A few long months had passed and four of the five golden tickets had already been found; the first was found in Australia, the second was in France, the third in the Mexico, and the fourth found in Scotland… and the odds of Charlotte finding one now were pretty slim.

One day, Charlotte stood outside the large gates of Willy Wonka's glorious factory and stared at it longingly. The sweet, succulent scent of melted chocolate from the enormous stone chimneys filled her nose; oh, how she wanted to go inside and see the wonders that lied within. She sighed as she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her purple sweatshirt; she realized that her lifelong dream of exploring the Wonka factory was fast slipping away.

'Four tickets down, one to go. But what are the odds of me finding the last one now?' She thought as she walked down the sidewalk away from the gates. 'Those guys are right. I don't have a chance. I'm never gonna meet Willy Wonka.'

As she walked down the sidewalk, she didn't see where she was going and she accidentally bumped into someone and she fell to the ground.

"Oh, man! I'm so sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry!" She apologized. "I didn't see you there."

"No, no. It's okay. It was an accident." The stranger said.

Charlotte looked up and she saw that it was a boy who roughly looked to be the same age as her. There was a short awkward silence before the boy took Charlotte's hand and helped her up.

"Would you like to buy a chocolate bar, miss?" He asked, holding out a Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight chocolate bar to Charlotte.

Charlotte longingly looked at the bar in the boy's hand; she wanted it, she really wanted it. But she realized something.

"Oh. I'd love to, but I don't have any money. I'm sorry." Charlotte answered.

"Tell you what; instead of you purchasing it, why don't I just give the chocolate to you right here right now?" The boy offered.

"What? Give? As in… for free?" Charlotte's eyes widened.

She was shocked by this boy's sudden act of generosity; nobody she knew was ever generous to her.

"Of course." The boy said.

"Oh, no. No, no, no." She denied, trying to stay courteous. "I could never ask you to do that."

"No really, I insist. Take it. You look like you need it… And I don't think anyone deserves this more. Believe me." The boy said, still holding out the chocolate.

"Deserves it? Well, I don't know about that but… okay, since you are offering. Thank you." She said politely, taking the candy bar.

"You're welcome." The boy said before walking down the road down an alleyway.

Charlotte wondered where that boy came from, but she quickly ignored it and went back to her new chocolate bar. She smiled and licked her lips as she held the bar in her hands, she couldn't wait to take a nice big bite. After she carefully tore off a tiny bit of the paper, however, she saw something that didn't look right. It looked like it just… flashed gold. Her heart stood still and her breath paused; she tore more of the wrapping away and she saw… Willy Wonka's final golden ticket! Her eyes grew wide as she pulled the ticket out of its wrapping and held it in her hands. The other people that were walking by stopped what they were doing and stared at Charlotte in awe and shock.

"I can't believe it. It's a golden ticket. She found Willy Wonka's last golden ticket! It's right there in her hands! Can you believe it?!" A man from the nearby newsstand cried out as he ran over to Charlotte. "My dear, destiny is very kind to you indeed."

"Yeah, I guess so…" Charlotte said in a daze, not seeming to take notice of the crowds gathering around her.

"Whoa! How did SHE manage to find the last ticket?" An eight year old boy shouted.

"Impossible!" A woman wearing thick rimmed glasses cried out.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" A five year old girl exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.

"What's going on over there? Is it something to do with Mr. Wonka and the golden tickets?" A girl who looked to be college age asked.

"Yeah! Some girl found the last one!" Another girl said.

"No way!" A twelve year old boy shouted.

"Hey, hey! I can't see!" A teenage boy called out, trying to get a better view of the frantic scene.

Charlotte seemed unfazed to notice all of the buzz, chatter, and excitement that was going on around her; her focus was on the beautiful, gleaming golden ticket in her hands and that alone… that is until she felt a hand resting on her shoulder.

"Listen, kid. I'll buy it from you right now." A woman in a fur coat said as she approached Charlotte. "I'll give you $50 for it and a few new dresses and matching shoes."

"Are you kidding me?! I'd give her $500 for that ticket! You wanna sell me your ticket for $500, young lady?" A man wearing a clean suit and necktie offered her.

"No way! What about $5,000 dollars in exchange for that ticket, miss? Can you take a check?" Another woman asked as more strangers started to swarm around the poor girl.

"Uh, um… I, uh…" Charlotte stuttered; she as at a loss for words. That was then when she realized how many people had surrounded her and she tried to hide herself, but to no avail.

"Stop, that's enough! Leave her alone! All of you!" The newspaper seller protested as he walked over to the group of people.

The pack of random strangers reluctantly did what they were told and the newsman looked at Charlotte and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen to me. Don't let anyone else have it; this is your lucky charm. Take it straight home and don't stop until you get there. You understand, dear?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Thank you. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Charlotte cried.

With her newly found ticket clutched tightly in her hand, Charlotte excitedly ran down the street and straight back to the orphanage as fast as she could… perhaps even faster. The moment she ran inside, she slammed the door and skidded to a stop, the heels of her boots making a few dark scuff marks on the hardwood floor, and she jumped up and down as she excitedly screamed,

"I found it! I found it! I found it! I found it!"

Ms. Ethel and the other orphans were startled and very confused; they looked at Charlotte who was nearly out of breath.

"Charlotte? What is it?" Ms. Ethel said. "I've never seen you so jumpy before."

"What's going on?" A girl named Tina asked.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Darla asked.

"This! This is what I'm talking about! I just found Willy Wonka's LAST GOLDEN TICKET! It's mine, it's mine, it's MINE! How amazing is that?!" Charlotte squealed, holding the ticket tightly in her hands and panting heavily.

There was nothing but silence for a good minute or two; the other orphans stared at each other, then looked back at Charlotte in disbelief.

"You're a liar." Tobias said with a rude scoff.

"WHAT?! I am not! It's really real!" Charlotte protested.

"Oh yeah? Why don't you prove it?" Jamie smugly asked.

"Fine, I will. I'll read it aloud right now and show you."

Charlotte cleared her throat and began to read what was written on her ticket. It read:

"Greetings to you, the lucky finder of this golden ticket, from Mr. Willy Wonka. I shake you warmly by the hand. For now, I invite you to come to my factory and be my guest for one whole day. I, Willy Wonka, will conduct you around the factory myself, showing you everything there is to see. Afterwards, when it is time to leave, you will be escorted home by a procession of large trucks, each one filled with all the chocolate you could ever eat. And remember, one of you lucky five kids will receive an extra special prize, beyond your wildest imagination. Now, here are your instructions. On the 31st of May, you must come to the factory gates at 10 a.m. sharp. Don't be late. You're allowed to bring one member of your family to look after you if you wish. And one more thing, be sure to have your golden ticket with you at the factory gates at all times, otherwise you cannot enter. Until then, Willy Wonka."

"See? What'd I tell ya?" Charlotte said with a smug and proud smirk.

The room suddenly grew quiet for a good few minutes. Charlotte was smiling a big, toothy grin while standing in place; she was paralyzed with joy at this point. Everyone else was either in shock or disbelief at what their teenage servant had just discovered.

"The 31st of May?" Ms. Ethel repeated. "But isn't that tomorrow?"

"I-It is. And tomorrow is… my SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY!" Charlotte cried, the exciting realization of the situation hitting her like a bullet to the brain; she started to pace the floor. "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! I have so much to do and so little time! I have to get ready for tomorrow ASAP! I have to take a shower, wash my hands and face, brush and wash my hair, pick out an outfit, and—"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait just a minute, young lady!" Ms. Ethel interrupted, waving her hands over her head. "Charlotte, what makes you think you are actually going to this absurd factory tomorrow?"

"The ticket I just found?" Charlotte asked as she stopped pacing; she held her ticket closer to her.

"No. I mean you are not going, ticket or no ticket." Ms. Ethel said sternly.

"What?! Why not?!" Charlotte shrieked, a look of shock stamped on her face.

"Because I said so."

"Explain, please?"

"Going someplace as big as that gigantic factory is… is not safe. So many large machines and unpredictable scenarios; you could very well get hurt or even killed if you're not careful! Who knows what might happen behind those walls?"

"But, Ms. Ethel, that's what I want to find out! Why can't I—"

"No buts, missy! I've already made up my mind! You are not going to that factory tomorrow and that is final!"

Charlotte's eyes softened as her lower lip quivered ever so slightly at Ms. Ethel's shrill command. She deeply inhaled through her nose before turning on her heels and going down to the basement without saying another word. Ms. Ethel and the others were left staring at the basement door in surprise.

"Wow. That was… so much easier than I thought." Ms. Ethel said smugly.

Charlotte was distraught at first, but it wasn't like she didn't see this coming. She knew Ms. Ethel would forbid her to go on the tour but by now, she already had a plan: she was going to sneak out of the orphanage the next morning before anyone woke up. She smiled slyly to herself before lying down on her mattress of a bed.

Very early the next morning at the crack of dawn, Charlotte woke up and snuck into the shower on the first floor to get herself cleaned up. She washed and brushed her hair, scrubbed her face and hands, and even brushed and flossed her teeth (flossing was something she hardly ever did to begin with); she knew she wanted to look her absolute best for Mr. Willy Wonka. After grabbing a glass of water and an orange or two from the kitchen for a quick breakfast, Charlotte went back into the basement, grabbed her ticket out from under her pillow, used a pair of bolt cutters to cut the chain sealing the little window above her bed, and carefully climbed out of the room without making so much as a peep.

The moment she made it outside, Charlotte smiled; she almost couldn't believe her plan really worked. She checked the watch that was on her wrist and saw that it would soon be time for the gates to open. She ran away from the orphanage and down the street towards her destination as fast as her legs could carry her… just as Ms. Ethel begrudgingly woke up.

"Charlotte? What's going on down here?" Ms. Ethel's voice called before letting out a tired yawn. "I heard the water running. Was that you? What are you—?"

When Ms. Ethel made her way down to the basement, she saw that the chains on the window were gone… and so was Charlotte. It was then that Ms. Ethel realized something.

"She went off to that damn factory after I specifically told her not to?" She snarled as she scrunched up her face. "That wretched, spoiled, lying, bratty, little ingrate! Oooooh, I'll get her good for this…"