Chapter 19: Antonio's Downfall
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! As you can tell by the title, here's the moment you've all been waiting for! Now, let me respond to your reviews. :)
Matt, clever eye you got there for spotting the Speedy Chocolatier Showdown reference! I really do wonder what the Sparkmans would think about it...
As for whether your guess for the shout is right, you'll find out in this chapter, as told by the title.
Gage the Hedgehog, glad you liked it!
MANgojELLYfish, hmm, some of those may appear later on.
BenTHEMilkMAn, that's a great idea! I'll consider that.
spud sidney, some of those quotes are in this chapter! Thanks so much for that!
emeraldphan, I'm glad you liked the last chapter! The Exploding Candies getting their own room was based off the Great Glass Elevator ride in the 2005 film, where this room was one they passed during their journey. As for the tank, the fuel was just a reference to the 1971 film, but it wouldn't surprise me if it's a derivative of the Wonkamobile at all.
food 66, I don't know. Where's the lamb sauce?
Guest, interesting quote you got there. I'll consider it. Now, on with the story!
"Who cares?" a voice shouted. "I need the thrill!"
Everyone looked, and it was Antonio and his father. Antonio was standing at the end of the Exploding Candy Tower, arguing with him.
"Son!" Mr. Ricci cried. "Don't you dare jump! You'll get hurt!"
"No I won't!" Antonio Ricci snapped. "I know more about skydiving than you!"
"You don't even have a parachute!" Mr. Ricci exclaimed. "It'd be disastrous!"
Mr. Wonka and the rest of the group walked over to the duo as they were arguing.
"You know little boy," Mr. Wonka warned halfheartedly. "I'd listen to your father if I were you."
"Please," Charlie Bucket warned him. "I wouldn't do it. It's not safe."
"There you grown-ups go on about safety again!" Antonio yelled. "It's stupid! You're just trying to ruin the action for me! I'm doing it!"
Antonio Ricci stepped back about five feet, then readied his legs.
"I'm warming you," Charlie said, a little firmer. "You'd better stop doing that before-!"
Antonio was having none of it. Running as fast as he could, he jumped off of the Exploding Candy Tower, and his Italian accent echoed throughout the entire room.
"GERONIMO!"
"NO!" Mr. Ricci shouted, trying to grab his son, but it was too late. Mr. Wonka tried to hide a smile as he saw Antonio jump down from the Exploding Candy Tower. Even though Antonio jumped, the various guns and cannons in the room didn't stop shooting.
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
As the shooting continued, the light created by the fireworks was showing the faint outline of Antonio in pain as he was falling, and loud shouts could be heard coming from below.
"What's happening to my son?!" Mr. Ricci cried. Everyone looked towards the wall by the targets again, and they saw the body of Antonio Ricci. He had gotten caught on a thin bit of metal as he jumped down the Tower, and was now flailing in the air as Exploding Candies blasted all around him.
"Help!" Antonio Ricci shouted. "Help!"
They looked down the edge of the Tower, and it was so tall that they couldn't even see Antonio anymore. Suddenly, the sound of snare drums and trumpets began to fill the air, and Mr. Wonka guided the group over to the other side of the Exploding Candy Tower.
"What's happening?" Jenna Adams asked.
"Where do they come from?" Mrs. Sayuki asked.
"Who are they?" Mindy Bell asked.
"As I said to Antonio earlier," Mr. Wonka said, "these are my workers. You'll discover more about them later on during the tour."
They watched as a group of about one-hundred little men wearing camouflaged army uniforms began to enter the room, with more incoming. These men had funny hair and pug-like faces, and they were wearing camo hats as well in order to match with the uniforms. The leader of them all, none other than Jasir himself, was carrying a tall red flag with a white flagpole on it. This flag had Mr. Wonka's logo in the center of it, and Jasir was wearing a necklace similar to the one that Theo Kokoa wore in Loompaland. As he was walking, he was saluting with a brave expression on his face, and he guided the rest of these men in a straight line, a marching fashion, up a curled staircase in the Tower and to the top by Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and the remaining group members as they began to sing a song as Antonio was shouting for help.
Antonio Ricci, the boy who went sky-high,
Has proven reckless, so his end is nigh.
He refused to listen whenever he could,
And decided to be naughty instead of good.
He always wanted a piece of the action
Just to fuel his own satisfaction.
Now his demise has left others amused,
All because of him saying he refused
To listen to his parents and help them out.
Now, they're listening to him scream and shout.
He thought he could get away with anything,
So we sent him off with a little zing.
He's hanging off the Exploding Candy Tower,
With his screams getting louder by the hour.
The Candies flying overhead will be a distraction,
As his grip gets weaker for our satisfaction!
This stupid boy had a brain so small,
Which led him to the Tower wall.
He thought he'd jump, and look where that led him-
His chances of holding on are looking slim.
Skydiving may be fun, but if he listens safely
Then we'll clap and cheer with glee.
If he'd kept his feet on the ground,
He'd have been safe and sound.
His fate is shaping to be rather grim
As he's holding on with just one…
As the men sang the last line in their song, Antonio's screams began to get louder and louder as the Exploding Candies came closer and closer to him. They held onto the word "one" for as long as possible, and the back of Antonio's shirt, the part that was keeping him hoisted up in the air, began to tear as the men began the second to last word in their song.
more...
The boy was sweating at this point, watching as the Candies came closer and closer still.
"Help!" Antonio Ricci shouted, but to no avail. "Help!"
His shirt couldn't take it, and the fabric on his shirt grew so thin from the pressure that it snapped. As a last-minute thought, Antonio grabbed the wall of the Exploding Candy Tower. He was holding on barely with one hand and whimpering with fear, and to add on to that, an Exploding Candy hit his side, causing him to scream in pain, falling down right as the little men sang the final word in their song.
...limb!
"Bravo Zulu!" Mr. Wonka clapped as the men began to disperse, marching down the tower and exiting the room while the instruments began to slowly fade out. "Bravo Zulu!"
Mr. Ricci ran up to Mr. Wonka and Charlie and began to panic.
"What's happened to my son?!" he cried.
"Unfortunately, Antonio seems to have been hit quite a bit from the barrage of Exploding Candies," Mr. Wonka told him.
"You mean he's been shot?!" Mr. Ricci exclaimed, his face beginning to turn a shade of red. "I swear I will sue you, and this factory will be closed forever! I will personally see to it, no matter what it takes!"
"Not like that, my dear sir," Charlie Bucket said soothingly. "Our Exploding Candies may hurt when you're hit by them, but Antonio will be just fine, I assure you."
"You see," Mr. Wonka explained, "at the base of the Tower, we have a large pipe that leads to a room called the Sandy Sugar Beach. We use Sandy Sugar to test the explosive properties of the Candy, and it's also very cushioning. With a bit of luck, he'll just be layin' in the stuff at this very moment. We'll need to get him cleaned up, though."
Mr. Wonka made a strange trilling noise, and immediately, one of his workers appeared in front of him. Just like in Antonio's song, he was wearing a camouflage army uniform and a matching hat, and he was no taller than Mr. Wonka's knee. He was looking up at the chocolatier, and Mr. Wonka got down on one knee in order to talk to him.
"I want you to take Mr. Ricci down to the Sandy Sugar Beach at once," he ordered. "Help him find his son. Once you get there, be sure to dig him out from the sand as fast as possible, 'kay?"
"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "It'd be a real disaster if he was to land in the Raspberry Sea. You know, with our Squishy Squids, Raspberry Sharks, and Shocker Eels is all."
"Your what!" Mr. Ricci yelled.
Mr. Wonka let out a small giggle.
"I assure you, Mr. Ricci, that your son will be perfectly fine," Mr. Wonka said, trying to hide a smile as the man crossed his arms in a tribal manner, bowed, then saluted, to which Mr. Wonka repeated. He then walked over to Mr. Ricci, who let out a frightened gasp as he tugged on his pants. He smiled at Antonio's father, as well as Mr. Wonka and Charlie, as they left the Exploding Candy Tower to travel to the Sandy Sugar Beach in order to fetch him.
"Ten-hut!" Mr. Wonka smiled, hoisting his cane high up in the air then back down again. "Let's march on, everyone!"
Author's Note: Wow, what a chapter! I'm sure you all have a couple questions after reading this, so I'll answer them now.
"Bravo Zulu" is a military compliment that means "well done." The original just reused the 2005 film's quote, which ruined the point of them. Lemme explain. After each demise, Wonka said something related to the era of the song, like "Let's boogie!" for disco, and "On with the tour?" for rock. I thought including the original quotes ruined the point of them, so I decided to search military compliments, and found that. Additionally, yes, "Ten-hut! Let's march on, everyone!" is another military reference.
Second, you may notice I changed the Oompa-Loompa bowing a bit by adding saluting. I will say that it's only for this chapter, as that was a third military reference, considering the army uniforms the Oompa-Loompas were wearing.
Third, the Sandy Sugar belongs to MysteriousMaker1185, as this time around, it is the same substance. However, the Sandy Sugar Beach was created exclusively by me for this fanfiction. He also came up with the idea for the flashes of light showing Antonio, although the demise was created by me.
Fourth, the main thing you may notice that Antonio was present during his song this time around. It sounds dark, but I really liked the idea of the Oompa-Loompas in the 2005 film being present during the demises of each of the children, so I decided to bring that over to add tension and reference the 2005 film.
Overall, what did you think of the first elimination? For older readers, which version do you prefer? Feel free to tell me your thoughts on it in the review section, and stay tuned for Chapter 20, everyone!
Until then,
Gabe S. :)