Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters which belong to Roald Dahl, Warner Bros. Pictures and Tim Burton. There is no intent to gain anything or anyone.
CatCF (movie) Alternate Universe
choc·o·ci·ol·o·gy – n. 1. The study of human chocolate behavior, especially the study of the origins, organization, institutions, and development of chocolate society. 2. Analysis of a chocolate institution or chocolietal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to chocolate as a whole. o. from choco(late)- (Spanish, from Nahuatl xocolatl : xococ, bitter + atl, water.) + logy, study (Greek – logi see –logy) adapted from sociology by C. Bucket (see sociology)
A.N.: Thanks to my reviewers and readers. :)
Chapter Eleven - Storm Front
Charlie fretted anxiously on his way home. Had he just ruined everything? Had he scared the reclusive candy maker back into his factory? He was now almost absolutely positive that his gentleman was indeed Mr. Willy Wonka. Almost, though there was still a tiny niggling doubt in his mind. He tried to hide his worry and concern from his parents, not wanting to upset them. He made an excuse of a big test coming up in geography (which there was) and was soon able to retreat to his room to focus more on his studying. If his eyes strayed to the chocolate factory on the hill frequently, well, that was just so he could reiterate in his mind what he had just read and remember it better. At the same time, he was considering how to coax his gentleman back outside, an admittedly difficult, maybe even impossible, feat, if he was Wonka.
Charlie wasn't surprised when he did not encounter his gentleman the next afternoon in the park. He was startled to find a fat package on their doorstep when he reached home. "Mom?" He called, staring at the wrapped bundle, wondering where it had come from and what it was. Hope fluttered into his heart. Was it from his gentleman? If it was, maybe things weren't irreparable!
"Dear?" Mrs. Bucket stuck her head out the door. She blinked in mild shock at the latest surprise. She rather thought the repairs to their home had been the peak of her shock. After that, nothing seemed quite as surprising or shocking any more. "Well, let's get it inside and see what it is." She shivered. "It's cold out here." She hastened to get her son inside the warmth of their house and smiled to think that it really was comfortable inside. It was no longer just a few degrees difference, thanks to their mysterious benefactors.
Charlie and his mother considered the soft parcel sitting on the kitchen table for a full minute. "You open it, Charlie," she said with a smile. He hadn't been present when they'd found the baskets, and while he had discovered the astounding renovations, it wasn't the same as opening a package.
With tentative hands, Charlie Bucket teased at the knot holding the whole thing together. His fingers, still a bit numb from the cold, did not want to cooperate at first. Finally, he got the ribbon untied. The bundle fell neatly open, revealing its contents. "Coats," Charlie exclaimed with wide blue eyes.
"Coats," Mrs. Bucket nodded in agreement. She picked up a lovely teal blue coat and smiled brightly. "I think this one is your size, Charlie."
Charlie accepted the offered garment and gently stroked the soft fabric.
"Try it on."
He didn't need to be told twice. His fingers, now much warmer thanks to the cheerful fire in their fireplace, quickly undid the buttons of his old jacket. It was worn and far too thin for the falling temperatures outside. He pulled on the new coat and smiled brightly up at his mother. "It fits!" This was the first time he had ever received something new to wear, at least that he could remember. "It's so warm," he stroked the sleeve, and then put his hands in the side pockets. Charlie pulled out the gloves and matching hat with a huge grin. "I guess I'm ready for winter now," he told her cheerfully.
Mrs. Bucket smiled back. "I think we are too." She held up the burgundy coat which looked like it would fit her perfectly. She checked the pockets and, sure enough, found matching gloves and a hat as well. There was another coat sitting on the table. It was a warm chestnut brown and looked like it was Mr. Bucket's size.
"Check the pockets," Charlie urged her. "Let's see Dad's hat and gloves."
With a grin, his mother proceeded to do just that and got a surprise. One large pocket yielded the expected items, but the other revealed several pairs of soft, fluffy charcoal socks. "Well, that's a surprise!" She unrolled them and found there were six pairs. She handed the smallest pairs to her son. "Your father is really going to like his new coat."
"So am I!" Charlie stroked the soft fabric and sighed happily. His mother hung her new coat in the closet and laid Mr. Bucket's coat on the couch to await its new owner's arrival. Somewhat reluctantly, Charlie removed his coat and carried it over to the closet. He noticed the inside zipper and was surprised to feel something inside the pocket. He checked his mother's new coat and found a zipped pocket on the inside. It, however, proved to be empty. He unzipped his pocket and pulled out a small round package wrapped in paper. He started to call his mother, but suddenly hesitated. He looked around to see her focused on fixing dinner. He carried his book bag, socks and the object up to his room. He sat on his bed and unwrapped the small package carefully. He stared at the little ball, wondering why he had been given a white marble. As he examined it, his eyes accidentally fell on the wrapping paper and he spotted the writing. Relief flooded him as he read the words.
Charlie felt like he was going to burst with joy as he realized he hadn't scared away his gentleman forever. He examined the note and looked at the W signature, comparing it to the W on his Wonka chocolate bar wrappers. It was a perfect match! His gentleman really was the Great Mr. Willy Wonka. The boy thought he would never stop grinning and wondered if he could explain why he was so happy to his parents without actually telling them. He thought Mr. Wonka might prefer to remain anonymous to the world for now. He also did not want to betray the great candy maker's trust. According to Grandpa Joe, it was betrayal which had driven his gentleman away from society in the first place. Spies among his employees had stolen his greatest secrets and caused Mr. Wonka to close his factory down. Apparently, Mr. Wonka had thought it would be forever, but then something must have happened, something unknown to the world, which had allowed him to reopen. Perhaps he had spent the years that the factory was shutdown automating everything so he wouldn't need to risk letting people inside again. And now… Now, he was venturing back out into the world and he, Charlie Bucket, had somehow earned his trust. Did Mr. Wonka actually remember Grandpa Joe? Was that why he trusted Charlie himself? He liked to think that Mr. Wonka had known Grandpa Joe would never ever steal from him, that he would never betray the great man's trust, that Mr. Wonka had closed his factory only because he wasn't sure of enough of his other employees' loyalty to continue running it. He looked at the 'marble' and realized it must be the gobstopper mentioned in the brief note. Tentatively, he licked it and his grin broadened as the rich taste flooded his mouth. That was good! He had never heard of gobstoppers before. They must be new. Charlie felt very special to be receiving a brand new Wonka candy.
For the first time in his life, Charlie wondered what their lives would have been like if Grandpa Joe had continued working for Wonka Worldwide until finally retiring. Somehow the boy knew that life would have been far, far kinder for the Bucket family. Maybe his father would have also worked for Wonka, instead of Smilex Toothpaste. (Charlie thought that Mr. Wonka would pay his workers more than Smilex did, especially cap screwers.) He licked the gobstopper and imagined his father bringing home new candies instead of warped toothpaste caps. He wondered about going to a Christmas party at the factory and what it was like inside. He decided they'd have an enormous tree inside with bright lights and colorful ornaments and tinsel. There would be lots of good things to eat. Every employee and their family would receive a little present, maybe a specially made sweet just for them. Perhaps Mr. Wonka himself would hand them out, bowing to each person, thanking his employees for their hard work throughout the year and wishing them well for the holidays. Or perhaps, he would make a speech and have a Santa Claus to hand out the presents. Christmas music and laughter would fill the air along with the delectable aroma of chocolate. Yes, Charlie Bucket thought that Mr. Wonka's factory would be full of joy at Christmas time. He wondered if Mr. Wonka would have closed the factory for a holiday break starting with Christmas Eve with all the workers returning after New Year's Day. He decided Mr. Wonka would continue paying his employees while they enjoyed the season at home with their families. Grandpa Joe had said Mr. Wonka was a generous man.
Charlie sighed wistfully. It was pity his grandfather never mentioned Christmas at Wonka's factory. He wondered why that was. He had talked a bit about Christmas at the candy shop, describing the special holiday candies that they had made and sold, including a little chocolate flute that played Christmas carols when you ate it. He had even spoken of coming in one morning to find Willy Wonka humming Christmas songs and dancing as he hung decorations around his shop. It had been the first Christmas at Wonka's so there were several surprises. There had been a Christmas tree that, much to their astonishment, the employees got to eat after they closed on Christmas Eve. Grandpa Joe said the tree had looked absolutely real and was actually the most delicious chocolate mint fudge he had ever tasted. They'd been allowed to take home the ornaments, which also appeared real but were colored spun candy, as well as what was left of the tree after the impromptu party. Mr. Wonka had sent everyone away with bonuses in their pockets and an injunction not to return until the second of January.
Grandpa Joe was the first to come back from the break and he found a most disturbing sight – a worn out Willy Wonka attempting to make crème filled chocolate letters. Their boss had worked the shop entirely by himself from the twenty sixth through New Year's Eve, draining even his boundless energies. After discussing it with each other, his workers had boldly told their employer that he was not to do one bit of work more until the following Monday. They stated it would not do to have the owner of the most successful candy shop in town hospitalized from exhaustion. Mr. Wonka meekly returned to his quarters over the shop to rest and recover. They had thought their strategy a great success, until they realized he was sneaking down after hours to work on the newest candies. Grandpa Joe said after that everyone took parts from the machines home with them for the remainder of Mr. Wonka's enforced vacation. They had also padlocked the pantry doors and cabinets so Mr. Wonka wouldn't have any ingredients to make candy. They took turns bringing in tempting meals for him to eat so he would have no reason to go to the grocers or cook. Their boss pouted and sulked (To their amazement, he never threatened to fire them.), but his cheerful nature soon reasserted itself and he had returned to work on Monday, merry and chipper, once more full of more energy than all his employees combined. That first Christmas had set the tone for all the ones that followed until Wonka replaced his candy shop with the chocolate factory.
Charlie managed to dampen his huge grin in time for dinner by thinking sad thoughts about his grandparents' passing and reminding himself that it might be days or even weeks before he saw Mr. Wonka again.
- W – C – F –
The following day, temperatures had fallen even more. As Charlie walked through the park, the heavy, leaden gray clouds released their burden in rain as the temperatures continued plummeting until it started to freeze. The boy gratefully pulled his new hat more snuggly over his ears and shoved his gloved hands deep into the pockets of his new coat. No one would be out in this type of weather unless they absolutely had to be. He decided to forgo his usual visit to the factory in favor of getting home as quickly as possible, before everything froze solid. He stepped carefully, not wanting to slip on any ice, as he made his way down the hill. Charlie hoped his father would be allowed to come home soon. The trees and power lines were already sagging under the building ice.
Despite Charlie's care, he soon felt his feet slip. A hand caught his shoulder just as he would have fallen. He looked up to thank the person, only to feel his heart leap into his throat. "Mr. Wonka?" A shock ran through him as his muddy gray brown eyes met his gentleman's for the first time. Never had he seen eyes that color! Mr. Wonka's eyes sparkled with energy, flashing from a brilliant purple to bright blue and back again as he checked to make sure the boy was all right. Charlie shut his eyes, thinking he couldn't have seen that. He had never, ever heard of anyone having purple eyes before! He opened his eyes as he recovered his balance. "What are you doing out in this weather?" Realizing that sounded ungrateful, he hastened to continue. "Thank you for catching me," he said, feeling a sudden surge of humor and familiarity, "again."
"You're welcome, Charlie," Willy responded softly. He shivered, now was not the time for timidity or nervousness. This weather was not fit for man or beast. When the chocolatier realized that the storm he'd felt building for the last two days was about to let loose with freezing rain just as Charlie would get out of school, he had called one of his workers to find out if his school had let out early in the face of the winter storm front. Discovering that it hadn't been, he immediately dropped everything to bundle up and come out to find the child. There was no way he was going to let the boy walk home by himself, not in this weather. He wouldn't want anyone to wander around in this freezing muck alone. It just wasn't safe. "Let's get you home." He prodded the boy to start moving down the sidewalk, careful to remain on the outside, closest to the street. If drivers hadn't changed much, at least some of them were going to be driving too fast for the worsening conditions.
The pair made quite a sight to see, the gentleman in his top hat, long, black, fuzzy great coat flapping around his ankles, cane tapping along to help keep his balance and the boy in his teal green coat and matching wool hat. Every time Charlie felt himself start to slip, there was a purple gloved hand steadying him. He was extremely grateful and took great comfort in that hand being there. "I hope they let Dad out from work soon," he told Mr. Wonka, repeating his earlier thought aloud.
"Yeah," Willy nodded, "everybody needs to head home now or just stay where they are." His sharp eyes spotted a car sliding at them as it sped through an intersection. He tensed, only to relax as he realized it wouldn't come up on the sidewalk. When another car slammed into the first one with a great grinding crunch of metal, giving it additional momentum, Wonka immediately jumped, pushing Charlie away from the street and the out of control cars as the vehicles came skidding straight toward them.