CHAPTER 1
"I remember working for that Willy Wonka... I started working for him when he only owned a tiny store on a corner. His fantastic ideas would fill that shop to bursting point everyday, and we were all kept busy. Mr. Wonka himself would stay in the backroom, working on creating more delights for the crowd. My personal favourite was the chocolate birds. Put a candy egg on your tongue and it would melt into a tiny, chirping bird on your tongue. Fantastic, it was."
"Grampa, you're getting distracted. Tell me more about Willy Wonka!"
" Yes, yes, of course. Old age does tend to catch up to you, you know..."
"GRAMPA!"
"Fine, fine. Anyways eventually Mr. Wonka's shop just couldn't hold the huge droves of people coming everyday. Between that and the demand for his candy which was becoming increasingly international, Mr. Wonka decided it was time to open his very own factory."
"That's the one down the road, right?"
"Of course it is, you silly boy. Now shush and let me finish my story. So anyways, I remember the day the factory was opened perfectly. The workers all stood with their families outside the gates, and Mr. Wonka stood at the forefront of the crowd. He had become quite... peculiar by then. He was dressed in a large coat, with these huge sunglasses which covered his whole face!"
"Why would he do that?"
"Oh, I don't know Charlie. But Mr. Wonka was always bizarre- never cared much for any kind of human contact, neither shaking hands nor a clap on the back."
"Hmm. well that IS a little strange, Grampa. But you're looking too much into it"
"Perhaps I am, Charlie. Yet after the factory opened, things got even weirder. Mr. Wonka had his favorites. They were often called into his office for a drink, and when Mr. Wonka would walk around his factory to make sure everything was running smoothly, his eyes would often linger on certain people. Then, after a few months of this treatment, these favorites would be called into his office for a drink... but wouldn't come out. Promoted to desk jobs, I'd say. However some of us found it a little strange that we never saw neither hide nor hair of our old coworkers... and after a man was taken in for a desk job, his family would also disappear- move away. One man was so paranoid that he refused to talk to or look at Mr. Wonka. He told everyone that Mr. Wonka had "taken care" of the missing men."
"Did he really, Grampa?"
"I never believed it myself. Mr. Wonka was always kind to me and your grandmother. However, some others were all too willing help this man spread these rumors. As you know, Wonka candies have many rivals in the business world."
"But that's not fair!"
"Life often isn't, Charlie. Yet these rumors spread like wildfire, and Mr. Wonka was soon forced to close his factory to stop the accusations. All of his workers were fired, and Willy Wonka disappeared."
"But his factory is open now!"
"It is. Five years ago, smoke began pouring from the smokestacks once again. All the workers rushed to gate, expecting to be welcomed back with open arms... but the gates never opened. For a day and a night we stood outside the factory. And at night... well that was when things became strange. We saw the strange shapes of tiny people through windows. We had been replaced- but no one knew by whom. One thing is for sure though, Charlie- No one ever goes in the factory anymore... and no one ever comes out."
The machinery groaned as it began its newest job. Chocolate bars were swept down the conveyor belt into boxes that were to be shipped all over the world, filled with Willy Wonka's famous chocolate. However the machinery whirred to a stop as a shadowy figured approached the belt.
Fingering five glistening, golden sheets of paper, the figure walked alongside the machine, placing the papers at random on different bars. "Yes." came a shadowy voice. "Five tickets for five children. An invitation to the greatest chocolate factory in the world! They will come... They will definitely come. And then..." The man threw back his head and let out a laugh which echoed throughout the factory. As the man walked away, melting into the shadows, the building came back to life, filled with the hum of the machinery once more.