Beanie In The Bottle: Beanie Books, #1

By Matt Wiedeman

When Ben left school with his twin sister Beth, he thought it would be the same as any other day. This normally means sitting by Angie, the girl he is sweet on, and enjoying their short time together.

 

However, Ben soon realized that this day would be different when an unexpected friend named Gloppy joins him in his seat. Gloppy made some poor choices on the bus that led to Ben's bus privileges getting revoked. Ben would have to walk all the way to school.

 

So, the next day, Ben recruited his friend Cole to take the shortcut through the haunted woods. On the way there, they broke some bottles, saw an outhouse with dead flies, and found an antique bottle that may or may not have something unexpected inside. All that happened next was the weirdest day EVER!  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matt Wiedeman
• Release date: Jan 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9798223463559

Matt Wiedeman

Hi everyone, I live in Cincinnati, OH with my family. I started writing Beanie in the Bottle as a fun side project. It ended up becoming a series. Someday I hope to meet a genie.

Book preview

The Haunted Woods

K ids, for the millionth time, there’s nobody living in the forest in the middle of town, Mr. Jenkins, our beloved English teacher, assured us.

The kids in our class were curious about local folklore. According to legend, there’s a mysterious man living in the woods near our house.

Could it be bigfoot? my sister Beth pondered.

No, it's not bigfoot! And there’s no 'it'! Mr. Jenkins responded with a smile.

But what about the donkey? I asked as the bell rang.

Of course, there’s no donkey, Ben! Now, everyone, please get in line for dismissal, he said cheerfully.

We shuffled out and onto our buses, each of us heading to our assigned seats. I plonked down near the back, snagging my usual aisle seat. My buddy Cole, who usually claimed the window spot, was absent that day. Jackpot, I had the entire seat to myself! Or so I thought. To my surprise, who should waddle up but Gloppy, the legendary character from my school. His official name? Boris Gloppenstein. But let's stick to Gloppy. Eager for the window seat, he spotted me and beamed. Scoot over, Ben, he chirped with a grin.

Just climb over me, I shot back, thoroughly amused by his unexpected appearance.

Gloppy is practically a neighbor to the school, so seeing him on the bus was like spotting a unicorn.

Hey there, Gloppy! What's with the bus ride today? I inquired as he casually took the seat beside me.

Just felt like shaking things up a bit, he shrugged.

The bus was packed, but lucky for him, Cole was MIA, so there was an opening.

Sorry, Gloppy, but you're in Cole's spot, I pointed out.

Looks like I lucked out since Cole is out today. Oh, by the way, it's my birthday, he casually dropped.

Wait a minute. It's your birthday and no cookies? What's up with that? I teased.

Birthday cookies? Come on, man, how old do you think I am? he retorted.

Well, I'm pretty sure there's a universal rule about birthday treats, I insisted.

Maybe next year, he joked.

Angie and I have quite the quirky dynamic. We've been friends for ages, but lately, things have taken an interesting turn. I mean, come on, who could resist my irresistible charm, right? Haha.

So, Angie noticed Gloppy, our resident rebel without a cause. She couldn't help but poke fun at his sneaky antics, and I couldn't resist joining in on the banter. Gloppy seemed utterly unphased by the whole ordeal. Classic Gloppy, always keeping us on our toes.

Ah, life's never dull with this guy around, that's for sure!

Gloppy was absolutely thrilled about the bus ride. Wow, this window is the coolest! Look, you can make it go up and down by moving these sliders. Yay, bus windows are absolutely awesome!

Come on, just relax and enjoy the view, I suggested. There are trees and clouds out there.

Taking my advice, Gloppy peered out the window, only to realize that hopping on the bus might have been a giant mistake. Um, I don't think this bus is heading back to school.

No kidding! exclaimed Angie.

Gloppy's eyes bulged with panic as I filled him in. Oh no, Gloppy, this bus won't be circling back to school. Once we hop off, the driver probably heads back to the garage and calls it a day.

Gloppy hung his head in realization. He made his way to the front of the bus, determined to sort things out with the driver.

Hey, Mr. Driver, Sir. I goofed up and hopped on this bus by accident. Any chance of a lift back to school after the final drop-off?

The bus driver didn't seem too sympathetic to Gloppy's plight as he delivered the news. Howdy there, new fella. I won't be heading back to school. Seems like you've hopped onto the wrong bus.

Alrighty, thanks, Gloppy mumbled glumly as he trudged back to our seats.

Hey, he turned to me, could I go to your house and hang out for a bit? I’ll call my parents to pick me up. They both work, so I'll only need to stay a couple of hours.

Wow, my mom just lives for unexpected visitors, I said.

She does? he asked, completely missing my sarcasm.

I was totally kidding! She won't mind if you crash for a bit, I replied optimistically.

The bus chugged past the spooky woods near our place. Legend has it, a guy lives there with his trusty donkey. There used to be a fence around the forest for as long as anyone could remember. None of us kids dared to go anywhere near it. But today, lo and behold, I spotted an opening!

Hey, Gloppy, have you ever seen an entrance to the forest like that?

Nope, never, he said, catching on to my interest. Don't even think about venturing in there, Ben.

Do you reckon there are ghosts in there?

My dad, Big Gloppy, goes berserk if anyone even mentions that place. We better steer clear of it, he warned.

Gotcha, buddy, I said, turning my attention back to Angie.

Oh, I see what's going on. You’re trying to talk to Angie and want to ditch me, he shouted, meaning to embarrass me and cause trouble.

What's the commotion about, Ben? Angie inquired, catching wind of our exchange.

Just ignore him. He's just a bit hyped up because it's his birthday, and he's riding a bus for the first time, I clarified.

I can handle that, she responded.

Also, between you and me, I think he enjoys candy too much, I whispered.

We both looked over at him and giggled as he pulled some chewy