The Kidnapping of Mike Teavee
Disclaimer: I do not own Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All rights belong to Roald Dahl, Tim Burton and Warner Brothers.
The day was unusually warm for late September. Mike Teavee never suspected that he would be captured. The child was walking home from school when a minivan drove up to him. The driver rolled the window down and forced the boy to enter at gunpoint. Mike hesitated, but a sharp jab from the pistol forced him to hurry. As he entered the minivan, Mike introduced himself to his captor, who said his name was Henry. The kidnapper said something else, which caused Mike to swear.
One hour later, Mike found himself in a small bedroom. He looked around. The single window was closed. The only furniture in the room were the chair in which Mike sat with his hands tied in front of him, a bed, and a dresser. The overhead light was turned off, and there was nothing with which Mike could cut the rope binding him. Mike sighed, knowing he was at the mercy of a stranger. Having nothing else to do, Mike fell asleep.
He heard the bedroom door open and his captor entered. Mike was nervous. His captor looked angry. Mike stared at the floor, shivering. He had no idea why Henry was angry. Finally, the kidnapper glared at Mike and grabbed him by the arm. The boy went from nervousness to fear in one second. He started to cry as he was marched over to the bed, to which he was handcuffed. The boy shivered as his captor sat in the chair next to the bed and grabbed Mike's free hand. The child was sad.
"Please let me go," Mike begged.
"I will not let you go, child," his captor said.
"Why are you angry, sir?" Mike asked.
"I am angry with you because you insulted me earlier," the kidnapper growled.
"I am sorry, sir," Mike said.
"I am going to kill you if you insult me again," Henry said.
"Please, I will do anything!" Mike said, and cried.
"I will not let you contact your friends, and stop your crying," his captor said.
"Please let me contact my friends," Mike begged.
Seeing the terrified look on the boy's face, the man smiled. He would do anything to prevent Mike from escaping or contacting his friends and family. The kidnapper untied Mike and ordered him to change into pajamas and get some sleep. The boy protested, saying he was not tired. He reluctantly obeyed when his captor once again threatened him. Mike got into the bed and pretended to fall asleep as his kidnapper quietly left the room.
When his captor left the room, Mike woke up, found a pen and a sheet of lined paper on a clipboard and wrote a letter to his friends. Mike signed the letter, folded it, put it into an envelope and went back to sleep. He did not remember his dream. The boy had disobeyed his captor. He hoped he would be forgiven for contacting his friends. On the other hand, he respected his captor and knew that escaping would get him into trouble, possibly even killed.
Mike realized that he would need to obey his captor if he wanted to survive. The man appeared to be kind to him, but Mike knew that appearances could be deceiving. As he lay thinking about his chances of survival, Mike fell asleep. He heard the door open and saw his captor enter. The man walked over to him and patted him on the head, left a muffin on the table, and left, closing the door. Mike woke up, saw the muffin and ate it before once more falling asleep.