I do not own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I do wish that I owned that enormous factory though.
Ariana Miles decided that day to take the long way home from work, even though it had started snowing at around noon and the temperature had been hovering around zero degrees Celsius the entire day. She had gone that way because she loved walking in the falling snow and of course, she always loved to walk past the factory just as she did every other day.
She had pulled on her shabby coat and her worn out mittens, before starting the ten-minute walk to her small apartment.
A motor car chugged slowly past her, spraying her with some of the slush from the road. Shivering even more, she pulled her coat tightly around her body. She started to walk faster to escape the cold. A few minutes later, she passed the now stuck car. Ariana had found lately that she was glad she did not own one of those rickety and unreliable machines, especially now that the roads were so treacherous.
Sudden light flashed above her and she looked up to see a streetlight flicker on and then off, making shadows on the sidewalk lifelike. Walking on a snowflake hit her in the eye, with a hurried swipe of her half-clad hand she got it out and when she looked up again, Ariana saw the giant factory looming over her. A dreamy smile flashed onto her face as she hurried forward. Stopping by the gates, she raised her nose in the air and inhaled the sweet scent of melted chocolate, smiling serenely. Nearly every day she passed this building, and every day she did the exact same thing. Ariana could not resist the temptation of breathing in the sweet fumes that were always wafting out of that enormous factory.
Past the factory now, she started running making the shadows jump all around her. She loathed being out at night, especially when it turned dark that early. Pulling out her key with fumbling frozen fingers, she hurriedly opened the door and then closed it with a sigh of relief. Quickly pulling off her soaked toque, mittens and coat, she hung them on the railing beside her. Upstairs she could hear fast footsteps and moments later, a petite girl with auburn curls ran into the doorway.
"Mom, you're back!" The girl exclaimed smiling widely as Ariana hugged her tightly.
"Hollie darling, how was your day?" She asked, taking Hollie's hand, the two of them heading upstairs.
"It was boring. At school I had to write three sentences about our week and then I had maths and afterwards I had to stay inside." She said and then frowning, she added angrily.
"Tom pulled my braids again, why does he always have to do that mom?"
"I don't know darling." Ariana whispered, squeezing Hollie's hand gently.
"He says that I will never have a chance to get a golden ticket but then Sienna chased him away." Hollie added and Ariana frowned at the mention of the golden ticket.
"A golden ticket, what is that?" She asked and Hollie's eyes widened as they reached the main level where they lived.
"But you must have heard about them!" She exclaimed and a new voice came into the conversation, making Ariana startle as she forgotten the older women's presence in the house.
"Willy Wonka has sent out five golden tickets in his chocolate bars, and whoever finds them gets to go in the factory for one whole day." Mrs Hudson explained as Ariana's eyes widened. For as long as Ariana could remember, the gates of the factory never opened.
"There have been newsletters and newspapers about it, all over the town." The older woman added and Ariana blinked. Now that she thought about it, she did remember seeing many papers around the town; she just never had the chance to look and not to mention her eyes were acting up again.
"I have never had the chance to look, I guess." She said, sheepishly.
"Well good day, Miss Miles." Mrs Hudson said warmly to Ariana.
"And you behave yourself now." She added to a smiling Hollie.
"Thank you again Mrs Hudson, we will see you tomorrow." Ariana said, shaking her hand.
"Goodbye Mrs Hudson." Hollie said, going to shake Mrs Hudson's hand too. Than going up the stairs to her floor, Mrs Hudson disappeared.
"Hollie what did you do to poor Mrs Hudson?" Ariana asked trying to be stern.
"It was nothing mom." Hollie said going over to the television and turning it on, sat on the couch that also doubled as Ariana's bed. Ariana shook her head, smiling before turning to their old refrigerator.
"Do you want grilled cheese sandwiches again darling?" Ariana asked, looking in the nearly empty icebox, shivering a bit more as the cold wafted over her.
"All right." Hollie agreed and Ariana smiled, glad that Hollie was not that hard to please. She took out the butter, bread and cheese, before heating up the old, unreliable stove.
"Mom, someone found a ticket!" Hollie shrieked jumping up into a standing position as Ariana put the sandwiches on the pan.
"Hollie please stop bouncing on the furniture." Ariana exclaimed looking over at the little television, she vaguely saw a reporter interviewing a large boy, and a woman, presumably his mother.
"And please don't yell the walls are thin."
"Mom can I have a chocolate bar?" Hollie asked after she had sat down and Ariana had sat beside her.
"Tomorrow darling on Friday, just like every other week." Ariana answered back.
"But-" Hollie began and Ariana interrupted her saying,
"No darling, you need to wait just like every other week, the stores are closed anyway."
"Sienna invited me over for tea after school tomorrow." Hollie exclaimed happily.
"That is nice; I will pick you up from there, than we can get your chocolate bar." Ariana exclaimed, happy that her daughter had such a nice friend.
"Okay." Hollie exclaimed, happier now.
"Mom is something burning?" She asked turning to her mother, sniffing the air. Ariana jumped up running to the stove. One side of the bread was dark brown, turning it over morosely; she sat down on one of the dining chairs instead. After a moment, the other side finished and they sat down at the dinner table.
"I wish we had chocolate for dessert." Hollie said pouting, after finishing her sandwich in record time.
"I do too darling but tomorrow we can have one." Ariana said picking at the burnt part of her sandwich.
"Do you think we will get the ticket?" Hollie said her voice hopeful.
"I don't know darling." Ariana answered truthfully.
"It is time to get ready for bed, Hollie." She added finishing her sandwich. Later as Ariana laid in bed, she wished that they would get a ticket for Hollie's sake. She loathed seeing her daughter disappointed.
Little more than a mile away an eccentric man stood by one of his giant windows and looked at the snow covered outside world, wondering whether his farfetched plan would actually work.
Well that is it for now, my readers. Please review!
~ Éolisse.