Should I prank him?
Charlie hovered at the foot of the stairs. Should I? He wondered. Grandpa Joe was in the mood for mischief it seemed, and he had suggested playing a practical joke on James. The materials would all be provided. All Charlie had to do was get into the correct room, and set the prank up. It would be easy, and a lot of fun, Grandpa Joe had stated, with every ounce of persuasion he could manage in his voice. At the time, Charlie had laughed at the wheedling tone, and told his grandfather that he would think about it.
Now Charlie was exploring all that would be involved, and he was thinking hard. Putting green hair-dye in James' shampoo didn't seem like such a bad thing to do, but who knew what trouble that might cause? Grandpa Joe's ideas weren't always trustworthy. That's what almost lost Charlie the Factory prize in the first place — following Grandpa Joe's great ideas; so Grandpa Joe's ideas of fun weren't always a good thing.
Would it be wise to follow his suggestion this time? It wasn't an 'Illegal'. Those were ideas that would get the family thrown out of the Factory quicker than you could say, 'Wonka'. They involved any joke that might hint at letting anyone outside of the Factory have access to recipes, or to any candy that hadn't been released yet. Willy had explained to Charlie just how much something like that could hurt the Factory.
Charlie had the notion that someone trusted doing something untrustworthy like that would send Willy into insanity. That was why Charlie was the only person in his family who had access to the Inventing Room, and the rooms associated with that process. The problem was, an idea not being an 'Illegal' didn't mean it was a good idea, either. To do this would be to break Willy's trust. It would break Mr. Wilkinson's trust as well, and despite his being a really creepy guy, Charlie didn't want to do that.
The door at the top of the stairs led to James' private sanctum, or so Willy called it. Charlie was one of only five people who knew how to find this part of the Factory. It was the place James came when he didn't want to be around other people: James had other quarters in the more general residential wing, but here was where James knew he had absolute privacy. In point of fact, Charlie would be surprised if his family even knew this area existed. To breach the sanctity of this room would pulverise any trust James, and maybe Willy, had in Charlie.
Sighing, Charlie turned round. He would go and talk to Willy about what Grandpa Joe was up to; what he wanted Charlie to do. That was a better idea.
Three weeks later, Charlie was rubbing his hands with glee. Willy's suggestion about how to deal with Grandpa Joe's love of pranks had been fantastic, and who knew that James could be such a good sport? The man was stood wearing an Oompa-Loompa wig, as green as green could be! Charlie and Willy also wore the unusual head-gear, but they were hidden around the corner.
A few minutes after everyone was in position, Grandpa Joe wandered into the room to start his shift.
"Great Jehoshaphat! I didn't expect the stuff to do all that to your hair!"
James looked up.
"Didn't you get the memo, Joe Bucket? It's 'Dress Like an Oompa-Loompa Day'. Those of us at my level—Charlie, Willy, and myself—honour this tradition by wearing Oompa-Loompa sanctioned wigs. Staff on your level are supposed to be wearing a similar kind of wig, and to have reported to the Oompa-Loompa camp to experience their traditional redwood bark and paprika face mask, before reporting for work."
As James was finishing, Willy and Charlie emerged to stand beside him.
"I expect you to report to the camp immediately! You're already late!"
Seeing all three in green-as-green wigs, bobbed and swirled, Charlie's Grandpa Joe blanched, and then took to his heels, to honour the request.
Charlie bit his lip and wondered. Boy, was Grandpa Joe's face going to be orange after that facial! Was this an abuse of authority, hoisting a trickster by his own petard, or simple justice? Charlie wasn't sure; but he was sure, he didn't want to have to indulge in a repeat performance.
My thanks to Turrislucidus and IcedTeaCinnaBons for their reviews. I hope you enjoy this latest chapter showcasing Charlie's decision making development. Disclaimer: Please refer to the disclaimer in Chapter One.