Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Roald Dahl, Tim Burton, and Warner Bros. Pictures. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.
Author's note: Hello, readers! I decided to write a oneshot to hold you over while I'm busy working on my other stories. I don't have anything else to say, so on with the story! :)
It was a normal day at Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. As normal as it can get, that is, because nothing about working at this factory is what one would consider to be normal. Charlie Bucket, the heir of the factory, was hard at work in one of the mechanical rooms, assisting one of the Oompa-Loompas as he finished repairing a leaky hydraulic line. The Oompa-Loompa thanked him and left the room, and Mr. Wonka appeared a few seconds later.
"There you are, Charlie!" Mr. Wonka cried in excitement as he walked up to his teenage apprentice. "I was looking all over for you. I'm glad the hydraulic line has been repaired."
"Thank you," Charlie said quietly, looking into Willy's violet eyes. "It seems that you have some news to tell me. I'm all ears, Mr. Wonka."
"Well, I am excited to unveil a brand-new addition to the factory tomorrow morning," Mr. Wonka told him. "I did everything I could to keep it a total secret from you, and I know you'll like it. In fact, you won't be the only person who gets to witness what's inside the factory's newest wing."
"What do you mean I won't be the only person there?" Charlie asked him as his curiosity grew.
"Well," Mr. Wonka said, letting out a sigh, "I invited the other four ticket winners to the event three weeks in advance, and they have all confirmed that they will attend." Charlie's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" he asked, and Willy nodded.
"Really. They were hesitant at first, but I reassured them that they will not be going anywhere near the areas of the factory that have traumatized them. In fact, even though this new wing is attached to the main building, it has its own separate entrance. I hope that I succeeded with putting them at ease. Their parents, as well as reporters and the general public, are all invited to attend as well. In other words, it has been announced on nearly every major news outlet in the world. However, no one knows exactly what is inside. That, Charlie, is the greatest mystery of all."
"Can you at least give me a clue as to what's inside this new area?" Charlie asked.
"Fine, I suppose I'll give you a hint," Mr. Wonka said quietly, and Charlie saw a twinkle in his right eye. "Mike probably won't be too crazy about it."
"Hmmm," Charlie said aloud, stroking his bottom lip with a finger. "Well, it's gotta have something to do with chocolate if you know he wouldn't like it, right?"
"Only time will tell," Mr. Wonka replied mysteriously. He turned his back to Charlie and left the room, leaving Charlie alone to wonder what his mentor's new secret could possibly behold. If Mr. Wonka was inviting the general public to attend, it had to be something that everyone would enjoy. But this was Wonka's factory, and the quirky man himself had designed it. No one, except for Mr. Wonka and the Oompa Loompas, knew what would be in store until the big reveal.
The next morning, a crowd consisting of thousands of people, including reporters from all over the world, had gathered outside the factory's massive iron gates. A long, red carpet stretched from the gates to a trio of doors at the entrance to the massive building. Beside the main gates, a smaller pair of iron gates served as the beginning of a queue line that traced the inner wall of the courtyard, until it vanished out of sight behind the left loading bay.
A young, blonde woman stood near the main gates, just outside of a row of security guards. Several large cameras were pointed at her, and she was holding a microphone in her right hand.
"Hello, everyone," the woman spoke. "This is Ricki Shaw, reporting live at the gates of Willy Wonka's famous chocolate factory. Not long ago, a major event took place where Mr. Wonka has sent out five Golden Tickets to allow five children to visit his factory, and Charlie Bucket, the fifth ticket winner, is now Mr. Wonka's heir. That's not all, though. Mr. Wonka has reportedly built a mysterious, multi-sensory tourist attraction within the factory, and he has invited the other four winners, as well as the general public, to attend the attraction's opening ceremony. I will also be taking part in this event, in order to give everyone around the world a glimpse of what it could possibly be."
Suddenly, the clock struck ten, and the crowd immediately fell silent. A loud click was heard a few seconds later, and the wall with the three large doors slowly split in half to reveal the Entrance Hall, which was obscured by a thick, swirling cloud of purple fog. Six silhouettes began to appear from within the fog, and once they revealed themselves to be Mr. Wonka, Charlie, Augustus, Veruca, Violet, and Mike, a thunderous roar of applause drowned out every other sound in the vicinity.
Mr. Wonka was dressed in the same outfit that he wore during the tour. Charlie wore a bright-red top hat with a black brim, a bright-red frock coat, black dress pants, and a darkly-tinted pair of frameless glasses.
Augustus Gloop was still a large boy, but his bulkiness now consisted primarily of muscle, not fat. He wore a plain red muscle shirt which complemented his red hair, along with white shorts and black runners. He was clutching a half-eaten protein bar in his right hand.
Veruca Salt had her dark-brown hair in an elaborate bun, and she wore a white dress, white stockings with tiny red hearts, and black Mary Janes. On her left wrist was a rose-gold Rolex watch that was covered in tiny diamonds.
Violet Beauregarde's skin was back to normal, and her blonde hair gracefully flowed down her shoulders. She wore a black tank top, matching black short-shorts, black sandals, and two red athletic wristbands.
Last but far from least, Mike Teavee had his brown hair done in a fohawk, and he wore a black Arch Enemy T-shirt, gray shorts, black runners, and a black digital watch with a spiky band.
Mr. Wonka nervously smiled at the crowd as a microphone rose up from the floor, and he took a stack of cue cards from a pocket inside his coat.
"Greetings, everyone," he said, reading the first cue card. "My name is Willy Wonka, and I'm sure you should know that by now." The crowd laughed, which eased Mr. Wonka's nerves to a degree. He used his thumb to pull out the next cue card. "Today marks the grand opening of a thrilling attraction inside my factory, and I'm inviting everyone here to experience it for yourselves. I hope that everyone here will enjoy it. I'm sure you will." Turning to his apprentice, he said, "Charlie, will you do the honor of opening the attraction?"
"For sure," Charlie replied, and he pressed a button on the side of the microphone. Dozens of fireworks were launched into the air, exploding in spectacular, colorful bursts of light, and the factory's iron gates slowly began to open. Charlie and Mr. Wonka led the other four teens down the stairs, and they were the first ones to journey down the queue line. The courtyard wall provided them with an ample amount of shade, giving them a break from the sun's rays.
"What do you think this attraction might be, Charlie?" Veruca inquired as she walked beside him.
"I don't know," Charlie replied. "Mr. Wonka kept this a total secret from me, so I'll only know once I see it. I'm very excited to find out what it is."
Meanwhile, Violet was snickering at Mike, since she noticed that he was sweating and shaking in anxiety.
"What's wrong, scaredy-cat?" she teased, playfully slapping him on the back. "Have you been watching Honey, I Shrunk the Kids one too many times?"
"Shut up, Violet," Mike snapped, glaring at her. "If this attraction has anything to do with chocolate, I'm out."
"Mike, you're going inside a chocolate factory," Violet told him, "so what the heck are you expecting? Even if things don't go well for you, remember that I'm here, by your side."
"Uh, thank you, Violet," Mike replied with a smile, and he took her hand as Augustus walked past them.
Before long, the group strolled behind the loading bay, and Mr. Wonka led everyone towards a pair of double doors, which automatically slid open for them. A blast of air hit everyone's faces as they entered the indoor portion of the queue line, which consisted of a long, brightly-lit hallway. Mike was clutching Violet's hand in a death grip as Willy guided everyone past a scale model of the Television Chocolate Room, and he whimpered when he saw a tiny pair of darkly-tinted white goggles slowly revolving in a glass display case.
"Weren't those the same glasses that you wore when you attempted to teleport yourself via television?" Violet asked him, but there was no response. "Mike?" She noticed that he was starting to hyperventilate and lose consciousness. "Mike! MIKE!"
Stars were dancing in front of Mike's eyes, and he gradually became aware of guitars playing in the background. He found himself standing on a desk, staring at the face of an enormous Oompa-Loompa dressed up as a news anchor.
"The most important thing,
That we've ever learned..."
The Oompa-Loompa turned towards Mike, who backed away... into a giant kitchen.
"The most important thing we've learned as far as children are concerned,
Is to never, NEVER let them near a television set..."
He found himself in the middle of a "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em" robot ring, where two robots that were controlled by Oompa-Loompas were expertly dodging each other's punches.
"Or better still, just don't install
The idiotic—"
Mike's eyes suddenly flew open, and he looked around to see that he was lying on the floor, and the entire group was staring at him.
"Mike, speak to me," Violet said as she helped him stand upright. "Are you okay? You were out for nearly a minute."
"It felt like a lot longer," Mike groaned. "I'd rather not talk about what just happened."
"I bet you had a flashback," Veruca said, crossing her arms. "We all have them sometimes."
"Are you willing to move on?" Mr. Wonka asked him. Violet whispered something in Mike's ear, and he slowly nodded. "Excellent. Let's boogie!"
After walking past an elaborate brass statue of an Oompa-Loompa, the group found themselves in front of a round door with a "W" in the very center. It began to glow red, and the door slid into the wall, revealing a brightly-lit antechamber which was split into three long rows. Mr. Wonka and Charlie led their guests to the rightmost row, and everyone stood in single file as the door closed behind them, sealing them inside the antechamber. The lights dimmed and a screen flickered to life, showing an image of the factory's facade.
"Dear visitors," a booming voice announced, "it is my great pleasure to welcome you to my humble factory. I, Willy Wonka, have a very special favor to ask of you. You see, I lost some valuable documents from a couple of years ago, and it will be up to you to find them in a special vehicle that I have constructed." An image of a wide, purple vehicle with three rows of twenty seats appeared on the screen. "It has special mechanisms that allow it to fly, and it is highly maneuverable, which is what we need in this dire situation. Try to find them as quickly as possible, got it? On you go!"
An enormous garage door at the other end of the antechamber began to rise, and sure enough, the vehicle was waiting for them. It was divided into three stadium-seating rows, which allowed the rear rows to have a better view. Each seat had a purple shoulder restraint attached to it, and Mike turned pale upon realizing what the attraction was.
"Get me out of here!" he shrieked. "You know that I hate roller coasters or anything that goes upside down!" He tried to run away, but Violet grabbed his left arm, and Augustus ran towards him and grabbed his right arm. Charlie and Veruca tried to hide the smirks on their faces as they watched a terrified Mike being helplessly dragged onto the ride and down the aisle. Once they reached their seats, Violet forcibly shoved the screaming boy into his seat, and Augustus slammed the shoulder restraint down onto Mike's chest, locking him in. Violet breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief, taking her seat beside him before pulling down her own restraint. The others secured their restraints as well, and a team of Oompa-Loompas began walk up and down each of the ride's three rows, pushing the remaining shoulder restraints down. Charlie and Mr. Wonka removed their top hats and stored them in zipper pouches that were conveniently placed underneath each seat.
"I'm kind of nervous about this ride," Veruca said to Charlie while tightly squeezing his hand. "Are you sure it'll be safe?" Charlie laughed in response.
"Veruca, I highly doubt that Mr. Wonka would open it to the general public if it wasn't safe," he reassured her just as the lights turned off, plunging the room into total darkness. "Oh my gosh, here we go!"
Cinematic music began to play as the vehicle slowly rose about twenty feet into the air, and the seats rocked back and forth, causing Mike to scream hysterically. A giant, wraparound screen illuminated the room, and the vehicle seemed to be flying as it soared over a virtual representation of the factory like a plane, gently tilting from side to side.
"Wow, this is beautiful," Veruca said to Charlie as she took in the amazing view. "I like it so far!" Violet was trying to console Mike by massaging his arm, and Augustus had a neutral expression on his face. Mr. Wonka appeared to be neutral as well, since he had already tested the ride multiple times.
Suddenly, the seats tilted forward, and the vehicle dropped as it blasted through the entrance of the factory. It came to a stop in the Entrance Hall, where a hard drive laid on the floor. The words, "IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS AND DATA" were written on it in permanent marker.
"Mr. Wonka," Charlie's voice boomed, "I found the documents! Mission accomplished!" As soon as his oversized hands grabbed it, sparks flew out and he dropped it onto the floor. "We have a problem! Abort the mission! Abort! ABORT!" Strobe lights went off, and smoke filled the entire room as the ride began to quake violently.
Everyone screamed as they rapidly ascended to eighty feet in altitude, and the screen began to show the inside of the Chocolate Room. The seats tilted all the way forward, and Mike was hanging on for dear life as everyone stared facedown at the chocolate river, and then the unexpected happened: a real fountain of chocolate shot out of the floor, missing everyone by just two feet before it crashed back down. Veruca, Mike, and Augustus screamed in terror as everyone fell headfirst towards the river, only to be rotated onto their backs as the scene changed, and they found themselves in the middle of the Inventing Room. Violet cringed as they stopped in front of the machine which made the Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum, and Veruca smirked as she relished Violet's misery.
"Seriously, Violet? I thought you weren't supposed to be afraid of anything," Veruca said to her.
"It was an unpleasant experience, okay?" Violet replied. Suddenly, a deluge of water poured out of the ceiling, soaking everyone on board. Veruca screamed at the sight of her dress, which was now drenched in water, and Violet was laughing hysterically just before the scene changed once again. Veruca covered her face with both hands as an army of gigantic squirrels raced towards them. "See, Veruca? That's what you get for smirking at me!"
Charlie grabbed onto Veruca's arm, and she let out an ear-piercing shriek as the vehicle rose upwards once again. On the screen, the squirrels appeared to be pushing everyone towards the center of the room, which meant...
"No, not the chute!" Veruca wailed. "Not the chute!" Too late, as the seats tilted all the way back, and they fell backwards as the ride flipped everyone upside down for the first time. Mike was on the verge of vomiting as they continued to fall, rolling over and over until it reached the bottom, and the seats tilted forward once again as the floor erupted in white-hot flames.
"Get me off this thing, please!" Mike hollered. His knuckles were turning white as he squeezed the handles on his harness as hard as he could. "Stop the ride!"
Violet had her eyes closed, crying tears of laughter as the flames died down and the vehicle flipped several times, tumbling everyone over and over as if they were in a washing machine. The insanity continued as the scene changed to the inside of the television that had traumatized Mike. Lasers and strobe lights bombarded everyone as they found themselves in the middle of a rock concert, and then the screen turned to black-and-white, transporting them into the movie Psycho. Mike had his eyes tightly closed as an enormous Oompa-Loompa appeared in front of them, and his foot pushed everyone onto their backs once again. The shower head turned on, spraying everyone with water. The screen faded to black, loud noises resonated throughout the room, fireballs erupted dozens of feet into the air, and mist filled the area as the ride slowly lowered itself back down to the bottom.
"We hope you enjoyed your ride," a female voice said. "Please wait until the ride has come to a complete stop, and exit to your left."
"Never again," Mike groaned as everyone's shoulder restraints lifted up.
Violet took his hand and smiled at him. "Guess what, Mike? You could say now that you did it. You don't have to ride it again if you don't want to."
"And I won't," Mike quickly replied as he hastily walked towards the exit, eager to leave the ride behind.
"Well, now that we've all experienced the ride for ourselves," Mr. Wonka said as he and Charlie retrieved their hats, "we can finally let the general public ride it. Even though they'll likely never see the inside of the factory itself, they'll certainly enjoy this attraction for years to come."
"Charlie," Veruca told him as they disembarked, "thank you for being there for me. At least I enjoyed the ride a little more than when I tumbled down the chute for real. I just might do it again."
"Hey, what a good idea!" Charlie replied, winking at her as they exited the factory, feasting their eyes on the hundreds of people who were already in line. "Let's do it." And with that, the two of them, along with Mr. Wonka and Violet, got back in line to ride it again, and to tell everyone else in line about their experience.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this oneshot! You may have noticed that in a few of my CatCF stories, I've included roller coaster-style modes of transportation, such as the Wonkamobile, Chocolate Yule Log Flume, and the Rock Candy Mine carts. That's because I'm actually a coaster fanatic, and I like to write detailed reviews of every coaster that I've ridden, so this comes naturally to me. ;) This ride was inspired by "Tomb Raider: The Ride", a gone-but-not-forgotten ride at Kings Island near Cincinnati, Ohio.
I have two more things to say: I'm going to see Slayer tonight during their final tour, and this metalhead is feeling a little more than excited! But that's not all. The epic finale of "Next in Line" is underway, and it will be published very soon! I'm sure it will take a completely different direction than what you were expecting, but keep in mind that I had this finale planned out ever since I first started writing the story a year and a half ago, so stay tuned! :D