Hello again everyone, and welcome back... Another somewhat lengthy chapter here for your consumption... Thanks once again to everyone who reviewed. Trgirl - as far as reviews disappearing goes, unfortunately that seems to be a quirk of the ff system. Doubly so when you review-as-guest. At least you can check your own records when you're logged into your account, but if you don't have one (or don't realise that you aren't logged in, as sometimes happens to me) when the system takes a wee while to update with your review, there's no way of double-checking... Anyway... Here we are at the following morning, and you can see just how well Charlie copes with the new day now. :)
Linkwonka... Yup, Ellie is starting to settle in, ever so infinitesimally, but she's not quite there yet. Certainly, the care she's receiving, and seeing her family receive must help with this process.
Turrislucidus - what can I say! You see so many things that I myself only half realise. Yes, Wilke did make a blunder, however well meaning he was. I'm guessing he didn't have the time to think of a way to deal with the situation with greater finesse - he wants to get to the emergency and help Willy as soon as he can. And yet, he leaves an insecure boy, with a tragic past, concerned that someone might be in grave danger - maybe even Wonka himself? He solved the issue of Charlie letting them both go without feeling that they didn't care for him or similar, but opened a whole nother can of worms. Sometimes it seems the man can't get it right for getting it wrong!
And now - on with the story! Again - should you recognise it from elsewhere, the chances are, it doesn't belong to me!
Ellie came to to the sound of her alarm, feeling amazingly refreshed for having a broken night – as she reflected as she went to wake Charlie. It seemed that the few hours of sleep her son had got wasn't really enough to refresh him, but thinking that he needed to learn the consequences of his actions, she decided it would be best to send him to school anyway.
Grumpily Charlie did as he was told, and had something to eat before heading off to the school room. He was on his own today as it was out of his friends' way to come and meet him every day. Secretly, the boy was relieved. While he liked spending time with his friends, he felt too tired today for much social.
Luckily for Charlie, Wonka had thought to contact the school room to inform them of Charlie's late night, so he was met with more understanding than he might otherwise have been – by his teachers at least. It didn't take long for his tired grumpiness to put the young Oompa Loompa's off attempting to socialise with him.
As tired as he was, Charlie soon felt the isolation that surrounded him, and was immediately reminded of his time at the local high school, being not terribly far removed from those days, the similarities hit him twice as hard. By lunch time it was proving to be a long and hard day for the boy, and the thing he wanted to do most of all was find somewhere he could wallow in his misery. He'd known it was better not to hope that things would be different here.
Luckily for Charlie, Wonka had been very much aware that things were prone to going wrong when you were tired, and that tiredness led to such things being extra hard to handle. Wonka also wanted his apprentice to settle in well at the school room, and had therefore instructed Grenske that if the boy seemed to need him at any point, she should let Willy know. Willy had had a feeling that he needed to catch Charlie at the right point to get his point of view across to him.
That being the case, Charlie had only been wallowing for a few minutes when a soft hand was laid upon his shoulder. Frowning at having his solitude interrupted, the boy looked up into the warm gaze of his mentor. "Wonka!" he stated in shock, having not expected to see the man while he was in the school room.
"Hello Charlie." The soft tones seemed to comfort and scold him at once. He hadn't done as Willy had asked. He hadn't been kind to his fellows. Charlie hung his head. At that, Willy sat down next to him, and pulled the boy into his lap, hoping that the comfort of being held would help.
Unfortunately, Charlie didn't relax into the embrace this time, feeling that he didn't deserve the comfort. "What's wrong Charlie?" Wonka eventually asked him. Charlie sighed. "I've let you down Wonka." He eventually said, discomfort evident in his tone. "OH?" Wonka asked him. "I've ruined everything. I was grumpy and rude to the others, and now they're avoiding me." He admitted heavily.
Wonka smiled gently at the boy. "Do you see now why I thought it was a bad idea for you to be up late last night Charlie?" he asked. Charlie thought for a while. "Do you mean that you think my not getting enough rest last night is to blame for this?" he asked in the end. Willy pulled him close, sighing in relief when the boy finally relaxed into his arms. "You're feeling grumpy because you're overtired Charlie my boy." He explained gently. "Then, when the others naturally start to leave you to yourself for a bit, you don't realise that part of their reasoning is that you are too tired to cope with social situations, you think that you've failed in building up a good relationship with the others, and have therefore ruined everything, your tiredness making everything seem so much worse." Then Wonka paused a moment, feeling his way with his words.
"You know Charlie." He continued, looking fondly at the boy, "In many ways your feeling that isn't just down to exhaustion, though that played a big part." In the next pause, Charlie looked up at the man in confusion. Was he feeling this way due to tiredness or, not. "I have a feeling that you've not had many friendships in the past, and therefore have no experience of the bumps that go into making them." Wonka chuckled at the continuing confusion staring out at him from Charlie's eyes, and gently squeezed his shoulders. "We don't give friendships just one chance, and then abandon them because someone has been a little grumpty Charlie!" he informed the boy gently. "An apology is always helpful, but friendships don't falter due to disagreements. It is in the bumps of life that the truest friends are found, and by the bumps of friendship that one learns to be a better friend. Do you understand what I'm saying?" Wonka finally asked him.
Charlie paused, thinking about it. "Do you mean that if I can learn to move a friendship past difficult times like today, and still be friends with the person, I'll have learned how to actually build stronger friendships?" he eventually queried.
Wonka smiled at the boy. "Close enough Charlie." He stated. Then he put the boy on his feet. "Now come on young man, I'm taking you outside for a run around in the park, and then you're going to tender that apology to your friends before afternoon school begins!" With that, Wonka lead him out of the hot and stuffy room, to engage in a riotous game of leaf pool jumping, before bringing him in again, cheeks glowing from the fresh breeze and the fun of running around outside with Wonka. A few minutes later, he had given his apology to the young Oompa Loompa's and they had forgiven him.
Somehow after that, the afternoon seemed easier than the morning had been, despite the fact that he was still tired. And Charlie's eyes lit up with pure unadulterated joy when he spotted Wonka in homework club later on that day, once he'd completed his paper round and returned once again to the factory. He had feared that having spent lunchtime with him, Wonka would need to work on through homework club time, and he wouldn't get to see him in the homework club. This extra concession did away the last of his disappointment from the day before, and when Wonka beckoned the boy over to join him, he swiftly moved through the tables to where the man was sat.
Wonka patted a strange contraption next to him. "I want you to try the cycle and read machine Charlie." He informed the boy. Slowly, with a little extra encouragement from Wonka, Charlie sat on the exercise bike. It had a harness thing that settled round his torso, underneath his arms, once he was settled onto it. Instead of handlebars, it had a large flat platform. "You put your books on here, and you use the pedals while you're working my boy." Willy informed him. "They're designed to help you exercise while studying." Charlie felt somewhat strange trialling the thing out, but he couldn't argue with the results as he seemed to pick up on what he was supposed to be doing quicker, and completed his homework, to the satisfaction of the supervising adults, far earlier than he had been up until that point. Willy smiled in satisfaction. "Yes, I think these things are well worthwhile investing in." he commented. "Make a note of it Hermert – I want us to have enough of them so that each person can try them out and find out if they learn better if being active while doing so. Then we need to make sure that those who do fall into that category can use them when appropriate."
Then he ruffled Charlie's hair. "I'll see you when homework club lets out tomorrow my boy." He stated with a smile. "We'll get our supper together one of these days!" he exclaimed, just before the boy grabbed him in a hug.
Wonka looked fondly after Charlie as the boy quickly made his way back to the suite on his own. Willy would have loved to join him, but knew he had enough of his own responsibilities to see to that he really needed to go in the opposite direction to Charlie, once they left the educational block, as Wonka thought of it. He turned round with a smile. He'd brought the Wonkavator with him today, and it was just about time for him to head back to the cotton candy fudge room.
He'd woken that morning feeling uncertain whether he wanted to get up and start the day, or return to bed. However, he knew he had a lot to deal with, so he'd got up and swiftly headed along to the aforementioned cotton candy fudge room to supervise the sterilising process. The Oompa Loompa's had been up early, and all that was left of cleaning the room and machinery had already been done.
The sterilisation process had taken much of the day, and Wonka had been pulled away from it by a message that Ellie needed to talk with him. She had started by apologising for her son's behaviour, and then had thanked him for being thoughtful enough to send them both some river chocolate. "Taken from the fourth bend, just as it goes into the tunnel, perfect for fluffy mallow delight bars!" he commented.
Ellie paused, letting the unexpected comment wash over her, and then continued. Wonka heard her concerns about Charlie possibly slipping out of the suite by his room door again out, and agreed that it was an issue. "I have no problem in doing so Ellie, but do you think that it might be better to tell Charlie that it's something you are considering, but that you won't do it unless he breaks your trust again. He's given his word that he won't leave your rooms again without telling someone. Maybe it would help if you told him you were taking him at his word this time, but if he breaks his word then you'll talk with me about having the alarm put on. Let him feel that your first choice is to trust him, before putting the baby gate on so to speak."
Ellie considered what he had to say for a while, and then agreed with him. "OK then. I can see your take Wonkanta. I am glad we've talked about the possibility though – means that I know that if it's needed we're good to go that way." Wonka smiled at her. "It always is comforting to know the possibilities Ellie belly bee." He agreed, before she smiled her thanks and went on her way. As she left, Willy raised an eyebrow in disbelief. Had they actually managed to have a conversation where one of them didn't get frustrated at the other? That had to be a record.
When Ellie left him, Willy decided he would be best occupied by going through those reports he'd meant to read the previous evening. Within half an hour he was up to his eyes in reports, making notes, and computing details in his mind. While he found it a somewhat boring task, he had to admit that it tended to stimulate his imagination, and while he attended to the needed details, he would sketch out ideas on his pad for things he would like to see to in the inventing room.
Unfortunately for Willy, just as he was finishing with the last report, and his thoughts were heading towards half an hour of play in the inventing room, Eshle entered the office and informed him that Grenske had been in touch, saying that she feared Charlie needed him.
Pausing only to file the reports, and his notes, in the appropriate places, Willy immediately jumped into the glass elevator and pushed the school room button. He'd been expecting this call, having seen the boy out of his lounge window as he left to trail through the corridors on his way to the school room. There was something about the boy's posture that called out to Willy for comfort. Knowing it wasn't the time, Willy had turned away, ignoring the aching in his heart at the sleepy dejection Charlie displayed. Now however, Willy could help, and he swiftly moved into the staff room to get directions to the location of his young apprentice.
Wonka could immediately see why Charlie was being left so severely alone. His entire body screamed 'let me alone' and the scowl on his face could have smashed paving stones. There was something about the boy that quickly convinced Willy that if he didn't take action soon, Charlie would decide that the whole factory hated him and there was no point in trying.
Knowing that he needed to smash that attitude before it could fully take hold, Willy quickly decided on a course of action. Charlie was so wrapped up in his bad mood, that he didn't hear Willy entering the room, or even approaching him. He only realised that he wasn't alone when Wonka, keeping his touch as friendly as possible, laid a hand on his shoulder.
Willy was relieved when the sight of his caring visage seemed to melt something in the boy, and had him admitting that he'd let Wonka down. The hard work had been done, or at least, he later mused, at that point it was mostly begun.
Though he could hardly credit it, it seemed that he was a lynchpin in the boy's development now, and if he could be present at the appropriate points, he could help him develop in such a way that he'd be an asset to any position he worked in.
The idea to go out and play in the leaves seemed to have been a stroke of genius, as it blew away the last of the cobwebs of tiredness that had been clinging to Charlie, and the apology, being graciously accepted by the young Oompa Loompa's had helped to reassure him that friendships didn't break because one person or another was a bit grumpy one day. Wonka made sure to remind Charlie that another time, if one of the young Oompa Loompa's were grumpy with him, he'd be in the position of needing to forgive them, and as he had been forgiven he couldn't refuse it himself.
Charlie had looked at him seriously, a touch of fear in his eyes. "Yes Wonka." He replied. Wonka had smiled at the boy, and tucked two fingers beneath his chin. "Chin up my boy!" he told him firmly. "You've done fine with this test, so I'm sure you'll be fine with any others that come." Then, with another caring squeeze of Charlie's shoulder. "Back to lessons now Charlie." He had instructed, heading back to where he'd left the glass elevator.
With his inventing room time vanished, Wonka had returned to check on the other production rooms. He inspected each one every day, trying to avoid the kind of mess he'd ended up dealing with the day before. Sometimes he missed things, unfortunately. This time, he spotted a few jobs that would save some work in the future, and spending half an hour on each job quickly ate up the afternoon. He was happy with his progress though, he felt like he'd achieved something over the course of the afternoon, and that thought pleased him.
He glanced at his watch, having put his last tool away, and marked up the maintenance book. Time to head over to the library for homework club, he noted. While he had spent time with Charlie during lunch break, he'd taken out his inventing room time, meaning that he was now free to be at homework club as well. Inventing room time was a joy, but always one that only happened if he dealt with his other responsibilities first. Sorting Charlie out, as he had needed to over lunch, definitely counted as an 'other responsibility' that needed dealing with before he thought about heading to the inventing room. If he really wanted to, and got through the plans for the evening quickly enough, he could head to the inventing room later.
James smiled at him as he exited the elevator. Both knew that while Jamester had started developing a good relationship with Charlie the evening before, it was going to be Willy that Charlie sat beside tonight.
Exchanging a few words with the other man, something he'd not managed to do since they had parted ways in the small hours, Willy quickly set up some of the exercise-while-you-work bikes. He had three bikes set up before the children entered the library from the school room. Wonka sat at an otherwise empty table. He knew that Charlie would be at least half an hour after the others.
He had been pleased with the effort the boy put in when he got back from his paper round though. After a decidedly sticky start, Charlie had successfully turned his day around, and the look of joy he gave Willy made him feel vindicated in his decision to attend the club, despite having seen Charlie earlier on in the day.
Homework club time had passed swiftly, and Wonka had only found himself assisting Charlie on a few occasions. The use of the bike seemed to increase the boy's ability to understand things, and he worked almost as quickly as his Oompa Loompa classmates – though Wonka admitted that the encouragement of his teachers had to be helping with this as well.
Once he'd bid Charlie to have a good evening, he knew he really had to get back to the cotton candy fudge room, knowing it had done without his presence for longer than was strictly sensible. The Oompa Loompa's in charge of the room were very experienced, and knew how he worked, but his presence was important, especially for quality control purposes.
Therefore, while Charlie and family were eating, Wonka went to see how the sterilisation process had gone, and to supervise the first few test batches of candy coming through the machine. It usually took around five batches before a machine produced the quality chocolate that Wonka's was known for, and Willy wasn't having anything less than perfect leaving the factory.
With a bit of elbow grease, and patience, eventually the machine was coaxed into cooperating, the spindly arms of the chocolate woman coating each fudge bar as they passed her, the flies carrying the trays moving smoothly as they went along their assigned flight routes, the cellophane caterpillars engulfing each bar as it reached their general vicinity and spitting out a neatly wrapped candy bar a few minutes later.
Willy sighed in relief as the production line slowly fired up and began to function like well-oiled machinery should. Hopefully now, the drama levels would drop, and this room would become a well-functioning factory member once again. He looked around at his work force. "Well done everyone, that was a good day's work – she's fallen into normal pattern far more swiftly than she normally does, that suggests you each performed perfectly."
The Oompa Loompa's looked round at each other, amazed at just how highly their boss was complimenting them. Wonka wasn't exactly stingy when it came to compliments, but they were all aware that he said nothing he didn't mean. That he was praising them so highly meant the world to them – all the more encouraged when he proposed to take them to the chocolate room so they could each have an extra mug of river chocolate. Such largesse meant more to them than any other bonus could have. That was the only reason Willy kept it for special thanks or treats. Otherwise he wouldn't be able to top it.
Glancing at his watch again, Willy decided it was time to grab a bite to eat, and then he'd go and spend half an hour relaxing in the inventing room, before it was time for bed. Yes, Willy was definitely satisfied with what he'd achieved today.