Gnomeo and Juliet Read online

  “Trust me,” Nanette said. “Nobody is going to pay you any attention in this.”

  She handed the sock to Juliet.

  “Then it’s perfect,” Juliet replied.

  Juliet pulled the disguise over her head and quickly made holes for her arms, legs, and face. She twirled once to show off her handiwork, then gave a kung fu kick for good measure.

  “I’m going in,” Juliet whispered as she slipped away into the darkness.

  Gnomeo inched his way up to the top of the fence and peeked into the Red garden below. His plan for payback was under way.

  He saw Fawn and the other members of Tybalt’s gang of goons playing cards. Tybalt was asleep in a bucket hanging over a wishing well.

  Good, thought Gnomeo. They won’t notice me. He hurled the nozzle end of a garden hose over the fence like a rope.

  Scrutinizing the Red garden, Gnomeo spotted a motion detector. He also noted the searchlight that continually scanned the yard. He realized that he would have to time things exactly right.

  Just then, he heard a loud clanking below him.

  He looked down and saw Benny climbing the fence, his paint can clattering behind him. Gnomeo rolled his eyes.

  “Shhhh,” Gnomeo warned. “Keep quiet.”

  Gnomeo and Benny worked their way over the top of the fence. They grabbed hold of the long hose’s nozzle and held on tight. Gnomeo gave a thumbs-up to Shroom and some stone bunnies in the Blue garden. The bunnies set to work unwinding the long hose reel, slowly lowering Gnomeo and Benny into the Red garden.

  Gnomeo felt as if he were in an action movie. Awesome! He landed softly on the ground. Benny landed with an awkward clank behind him. They made their way toward the garden shed.

  Gnomeo and Benny hid behind a large plant and peered out into the yard. Fawn and the goons were still talking at the card table. Now was the time to make a move.

  Gnomeo and Benny dashed across the lawn. They made it safely to the shed and grinned at each other. Success!

  Gnomeo flung open the shed door. Tybalt’s shiny red mower sat inside. “Ha ha!” Gnomeo exclaimed. They had come for revenge, and they were about to get it. “Benny, give me the paint.”

  Gnomeo reached behind him to grab the paint can from his friend. Only…Benny wasn’t there. “Benny?” Gnomeo whispered.

  Gnomeo turned and watched in horror as Benny sprayed graffiti on the Reds’ prized wishing well—the one that Tybalt was sleeping above! Benny had abandoned their plan—he’d gone rogue! Gnomeo tried to keep his cool.

  Benny shook the can and continued spraying. Tybalt grunted and rolled over, still sleeping soundly in the well’s bucket. This was a recipe for disaster.

  “Benny! Benny!” Gnomeo whispered.

  The tiny gnome didn’t stop. His thirst for revenge had taken over. He kept spraying the well with paint. He shook the can again, but he shook it so hard that he lost his grip.

  Gnomeo watched as the can flew through the air. It couldn’t have been aimed better to set off the motion sensor!

  “Noooo!” Gnomeo cried. He leaped and caught the can, but it was too late. The motion sensor’s alarm went off!

  “Tybalt!” Lord Redbrick thundered as he came storming across the lawn to see what the noise was all about.

  Tybalt jolted awake from his nap. He tumbled out of his bucket and saw Gnomeo.

  “Get them, you idiots!” Tybalt called to Fawn and the goons.

  “Run for it!” Gnomeo cried. He rolled the paint can toward Tybalt’s goons. They all toppled over, except for Fawn. The deer nimbly hurdled the can and galloped toward Gnomeo and Benny. Thinking fast, Gnomeo pulled some acorns from his belt. He threw them at the ground in front of Fawn. Fawn stumbled and fell.

  Gnomeo and Benny dove behind a bush, hiding from Tybalt’s gaze.

  “Where did he go?” Tybalt asked, looking around the yard. He didn’t appreciate being made to look like a fool.

  “He’s in the begonias,” one of the goons replied.

  Tybalt gave the goon a cold stare. “Well…,” he began. “Do I look like a begonia? Find him!”

  Tybalt’s crew sprang into action, searching every bush.

  “Not here,” said one goon.

  “Not here, either,” echoed Fawn.

  Another goon moved toward the bush that Benny and Gnomeo were hiding behind. Benny stood still, trying to blend in. Gnomeo crouched down behind him. This was it! They were finished!

  The goon pulled apart the branches, but all he noticed was a big yellow flower. “Nothing but daisies here,” he said.

  Gnomeo and Benny glanced at each other in disbelief. Benny’s flower costume had worked!

  “Come on!” Gnomeo whispered to Benny. They raced for the fence and tugged on the hose’s nozzle. On the other side, Shroom and the stone bunnies began to reel in the hose. Gnomeo and Benny were slowly lifted back to the top of the fence.

  But just before they would have been safely out of reach, Fawn and the goons saw them and grabbed hold of Gnomeo’s foot! Gnomeo tried to shake them off, but it was no use.

  Gnomeo had to think of something. “Hold on!” he called to Shroom and the bunnies. Then he pressed the trigger on the hose’s nozzle with all his might. Water blasted from the hose, sending them all whipping through the air. But the goons held on tight.

  There was only one way out of this, Gnomeo realized. He looked up at Benny. “See you on the other side,” he said.

  Gnomeo let go of the hose. He and the goons fell to the ground.

  “Gnomeo! Noooo!” Benny shouted as he left his best friend behind. The stone bunnies quickly pulled Benny to the top of the fence.

  Gnomeo landed in a red rowboat planter. Tybalt jumped in front of him. He was holding a trowel as a weapon. Gnomeo grabbed a nearby bamboo pole and prepared to battle. The two gnomes charged at each other. Their makeshift swords clashed.

  Suddenly, the lights in Mr. Capulet’s house came on.

  Gnomeo and Tybalt froze.

  Mr. Capulet peered out into the yard. Seeing that his garden was quiet and peaceful, he turned away and switched off the lights.

  Gnomeo had a split second to act. He grabbed the clothesline and, pulling back on it, launched himself into the air. Using a piece of clothing from the line as a parachute, he drifted into the sky and over the fence.

  “Arghhh!” Tybalt cried, throwing his trowel to the ground.

  Gnomeo gave a little wave to Tybalt and his goons.

  “I wish I could stay, but…gotta fly!” Gnomeo said as he disappeared into the night.

  Gnomeo drifted through the sky with his improvised parachute. He made his landing in the overgrown garden across the alley. What is this place? he thought. It sure is quiet…and weird.

  Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. Looking up, he watched as another gnome in a black costume ran along the garden wall, ducking under tree branches in her way. Who is that? Gnomeo wondered. Even in an old black sock, she was beautiful.

  Still in his camouflage, Gnomeo followed her, working his way through the overgrown garden. It looked as if she was headed for the old glass greenhouse. A single white orchid was growing out of a hole in the roof of the run-down building.

  Juliet pulled herself up to the top of the dilapidated greenhouse. Whew! she thought. I made it!

  Gnomeo sneaked around and scaled a wall on the other side. He reached the rooftop just as Juliet did.

  Gnomeo and Juliet locked eyes. Suddenly, it was as if the whole world had stopped just for them. It was love at first sight!

  Gnomeo felt dizzy.

  Juliet looked as if she might faint.

  Gnomeo took a step forward.

  Juliet took a step backward.

  Both gnomes held their breath.

  The spell was broken when they heard a loud crack! The glass roof under Juliet’s feet began to fracture. She was going to fall!

  Gnomeo grabbed her hand just in time. He pulled with all his might, and the beautiful,
mysterious gnome stumbled into his arms.

  “Ummm,” she said nervously. “You’re probably wondering what I’m doing on the roof of your greenhouse. It’s just…I…well, I thought no one lived here.”

  “Oh…this isn’t my garden,” Gnomeo replied.

  Juliet laughed. “Oh! Well, that’s good. Because I just came to get that orchid.” She pointed to the beautiful white bloom curling up through the hole in the roof.

  “Oh, this?” Gnomeo asked. He snapped off the orchid and took a sniff. “I don’t know,” he said. “I think I’m going to have to keep ahold of this one.”

  “What?” Juliet cried. “But I saw it first. So why don’t you just hand it over?” She tried to snatch the flower from Gnomeo.

  Gnomeo playfully tossed it from one hand to another. “Well, I grabbed it first,” he said, teasing her. “And possession is nine-tenths of the law. But if you want it, come and get it.”

  “All right,” Juliet said. Two could play at this game. She stomped on one of the greenhouse’s panes of glass, sending it spinning. It knocked the orchid right out of Gnomeo’s hand and into hers.

  “Thanks,” Juliet said sweetly.

  Then Juliet slipped! She dropped the orchid and fell through the hole in the roof. She landed unhurt on a sprinkler pipe inside the greenhouse.

  Gnomeo looked down at her from the roof. He was now holding the orchid. “Nice greenhouse, huh?” he said with a smirk.

  “Oh yeah, you should see it from here,” Juliet called up. She yanked Gnomeo’s leg and pulled him into the greenhouse with her. Now the orchid was hers again!

  Gnomeo snatched it back. “Who’s your gnomie?” he said.

  Back and forth they went, taking the orchid from each other.

  They made their way down to the floor of the greenhouse, but Gnomeo got out the door first, clutching the orchid. In the garden, he started to run across a log stretched over a pond like a bridge. He was halfway across the log when he noticed that the girl was no longer there. And then, sneaking up on him from behind, she grabbed the flower.

  But suddenly the log gave way. Snap!

  They both plunged into the pond! Juliet’s sock and Gnomeo’s camouflage came away in the water.

  Gnomeo and Juliet looked at each other underwater. For the first time, each noticed the color of the other’s hat.

  Oh.

  No.

  Red and blue! This was bad. They were sworn enemies! If anyone saw them together, it would mean major trouble!

  Juliet climbed out of the pond, gasping and dripping wet. Her father would never forgive her if she started spending time with a Blue. She hurried toward the alley.

  Gnomeo followed her. He had to convince her that they could work things out.

  Juliet leaped through a hole in the fence and landed in the alley. She stood—and ran smack into Tybalt, Fawn, and the goons.

  “Juliet!” Tybalt exclaimed. “What are you doing out here?”

  Juliet paused for a moment. “I’m…umm—well, I could ask you the same question, Tybalt,” she said cleverly.

  “We’re looking for a Blue gnome,” Tybalt growled. “He’s an ugly little fella.”

  “And his name’s Gnomeo,” Fawn added.

  At the sound of his name, Gnomeo flattened himself against the other side of the fence. He held his breath. Now was not the time to get caught—he had just met the gnome of his dreams!

  “You haven’t seen him, have you?” Tybalt asked.

  Gnomeo stood still, listening carefully. What will she do?

  “Hmmm.” Juliet pretended to think. “He sounds awful! No, I certainly haven’t seen him, haven’t seen him at all,” she said.

  “Lucky you,” Tybalt snarled. He put his hand on Juliet’s arm. “Come on, let’s get inside.”

  Juliet had no choice. She glanced over her shoulder, searching for Gnomeo. She saw him peeping around the overgrown garden’s fence.

  They locked eyes one last time. Then Juliet disappeared into the Red garden.

  Gnomeo was left alone in the empty alley. “Juliet,” he whispered. And then he groaned.

  Of all things, why did she have to be a Red? he thought.

  Back in the safety of the Red garden, Nanette was dying for details of Juliet’s night.

  “So…where’s this oh-so-important, life-changing orchid?” Nanette asked. It hadn’t escaped her that Juliet had sneaked out of the garden for the precious flower but had come back empty-handed.

  Juliet didn’t answer. She was off in her own world, thinking about Gnomeo. “Um, what orchid?” she said dreamily. She walked up the steps of the grotto.

  “Hmmm,” Nanette replied. The frog quickly grew suspicious. Juliet was hiding something, she was positive. But what could it be? She caught up with Juliet and grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “What?” Juliet asked.

  Nanette looked deep into Juliet’s eyes. She knew her friend better than anyone. If Juliet had a secret, Nanette would figure it out. Then, all of a sudden, she had it!

  “No way!” Nanette exclaimed. “You met a boy,” she declared, pointing a finger at Juliet.

  Juliet looked flustered. “What? No!” she cried. “Well, maybe…sort of…I’m…” Juliet blushed. She couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Yes! Yes, I did!” she shouted. It felt great to tell someone.

  Nanette shook Juliet giddily. “I need details, and go slowly. Is he totally gorgeous?” she asked.

  “Totally,” Juliet gushed.

  “Does he have a nice round belly?” Nanette inquired.

  “Well, let’s just call it sturdy,” Juliet replied.

  Nanette whistled. This gnome sounded too good to be true!

  But Juliet knew she had to tell Nanette the whole truth about Gnomeo. He was a Blue and she was a Red. And that meant they could never be together.

  Juliet tried to think of the right words to make Nanette understand. “His hat…,” she started. “You know, I suppose, in a certain light, you might say it looks sort of…blue.”

  “Blue,” Nanette repeated. It wasn’t quite a question and it wasn’t quite a statement. Then she became silent, which was hard for Nanette to do. Juliet had to be kidding. Nanette laughed nervously. “Oh, this is one of your little jokes. Ahahaha. Ha ha. Ha ha!”

  Juliet gave Nanette a serious look. She wasn’t joking.

  “Oh, flippin’, flamin’ Nora! She’s smooching the face off a Blue!” Nanette exclaimed. This was juicier gossip than she’d thought!

  Juliet clamped her hand over Nanette’s mouth.

  The last thing she needed was for this news to get out. “Shhh—please shush, Nanette. Just zip it,” Juliet said, making a “zip your lips” motion across her mouth with her finger.

  Nanette did the same. “Zzzzip,” she said. Juliet’s secret was safe with her. But she was too excited about it to keep quiet. “Oh, Juliet! This is fantastic!”

  Juliet looked at her friend hopefully. If Nanette really thought it was okay, maybe it was. “Is it?” she asked.

  “It’s doomed!” Nanette cried. “Doomed!”

  “What?” Juliet said.

  “A Red and a Blue. It just can’t be! It’s a doomed love, and that’s the best kind!” Nanette explained. “You’ll never see him again! And then, one day, when you die, you’ll be all, ‘Oh, my true love, I only saw him once! Oh! Oh, ohhhh…!’” Nanette pretended to faint in Juliet’s arms.

  Shocked, Juliet dropped Nanette. “I’ll only see him once? What do you mean I’ll only see him once?” she exclaimed.

  But Nanette was lost in her own daydream now. “How romantically tragic!” she cried, swooning again.

  Juliet bit her lip. She couldn’t bear it if Nanette was right.

  Nanette picked a flower. She began to pluck its petals off one by one, singing, “Your love is doomed.” Pluck! “Your love is dead.” Pluck! “Your love is doomed.” Pluck! “Your love is dead.” Pluck! Pluck! Pluck!

  Nanette wandered off, leaving Juliet alone with her thoughts.


  Juliet heaved a big sigh. Blue. She had finally met her perfect match, and he was out of reach. But maybe—

  “Doomed!” Nanette cried out in the darkness.

  As Juliet continued to worry, Gnomeo was busy making plans to see her again. He sneaked quietly through the back gate into the Red garden. As he slipped stealthily along the fence, he overheard a conversation between two gnomes.

  “I’ve never seen Lord Redbrick so riled up! We have to find Gnomeo,” one gnome said to the other. They moved away and joined a large group of Reds by the wishing well. They were inspecting the Blue graffiti Benny had left behind.

  Gnomeo took a deep breath and continued his search for Juliet. Finally, he spotted her high on her balcony at the center of the grotto. She looked beautiful in the moonlight. It sounded as if she was talking to herself. Gnomeo listened.

  “Oh, Gnomeo, Gnomeo, are we really doomed, Gnomeo, to never see each other again?” Juliet cried. “Why must you wear a blue hat? Why couldn’t it be red, or green, or purple? Because you’re a Blue, my father sees red. Because I’m a Red, I’m feeling blue. That shouldn’t be the thing to keep us apart, should it?”

  Gnomeo couldn’t believe his ears. Juliet was talking about him! He couldn’t resist letting her know he had heard her. “No! No! It shouldn’t! I couldn’t have said it better myself!” he called out.

  Juliet jumped at the sound of another voice. She was alone, wasn’t she? Then she saw Gnomeo standing below. Her cheeks flushed as red as her hat. “Oh,” she said, collecting herself. “Did you just hear all of that? What are you doing here?”

  “I don’t know,” Gnomeo replied, suddenly feeling shy. “I…umm…I came here to…well, I just wanted to see you again.”

  Juliet’s heart melted. But then she nervously looked around. She began to panic. “Are you crazy?” she asked. “If Dad finds you here, he’ll bury you under the patio!”

  Gnomeo waved his hand at the mention of Lord Redbrick. Juliet’s father scared the paint off him, but Gnomeo didn’t want Juliet to think he was a wimp. He strolled casually toward her—and tripped over a rock. Oooff. So much for smooth, he thought.

  Unfortunately, Gnomeo’s foot had landed on the switch that controlled Mr. Capulet’s mechanized grotto display. Before Gnomeo and Juliet could do anything to stop it, the garden lit up with lights and blaring music—and Juliet’s balcony started to spin. Her grotto now looked and sounded like a wild nightclub!