I thought maybe I'd left that summer trouble behind. With the gnome.

"Heya, kid. It's time we had a talk about that favor."

He showed up at my dorm room this morning.

"Pull up over behind that stump."

The gnome had to stand up in the passenger seat to see out over the dashboard.

"You really should wear the seatbelt," I said.

"I've been riding in these things since before they were made," he said. "You just drive."

The gnome had me shut off the headlights, but the moon was out and I could make out the stump at the edge of the clearing. I eased the bubble car around it and killed the engine.

I popped the canopy and the gnome leaped outside. Surprisingly spry for a creature of his girth. Then he let out a whistle like a whip-poor-will.

There was a rustle in the ferns at the edge of the woods and a team of gnomes leapt out and rushed the bubble car.

Working silently, they unloaded the bulbs of blackmarket bubblejuice from the trunk and the back seat, filling their sacks, and then scampering back into the woods. The whole thing took less than three minutes.

"See, what did I tell ya, kid? Easy peasy."

We headed back to the gnome's cousin's house, this time with the lights on, me wondering what kind of plausible story I'd have about driving around in the Shady Woods in the middle of the night with a disreputable looking gnome.

The gnome's cousin was nice, and his wife, and the twins. Not disreputable gnomes at all. Though I wasn't expected, they insisted on moving their whole dinner out of their gnome home (which I could not fit inside of) and setting it up picnic style in the meadow out front.

They hung little lanterns in the trees, and the blankets were laden with seven kinds of mushrooms, nuts and berries and cream and honey and butter and bread. There was sparkling water and tea and spice cake and jam for dessert.

They were so incredibly friendly. We talked and talked but they never really asked me any questions, about who I was or about my car or about Psyhigh or why I was driving their cousin around. But they made me feel very comfortable and at home the whole time.

"You can find your way home alright kid?" asked the gnome after dinner "Me and my cousin got some business to discuss."

So I got back into the bubble car, turned the lights on, and headed for campus.

Some kids think it's hard having a part-time job and going to school, and while it might cut into extracurriculars, having a bubble car sure makes it a lot easier. I can't imagine having to take the bus it would take an hour both ways.

I work at the sub shop at Crossroads. If you ever order delivery you might see me.

This time of year I can spend all night outside of the Terraridorm. Even several nights in a row.

Well, in theory. It's kind of spooky.

Sometimes I can convince Hank Okomodo, Dragon Boy, to join me. We find a nice spot in the woods, far enough away from campus to get away from the lights, and set up camp. All I need is moisture and some rich soil. Hank brings some jerky. Then we just soak in the atmosphere.

So we're out there the other night. Hank gets lethargic when it gets cool, and you might confuse him for a small pile of logs if you didn't know what you were looking for. And I just blend in to the forest floor.

Which is why the gnomes never noticed us.

"You just drop 'em off at your next stop. Should be Winky Trillium, if I'm not mistaken."

The gnome had ordered a sandwich, and now wanted to put four cases of bubblejuice in my car.

"You both ordered subs just to I would be visit you both? In order?"

"The streets are too hot right now. Those police bees would be on us like--"

"And you want ME to take the risk?"

"Aw, nobody's looking at the sandwich boy. You just be sure to pull up behind ol' Winky's hovel, and unload 'em real crisp like."

"You can't just--"

"One of these cases is for you, if you'll take it. Ol' Winky only needs three."

I was conflicted. But a whole case of that sweet, high power bubble juice. That could take me and my bubble car a long way. And fast.

"Well..."

I'd heard about Bubble Juice from a single off-hand remark from @Jo Conde when he got Hank and I out of our fix last summer. He made a joke out of it. I thought it was just some thing that happened out in the boonies.

"Ooooooo! Don't squeeze 'em! Don't squeeze 'em!" said the fat gnome to the skinny gnome.

But I guess there's more and more bubble cars out and about these days. Used to be that @Jo Conde had the only one in town, but you do see more of them now.

"You just watch where you're going!"

"If I could see where I was going, I wouldn't be carrying so many of these damn things!"

"Wut?"

So to watch actual gnomes harvesting the bubble juice right out of the woods behind Psyhigh was really an eye opener.

"Hey watch out for that root!"

"Where?"

"By your foot!"

"Whooah whooah whooah...."

SPLOOT

It was pretty nerve wracking at first, but the gnome smoothed out the process, and that sweet sweet bubble juice goes so fast. I’ve been going on lots of drives.

Now the gnome meets me right around the corner from the sub shop, and we load up the bubble juice dressed up to look like liter bottles of pop. And it’s amazing how many people get deliveries. People you’ve heard of. Prominent business leaders and local politicians and celebrity influencers. It’s so common it hardly feels illegal anymore.

Meanwhile, delivery business at the sub shop is way up. The owner’s very happy with the increase in business and not looking this gift gnome in the mouth I’ll tell you that.