Disclaimer: I do not own "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" or its characters. They are properties of Roald Dahl and Warner Bros. Studios.
"Wonka and Wilkinson"
By TwilightSparkle3562
Chapter 1
"An Heir to the Throne"
Three years, three long agonizing years. That's how long it took for my superior to reopen his chocolate factory. Willy Wonka was a man who made his fortune on candy and the last thing he ever wanted was to have someone come in and steal his recipes for their own profit.
That is exactly what my former superior had done.
I, Arthur Wilkinson, used to work for that man, that scumbag, that snake, that quack, Arthur Slugworth. After his actions caused Wonka to shut down his factory, I decided to leave Slugworth telling him that he can go to hell for what he did to Wonka. His response to me was that "it was just good business," which I didn't believe for a second. I turned my back on Slugworth and never returned to his own factory.
Come to think of it, Ficklegruber and Prodnose can also go to hell as well.
…
But, before I go into a tagent about how lowly these candy making stooges were, let's get on with my story. You see, it all started about a month after Wonka reopened the factory. It was August of 1970 in Munich, Germany, a time when most people were preparing for the impending school year or fall season. I had arrived that morning only for an Oompa Loompa to let me know that Wonka wanted to see me in his office. Knocking on the door, I wondered what Wonka had wanted to see me about.
"Come in," called a voice and I entered Wonka's office, which was perhaps one of the strangest offices you could ever lay eyes on. For some strange and bizarre reason, Wonka had everything cut in half. He just sat at his desk drawing up something and I could only wonder what it was.
"You…wanted to see me, Mr. Wonka?" I asked.
"I did, Arthur," Wonka replied, turning his attention away from whatever he was doing. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately."
"About what?"
"About…my future running the factory. Ever since we've reopened, I can't help but wonder how long I should go on. What Slugworth did nearly killed me."
"And to think, I used to work for him," I sighed, shrugging my shoulders and rolling my eyes. "Slugworth is a man who likes to stick false teeth into other business matters. That's why I left him."
Wonka could only produce a small smile at this remark.
"I'm glad you did, Arthur," he sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "Because I need your help on this personal project I am trying to spearhead."
He handed me whatever he was working on and it was a plan, a plan of utmost importance.
"It's a list, sir."
"Not just any list, Arthur. It's a plan to find an heir to the throne. I want someone whom can lead this factory into a bright and hopeful future, someone who is young and eager to learn. Go ahead, read it back to me."
Taking the list, I carefully read it out loud to Wonka.
"Item One, come up with a cover plan; Item Two, send out an invitation; Item Three, bring candidates here to factory; Item Four, test their characters; Item Five, name the winner as your successor."
Upon hearing this, Wonka rose up from his desk and headed out of his office, much to my confusion. Without saying a word, Wonka led me towards the heart of his operations…the Chocolate Room, a section of the factory that featured delectable and edible candies of all sizes. He stood at the edge of his chocolate river and looked down at it with a forlorn glance on his face.
"Sir, it's a helpful list, but are you sure this is what you want to do?" I wondered only for Wonka to turn around and give me a concerned look. "I mean, there are plenty of qualified candy makers out there who would love to come in and take over for you."
Apparently, this didn't bode well with Wonka. He had a plan and was sticking to it.
"There is no other candy maker who would want to run this factory according to my wishes, Arthur," he retorted. "I need a child to run this factory."
At first, I thought this was a ludicrous idea. How could a child run a chocolate factory when all the other candy factories out there were run by adults? Then again, the world was always seeking firsts for everything.
"And furthermore," Wonka continued. "If you think that I am being crazy and just letting a child take over right away, then you are sadly mistaken, Arthur. I'm going to personally mentor that candidate until they are of age."
"But what if they don't want to?" I advised, reaching down and picking up an edible gold flower and drinking from it. "I mean, children have their own needs and desires to follow, don't they?"
Wonka felt a sense of unease upon me saying those words.
"That is true, yes," he said as we sat down and drank from the gold flowers. "Some children have parents who want them to grow up right away and leave their childhoods behind. I don't think I ever told you this, Arthur. But a wise man once said that Medicine, Law and Engineering are noble pursuits that are necessary to sustain life. However, he also said that Poetry, Beauty, Romance and Love are what we stay alive for. I want my heir to inherit the factory to sustain life while also using creativity to stay alive for."
In a way, Wonka was right. I never had those traits to begin with. My father was a stern taskmaster who never let us have any childhood whatsoever. After he died, I ran a mile away from the world I was being forced to live in. However, it was never far behind and when I worked for Slugworth, I was pulled back into it.
"All right, Mr. Wonka," I said. "What is it that you want me to do?"
"We begin step one, Arthur," he replied, biting into the edible flower. "A plan to come up with a good cover story to mask our true plans."
And so, the plan to find Wonka's heir to the throne was about to begin…
