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


Chapter 49 - The Trouble with Angels

Charlie woke with a start, wondering where he was. He sat blinking in the cold, gray, pale morning light and stared around. He soon realized he'd slept with Willy in the living room. The unicorn nudged him gently and nibbled on his hair. He wondered why Willy kept doing that. Willy seemed to do a lot of strange things as a unicorn, things that Willy Wonka would normally not even consider, like dancing in the snow, nibbling his hair and snuggling together. He smothered a smile as he remembered the Oompa-Loompas braiding his mane with ribbons. Willy had really been prancing around after that, almost preening. He wondered once more how Willy would feel about it once he changed back into himself.

With a sigh, the boy stood and stretched. The unicorn immediately rose to his feet, his hooves dancing anxiously once more. Charlie placed a hand on his neck, hoping to still his nervousness as he caught sight of his parents still sleeping snuggled together on the couch. "Shhh," he whispered softly. He remembered yesterday afternoon vividly and hoped that the police had caught that mean man. He wondered why he'd tried to take Jenny and was glad that he'd failed. Jenny was nice enough for a girl. He rubbed Willy's nose affectionately, grateful for his timely rescue.

Charlie walked as quietly as he could toward his room, only to find Willy crowding as closely as possible to him as he followed. He suddenly realized he had a serious problem. He had to go to school and Willy seemed more reluctant than ever to let him out of his sight. In fact, he had to block the shower door just to take one without Willy climbing in after him. He could hear the unicorn moving around restlessly as he shut the water off. He cautiously opened the shower doors only to have Willy immediately and anxiously snuffling his hair. He nuzzled the boy's chest and hair as if searching for any signs of injuries.

The unicorn had to be tricked to get him out of the bathroom long enough for Charlie to dress in his clothes for school. This was followed by the hard part. How was he to leave without the unicorn following him? Charlie patted, stroked and scratched all the places he'd found his friend loved in his current form, wondering what to do. He ate breakfast with Willy firmly by his side. Outside, the trees bent and tossed in a cold, strong wind. The remaining leaves of autumn blew across the road along with odd bits of litter, leaving everything bare with the starkness of the coming winter.

The Oompa-Loompas took it out of his hands, luring Willy into the bathroom for a longer than normal shower. The pounding water hid the quiet sounds Charlie made as he slipped out the door. He wondered how they were going to keep Willy from following him even as he hurried across the road and headed for his school, his head down as he pushed against the blustery weather.

Jenny met him at the door, her eyes gleaming brightly. "There aren't any bruises," she whispered to Charlie, her face shining with wonder. She'd been positive there would be some where that man had grabbed her arm too tightly. She glanced around; making sure no one was near enough to hear as they walked toward their home room. "Do you think He had something to do with that?"

Charlie cocked his head to one side curiously as he considered the question. Could Willy actually heal in his unicorn body, the way the legends of those wondrous creatures claimed? "Maybe," he whispered back, finding it oddly pleasing to have someone actually talking with him for a change. Usually he was ignored, part of the background. He wondered how long before Jenny would fall back into old habits and ignore him in favor of her old friends. He pushed the thought away, deciding to enjoy the incongruous attention brought on by their shared experience. They parted in the class room, each going their separate ways. He saw one of Jenny's friends, Heather, sneer at him and hid a smile as Jenny said something sharp. Maybe it would last longer than he originally thought as Heather looked startled and gave him a considering and admiring look. He blushed slightly at the attention.

- W - C - F -

The students were half way through their home period when they noticed a strange chill. The children began shivering with the cold that crept silently through the room. Charlie looked at the vents in bewilderment. The background noise of the fans that spread the heat through the school was strangely absent. Even the teacher was feeling it now and looked puzzled.

The speaker squawked and whistled, before the principal began to speak. Everyone focused their full attention on his words, even the ones who normally ignored school announcements. "The heating system has broken down. All students are to prepare to go home immediately. If you need to call your parents to pick you up, report to the front office. School buses will be here shortly. Teachers may leave once all students are gone for the day."

The students scrambled to gather their things and get their coats. Charlie was glad to pull on the warm coat that Willy had given him. He searched his pockets for his gloves and fumbled them on, his fingers now numb with the cold. The wind had rapidly stolen the heat from the old building. The boy hurried past the line of students, returning Jenny's wave before heading outside to fight his way against the high wind for home. He didn't have to wait for parents or school buses. He was glad for an entirely different reason that he now lived in the nearby factory and wondered if this wind would have been the final straw for their old house.

Charlie's nose and cheeks felt numb with the chill as he hastened into the heat of the chocolate factory. Never had it felt so good! He licked his wind chapped lips and scrambled for the Ivy Suite, wondering where Willy was right now. Charlie opened the door and froze at the unusual sight before him. There, sitting on the floor in row after long row in front of the door, were tiny Oompa-Loompas, their arms joined, swaying back and forth as they sang. They were smaller than any he had seen before. Facing them was a restless and frustrated Willy. He was darting back and forth as he sought a way past the little people. Willy's mane had been braided even more elaborately than before. It looked almost like every single strand had been braided together with long, narrow plum red and lavender ribbon. The result was amazing!

The nonsensical lyrics made Charlie abruptly realize these were children - tiny Oompa-Loompa children. Willy couldn't reach the door for fear of harming any of them. He had to smile at the cleverness of the idea and stared at them in fascinated wonder. Willy's ears pricked forward and he inhaled deeply as he stared at Charlie with whites showing around his violet eyes. The children ceased their singing and turned to stare up at Charlie. They giggled and stood to part before him, allowing the boy to enter. Willy lunged forward as soon as he safely could, to bury his nose in Charlie's chest.

"It's all right," Charlie hugged Willy's neck and whispered reassurances in his ear. "I'm all right."

"Charlie? Why are you home so early?" Mrs. Bucket asked, even as she felt relief as Willy began calming down.

"The heat is out at school, Mom," Charlie explained. "They sent everyone home."

Mrs. Bucket looked surprised, but nodded her understanding.

Oompa-Loompa women began to herd the children together, in preparation of returning to wherever their home was. Charlie watched them form neat lines, skipping, jumping and giggling. He wished he could follow them and see their home inside the factory. Willy nudged his shoulder and looked over it, his ears pricked forward as he too watched the tiny children.

One of the adult Oompa-Loompas walked over and dropped a peculiar curtsey before speaking. "Would you like to come with us? Willy can play with the floberties and wumbles. I'm sure he will be happy now that you are home, Charlie." Her English was flawless, but was spoken with a peculiar accent.

Charlie looked at his mother. "May I? Please?"

Mrs. Bucket considered the question for a moment, before nodding. "All right, but be sure to be back in time for lunch."

The female Oompa-Loompa looked at Mrs. Bucket. "Why not eat in the Cocoa Forest? You can have a picnic. I will gladly return to show you the way."

Mrs. Bucket looked thoughtful and nodded. "That sounds marvelous. Thank you!" She turned to the kitchen, already considering what to make for the basket she'd found in the pantry. She had wondered why it was there. Where would you go to have a picnic in a factory? However, Willy's factory was unlike any other and she now had a fairly good idea about the places where one could do just that.

Charlie and Willy followed the Oompa-Loompas down the ramp that led to the greenhouses. The boy was eagerly anticipating seeing a flobertie for the first time. His arm rested easily on Willy's back, his fingers threaded lightly with the braided strands of his mane. The hair and ribbon were silky soft to the touch and he unconsciously played with them as they walked slowly past the parts he'd already visited.

Finally, the procession reached a pair of massive and impressive doors standing between ornately carved columns. Charlie examined them curiously wondering what the motif was. There were leaves and what appeared to be beans that were as large as an adult Oompa-Loompa's head. Beans? Could they be cocoa beans? He wished he could ask Willy for he'd never actually see the bean from which chocolate was made. The doors opened slowly and he found himself standing in a flood of warm, golden sunlight. The tiny Oompa-Loompa children scurried happily inside, leaving Charlie to enter more slowly. The contrast to the cold, blustery gray day outside was astonishing. No wonder Willy loved his factory so much!

Willy stepped forward eagerly, only to turn around and step behind Charlie, nudging him encouragingly in the back, urging him forward. He wanted to be inside the wide spaces of the forest and he wanted his friend there with him. Charlie looked around eagerly, taking in the huge trees rising high into the air. He'd never seen such mighty trees and was overawed both by them and the fact that they were inside the Wonka Chocolate Factory. The thought was mind boggling, but he was swiftly distracted as wumbles flew rapidly to Willy, catching hold of the tuft of tail and grabbing the strains of his braided mane. The unicorn was becoming more colorful by the second as the cheerfully humming wumbles were drawn irresistibly to him.

Charlie ducked as a large multi colored bird flew overhead to land on Willy's back, its long tail feathers of red and cobalt trailing down.standing out brilliantly against the pure white of Willy's coat. Its golden throat vibrated as it sang a joyous melody, its song blending with the hums of the wumbles. Willy arched his neck more and pranced forward as more floberties landed in the nearest trees, their songs blending into an extraordinary, delightful melody. Enchanted, Charlie followed Willy as he led the way under the vast canopy of leaves, sweet scents filling the air around them.