Sorry this took a while guys, with Christmas, school, rangers, and the humanitarian club at school I have been swamped. Plus the other story I'm doing. Gaah! So little time. Anyway, if there is a snow day tomorrow I will have more time to write. Who knows I may even add more to this chapter. But I thought I may as well post it. Enjoy and R&R please
Chapter 3.
The next morning Ariel awoke to a radio sounding in her ear.
Oh yeah, I'll tell you something,
I think
you'll understand,
Then I'll say that something,
I wanna hold
your hand,
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold your hand.
She yawned and tried to hit the snooze button but missed. She sat up slowly and the world of color hit her eyes again. She remembered the previous nights events.
Oh please say to me
You'll let me be your man,
And please say to me,
You'll let me hold your hand,
Now
let me hold your hand,
I wanna hold your hand.
She jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. Her regular electric blue colored brush was sitting at the sink waiting for her. But she didn't bring it over last night did she? No, she brought nothing over. Ariel shrugged and ran the brush through her mane of hair.
And
when I touch you
I feel happy inside,
It's such a feeling
That my love I can't hide,
I can't hide, I can't hide.
Yeah,
you got that something,
I think you'll understand,
when I
feel that something,
Once her hair was brushed and she looked slightly presentable she opened her drawers and found… all of her clothes in them. How did they get there? They must have come over with the brush. She mused in her head as she slipped into her most warn and comfortable jeans, and her beat up purple shirt (her old job didn't pay so well.) She left her room and slowly walked down to the small house, humming the same song she had heard waking up.
I wanna hold your hand,
I wanna hold your
hand,
I wanna hold your hand.
Ariel yawned loudly as she opened the door to the Bucket house 20 minutes later. (She would have gotten there sooner if she hadn't gotten lost. Twice.) She was assaulted with greetings and bright smiles as she sat down to an empty spot at the table. She was in between Grandma Georgina and Charlie. He poked her in the ribs as hard as he could, she groaned and had the urge to slap him around as one would to their little sibling. But she thought it would be inappropriate.
"I've been waiting for you all morning. Willy gave me instructions to show you where to work. Hurry up and eat!" He said urgently. Ariel's stomach let out a loud gurgle and she ate her eggs as fast as she could. She then downed her milk and took the bacon to go. Ariel bid the family adieu and walked out with Charlie.
He led her out to an elevator with glass walls. He pointed to the buttons. "This elevator will take you anywhere in this fine factory. You will work wherever the oompa loompa's need you. For now you can just explore the factory until one of them flags you down." Charlie said pounding her shoulder and turning to leave. "I'll see you after school."
Ariel sighed and watched him leave. She then turned to the various buttons. Goodness, there were a lot of them, Fudge Mountain, TV room, Shearing Room, Hair Gel, Puppet Hospital?? So Ariel closed her eyes and poked her finger out. She jabbed a button that said Experiment Room. The elevator zoomed to the left unexpectedly and Ariel was squished against the glass. Once she steadied herself it came to an abrupt stop and she was thrust against the doors, and they opened just after she hit them. She collided with the floor and all movement in the room stopped, and everyone looked at her. She bounded up as if it happened everyday, and work continued.
Ariel walked around, examining all the different machines, and gizmos. There was a great tank with oompa loompas diving for bright spheres. There was a large machine that was letting out red, yellow and green steam, with an oompa loompa on top stirring what ever was in the large bubbling pot. There were four oompa loompas wandering around with hair growing down to their toes, and many other machines.
She walked over to the one with the tank and asked a near by oompa loompa what it was. He simply pointed at the sign she had not seen on the tank that said "Ever Lasting Gobstoppers." Ariel nodded and looked into the tank. "Awfully big! Aren't they?" she asked him. He shook his head and walked away. Ariel shrugged and continued on. An oompa loompa ran up to her and dragged her by the pant leg to a machine. It had a large pipe, and funnel at the top. The oompa loompa pointed to a bunch of foods on a table. Then at a sign that said, "Must have two main course foods and a desert."
"You want me to pick?" she asked unsurely. The orange-faced man nodded and looked at the foods. There were quite a few. The table looked like it had been set for thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, mashed potatoes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, gelatin salad, and more decorated the table. "What is this for?" she asked him. He pointed rudely at the table again. Ariel sighed, and picked what she would have taken most of if it were her dinnertime. She picked turkey, mashed potatoes and chocolate pudding.
An oompa loompa took her chosen foods and walked up to the top of the machine and dumped them into the funnel. After a lot of mashing sounds, a small piece of gum popped out. The oompa loompa grabbed it, took deep breath in and stuck it in his mouth. She could see him sigh in content when a new flavor flooded his mouth. After a few minutes he was still just standing there. Every once in a while, he would look down at his arms, legs, and cross his eyes to see his nose. Ariel stood there for a half an hour watching this funny little oompa loompa check himself. Suddenly he started jumping up and down. He ran in a circle, then grabbed her pant leg and dragged her out of the room.
There was a small circular red button just outside the door. He slammed it down, and mere seconds later Willy Wonka arrived stylishly in a flying glass elevator. He stepped out of it calmly and looked around.
"Who pressed the button?" he asked looking at Ariel and her oompa loompa friend. The oompa loompa raised his hand, and then did a few odd hand gestures; he made the peace sign, clapped his hand four times and made the gesture of eating.
"Oh my goodness, you let her pick the flavors for the full meal gum? How could you she's a newbie! Who got turned into what?" He asked stepping forward and pushing Ariel to the side. Her little friend shook his head and made more gestures. He threw his hands up in the air, danced in a circle then made the hugest smile Ariel had ever seen on anyone.
"Wait, she found the formula of food that didn't turn anyone into a food? Oh my goodness! This is so exciting!" Willy said turning to her, and shaking her hand furiously. "Take a walk with me? We need to discuss this development further!" he continued, walking away without releasing her hand. Ariel was reminded of the song she had heard on the radio just over an hour ago,
And
when I touch you
I feel happy inside,
It's such a feeling
That my love I can't hide,
I can't hide, I can't hide.
It wasn't quite what she felt, but she could feel something unknown bubbling inside of her when she was close to Willy. She let go of him quickly to avoid tension. Willy recovered quickly and began to talk, Ariel really only understood bits of it. She had to stop him when he said "split the profits 50/50?"
"Wait, what?" she asked, cutting him off mid-sentence.
"Well, to be fair, you came up with the formula, half the proceeds will go to you." He said simply.
Generous! She thought as they continued to walk and talk.
