Quick things before the chapter: Replies to Reviewers: Cadenza Cavatina: Thanks so very very much! I'm glad for you pointing out the typos, though I can't fix them. I hate typos. We should be seeing Slugworth next chapter. semi-sweet and nuts: Many thanks for your review as well. Keep letting me know how I'm doing with keeping everyone in character--I need it! candysweets: I loved reading your review! You're a very encouraging person. Let me know what you like and loathe about future chapters.

By the way, I just watched the DVD last night (I would squeak with delight, but I don't know how to spell that, even onomonopoetically), and there are a few discrepancies, but not much I can change now.

I anxiously await reviews, if you'd be willing to give me any!


"Joe! And how was your day?" Joe's wife exclaimed as he entered. He hung up his hat and gave her a hug before throwing himself into the rickety old rocking chair.

"Not bad. Yours?"

"Just fine. So, tell me what happened at work," Josephine urged. Then she caught sight of a slim, curly-haired girl sneaking down the steps. "Alfreda! Back to sleep! It's past your bedtime!" Alfreda pranced down the rest of the crooked stairs and rolled her green eyes.

"Mom, I'm almost fifteen. And it's only a little after ten."

"Maybe just tonight, Josie," Joe whispered. "I have to be at Wonka's at six tomorrow, so since I won't be able to tell her anything in the morning…"

"Oh, fine. Only til your father finishes telling us about work, though," Josephine said. Then she turned to Joe in eager anticipation. "So?"

"Let's see… I've told you the shop, and Willy and Doug and the girls—"

"No you haven't," interrupted Alfreda. Actually, he had, but it postponed having to bed down in a creaky, drafty, vermin-filled loft. Josephine was about to point out that indeed he had spoken of his coworkers and building, but then Joe began his monologue.

"Ah, well in that case…It was about a month ago that Willy Wonka posted want ads in the papers. You two had just left to take care of Grandma Fredericka and stayed with her til just a few days ago, wasn't it? That's why you don't know about Willy Wonka." Joe smiled an sighed at this point. "He's certainly the strangest employer I've ever had. He had all ten applicants at the interview, most of them in or just out of high school. We all met in the back room of the store, and he gave each of us a different candy and told us to trade until we got the one we wanted. He took notes as we wandered from person to person. Then he told us to eat the candy and tell him what it tasted like. He took notes on that, too. Finally, he set us all up in front of a table with powders and ingredients on it and told us to make a candy. After an hour or two, when we'd all finished, he tried them, had us try everyone's, and then, out of the blue, said that Courtney, Joyce, Katherine, Doug, and me were now Wonka workers." Josephine and Alfreda were still mesmerized by the tale, despite it being their second hearing.

"What's everyone like?" Alfreda asked. She took up a perch next to the old bench her mother sat on. Joe stared off into the distance, narrowing his eyes.

"Joyce has blond hair, blue eyes—yes, just like Josephine—but Joyce is a wee bit plumper. She's very friendly. I think you'd get along nicely with her, Ally. Courtney. Courtney has very dark skin, like chocolate. She's quite good at math and science and so forth, very smart. She and Joyce and Katherine are good friends. Ah yes, Katherine of the bright red hair. Shockingly orange, actually. She's rather quiet, but remarkable at memorizing recipes. Did you know that she remembered a chocolate recipe of Wonka's that even Willy couldn't?"

"How old are they? Could I meet them?"

"The girls are all just out of high school. Doug—he's very tan, with blonde hair, the best at designing wrappers—is about the same age. I'm the eldest."

"By at least thirty years," Josephine said with a smothered grin. "You haven't told us about Willy Wonka yet." Her husband leaned back in the rocker. Ally and Josephine propped their elbows on their knees, chins on hands, each with the same glitter of anticipation in her eyes. They waited for the description of Joe's batty boss.

"Well…He's a little on the short and scrawny side, looks fairly young; he has short, curly, dark hair, very light skin, and the most remarkable purple eyes!"

"Purple eyes?" Josephine exclaimed obediently.

"Yes! Truly, actually, vivid violet," Joe said, shaking his head of graying hair.

"Amazing!" Ally said.

"Incredible," commented Josephine.

"Indeed it is. Let me tell you how I found out. Willy had been working in the back room with us most of the day, making chocolate. The whole day, whenever we weren't looking, he would give us a little piece of candy. Well, around lunchtime, he came and did just that again, but this time, I glanced over and Willy happened to make accidentally make eye contact. He just stared at me for a while. It was the first time I noticed they were purple." Joe and Josephine shivered.

"That's kind of creepy," their daughter said.

"Yes. Now go to bed," ordered Josephine. Alfreda obeyed without a word.