Morning came and Marie, already dressed and ready for work, went down to the main room for breakfast. Instead, she found everyone preoccupied with the television.
"What's going on?" Marie asked joining in.
"The first Golden Ticket has been found." Mr. Bucket said.
Marie frowned as she stared at the television as the reported told the story.
"The first Golden Ticket has been found here in Germany by a boy name Augustus Gloop." The camera zoomed in to a fat boy with small eyes darting back and forth to every camera in the room, with his mouth covered in chocolate and a Wonka Bar in his right hand. A woman, looking similar to the boy, stood next to him with a proud smile. His mother, who Marie presumed, spoke. 'My son buys a lot of chocolate bars, we weren't surprise he found a Golden Ticket.' "How did you find the ticket Augustus?" A male journalist asked. "Well I had bit off a piece of chocolate, and tasted something funny. I didn't know if it was peanut butter, caramel, nuts or cream. So when I looked down at the bar, there was the Golden Ticket." The boy said as he took another bite of his Wonka Bar.
"See, I told you he was going to be fat." Grandpa George said rolling his eyes.
"Well, I have to go. I have to be in earlier than yesterday." Marie spoke as she slid her arms into her jacket and wrapped the scarf around her neck.
With a final wave, she walked out into the cold and started to her every day walk to the sweet shop. She arrived earlier than yesterday, and even thought it was earlier in the morning, there were still people trying to buy the candy bars. Pushing her way through the crowd, she got behind the counter, traded in her jacket and scarf to an apron and did her job. Each person still buying the most candy they can get their hands on.
Time passed by quite slowly and with each candy bar she had to ring up, was competition she was facing if she was ever going to get a chance to buy one. Around the same time as the night before, the candy bars were sold out and the people no longer were shouting the bars they wanted. Hanging up her apron and grabbing her jacket and scarf, she left the always, her daily trip to the iron gates of the factory was one she always looked forward too. With another hopeful look, she went home. Upon arriving, the same way she saw her family in the morning, she saw now.
"What still a special on the fat German kid, or some other found the second Golden Ticket?" Marie said somewhat sarcastically.
"Some other found the second Golden Ticket." Mrs. Bucket said tearing her gaze from the small screen to look at her daughter.
"What?" Marie whispered out as she again joined her family.
"The second Golden Ticket," the announcer continued, "Was found by a Miss Veruca Salt, who lives in England with her rich parents." The television showed an image of the finder: this time there was a girl wearing a smug and satisfied expression on her face as she stood in between her parents, all three of them smiling at the cameras, "Mr. Salt said he bought half a million bars of chocolate when his little girl said that she absolutely had to have a Golden Ticket." 'You see,' he explained, 'I'm in the nut business. I've got a whole lot of women working in my factory, peeling nuts all day long. So when I bought all these Wonka bars for my little Veruca, I told them "Girls, you can stop peeling those nuts and start peeling the wrapper off of these chocolate bars instead!" It took three whole days to find the Ticket, and my, how dreadful it was to see my poor little girl cry when I came home and told her I still didn't have her precious ticket. On the third day one of the women did find it, I bought it straight home to Veruca, and now she's all smiles again.' Miss Veruca didn't have anything to add, except that she knew she was going to win one of the Tickets." And with one final smile from that Veruca Salt, Mrs. Bucket turned the television off.
"Well that's not fair! Her father found the Golden Ticket. She did nothing." Marie said looking up at her parents.
"You can tell that she's spoiled. And nothing good comes from spoiling a child." Grandpa George said.
"That's true." Mr. Bucket said as he placed his hands on Marie's shoulders and squeezed gently.
"So there's only three left in the whole world. My odds aren't looking so good." Marie smiled half-heartily.
"Let's not worry about that. Dinner's ready." Mrs. Bucket said as she placed bowls of cabbage soup on the grandparents laps and then on the table.
Even if she only ate cabbage soup since she could remember, it never felt as warm as it did now. Saying goodnight to her family, she went up to her room and wondered when or who will get the other Golden Tickets.
It's as if yesterday was repeating itself again. Marie found her family in front of the television again. This time on the screen was a girl with short blonde hair and wearing a bright yellow sports suit. Besides her stood a woman looking exactly like her with a proud smile on her peach lips.
"The third ticket has been found by a young Miss Violent Beuregarde." The pressed stated as it flashed the screen to the mother who was talking to one of the reporters. "'These are just some of the trophies and medals my little Violent has won.'" There were about over a hundred on a shelf besides the girl who was chewing a gum enthusiastically. "' I'm a gum chewer, mostly.'" Miss Beuregarde started explaining herself. "'But when I heard about these tickets, I lay off the gum and switched to candy bars. And since its one kid who's going to win this "special prize", that kid, it's going to be me.'" She stated. "'Tell them why Violet.'" Her mother smiled. "'Because I'm a winner." A convincing Violet said with a pop of her gum.
"What a beastly girl." Grandpa Josephine said.
"She's almost as worst as the rich girl." Grandpa George sneered.
"Only two tickets left." Marie spoke. "People are going to be wild at the sweet shops trying to get as much Wonka bars as they can. I better hurry off." Marie bid her family farewell before exiting her home and down to the sweet shop.
" Marie, come on, come on." Her boss yelled out from behind the counter
"Coming." She said softly as she pushed her way gently through the crowd.
"Miss, may I get two Wonka bars please." An elderly lady said as she reached the counter Marie had gotten behind.
"Sure, what flavor?" She asked as she tied the apron around her.
"It doesn't matter sweetie, just give me two please." The lady said kindly.
"Alright miss, no problem." Marie said as she grabbed two Wonka Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight candy bars. "Here you go Miss."
"Thank you Miss." The elderly woman gave her the money is quick speed and hurried off into the crowd and out of Marie's sight. Sighing, she counted the money and saw that woman had given her an extra bill. Looking over the crowd, she tried looking for her, but her short stature didn't help. Putting in the right amount of change into the machine, she secretly hid the bill into her apron and started helping out the other customers.
Through out her shit, she heard many of her customers talking about the fourth ticket being found. She saw through the ice covered window a man through a newspaper into the garbage bin. The same man who had brought up the fourth ticket subject. So after her shift, putting her apron away she grabbed her jacket and hurried out the shop. Passing by the garbage bin, she saw the newspaper there, the first page face up. It big, bold letters read 'Fourth Golden Ticket has been found.' Marie hurried home; she didn't even stop in front of the chocolate factory like every evening. So when she got home, the sound of the television was one of a reporter announcing the find of the fourth Golden Ticket.
She walked to look at the screen to see a boy too concentrated on his video games instead of the cameras in front of him. This Mike Teevee kid explained how he cracked the system to find the Golden Ticket and at the end he only needed to buy one.
"So now, it's only one left in the whole entire world." Marie mumbled as she sank on her grandparent's bed.
"You still have a chance." Mrs. Buckets said trying to comfort her.
"Yeah, but it's slowly slipping away with every candy bar that's purchased every second."
"Come one now. Cheer up, have some soup." Mrs. Bucket said as she went and started pouring cabbage soup into bowls.
"Not hungry, I'm going to bed, big, big day tomorrow." Marie said as she kissed her grandparents goodnight along with her mother and father.
On her bed, her mind went to the factory and to the last Golden Ticket that's well hidden under a candy bar. Closing her eyes and wishing for a miracle, she fell asleep.
