Chapter 14 - Down the Corridor
Hello, readers! I'm back! Hopefully everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Without further ado, it's response time again!
To everyone who made predictions and suggestions for Tyler's demise, you'll find out soon what his fate might be!
GirlPower54, I'm glad you liked the Wonka-Vite and Vita-Wonk. Just keep reading to find out which rooms the group will explore!
TheIndividualist, sorry to crush your hopes. However, you'll find out soon what might happen to him!
Linkwonka88, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the Chipmunk Chews. I tried sucking in the helium from a balloon once, and while I didn't pass out, it sure felt weird to be talking at a higher pitch than normal!
JOHNHAMMOND1993, hmm, that would have been a good idea for a room! I did mention that room in my other story, "Where All the Bad Nuts Go". It was in chapter 17 of that one.
Sonny April, as you know, I changed the genre of Yuna's song to Japanese pop. I figured that since Yuna was obsessed with staying young, I could use the opportunity to pay tribute to the sequel of CATCF, which, in my opinion, is highly underrated.
agentdemigod, the Wonka-Vite was supposed to be for Charlie's grandparents. As for the Sour Stingers, come to think of it, they could have been used for his demise, but alas, that didn't happen.
dragonserpent18, you're right. It can only get more mysterious as time goes on.
Softkitty55, I'm glad you liked the candies from the previous chapter, as well as how Yuna was eliminated. It surprised you, didn't it? :)
marty munster, cheese bean, and food 66 (interesting usernames you have there), thanks for the room suggestions. The group will visit a few of those later.
XXCandyLoverXX, don't be sorry. Better late than never, as they always say. I'm glad you also enjoyed the Wonka-Vite and Vita-Wonk, and you'll soon find out where the group will go next!
Tessa, she did turn 358 years old. The room you mentioned will not be used for Tyler's demise, unfortunately, although the group might take a peek into that room later. Now, on with the story!
Mr. Wonka and Charlie Bucket led the group down a long, winding corridor with several big, round doors on each side. Each door had a glowing label on it, as well as a large, wheel-like handle that resembled the ones found on vault doors.
"Now, people," Mr. Wonka said, "this is one of the factory's main corridors. The rooms here are very important, so we should go and check some of them out."
"Where are your Internet servers located?" Daniel asked him. "I'd love to see how they work."
"Sorry, but you're mumbling again," Mr. Wonka told him just as the group passed a door that was labeled: "LAFFY TAFFY". "I really wish you'd stop doing that."
"That seems like Tyler's kind of candy, since he likes jokes so much," Chris whispered to Jenna, who responded with a smirk. "Laffy Taffy is my mom's favorite candy."
"Let's stop here, everyone," Charlie announced as the group approached the next door in the corridor. It was labeled: "SQUARE CANDIES THAT LOOK ROUND".
"These are among our most unique products," Mr. Wonka said proudly. "Take a look and see for yourself." The group crowded around the door and looked through the window. Rows upon rows of long, stainless steel tables dominated the room, and on each one were hundreds of small cubes with eyes.
"I don't get it," Daniel said, shrugging his shoulders. "They're supposed to be round."
"No, they're supposed to be square," Mindy told him. "How does that make them look round?"
"Maybe when you look at them long enough, they puff up and turn into spheres or something," Jenna suggested.
"Well, they don't become round," Mr. Wonka told her. "They just look round."
"That doesn't make any sense, Mr. Wonka," Tyler's father replied. "If they look round, why are they square? They should be looking round right now."
The guests continued to argue with the two chocolatiers until Chris realized something.
"Wait!" he exclaimed, and everyone immediately stopped arguing. "I think I might know what all of this means. I bet it has something to do with their eyes."
Mr. Wonka smiled at him, and then he proceeded to open the door. At the sound of the door handle turning, the candies all turned to face the door, and their tiny eyes began to look in multiple directions.
"I knew it!" Chris yelled in triumph, raising his fist into the air. "Those square candies are looking 'round!"
"Wonderful, Chris!" Charlie exclaimed, giving him a high-five. "You figured out that riddle faster than anyone else I've known!"
"Shame on me," Jenna said to herself, letting out a muffled sigh as everyone resumed walking. "How could I have not known that? Oh, well."
A few seconds later, the group approached another door, and it was labeled: "CHOCOLATE MILK COWS".
"This is the room where we produce our world-famous chocolate milk!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed. "Take a look inside, everyone!" The group crowded around the door.
A large field of mint grass took up most of the area, and on each side of the room was a row of fifteen fully automated milking stations. The cows in the room were producing chocolate milk, and their bodies were brown with large black spots. Most of the cows were grazing on the mint grass, but there were a few who stood inside the milking stations. Rich, pure chocolate milk flowed through the clear plastic pipes that were connected to the cows' udders.
"Now that's an innovative way to produce chocolate milk," Daniel's father said in amazement. "I'm assuming you worked your genetic engineering tricks on them as well?"
"Precisely," Mr. Wonka replied with a smile. "Everyone else's cows just produce regular milk, so they require huge factories just to turn the regular milk into chocolate milk. I figured that since we've come so far with genetic science, why not have the cows themselves produce the milk? It saves space and energy, it's very unique, and the milk is rich and creamy and so darn delicious. Now, come along."
The two chocolatiers led everyone past a round door that was wide open. This area was nearly identical to the Chocolate Milk Cows room, except the milking stations were vibrating as the cows stood on them. The milk that flowed through the plastic tubes was very frothy as a result of the shaking.
"They're making milkshakes!" Chris exclaimed in delight. "My favorite kind, too!"
"Precisely," Mr. Wonka said before letting out a small giggle.
"I don't get it," Daniel said, unimpressed. Mr. Wonka turned and frowned at him.
"For your information," he told Daniel, "milkshake isn't milkshake at all unless the cow has been shaken. Everybody knows that." Daniel chose not to argue with Mr. Wonka's statement, and he took Mindy's hand as the group walked onward.
The next door they came across was labeled: "GOLDEN CHOCOLATE EGGS".
"This is another room that we must show you," Mr. Wonka told everyone. "After this room, I'll let you kids choose some of your own. Now, in we go." Just before he turned the handle, Tyler jumped right in front of the chocolatier, blocking him from entering the room.
"Mr. Wonka, I demand that you show me where the prank candies are," Tyler said rudely. Mr. Wonka glared at him in irritation.
"Well, demanding won't get you very far, little boy," he replied. "I promise I'll show you that room very soon."
"But I want to see that room right now!" Tyler screamed.
"What an immature moron," Jenna mumbled to herself.
"He reminds me of Veruca," Charlie whispered to Mr. Wonka as Tyler stormed off towards his father.
"I know," Mr. Wonka quietly replied. "He's nothing but a big wart, just like what she was."
Now that Tyler wasn't blocking Mr. Wonka's path anymore, he finally opened the big, round door, and the tour group entered a circular room with a very high ceiling. A shelf-like platform spanned nearly the entire rear half of the room, and above that platform were seven large, white geese, who were laying their eggs in straw-filled glass nests. As soon as an egg was laid, a trapdoor opened and the egg was sent down an elaborate contraption consisting of scoops, slides, and teeter-totters before it softly landed on a scale, which sorted the good eggs from the bad ones.
"People," Mr. Wonka announced, "these geese produce our golden chocolate eggs. We ship the eggs out year-round, but of course, they're especially in high demand when Easter approaches. These geese are quadruple-sized, so they're much larger than ordinary geese, and the eggs they produce are octuple-sized."
"Watch the scale, everyone," Charlie said just as an egg landed on one of the seven scales. A series of LED lights above the scale lit up in a green color, accompanied by a dinging sound. An Oompa Loompa carefully removed the egg from the scale and he polished the egg to a mirror finish before placing it on a conveyor belt. "That was a good egg, so now it's on its way to the packaging department. If it's a bad egg, it goes down the garbage chute."
"Speaking of which, I think we got a bad one right here," Mr. Wonka said as another egg landed on one of the scales. The lights turned red this time, and a buzzer went off as the scale swung open like a trapdoor, sending the egg down the garbage chute.
"Just out of curiosity," Chris asked, "where does the chute go?"
"To the incinerator," Mr. Wonka replied. "We light it on Fridays."
"Today is Friday," Daniel remarked.
"Well, that's a good thing," Mr. Wonka told him, "because that means that no one here should be jumping on those scales, since they will classify you as a bad egg." Daniel frowned at him in response.
"If it makes you feel better," Charlie added, "the scales will classify any human as a bad egg, including myself and Mr. Wonka. Now, come along, everyone."
"Mr. Wonka," Jenna asked as everyone began to leave the room, "I think I already inquired about this before, but do you have a music room anywhere in the factory?"
"As a matter of fact, we do!" he replied enthusiastically. "We'll show you that room later on in the tour." Jenna smiled at him, and then she walked over to Chris.
"Are you enjoying the tour, Jenna?" Chris asked as the group continued to walk past several more rooms.
"Of course I am," Jenna replied with a grin. "Very much so. Do you have a favorite part of the tour so far?"
"Not really," Chris said. "I'm just enjoying the whole experience. Remember, I've been wanting to see the interior of the factory for ages."
"Me too," Jenna responded. "I don't have a favorite part yet, but I'm sure it will be the music room, or whatever it's called. Who knows, we might end up winning the prize together, you and me. Wouldn't that be fantastic?" Chris nodded in agreement just as Mr. Wonka brought everyone to a halt outside another door, which was labeled: "SPOTTY POWDER".
"Before we carry on," Mr. Wonka announced, "I have one last room to show you. Now, in we go!" He pushed open the big, round door and walked into the room, and everyone else followed him inside.
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned for the next one! What do you think will happen next? Feel free to comment, as usual. :)
Update: I'm almost done writing the next chapter. It should be published tomorrow or on the weekend, so stay tuned!