The factory was huge. A maze of endless corridors snaked their way up and down, forwards and backwards, doors leading off in all sorts of directions; some small, some big, some fancy, some with no handles at all. Wonderful smells and sounds seemed to emanate from the very walls of the building. Em and Charlie wanted to explore every room, however there simply wasn't enough time. They craned their necks to look through small windows, trying to catch a glimpse of more of Mr. Wonka's wonderful creations.
"How much farther?" moaned Veruca, stomping her feet as they rounded yet another corner, the walls plastered with detailed drawings of various fruits, some Em had never even seen before.
Mr. Wonka stopped abruptly, Mike colliding gormlessly into his back sending the two stumbling slightly.
"Wait a minute," ordered Mr. Wonka, straightening his top hat, "must show you this." He gestured to the images on the walls, the group leaning in for a closer look. "Lickable wallpaper," he grinned, "for nursery walls. Lick an orange, it tastes like an orange. Lick a pineapple, it tastes like a pineapple." He looked at them all excitedly. "Go ahead, try it!"
Em watched skeptically as Veruca stuck her tongue out greedily, slobbering all over an image of a banana.
"Mmm, I got a plum!" hummed Mike.
"Em, this strawberry's fantastic!" she heard Charlie praise.
"Tomato?" Mrs. Teevee grimaced, searching for something tastier.
"Can I interest you in anything, m'lady?" queried Mr. Wonka, watching Em carefully, surprise dancing carefully in his eyes.
Em had to admit, despite all the fantastical things she'd been presented with already today, the idea of licking a wall – a wall that could have been licked by any number of people, no less – was not something that appealed to her.
"I'm okay, thank you," she declined, aware that the man's contagious smile was faltering ever so slightly.
"I – you're sure?" he stammered. "You should try some! The lemons taste like lemons. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"
"Snozzberries?" scoffed Veruca, moving now to a miniature watermelon. "Who ever heard of a snozzberry?"
"Aw, c'mon Em!" urged Charlie.
"It's okay," Em shook her head, not wishing to offend Mr. Wonka. "I don't want to spoil my appetite," she joked.
Mr. Salt looked at her haughtily before returning to a bunch of grapes.
She shifted uncomfortably as Mr. Wonka frowned at her, jumping as he clapped his hands together assertively.
"Very well! Come along, come along." He ushered them quickly through the wallpaper corridor, Em concerned she had hit a nerve.
They hurried to keep up with the man, passing doors labeled 'Eatable Marshmallow Pillows' and rooms containing 'Hot Ice Cream' and 'Chocolate Milk Cows.'
"How do you come up with such creative ideas, Mr. Wonka?" quizzed Em, as they hurried along, unable to stop for a closer look.
"It's simply second nature," he answered, turning to her with a smile. She was relieved to see the frown had disappeared from his face. What was it about the man that was so damn enchanting? "Now," he continued, addressing the group. "Something very unusual in here."
They followed him into a futuristic looking, circular room; the walls were lined with sheets of metal, giving the impression of the inside of a spaceship. A small machine was quietly producing bottles, bubbles rising out of the tops and disappearing into the sky. Em craned her neck upwards, squinting up the ceiling.
"Oh, isn't it high! Gosh!" sighed Veruca.
"Bubbles, bubbles everywhere, but not a drop to drink," commented Mr. Wonka, glancing up at the high ceiling. "Yet," he added, firmly.
"What's it making, Mr. Wonka?" Charlie gestured to the machine.
"Fizzy Lifting Drinks," he replied. "They fill you with gas and the gas is so terrifically lifting that it lifts you right off the ground like a balloon!" Em's heart began to race – she'd always dreamt of flying, perhaps Mr. Wonka would allow them a try? "But I daren't sell it yet, it's still too powerful." Em felt her stomach tighten in disappointment.
"Come on," cajoled Mike, "let us try some!" Mr. Wonka looked at him sternly. "Please?" he added, hopefully.
"Oh, let us try some," moaned Veruca. "Don't be mean!"
"No, no, no," Mr. Wonka shook his head. "Absolutely not. There'd be children floating around all over the place." Mr. Wonka turned and made his way to the exit. "Come along now; don't hang about." He headed out the door, calling over his shoulder, "you're going to be wild about this next room."
The group followed compliantly, Em placing her hand gently on Charlie's shoulder to usher him along. She was met with resistance and she glanced down at her brother, his face looking up at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Let's take a drink, Em; nobody's watching."
Em shifted slightly, her eyes darting to the door Mr. Wonka had just left through.
"We really shouldn't Charlie, you saw what happened to the other kids…"
"Aw c'mon, Em," he pleaded, "just a tiny sip. What could go wrong?"
Em pursed her lips and let out a stab of breath through her nose.
"Go on then, a tiny sip."
Charlie's eyes lit up.
"Yeah?" He glanced over his shoulders, checking they were indeed alone.
"A small one won't hurt us." As Em reached for one of the bottles, every bone in her body was screaming at her to stop. If she'd learnt anything on their tour, it was that disobedience was often met with a sticky demise, yet her yearning to soar through the air was something she could not ignore – they may never get another chance, after all. She lifted the bottle to her lips and took a small sip, the bubbles stinging her tongue with the flavors of lemon and vanilla. "Mmm, not bad," she murmured, passing the bottle to Charlie. He took a swig, grimacing slightly as he placed the bottle back onto the machine. "Well?"
He shrugged. "Nothing's happening."
Em frowned in agreement, disappointed.
"You're right, Charlie. I can't understand –" she stopped mid-sentence as all the breath left her body, her feet leaving the floor as she shot into the air "-whhhyyy!" she screeched, suspended above the ground. "Oh, I feel really strange!" she giggled, screeching again as Charlie rose into the air to join her.
"Em!" he chortled, "what do we do now?!"
"I don't know, Charlie!" she waved her legs helplessly, the feeling of weightlessness a bizarre sensation. "We're in big –" she braced herself as she rose further into the air "– trouble! Mr. Wonka isn't going to like this!"
"We can't stay up here all day!" laughed Charlie, shooting past her as he kicked upwards.
"You're right Charlie, but –" Em kicked with all her might, catching up to her brother "– I don't wanna get down!"
"This is great!" he whooped, his face the happiest Em had ever seen. "I'm a shooting star!" He cartwheeled through the air, his limbs flailing as he came close to the wall, bouncing off unceremoniously. Em let out a belly laugh as she did a forward flip, travelling upwards through the bubbles surrounding them.
"I'm a rocket!" she cheered.
"I'm a bird!" tittered Charlie, grabbing Em's hand and pulling her higher.
Em looked down and felt her stomach drop slightly. "Woah, Charlie look; we're really high now."
Charlie ignored her, distracted. "Watch this, Em!" He somersaulted through the air effortlessly.
"Wonderful Charlie," praised Em, all thoughts and worries of the ground forgotten once again. "We could fly to the moon this way!" she suggested dreamily.
"Let's just fly south for the winter," grinned Charlie, floating lazily on his back.
"Why not?" giggled Em. "You are a bird after all!" Charlie squawked and flapped his arms, propelling himself further upwards. "I'm a plane!" Em followed, swimming through the air towards her brother.
"I'm – I'm –" Charlie's voice faltered "– I'm going too high! Em! I can't get down!" Em looked up in alarm, the sudden realisation that they were dangerously close to the ceiling hitting her like a ton of bricks. They were being sucked into a gigantic metal fan, the propellers razor sharp and spinning ruthlessly. "Em, help! The fan!"
"Stay away from it, Charlie!" ordered Em, frantically grappling with the air in an attempt to reach her brother.
"It'll chop us to bits!" fretted Charlie, panic dancing in his eyes. "We're in trouble Em, I can't stop!"
Em felt her body lurch as she, too, was sucked towards the fan.
"It's pulling me in!" she panicked.
"I can't stop! What do we do?!" begged Charlie, searching his sister's face for instruction.
"Grab hold of something, quick!" she ordered, searching the blank walls helplessly.
"There's nothing to grab onto!" he wailed, dangerously close to the fan now.
"Help!" hollered Em at the top her lungs. "Help!"
"Help!" Charlie joined her, his head millimeters from the blades, their voices mixing together in a terrified frenzy.
"Mr. Wonka, please!" begged Em, her voice cracking. "Turn off the fan!" She felt tears in her eyes, terrified for what was about to happen. She held back a sob, a lump rising in her throat. How could she have let this happen?!
She felt bubbles burning the inside of her nose as a burp passed through her lips and she could have cried in relief at what happened next.
"I'm going down!" she howled with joy. "Charlie! Burp! Quick!" she barked. "If you don't get down you'll be chopped into ribbons!"
"Help! I can't!" he whimpered. "Help!"
"You've gotta burp, Charlie! It's the only way!" she demanded, her eyes locked on her brother.
She watched as he closed his eyes, his face scrunched up in concentration. He let out a small burp and Em's heart soared.
"Yes Charlie!" She watched as his body dropped a few centimeters. "Burp again, go on!" He let out a longer burp this time, dropping significantly. Em mirrored him, the two dropping together, away from the unstoppable blades of the fan and towards the safety of the ground. "Grab onto me, Charlie," she instructed, once they were close enough. Charlie gripped onto her arms like a lifeline and she grasped back, assuring him she would not let go. "We're gonna be all right now."
After an agonizing descent, her feet touched the ground and she let out a sigh of relief, Charlie landing shakily next to her.
"From now on, we keep our feet on the ground," he sighed, wearily, letting out a shaky laugh, glancing warily at the machine that was still innocently producing bottles.
Em nodded in agreement, sorry for all the upset she had caused. "Come on, let's catch up to the others!" She grabbed Charlie's hand and they made their way out of the room, not once looking back.
The relief flooding through her was enough to make her grin from ear to ear. Thankfully, they caught up with the group in moments and were able to tiptoe towards the back. Perhaps no one would even know they'd been missing?
Just as they sidled up silently behind Mrs. Teevee, Mr. Wonka turned with a smile, his eyes locking onto Em. She willed herself to stay calm, a grin still plastered across her face.
"Shall we go in?" he gestured to the door and it swung open, Veruca barreling her way into the room, followed closely by her father. Mrs. Teevee followed after Mike, leaving Em and Charlie to bring up the rear. "My dear Buckets, are you quite alright?" he asked, concerned.
Em felt Charlie tense up next to her as she thought fast, her eyes searching past Mr. Wonka and into the new room for any kind of inspiration.
"Yes, thank you Mr. Wonka," she nodded, stalling. "We just really love –" she paused as she spotted something moving in the room, her eyes going wide. Surely not?
Charlie spotted it at the exact same moment she did, his nervousness replaced instantly with genuine excitement.
"Squirrels!"
