AUTHOR'S NOTE: By now, you're probably cottoning on what's going to happen next. James and Thomas have got themselves into a bit of trouble, and it doesn't help when you're diving into things you're not supposed to. Explanation for why everything is happening so fast; the boys have to gain the trust of Willy Wonka very quickly so that the story starts to take place. I'll also like to add I found out about the books by Frank Beddor Looking Glass Wars and Seeing Redd - haven't read them yet, but would love to. Reading the plot of these, I can see the additional plot in the new Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland.
DISCLAIMER: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory belongs to Roald Dahl. Alice Adventure's in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass belongs to Lewis Carroll. Looking Glass Wars, Seeing Redd and the upcoming sequel Arch Enemy belong to Frank Beddor. James Finnegan and Thomas Sands belong to me.
Chapter Seven: Rabbit Hole
What they saw astonished them. Nowhere in their life had they'd seen anything like it – a whole room made out of candy, a candy garden. Sugar mint grass on top of molted chocolate soil; marshmallow and jelly toadstools, milk chocolate egg bushes and swirled candy-cane trees. On the ceiling were different variations of the moon cycles and in the distance was a roaring chocolate waterfall that led into a river. James gawped at the very sight of it. It was like he'd stepped into a dream world. Just the very thought of eating these things made his stomach growl hungrily.
Thomas on the other hand was just flabbergasted; so stunned that not even his hungry stomach could take him out of his bewildered gaze. How did he do it? Growing this entire garden? There's no way he could have designed all of this! Trainers crunched upon the sugar grass as they entered further into the room. Mr. Wonka was following behind them; that big perfect smile on his face, his violet eyes shimmering. He was glad the boys were enjoying themselves – just imagine the five lucky winner's faces.
'How…' Thomas began gobsmacked as he spun around, those same green eyes staring.
'Magic, my dear boy…Magic!' the famous confectioner gushed, full of pride as his own eyes looked around at his life-long creation. 'Took me years to finish to masterpiece. More years than any of my other rooms'.
Magic? Sands wondered as he gazed about the room. He was so transfixed that he barely heard Wonka ushering further into the room.
'Go on! Go and have a closer look…just don't touch anything? 'Kay? I want to have some candy left for my official guests!' he laughed lightheartedly as he watched James and Thomas having fun.
However, something in his heart was telling him that something was going to go wrong. It had only been almost a week since he met the boys and they were pestering him and all to get inside his wonderful factory. Willy Wonka knew they were only kids, but kids now days…they were so much cleverer than his generation. Modern technology really opened their eyes to the world they lived in. Death, wars, diseases. Computers told them things they were too young to understand about; sex, drugs. Computer viruses and hackers didn't help society either.
He frowned just thinking about what was going on in those kids' head as they wondered through the factory. Mr. Wonka felt used some how, manipulated. Two kids managed to make him allow them inside his home, his world with just one look of their cute eyes. But something inside him made him want to believe they meant no harm. He looked down at his gloved hand twirling at his glass cane with the black and white swirled top. He was going to have to keep an eye on them…just to make sure.
It didn't help when Thomas Sands recognized two things in the entrance hall. The decreasing doorway and the door itself. Wonka was surprised they didn't catch onto the carpet...
MWMW
'James?' Thomas began, trying to keep his hands from taking anything without asking.
'Mmhm?' Finnegan replied in turn, staring lovingly at the chocolate river, then at the chocolate egg bushes; his brown eyes twinkling as he licked his lips. He eventually turned his attention to his serious friend. 'What?'
'Don't you find…anything oddly familiar about this?' Sands responded, frowning.
In turn this made Finnegan frown in confusion. He had no idea what his friend was going on about as he looked around his surroundings' looking from left to right and up and down. The blonde's expression was blank as he turned back to his expectant friend.
'Nope! Nothing…why do you ask?'
Sands in turn sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, which rarely happened when he and James were talking face to face. He looked into Finnegan's brown eyes before looking around into the direction of Mr. Wonka; who was seemingly wandering about his beloved room. He was out of ear shot.
'Jim…I think he's not telling us something,' Thomas whispered. 'When I was standing at the entrance, I began to have this funny feeling of deja-vu. Like I had been in this place before'
'Oh?' an eyebrow was raised from the blonde. 'What makes you say that?'
They reverted to sitting down by the chocolate river; but not close enough so that either of them shouted over the roaring of the chocolate. Tom was fiddling with longer strands of sugar grass, fully knowing that sugar would get on his jeans, but he didn't care. With his friend giving him full attention, he began to explain:
'You probably seen Alice in Wonderland, right?' He got a nod in agreement. 'Do you remember the part if the film when Alice first enters Wonderland she was travels into a hall that seems to shrink as she grows larger? There was another nod, and to his delight, James had a look of realization. '—and when she comes into one of the doors into a small hallway she meets a tiny door, where she needs to shrink to open it?—'
'Yeah…' James fidgeted into his place. 'It does ring a bell…but—' he paused, growing a little uncomfortable. '—maybe it could be just a coincidence? could have seen the film when he was little and decided to make the factory based on it?'
'Hmm…maybe' Sands shrugged half heartedly, though with an annoyed frown. He didn't think of that. He leaned forward and went to continue, when both boys found an odd looking man looking into the direction on the other side of the river.
All three of them went into a small staring competition. The odd man wasn't the only man, in fact there were three or four of them staring at the two with suspicion and slight dislike. The men were dressed in red latex suit with black and white stripped sleeves with the 'W' insignia on the chest. They were coffee coloured – possibly Asian? Arab? But the weird thing was that they were tiny; if standing, they'd be up to the knee cap. Pigmies? Midges?
'Looks move away from here, I don't feel comfortable' James whispered, and in silence agreement from Thomas, the two stood and walked away, feeling the stares on their backs…
MWMW
'Whoever those people were…they knew we were talking about something we shouldn't 'ave done, Tom' James whispered, licking his lips in nervousness. 'It's like we're not minding our own business with a secret or something'
'Mm' was all that he got as a response.
Thomas was too busy looking around the room for something else that rung a bell. It was when that he spotted the bush with the different coloured tea-cups; lemon yellow, baby blue and baby pink. They were again growing, like the rest of the room.
'Look' he pointed towards the bush, and James did. '…Teacups?'
'Yeah…just like from the scene with the Mad Hatter's tea party—'
'So!'
The loud booming voice caught the two inquisitive boys off guard, as they spun around to find Willy Wonka walking towards them, that perfect smile beaming. Only, it looked false. Both friends gulped as they knew something had been said to him – most likely by those small men working over by the river.
'How do you find the room? Interesting? Boring? If you find it boring, we could take the boat to another part of the factory?' Wonka was speaking rather quickly, his voice higher than usual, more child-like and hyper.
'No-no! This room is fine…no, more than fine…it's really…beautiful, Mr. Wonka' Thomas truthfully spoke, his finger tips stroking at the tea-cup in curiousity. His green eyes were staring at the odd growing flower.
'Oh good—'
'Um…Mr. Wonka?'
'Yes, m'boy?' Willy Wonka responded in the same excited tone, though his smile with flickering. His eyes were twinkling in an odd manner too; nervous and unsure.
'Did you…were you inspired by the Alice in Wonderland film, sir? The entrance hall and this room have a likeness to it?' James asked carefully, acting innocent and watching the man's expression carefully.
Just what they wanted. The chocolatier's eyes widened at the question as he looked around before turning to him. 'Well! Uh…n-not the film exactly, heh. More the books! I loved the books at a child! You see…when I was little…I never watched television – very bad for your eyes, you know—'
'I suppose you're right' Thomas murmured, drawing his attention away from the bush. 'Are you alright, Mr. Wonka…? You look a little jumpy'
'No! I'm just fine! Yeah…fine. Must be the chocolate—did you know that chocolate contains an endorphin that makes one fall in love—' he paused at the surprised expression on the boy's faces. '—not that I'm falling in love with you! Good gracious, no! That's disgusting. That only works on women! Men don't get the same pleasure from chocolate…it just makes me hyper, heh…' Mr. Wonka trailed off again.
His body suddenly felt flustered from embarrassment; it didn't help with the heat. His pale face was red and there were sweat beats on his forehead where the top hat was.
'Forget what I said, carry on looking! There's so much more to see in this room!'
With that said, he left. Leaving the two boys more confused and convinced something was not quite right…
MWMW
Out of cautiousness, the friends kept away from the confectioner for a while. Whatever had happened, the workers had tipped him off that Thomas and James found something out. It was strange how everything was happening so quickly. In the past week they got inside the glorious factory…Mr. Wonka must have felt the same, but for different reasons.
It also made them think why Willy Wonka closed the factory. Maybe it wasn't just for the recipes being stolen…maybe whoever was snooping around had discovered something else that their employer was protecting.
The Chocolate Room was huge. It made them think about the size of the others. Their walk felt like ages, but really only an hour or so had gone by after arriving. James checked his watch to make sure…yep, an hour.
They continued on, just as Thomas almost slipped down into something.
'Ah!' he silently yelped, and grabbed the nearest thing, being one of the candy cane trees. Sands scrambled he was away from whatever they stepped in.
He was looking into this gaping hole. Where the sugar mint grass used to be, there wasn't anymore. It was like one of those natural things that happened when the ground was weak and caved in – he couldn't remember what it was called, by he and James learnt that in science.
'What is that?' he hissed at the blonde.
James was kneeling down to peer into it. 'Don't have a clue mate, but whatever it is…it goes on forever' he whispered back, leaning forward.
'Careful, Jim! You don't know where that thing goes to'
'Oh don't be so stupid—' he was interrupted as more ground caved in from his wait. 'Ah!' he yelled. Finnegan had fallen through. 'Tom!' he called, his voice echoing into the blackness.
'Oh my God! James!' Thomas whimpered, still holding onto the tree. He was staring at the hole for a while. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God! Those three words were spinning around his head, over and over.
He looked around in panic. He hoped to Heaven that Mr. Wonka hadn't heard the commotion. He closed his eyes as he began to sweat; slowly letting go to the tree to look down at the hole. Thomas Sands had no choice…he needed to get his friend. He had no idea where it led to, and he sure knew Mr. Wonka and those men couldn't get to him fast enough, despite their knowledge.
However, if they did know about it…why hide it? He gulped, looking around again. Sands stood at the hole for a while – he was all in the clear, but why wasn't he going? He knew why…he was scared of heights. Taking a deep inhalement of breath, he jumped in. I'm coming James!
