Chapter Text
"Well, well, well,” sighed Mr. Willy Wonka, “Two naughty little children are gone. Three good little children left… I think we'd better get out of this room quickly before we lose anyone else!'”
“Mr. Wonka,” said Charlie Bucket anxiously, “Will Violet Beauregarde ever be all right again or will she always be a blueberry?”
“She won't, don't worry my boy, they'll de-juice her in no time flat!” declared Mr. Wonka, then having a few doubts. “Or at least I hope she won't; we never had a blueberry as big as her… I'm even surprised such a young girl could hold that much juice!”
“She didn't hold it that well in the boat,” Veruca snickered, slightly covering her mouth.
Mr. Wonka wasn't happy with the situation, but he couldn't help but chuckle at Veruca's comment. Even if it wasn't for a good reason, she seemed more interested in the tour than ever, and that didn't go unnoticed.
“My dear Veruca, it's fascinating to see how opposition sparks your enthusiasm. No leader truly shines without facing challenges. Indeed, there's potential beneath all those layers of entitlement…” Mr. Wonka thought out loud.
Veruca, unsure about how to take it, opted to keep it collected. How could challenges be good? If they were her parents would have used them with her, but even then, she had to agree that her rivalry with Violet kept her on the edge of her seat, even if it was only to see her fail for yelling at her before.
“But will she still be blue all over?” asked Grandpa Joe
“No, no, no” answered Mr. Wonka. “She’ll be purple from head to toe. Maybe she can find some use for her new complexion, it for sure will catch people’s attention, that’s what she wanted, right?”
Mr. Wonka scuttled across to the far end of the Inventing Room and went out through a small secret door hidden behind many pipes and stoves. The three remaining children, together with the five remaining grown-ups, followed after him. Charlie Bucket saw that they were now back in one of those long pink corridors with many other pink corridors leading out of it, and as he expected, the Inventing Room’s door could only be opened inside.
Mr. Wonka was keeping the door open with his foot, and seeing everyone was outside, he got back to the Inventing room, not before explaining his intentions:
“I need to take a sample of the malfunctioning gum and analyze it, it will take me five minutes, I’m sure you’ll understand.” with that he went inside and closed the door, leaving his guests confused about what to do next.
Not even ten seconds later he opened the door again, taking a bag with a big “W” from his coat “Oh, and sorry for the inconvenience! I thought as compensation I must let the kids enjoy one of my exclusive candies. They have no side effects, don’t worry about that, you’ll be the first people ever to try them, they will be out on the market next year!”
Veruca was the first one to put both hands in the bag, she picked several candies that caught her attention, keeping her favorite one in her hands, and giving the others to her parents, to save them for later. Her choice was a small marzipan elephant, with a transparent wrapper that allowed her to see, and “Dancers” written on it.
Charlie was the next one to step closer, he put his hand in the bag with his eyes closed, he didn’t know what to choose, so he decided maybe it could be fun to let luck choose him. He looked at what he pulled out, it was some kind of big, squarish, and soft sweet “Musical-mellows” said the purple, decorated with a gold treble clef, wrapper.
Then Mike moved towards the bag and looked inside for a bit, squinting his eyes and adjusting his glasses to see what to choose better. In the end, a little circular wrapper caught his attention, and he smiled, it was bright red and orange, with sharp ends and the name “Exploding Candies for your Enemies!!!” written in bold, thick letters.
With everyone focused on the exclusive candies, instead of the accident, Mr. Wonka finally went back to his job. He took some snug rubber gloves from his pockets and dramatically put them on, then with a pair of big tongs, carefully took the piece of experimental gum, eyeing every single detail of it, as if it was some kind of forensic evidence. Soon the gum was sealed in a glass test tube, with the label “#21” and analyzed in the testing room (which was right beside the Inventing Room).
Mr. Wonka put his reading glasses on, and with the test tube on his side, he started taking notes and scratching his head, not only because of what was making the three-course-meal gum fail over and over but also because his original plan had to be adapted to the new circumstances. As he continued his meticulous analysis of the experimental gum, his mind delved into deeper contemplation. The rhythmic scratching of his pen against the notepad echoed through the quiet testing room. He was lost in his thoughts and muttering to himself
“Ah, blueberries, my favorite fruit in pies, so colorful and vibrant, they always remind me of that prank I once pulled on my teacher many years ago. Despite their burst of flavor, however, they are small fragile fruits, sensitive to pressure, something perhaps I didn't account for while putting them through such a stressful transformation process. Is choosing flavor only based on personal taste a logically and morally sound idea?”
As he scribbled notes, Mr. Wonka wondered if his inclination to showcase the great gum machine during the tour was more than a desire to flaunt his invention. Or maybe, he subconsciously wanted to teach a lesson. The boat ride revealed a different side of everyone, including Mr. Wonka and his plan.
With a furrowed brow, he looked back at his failed creation. It was always the blueberry pie that failed, but why? Was it not fit for this specific task? There are a lot of pies in the world, but only one three-course-meal gum, it certainly would be terrifying for a little blueberry.
Mr. Wonka chuckled nervously “Father and I aren't that different after all. Oh, how tempting, but how wrong, is projecting unrealistic expectations onto our creations, in the end, everyone ends up so blue”
“Have you considered different options?” Asked an Oompa-Loompa who has been there the whole time, unnoticed. He was sucking on a gobstopper, he had been doing so for a year.
“Different options?… that's a good question my tiny fellow, I indeed haven't, I focused so much on making the blueberry pie work, that I never realized there were more pie flavors,” Mr. Wonka said, with a whole new world opening to his mind
“What about a lemon pie? Tangy, and fresh, an innovative punch to the recipe,” he asked the Oompa-Loompa
“I'm not sure, without proper limits, it could sour the gum, and I'm worried the acid would melt me if I have to taste it.” The worker answered and started thinking about a different approach. What about an opulent walnut pie? Warm, practical, and elegant”
“Yes, you're right, but there's a big problem. The hard shell would be too expensive to remove. Not worth it” Mr. Wonka shook his head
The chocolatier sighed, he thought about maybe making a mango pie, but quickly dismissed it, it was sweet and tasty, but the risk of overindulging was high. He then came with a lot of strange flavors, each one more bizarre than the former.
“What about an apple pie?” The Oompa-Loompa thought out loud “It's a classic, less risky than any other fruit”
Mr. Wonka was skeptical that fruit wasn't even considered in his first notes; an apple represented a departure from Mr. Wonka's preconceived notions. It wasn't the flamboyant non-conforming flavor he initially envisioned for his three-course-meal gum. However, apples embodied qualities that intrigued Mr. Wonka – resilience, a nurturing nature, and a profound connection with comfort and warmth. Though grounded and traditional, maybe apples did hold a unique blend of creativity and practicality.
“Sometimes what you want isn't what you need” explained the Oompa-Loompa taking the Everlasting Gobstopper from his mouth and showing it “I wanted to be a recolector since I was a kid, but I'm too small to do it properly and ended up as a tester. Now I wouldn't change this job for anything, and I would have never discovered it if I got what I wanted”
Once the Oompa-Loompa left to keep working, in the solitude of the testing room, Mr. Wonka had a profound realization.
His love for blueberries was undisputed, but they weren't ready, at least not yet, and apples emerged as a potential puzzle piece that could fit seamlessly into the grand design of the experimental gum’s desert. Yet, uncertainty lingered, and Mr. Wonka knew he needed to put it to the test before making a final decision. The journey to find the right flavor had taken an unexpected turn, and the enigmatic chocolatier prepared himself for the challenges that lay ahead.
Back on the pink corridor, Charlie took a bite of his musical mellow, it was so soft and sweet, as if he took a bite of a cloud, “Grandpa, it’s wonderful!” Charlie split the marshmallow in two gave half of it and offered it to Grandpa Joe.
“No, it's yours, Charlie, enjoy it!” The man carefully pushed Charlie's hand back, and his heart almost melted there.
Charlie smiled and kept eating the marshmallow bite by bite. Soon his tongue started tingling a bit, and he felt something building up in his chest before he could say anything, something happened
“Hip!”
Everyone looked in the direction of little Charlie
“Hip! Hip! Hip!”
The hiccups were very precise in timing, intensity, and tone, they were like a fun beautiful melody, and Charlie was smiling and enjoying the music, as he kept making it
Veruca tried to open her dancer, but the wrapper was quite sturdy and she couldn't wait, so she asked her parents to do it for her. Once she had the little marzipan elephant in her hands, it shocked her to see it stand up
"Mommy! Daddy! Look!" She shouted in excitement, and everyone got behind her to see what was going on.
The tiny elephant was doing a little dance, jumping back and forth in its legs, and raising his trump up in the air.
"Awwwww! It's so cute! I'm going to call her Marina Von Marzipan!" Veruca said with a big smile, caressing the candy animal, who looked so pleased and comfortable
"Ah, our little Veruca and her little animals" Cooed Mrs. Salt, finding the scene endearing "She's always so affectionate with them, I wonder why we're not as close, we give her all she needs and wants”
In one of the corners, Mike was reading the instructions of his chosen candy, and quietly chuckling. He rubbed his hands and eyed all his possible victims, once he had his plan well thought of, he removed the wrapper from the candy and threw it backward, walking towards Charlie.
"Gosh!" Mike exclaimed, "I didn't realize it has peanuts, I can't eat it, I'm terribly allergic!" He was lying and trying to hide his mischievous smile.
Then he took the candy from his pocket and gave it to Charlie "Maybe you can eat it, I'm sure you'll like it, you seem like a big wonkarer".
"Thanks! I wish I didn't finish my musical mellow, that way we could have shared it" Charlie gladfully accepted the candy, curious about what it would do, but before he could put it in his mouth Veruca appeared with the marzipan elephant playing on her shoulder
"Can I have it?" She asked, and Mike's eyebrows went up to his hairline "Uhh... I don't think you should-"
He tried to warn Veruca, but it was too late, and Charlie, being the good boy he was, gave her the candy with no issues, and she quickly popped it in her mouth. "Not bad!" She said and kept tasting the candy, but then her face turned red and she started gasping for air, "It's getting spicy, too spicy!"
"Fire in the hole!" Shouted Mike Teavee, doing the duck-and-cover maneuver
Suddenly the candy exploded in Veruca's face. She couldn't even scream. It didn't hurt, but she was now on the floor, dazzled and coughing a bit of smoke. The tiny elephant was trying to help her get up but was too small to do anything.
"Wicked! It works!" Mike was jumping and laughing
“What happened?!” Asked Grandpa Joe confused and checking Charlie, just in case
Charlie was shocked and confused, soon realizing he no longer had a hiccup “It must be the candy, she ate it and then it exploded!”
Veruca's mother ran to her kid’s aid, she was looking for any possible injury and hugging her, hoping she would feel better soon,
Mr. Salt turned to the Teavees with a serious stern expression, “You should control your son better! Veruca could have been hurt”
Norman and Doris Teavee were absolutely mortified, apologizing over and over for Mike's behavior. Mr. Teavee was afraid of the possibility of losing his job if that man looked for revenge, and Mrs. Teavee looked down in shame, hoping the incident wouldn't become public and affect her professional life.
“Mike Teavee, you're dead!” Yelled Veruca, still on the floor, kicking and crying. She was clearly about to have a temper tantrum, and her mother kept pampering her and promising more and more presents to calm her down.
Mike looked away to avoid the glares he was getting “Come on, come on, it's just a joke, don't be so dramatic” but he felt somewhat guilty because he didn't want it to end up like that “And it was for Charlie anyways, I didn't want to prank you”
“Why me?” Charlie pointed at himself while asking, he didn't know he had a target on his back
Mike shrugged “You're too much of a goody-two-shoes, I wanted to see your real face” he explained
Grandpa Joe tensed, remembering some of the incredibly insensitive and bad-faith comments some of the press members made about them. He was about to say something he probably would have regretted, but Charlie held his hand and stopped him. He didn't want Grandpa Joe to fight his battle, and at the same time, he didn't get the implications the older man read, so for him, it was just a normal disagreement.
“This is my real face, why would I lie about it?” Charlie's stoic, yet calm, and even understanding tone shocked Mike, he expected him to get defensive and angry.
“Huh? No one is that nice without trying to get something in return” Mike didn't sound as confident and sharp as before
Charlie, again, didn't react poorly “I’m just nice because I treat everyone how I would like to be treated,” he said.
Soon they were interrupted by the sound of steps approaching and that caught everyone's attention
“And done! Sorry for the wait!” Mr. Wonka opened the door and joined the party in the corridor, quickly checking they were all in place. “I'm surprised kids these days like chewing gum so much, I always found it disgusting, it was created for hygiene reasons, but now it gives more cavities than anything else!”
“If you think gum is so gross,” wondered Mike Teavee, “then why do you make it
in your factory?”
Mr. Wonka's first instinct would have been telling him to shut up, he didn't like how this kid kept interrupting and questioning everything he saw, as if he wanted to see the inventions fail. However, he didn't do that, this question was actually very interesting and a good lesson he could teach Mike
“My little Mike, you sometimes need to do things you don't like to get ahead in life. You'll learn this lesson at your own time” he explained to the boy loud enough, so Veruca could hear it too.
Mike rolled his eyes, this was the second time in a row someone talked to him as if they knew better about life, with their sappy lessons and clichés “That's what all the grown-ups say as if doing useless homework is going to help me get a job to something”
“It worked for me, I aced all my exams, and look where I am now” Mr. Wonka boasted about his accomplishments.
“Anyways, what time is it? Does anyone know?” asked the chocolatier excitedly
Mr. Salt took a look at his Rolex and answered “It's six o’clock, sir”
“Six already?! We'll never get anywhere at the rate we've been going!” Mr. Wonka was rushing along in front, turning left and right and right and left, and, after a few seconds, everyone tried their best to follow him “Come on! Off we go! Hurry up! Follow me! We're going into the corridors again!”
Grandpa Joe turned to Charlie as both ran behind Mr. Wonka “Keep a good hold of my hand. It would be terrible to get lost here.”
Mr. Wonka's impressive energy and athleticism kept surprising everyone, he must have been somewhere around his seventies, yet he kept running around the endless pink corridos like an excited child, with his black top hat perched on the top of his head and his plum-colored velvet coat-tails flying out behind him like a flag in the wind. They passed a door in the wall, but before anyone could even look at what it said, Mr. Wonka clapped his hands “No time to go in!” he shouted “Press on! Press on!”
They passed another door, then another, and another. There were doors every twenty paces or so along the corridor, they all had something written on them, and strange clunking noises were coming from behind several of them. It was for sure more of Mr. Wonka's inventions.
As they ran through the corridor, everyone kept sniffing the rich delicious smells wafting through the keyholes, and jumping in surprise when every once in a while, little jets of colored steam shot out from the cracks underneath.
Half of the group, Veruca Salt, her father, Mike Teavee, and his mother, were close behind Mr. Wonka, asking tons and tons of questions every time they saw a strange name on a door. To their annoyance, those questions didn't have time to get answered in much detail, Mr. Wonka just insisted they were great, and that they would see everything at the right time.
Mr. Teavee and Mrs. Salt, both unathletic, were struggling to keep the pace. The man was gasping and blowing like a rhino, desperately looking for his inhaler. The woman was also short on breath, struggling to not twist her ankles on her high heels
“Owie! If I knew we were going to run I would have brought different shoes!” She complained
Grandpa Joe and Charlie were at the end of the group, moving slowly but steadily to prevent exhausting their weak bodies. Charlie was looking at the doors on the right side, and Grandpa Joe at the doors on the left side, reading them out loud and being amazed.
“The Giggle Room!” Said Grandpa Joe
“The Gravity-Defying Chamber!” Said Charlie
“The Confetti Conservatory!”
“The Time-Loop Lounge!”
“The Bubblegum Bubble Bath!”
“The Ticklish Tangle Room!”
“Jail for Vermicious Knids?! Both looked at each other confused and laughed
“Oh, those little monsters!” Willy Wonka didn't like whatever those Vermicious Knids were “Would you believe it if I said last year the factory got invaded by aliens”
“I don't, aliens don't exist. It's a myth, like ghosts or Santa” Mike spat out. And thank goodness Mr. Salt could cover her daughter's ears with cat-like reflexes, otherwise, she would have had a big tantrum over the harsh truth.
Mrs. Teavee ignored her son's words, she was so amazed by Mr. Wonka's words “You mean there's extraterrestrial life?! How much money do you want for the information? Can we get one of them to study it? I'm a researcher for the US military, this is no joke!”
Mr. Wonka however sighed sadly “I'm sorry my dear lady, I would like to help, but I don't speak American” Before Mrs. Teavee could say anything, Mr. Wonka sprinted and ripped a piece of a room’s wallpaper.
He then slowed down to join the party and passed the paper pieces to the kids “Lickable wallpaper for nursery walls. Lovely stuff!” He didn’t need to even look where he was walking to navigate the factory, instead, he was excited to see and hear what his guests thought “Lick an orange, it tastes like an orange. Lick a pineapple, it tastes like a pineapple. Go ahead, try it!” He explained.
Charlie was slightly hesitant with the first lick, but soon he was amazed and started licking faster “Grandpa, this banana's fantastic! It tastes so real”
“Mmm, I got a plum!” Grandpa Joe started licking with excitement, once Charlie had enough
Mr. Wonka was doing small backward jumps as he talked “Apples, oranges, snozzberries, grapes, strawberries-”
“Snozzberries? Who's heard of that” Cut Mike Teavee, assuming he must have heard it wrong
“Don’t interrupt! it’s rude and annoying” Said Mr. Wonka “But yes, there’s snozzberries in the wallpapers too, the Oompa-Loompas like them a lot, so I thought it could be a sweet detail to include them too!”
“But what does a snozzberry taste like?”
Mr. Wonka grinned and pointed at the star-shaped purple fruit in the wallpaper “They taste like snozzberries! you’ll never know until you try them yourself!”
Then the chocolatier pointed to a door with clear excitement, as they passed another one of the pink doors with a round glass window. Charlie peaked a tiny bit, and he could see Oompa-Loompas skiing down hills of colored snow, but they were in skimpy swimsuits, as if they were at the beach.
“Ever wanted to eat ice cream on a cold day? Don't you think it's a shame you can only eat It in summer?” Mr. Wonka asked, and the kids nodded
“Hot ice cream warms you up no end in freezing weather! I’m also starting to make hot ice cubes for putting in hot drinks, they can be used to keep hot drinks hot!”
“Can we have a scoop?” Asked Charlie with starry eyes
“Sure! You can have as much as you want, but once we finish the tour, okay?” Mr. Wonka approached Charlie to make a pinky promise with him, and continued guiding the party “On we go! Hurry up!”
“Wonka Candy Farms,” said on one of the doors. Several animals could be heard behind it, but there was no farm smell. It was something sugary and sweet.
“Of course, I have a big farm in the factory too, all-natural and proximity products coming from my cotton-candy sheep, my golden egg geese, and especially my pretty little cows that give chocolate milk. Oh, how I love those cows!”
“How can they give cotton candy, golden eggs, and chocolate milk? Asked Veruca Salt “That's utterly impossible”
“They can do it because they are from a very special breed of farm animals, and they have diets tailored to their needs that keep them big, strong, and happy” Mr. Wonka mimicked the adjectives as he mentioned them.
The man was surprised when he saw the kid was being carried by her father. A spoiled princess, indeed.
“But why can't we see them?” pouted Veruca Salt. “Why do we have to go rushing past all these lovely rooms?!”
Mr. Salt nodded “I agree, you should organize the tour and prioritize the main rooms, instead of making us run aimlessly”
“We shall stop in time! We will! Don't be so madly impatient!” Mr. Wonka tried calming them down, then looking at the tiny animal on Veruca's shoulder
“Just be like your little friend, waiting for you to eat her”
“Eat her?!” Veruca shrieked “Are you crazy? I won't do it, she's so cute!” The girl picked the marzipan animal and protectively hugged her, as she gave the chocolatier a glare, as if she wanted to use laser vision on him
“Don't worry, she loves being eaten, it's what she was born for!” Mr. Wonka tried to save the situation and explained himself better “It's not painful at all, these candies dance because they want to be loved and eaten!”
Veruca thought about it for a bit, looking back at her cute little elephant, and shook her head “I can't eat Marina, we're friends”
Mr. Wonka kept running along the seemingly endless corridors “Press on, press on! We'll never dwindle today if you get ‘round like this!”
“Stop!” He cried, and everyone did so “Strike that, reverse it”
Seeing he was actually talking to himself and not giving orders, the party sprinted to catch up with him. They turned left, they turned right, and when they came to a long flight of stairs, Mr. Wonka slid down the banisters. The three children did the same, with Mr. and Mrs. Salt running to catch Veruca in case she fell Grandpa Joe kept an eye close on his kid while seeing it as fun, and the Teavees were as passive as they always were
After a few more twists and turns, Mr. Wonka skidded using the heel of his soles and his cane. He was moving so fast it took him a bit to fully stop, and the party crashed into each other, complaining and groaning.
As Mr. Wonka helped them get up on their feet, he explained the room they were going to enter with clear excitement “Ah, I almost forgot about this room!” He opened the door and held it, politely guiding everyone to enter with his free arm.
The room was round and not too big at first glance, but if you looked up, it was tall, really tall, extremely tall, so tall in fact, that you could barely see the ceiling. With that said, the room wasn’t claustrophobic or overbearing, it was bright, with a colorful yellow tone that turned dark blue the more you went up. The floor was padded, very soft, and slightly flexible, so the guests were bouncing around while eying a machine that kept making sodas that slid in a conveyor belt and were dropped in boxes. Best of all, the room was full of big colorful bubbles that the machine produced. The higher you looked, the more bubbles you saw.
“Bubbles? Do they taste like caramel? Daddy get me one! I can’t reach them!” Veruca demanded, but when Mr. Salt went to grab it, the bubble burst with a loud fizzling sound.
“Actually, the bubbles taste like soap for children with dirty mouths. It’s what those bubbles do that is fabulous!”
“And what do they do, Mr. Wonka?” Asked Grandpa Joe
He cleared his throat “Well, just one sip of my Fizzy Lifting Drinks, and they’ll fill you with bubbles, and the bubbles are full of a special kind of gas, which so terrifically lifting that it lifts you right off the ground just like a balloon, and up you go until your head hits the ceiling”
“Come on, let us try some! Can we drink them, please? It sounds so cool!” Said Mike Teavee, already grabbing a bottle and about to open it.
“Yeah, don't be mean, let us fly!” Added Veruca Salt
“No, no, no! Absolutely not! Mr. Wonka quickly took the bottle away and kept it high to avoid Mike and Veruca snatching it “It's not ready to be sold yet because you can’t drink it outdoors. There's no knowing how high up you'll be carried if you do that! I gave some to an old Oompa-Loompa once out in the back yard and he went up and up and disappeared out of sight!
“Could you save him?” Asked Charlie worried, and Mr. Wonka shook his head with guilt “I never saw him again, It was very sad.
The man then walked outside of the room and waved to the group “We should keep going, we really don't want children floating around all over the place. Come along now and don't hang about. You're going to be wild about this next room!” The parents had to hold their kids down to keep them away from the fizzy lifting drinks, but it worked and the promise of better rooms made them forget about it.
Charlie however stood wide-eyed, mesmerized by the colorful bubbles, the fizzing and popping sounds of the machines, and the sweet yet citric smell. He couldn't stop imagining the sensation of soaring through the sky, exploring the world from above.
The boy extended his arms like an airplane and raised the heel of his feet. He was lost in his daydreams and didn't notice the rest group moving on to explore other rooms. Grandpa Joe, realizing that Charlie was lagging behind, gently tapped him on the shoulder.
“Come on, Charlie, we need to catch up with the others. Don't want to miss out on anything, do we?" Grandpa Joe urged, guiding Charlie toward the door.
"Right, Grandpa. Flying would be incredible, though!" He blinked, nodding and following his grandfather.
They hurried after Mr. Wonka, weaving through corridors and turning corners. Grandpa Joe kept a watchful eye on Charlie, making sure they stayed close to the tour group. The thing was that as they turned one particular corner, they were met with an unexpected sight – a seemingly endless row of doors, and the group nowhere to be seen.
“Oh no, we must have taken a wrong turn," Grandpa Joe muttered, Charlie's eyes became bigger as he realized it. "Where did they go? We've lost them!"
Panic set in as they called out for the others, especially Mr. Wonka. Their voices echoed through the corridor, but there was no response. The factory seemed eerily quiet.
"We need to find them," Grandpa Joe said, a hint of worry in his voice. "Stick close, Charlie.”
They sprinted down the corridor, checking every door. They turned right, then they turned left, then left again, then right, then left, then right, then right, and then left at the end. But the more they looked around, the more lost they were.
"Mr. Wonka! Where are you?!" Charlie cried, but the only response he got was the echo of his words. There was no hint of Mike Teavee’s toy guns, or Veruca’s demands, not even the laughter of the Oompa-Loompas was heard.
They frantically searched, calling out names and hoping for any response. Door after door, room after room. Getting lost in a chocolate factory would be bad, but getting lost in the biggest and strangest chocolate factory in the world was even worse.
Charlie, fueled by determination, quickly opened every single door, only to find empty spaces with the most peculiar inventions. He looked more worried with each disappointment. Grandpa Joe couldn’t catch up with Charlie’s pace, he tried his best to follow him as closely as he could, grinding his gears to map the corridors he used to work in forty years ago, but it was useless, since not only he didn’t remember them well, but they also changed a lot. “Mr. Wonka likes overcomplicated things…” He muttered under his breath.
They kept running and running, when something hit them like a brick. There was a bubble leaving a door. They were back in the fizzy lifting room, the place where it all started. Their hearts sank as they exchanged a look of both frustration and defeat.
"Maybe we need to backtrack, Charlie” Grandpa Joe scratched his head
Charlie nodded, with little conviction. "But Grandpa, which way is the right way? I feel like we've been everywhere."
It was obvious that the two were desperate, with the once fun bubbles, now looking like a mocking reminder of their situation now. Grandpa Joe, feeling the fatigue of his age, sat down onto the padded floor, unable to continue running.
Charlie was on the verge of tears, but he didn’t have time to cry, he was determined to find a way out and was about to do it. He picked the little candy pebble figurine he made of Mr. Wonka, and hesitated, but at the end he took one of the pebbles that made the top hat
“I’m going to try again, Grandpa, you stay here and rest” The boy explained
“Charlie, you can’t go on your own, what if you get more lost? Or what if you have an accident like Augustus and Violet had before?” Grandpa Joe tried getting up while talking, but it was too much effort for his weakened body
“Don’t worry” Charlie calmed him down showing him the now three pebbles he had in his hand “I will leave this behind me and that way I will know how to get back here”
“But that’s your souvenir, you worked hard to make it” Grandpa Joe said
“Yeah, but I can rebuild it later, it’s not lost. Also, we can see it as Mr. Wonka helping us find the way!” Charlie smiled back at his grandfather, then left, trying to save them.
Grandpa Joe couldn’t be more proud of Charlie, glad for the absolute blessing he had as a grandson, but after ten more minutes, Charlie was back, and Grandpa Joe got up, but sadly the kid was looking down and dragging his feet, with a good amount of candy pebbles in his hands “I couldn’t find the end, it’s too big”
his frustration reached a breaking point. He stopped, shoulders slumped, and fought back tears. The fear of never being found and not being able to say goodbye to his family overwhelmed him. Grandpa Joe, witnessing Charlie's distress, felt so much guilt. Oh, what would he give to take his little sunshine’s pain away.
"I don't know what to do. I'm sorry." The old man sighed “I wish I had the strength I once had, maybe then I could guide us out of here."
Charlie, despite his anxiety, showed a weak smile. "No, Grandpa, you haven't failed. We just need to find a way out, I know we can do it."
However, in a moment of vulnerability, Charlie turned his attention to the fizzy lifting drinks. The temptation to indulge as a distraction was evident in his eyes. He hesitated, glancing at Grandpa Joe, who initially shook his head.
"No, Charlie. We shouldn't"
But seeing Charlie's sad look, Grandpa Joe just couldn’t resist. "Well… what's the harm in just a little lift, eh?" He playfully covered his eyes as if he couldn't see Charlie taking the fizzy lifting drink.
As the boy sipped the fizzy lifting drink, he could feel the bubbles tickling every inch of his body, he had a huge smile and his little beady black eyes were as bright as they could be. He was bouncing a bit in his place, as he anxiously awaited the magical sensation promised by Mr. Willy Wonka.