nothing nowadays."
Zummi interjected, "You remember why we did that. Gruffi was working
so hard, and we couldn't convince him to take a day off. We were afraid he
would work himself into an early grave, so we told him that it was a long
tradition to just relax and do nothing on Fall's Farewell. He bought it,
because he believed it was the Gummi Way, and I guess it did turn into a
tradition."
"Yes, you're right. Now that Gruffi's loosened up a bit, though, and
that we have more friends, can't we bring back the way things were,"
implored Grammi.
"Bring what back?"
"Fall's Farewell. The original Fall's Farewell. Everyone gets to
choose a partner, and we'll invite Cavin and Calla, and the Barbics, too."
Zummi looked at Grammi for a moment. "Won't that be a lot of work,
especially for you, Grammi, since we'd have so many mouths to feed?"
"Not with Meggie's help it won't. We'd better hurry, since we have
less than a week to plan."
The next morning, while Grammi was preparing all the invitations, Suzie
woke up and cleaned up for the day. As she left her room, Grammi wizzed
past her, telling her something so fast that she couldn't understand.
"Slow down, I didn't understand you," was Suzie's reply.
"I'm sorry, dear. I'm just in such a rush to get things ready for the
big party. What I was trying to say was that Gusto is here to meet you.
He's waiting in the den." After that, Grammi rushed off again.
Suzie was grateful that Gusto was so punctual, for she was exited to
see him today. He had finally asked her to pose for him, so she was looking
forward to this opportunity to be alone with him so they could finally get
know one another. She liked Cindi, and knew that she and Gusto were "an
item", but she still could not help being attracted to Gusto. He was the
first Gummi Bear she ever met. She thought it was unfair for Cindi to keep
him all to herself. In Suzie's opinion, Cindi had him on a short leash.
She was ALWAYS with him. Needless to say, Suzie was none too pleased, not
to mention surprised, when she rounded the corner to the den and saw Gusto,
with Cindi hanging on his arm.
"Oh. Good morning. I wasn't expecting to find you here, Cindi."
"Why not," she said. "I am, after all, going to do your portrait today."
"I'm sorry, I thought Gusto was going to paint me."
"I will sometime in the future. I'm teaching Cindi how to paint now,
and I thought you'd be the perfect model."
Oh, well, I guess I'm playing the third wheel again, thought Suzie as
the trio headed from the glen.
At the day's end, Gusto walked his companions back to the glen. Since
he was tired, he didn't stick around too long. As he walked bck to his
home, he recalled that Grammi had mentioned something to him that morning
about some sort of party, and that he was supposed to ask someone to be his
date. Well, that's a tough call, he thought to himself. Cindi'll be sure
to expect me to ask her, but what about Suzie. She was new to everyone, and
did not want her to feel excluded. Besides, he thought she was quite
attractive, and figured she might feel the same way about him. But if he
asked Suzie, then he'd be certain to hurt Cindi's feelings. He cared to
much about her to risk that. (He cared to much about his own health, too.
Rejecting Cindi would surely result in receiving a sound blow from her older
brother).
Gusto, he told himself, you've just got to quit saving women.
When he reached his studio, he found a note resting on the table. Upon
reading it, he discovered that it was a love letter, sort of. It was
neither torrid nor disgustingly sentimental. It was rather sweet, actually,
and he could not help from being touched by the sincerity of feeling
conveyed through its words. The sender must have wished to remain
anonymous, though, since there was no name on it at all. He went to bed
that night feeling quite mystified by the whole thing.
The next day the whole glen was in an uproar. Meggie was frantically
trying to prepare the dishes that Grammi had selected for the feast, which
was not an easy task since Tummi assumed the position of food inspector.
Cubbi was making decorations out of colored paper, while Zummi was looking
through the Great Book for a spell or two in order to entertain the guests.
Gruffi was in his element barking orders here and there, as was Grammi,who
was barking at Gruffi. Somehow the discussion, or rather dispute, turned
towards Gusto, and who he was bringing to the dance.
"I don't like the fact that he's going to be her escort. He'd better
not get too friendly with her, or I'll break his legs! She's young and
doesn't know what's good for her yet."
"Well, neither do you, Gruffi. Besides, who says he was going to take
her?"
"Who else is there?" Gruffi's agitation was rising.
"Suzie, for one. They seem to enjoy each other's company. Also, since
she's new, perhaps it would be a nice gesture on his part to take her. She
seems to like him."
"Well, he'd better be Cindi's escort, or I'm gonna break his arms!"
demanded Gruffi.
"Oh, Gruffi, honestly!" Grammi rolled her eyes.
Then Gruffi said, "Well here comes the devil himself. So tell me,
Gusto, who's it going to be?"
Gusto looked puzzled. "You got me, Gruffareeno. I haven't the
slightest idea what you're saying."
"The old buffoon wants to know who you're taking to the banquet. He
thinks it'll be Cindi, but I told him you ought to take Suzie, since she's
new," was Grammi's reply.
"Can't I take them both?"
Gruffi growled, "I don't know where you come from, kid, but around here
we don't approve of such things. ESPECIALLY WITH MY SISTER!"
Gusto flinched. "Hey, I didn't mean anything by that, old pal. Uh, I
think I hear someone calling for me. Bye, now," Gusto stammered as he made
his escape.
This morning Gusto was already anxious about his dilemma, and with
Grammi and Gruffi breathing down his neck, he was completely flustered. "I
need a female's advice," he said as he knocked on Sunni's door.
She answered. "Oh, Hi, Gusto! Something wrong?"
"You bet there is!" He explained the situation to Sunni. Then he told
her about the note and how he decided he was going to make it the deciding
factor in his choice of Cindi and Suzie. "The problem is, how can I find
out which one of them wrote it to me without hurting the other one's feelings?"
Sunni murmured, "How do you know it was one of them who wrote it to you?"
"What do you mean? Who else could have--" Gusto stopped short. "You
wrote it Sunni?"
She was looking at her feet. "So what if I did," she said, hardly audible.
At first Gusto was speechless. Then Sunni said, still looking at her
feet, "Ever since we first met I've liked you, but I knew I was too young.
But I've grown a little since then, and I thought, well---" As she railed
off, tears begin to fill her eyes.
"You know I'm too old for you. I always will be. Just think Sunni,
when you're all grown and beautifil, I'll be balding. What little hair I'll
still have will be gray, and there will be wrinkles around my eyes. Don't
waste your youth on me." At that she began to cry. He put his arm around
her and said, "We'll always be friends, though, and I won't say that I don't
envy the guy who's going to steal your heart one of these days." They sat
like that for a few minutes, and he was suddenly inspired. "Tell you what.
Would you like to come with me to the big party tomorrow?"
Sunni's eyes brightened. "You really want me to?"
"Absolutely! I can't think of a more perfect solution!" And so they
did. When Cindi and Suzie heard the news, each one was a little saddened,
but not too much. Cindi danced with her brother; Meggie and Tummi stayed at
the supper table, snacking and giggling; Ursa and Gritti showed off some
Barbic moves; Buddy played his flute while Silli sang and shook a tamborine;
Suzie entertained Cubbi and Zummi danced with Grammi, not once stepping on
her feet.

The End

Cindy is an excellent person, who is a huge Gummi fan. Her stories are all very involved and flow smoothly from one to the next. I only include one of her stories because I'm sure she'd rather you visit her site at Gummi Islands.

After I finished the poll I noticed that I left off a writer who would definatley been a candidate for best fan fiction. Her name is Carolyn. I owe her a great apology, I don't know how I missed her. So instead of listing my own fanfics I have posted her story instead. Please read and enjoy this story. It will be a contender for 1999.

Suzie
by Carolyn

Gusto was painting, as usual, while Arte was giving him "helpful" comments. Soon Gusto became very annoyed.
"Look, Arte, why don't you go hang out with Cubbi for a while?" Gusto said.
"Well if you don't want me around then that's just fine!" Arte huffed.
Gusto rolled his eyes as Arte flew away. Arte was just beggining to enjoy the feel of the wind on his face as he soared throught the sky, when he heard a bloodcurdling scream. He swooped down to investigate. He saw some ogres shaking a tree.
"Give us pretty shiny thingy"one ogre said.
"No! It's mine!" yelled the tree.
"Dukie be happy, we gonna get Gummi and shiny magic thingie" one ogre told another ogre.
Arte perched in the tree that the ogres were shaking and saw a terrified green gummi bear hanging on for dear life.
"Hello!" Arte said cheerfully.
The gummi bear almost fell off when she saw Arte.
"Could you help me or go get help, because I'm in no mood for introductions at the moment." she hissed.
"I could get Gusto, but he probably wouldn't be much help."Arte said thoughtfully.
" Fine now go!" she yelled.
Arte flew back to Gusto as fast as he could.
"Gusto...bear...in ...tree"Arte panted.
"Whoa slow down Arte!" Gusto exclaimed.
"There's a gummi bear trapped in a tree by ogres."Arte said urgently.
"Who?"Gusto asked.
"I've never seen her before."Arte shrugged.
"Well let's go save her." Gusto said.
"HHHEEEELLLLPPPP!"Susie cried.
She was losing her grip on the tree. That bird hadn't come back yet. She really didn't expect him to. Suddenly the ogres had stopped shaking the tree. She poked her head out and saw them chasing something.
"They're gone you can come down now." the bird said fluttering beside her.
She slid down the trunk of the tree looking bewildered.
"Now come on."Arte prompted her.
Arte then told her to lift up the rock he was indicating to.
"But I can't lift that up." she whined.
"I think I see those orges coming back."
"Okay, I'm lifting ,I'm lifting." she sighed.
She peered down the hole that was beneath the rock, suddenly she felt ashove from behind. She screamed as she fell into the blackness.
"Welcome to Gummi Glen!" Arte chirped, "and that is Gusto, who saved your life."he said indicating to the blue bear who was looking at some paintings.
Suddenly Gruffi and Grammi walked in and all heck broke loose.
Gruffi started yelling at her and then at Gusto, "What were you thinking, bringing a stranger here!"
"Relax, Gruffi, you're frighting the poor dear."Grammi said.
"Remember Carny?" he yelled.
Then both of them got into a fight. As they were fighting, the other gummies came out of their rooms to see what all the commotion was about. Then they all started talking at once.
"QUIET!"Susie yelled.
They all turned to her in surprise.
"I might as well tell you everything so that none of you become to suspicious." she said glaring at Gruffi, who let out a hurmph and crossed his arms.
"The trolls attacked my villiage long ago, plundering and looting. My mother knew of a cottage close by where two friendly humans lived. She left me on their door stop and went back to go get my father. She never came back to the cottage. Shortly after the couple found me outside and took me in. They raised me as though I was their own daughter. The only thing I had to remember my birth parents by was an amulet my mother left with me. I believed it to be magic later on. She was probably trying to keep it out of th troll's hands. So one day, when I was much older, my foster parents recieved news that there were gummi bears inthese woods, near Dunwyn. I begged them to let me go because I wanted to live amongst other gummi bears. So after a very tearful goodbye I started my trek to these woods. I have been living here for two months looking for you guys." she finished.
They all seemed to accept her story.
Then Zummi asked do you still have the amulet?"
"Of course." she replied and reached into the pouch on her belt pulling out a beautiful ruby amulet with a gummi emblem made out of gold on the bottom.
" May I uh look at this?" Zummi asked her looking at the amulet with great intrest.
"Sure." she said shrugging.
Zummi then hurried off to the library.
"Can I do your hair?" Sunni asked looking at it.
"Wanna play capture the flag?" Cubbi asked eagerly.
"Do you know any good food recipies?" Tummi asked rubbing his stomach.
"I can teach you to make gummi beary juice would you like that?" Grammi asked.
" I think you're going to like it here, Susie." Gusto said putting his arm around her.
She looked around at all of the smiling faces looking at her expectantly. Then a slow smile spread across her face. "Yeah I think I'm going to like it here too."


This is copyrighted by me, Carolyn. You may use this story to distribute or whatever as long as you don't change anything and if you do distribute it give me a little credit for writing it. Susie is an original character and the gummi bears are being used without permission but with the highest of respects. They are a copyright of disney. Oh yeah and you're not allowed to use this story to make money or anthing like that. Everything else is just hunky dory.

Gummizine Needs Your Help

My goal is to involve all web using fans in this project. I need reoccuring articles, web reviews and even feature stories for future issues. The next issue wshould be up in November. If anyone is interested, please email me with your idea or full article. I will print just about anything and you will get full credit. Artwork is welcome also.

Hope to hear from you soon. Thanks alot,
Flip of Dunwyn