AN: I hope you all enjoy chapter 2. The idea for this fic came to me while I was on a long drive listening to music and well, the next day this is what came out…… Wonka is based on both of the film portrayals of the character (they sort of got mushed together in my mind somehow).
To everyone who reviewed chapter 1: Thanks! I am so motivated to write more!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything……Wonka belongs to R. Dahl. There will be music lyrics and song titles used and I don't own those either. They belong to their rightful owners. This Chapter contains lyrics from the song "God Gave Rock and Roll to You" by KISS.
Chapter 2 The Long and Winding Road
Living with the Oompa Loompas for so many years had taught Wonka a few things.
1. Size DOESN'T matter.
2. Dressing nicely leaves a lasting impression
3. Cocoa beans contain a property that when consumed, make you feel like you are in love
4. Life without obstacles is boring. (Remember the Whangdoodles and Viscious Knids!)
5. Honor that which you love
6. MUSIC IS EVERYTHING
When he first heard number 6 he thought that the Oompa Loompas must surely be mad.
Music is everything? Music? Whaaa……? What about chocolate and delectable candies…..hmmmmmm
Questions rolled around Wonka's brain for many days before he approached the nearest Oompa Loompa and asked this question:
"Why is music everything?"
The Oompa Loompa, being the song loving creature that he is, responded with a song:
"God gave rock and roll to you,
gave rock and roll to you
Put it in the soul of everyone
Do you know what you want? You don't know for sure
You don't feel right, you can't find a cure
And you're gettin' less than what you're lookin' for
God gave rock and roll to you,
gave rock and roll to you
Put it in the soul of everyone
His full, round voice filled the space with perfect tone and pitch, like a seasoned gospel singer. His eyes never left Wonka's deep blue pools of wonder. When the singing was done the Oompa Loompa and Wonka stood there staring at one another. Wonka wore a blank stunned expression, eyes wide and mouth agape. The Oompa Loompa was wearing a wide, satisfied smile, as if to say "That's why music is everything". Then quietly went back to his work of cleaning the Everlasting Gobstopper machine.
Wonka stood stock still, purple gloved hands wringing the knob on the top of his cane. His mind a flurry of thoughts. Why does this make sense to me, can't put my finger on it reminds me of something I thought of once…..seems like so long ago…..hmmmmm……..
Wonka strode briskly down the hallway, boarded the glass elevator and pressed the button marked "Long and Winding road". The elevator seemed to move too slowly. Wonka's mind was racing…..have to get to thinking place…..hurry hurry……
The elevator deposited him in a private part of the factory. His Thinking Place. It was a long and winding road built specifically so that Wonka could walk and think things out. He always thought best when walking at a nice brisk pace so he could feel his heart pumping and his breathing intensify, his chaotic thoughts swirling about until they became something comprehensible.
The elevator doors opened and he was like a horse chomping at the bit……anxious to get moving, feeling safe in the knowledge that he would not be disturbed here. Today Wonka did not stop to admire the view. The paradise that the Oompa Loompas built for him was breathtaking. A path had been made down the center of this green piece of heaven, winding here and there. Meadows of eatable grass, rolling hills lined with every tree imaginable: weeping willow, Japanese maple, elm, walnut, palm (all made of candy, of course)! The best part was that the trees changed color with the seasons! How those little workers pulled that one off is unknown to this day, even to the great chocolatier.
On this day Wonka's boot heels clicked with a certain determination. His cane tapped along in rhythm with his increasing foot falls: click click, tap click click, tap click click, tap, clickclicktap clickclicktap. Halfway up the second hill on the right, where a huge weeping willow stood, the thought that had been ever so slowly crawling to the forefront of his mind, made its appearance.
Our chocolate maker stopped dead in his tracks , "AH HA!" He cried, punctuated by an index finger which pointed at nothing in particular, "I remember now……..EATABLE MUSIC! HAHA HA HA HA"
His staccato laugh rang out as he turned on his heel and ran cane akimbo, back to the elevator. Running so fast that his cane got snagged by a crack at the edge of the road, sending him head over heels. He plunged into the elevator with such velocity that he crashed into the back wall. SPLAT! Sending his top hat spilling over onto the floor, purple gloves squeeeeeeking the length of the glass, cane clattering with a thin tinny sound. When he landed he was squarely situated on his bottom feeling rather stunned and breathing rapidly.
He looked about, retrieved his top hat, placed it upon his head, picked up his cane and stood upright. Then took a deep breath to collect himself. Standing straight and tall, hands on his ever present cane, Wonka lingered in that position for a moment. Waiting for his heart rate and breathing to even out. Gradually calm enveloped him. When the calm reached his fingertips he reached out and pressed the button marked "Inventing Room"
Wonka, by nature, was a very thought filled man. His mind was always thinking of new candies, new machines to make those candies, chocolate and all the ways it has yet to be made. When the factory was new, teeming with human workers coming and going each day, Wonka quickly realized that he needed a private place to think. Somewhere inside the factory, undisturbed by other humans, noiseless and calm, so that he could work through his ideas. Until that special place could be built he would walk the halls of the factory.
When an idea came to him it usually was a big jumble. Images and words floated in his minds eye, rolling around and around until a single complete thought was formed. Then he would bolt to the Inventing Room to begin the process of creation.
This method of contemplation worked fairly well. That is until the Great Stampede! You see, at certain times of the day the human workers would stop work and file down the hallway that led to the lunch room. Hundreds of men and women anxious to enjoy their well deserved break. This particular day was a Wednesday. When the lunch bell sounded all the workers stopped their current task and began walking to the cafeteria.
What no one knew was that at this exact moment Wonka was practically running down the hallway perpendicular to the lunch room corridor with his recently remembered idea fresh in his mind. He could see it, taste it and imagine people all over the world enjoying it. His euphoric state was suddenly interrupted by the sea of hungry workers. As 200 of them reached the intersection of This Way and That Way Wonka came zooming around the corner, his smooth boot soles gliding on the highly waxed floor. His coat tails afloat, left hand gripping his cane, right hand holding the hat on his head which forced his elbow to stick way up in the air at an odd angle. He looked quite the sight!
A worker from the lollipop room saw Wonka and screamed "MOOOOOOOVE………!" The workers couldn't move fast enough to avoid a collision. Wonka's body slid full force into the wall of humans! The first of them crumpled to the floor on impact and Wonka tried to get his footing. His arms and legs wildly flailing about……he somehow managed to perform a semi-somersault and found that he had landed on something very much softer than the highly waxed floor he was expecting. He was flat on his back, arms and legs outstretched, cane and hat lost to the crowd. He looked about and saw that he hadn't landed on the floor at all. His entire body was being suspended by the hands of his workers. Instinctively his body tensed……..his mind began reeling…..all those hands…..on my person, EEEEW
His eyes snapped shut and he wished he were anywhere but here at this moment.
While Willy was trying to not think about all the hands on him, the crowd of workers swiftly passed him from helping hand to helping hand toward the end of the crowd. Wonka felt his head tilting upward and his feet going downward. Then his feet very gently touched ground. He opened his eyes and saw an empty hallway.
"That's weird" he thought "where are all those workers?"
Just as he completed this thought a worker shouted "Mr. Wonka, Heads Up!" He turned around and saw the sea of workers, some staring expectedly at their boss, some recovering from the impact and some trying their best to not laugh out loud. From the crowd came Willy's hat, it floated smoothly above the people, directly to where he was standing and landed soundlessly smack dab on the top of his head! Someone else called out "Mr. Wonka, Go Long" His cane came shooting out and over the crowd, much like a javelin but it traveled end over end in a whorl of color. Wonka held his left arm up in the air with hand outstretched and caught the cane without so much as a flinch.
The corridor of people erupted into applause. Wonka took a long deep bow and addressed the workers, who were now waiting for him to say something.
He said, "Thank you my dear workers! I am truly sorry for this little….um…mishap……beginning tomorrow everyone here will have 2 days paid vacation?" Wonka turned and flew down the corridor towards the Inventing Room. He was out of sight as quickly as he had arrived.
Shortly after this, the spies were discovered, he closed the factory and left for Loompa Land. When he returned with the Oompa Loompas one of the first things he requested they build was a thinking room for him. Now whenever our famous chocolate maker needs to walk things out he goes to the Long and Winding Road.
AN: This chapter was fun to write! I seem to be stuck on Chapter 3. I have to many fragments of ideas and not enough whole ones…..I suppose I need a walk on my own Long and Winding Road!