Chapter 22: Violet Becomes Violet
Author's Note: As promised, Chapter 22 of What Could Have Been is here! Chapter 23 will be published soon, however, there are a few...kinks, that need to be ironed out in it. I hope that you all understand. Now, let me respond to your reviews. :)
ABBAbethTheHamster, I was actually thinking about Roy Kinnear while writing that scene as well, considering how both Mr. Salt in this script and Roy are/were both thinning. As for the chapter 21 coincidence, I actually knew that, and was actually considering making a perfect alignment, but decided to give the Inventing Room its own chapter. However, as you noticed, I decided to end the chapter right before Mr. Wonka talked about the gum, just like the book did.
Guest, thanks for the compliment!
And now, without further ado, I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter! :D
"What's so fab about it?" Violet asked.
"This, my dear children," Mr. Wonka explained, "is a chewing-gum meal! That little strip lying there is a three-course dinner all by itself!"
"What sort of rubbish is this?" Mr. Salt said.
"Tomato soup, roast beef, and blueberry pie!" Mr. Wonka beamed. "That's what this one is! But you can have almost anything you want."
"Stuff and nonsense!" exclaimed Mrs. Beauregarde.
"And it actually fills you up!" the chocolatier continued. "It satisfies! It's terrific!"
"It's utterly impossible!" exclaimed Mrs. Teevee.
"Just so long as it's gum and I can chew it, then that's for me!" Violet said. "Hand it over, Mr. Wonka and I'll give it a try!"
She started to place her normal piece of gum behind her ear.
"Now, Violet," said Mrs. Beauregarde, "Don't let's do anything silly, Violet."
"I want the gum," Violet responded assertively. "What's so silly?"
"I'd rather you didn't," said Mr. Wonka. "I haven't got it quite right yet…"
Violet jumped forward, grabbed the gum off of the tray, and exclaimed, "Oh, to heck with that!"
"Don't!" yelled Mr. Wonka, extremely concerned.
"Fabulous!..." cried Violet, chewing the gum. "It's tomato soup! It's hot and creamy! I can actually feel it running down my throat!"
"Stop!" yelled Mr. Wonka again. "That gum isn't ready yet! Spit it out!"
"Oh my, what lovely soup this is!..." Violet said, ignoring him.
All Mr. Wonka could do at this point was shake his head sadly and sigh.
"Hey, the second course is coming up! Roast beef! Tender and juicy! Oh boy, what a flavour!"
"But how in-teresting, Violet," Mrs. Beauregarde remarked. "You are a clever girl."
"She's an ass," Mr. Wonka said.
"And a baked potato, too!" Violet cried. "It's got crispy skin and it's all filled with butter inside!"
"Is there a green vegetable, Violet?" Mrs. Beauregarde asked.
"Peas!" exclaimed Violet Beauregarde. "Tiny little tender ones! And horseradish sauce! Wow, that's something, that horseradish sauce!"
"Have it your own way," said Mr. Wonka, defeated.
"The dessert!" cried Violet. "Here it comes! Blueberry pie and cream! Oh my, it's perfect! It's beautiful! It's exactly as though I were swallowing it! It's the most marvellous blueberry pie…"
"Look at her nose!" Charlie Bucket exclaimed suddenly.
Good heavens, girl!" cried Mrs. Beauregarde. "What's happening to your nose!"
"Be quiet mother and let me finish!" Violet snapped.
It's turning blue!" exclaimed Mrs. Beauregarde. "Your nose is turning blue as a blueberry!"
"Your mother's right!" agreed Mr. Salt. "Now it's going purple!"
"What do you mean?" Violet asked curiously.
"Your whole face is turning blue!" panicked Mrs. Beauregarde. "Spit that gum out at once! Mercy! Save us! The girl's going blue and purple all over! Even her hair is changing colour! Violet, you're turning violet, Violet!"
"I told you I hadn't got it quite right," sighed Mr. Wonka, shaking his head.
"I'll say you haven't!" yelled Mrs. Beauregarde. "Just look at the girl now!"
"It always goes wrong when we come to the dessert," explained Mr. Wonka. "But I'll get it right in the end…"
"Violet!" screamed Mrs. Beauregarde. "You're swelling up!"
With her body already purple all over, Violet began to swell up all over, and her stomach began to bulge.
"I feel sick," Violet moaned.
"I'm not surprised," remarked Mrs. Teevee.
"I feel most peculiar," Violet said.
"Good heavens, girl!" exclaimed Mrs. Beauregarde. "You're blowing up like a balloon!"
"Like a blueberry," corrected Mr. Wonka.
"Call a doctor!" shouted Mrs. Beauregarde.
"Prick her with a pin," suggested Mrs. Teevee.
"Save her!" screamed Mrs. Beauregarde.
"There's no saving her now…" Mr. Wonka said.
At this point, all Violet Beauregarde was now was a giant blue ball with a small head with tiny hands and legs sticking out.
"It happens every time," said Mr. Wonka, slightly frustrated. "They all become blueberries."
"Put her back to what she was this instant!" commanded Mrs. Beauregarde.
"We'll do what we can…" assured the chocolatier.
Mr. Wonka took out his whistle and blew into it. With that, ten Oompa-Loompas appeared. Each of them took one look at Violet and exploded into peals of laughter.
"Now then, that's enough of that!" said Mr. Wonka sternly, trying not to laugh as well. "Roll this young lady down to the Juicing Room at once…"
"The Juicing Room!" screamed Mrs. Beauregarde. "For what?"
"For squeezing," giggled Mr. Wonka. "She must be squeezed immediately, before she bursts. A fairly simple operation...Don't worry, dear lady...She'll get the very best attention…"
"Oh my lord, her father's going to be furious!" cried Mrs. Beauregarde.
"These little accidents will happen…" said Mr. Wonka, looking at the Beauregarde family as they were being led away, "Goodbye, Mrs. Beauregarde...It's been such a pleasure…"
As Violet and her mother were being led away, everyone heard the drums once more, and music began to play…
Up on top the pots and kettles, perhaps on some giant oven, the Oompa-Loompas began to assemble and sing once more.
(with deletions as in my copy of book, Dahl noted. However, like with Augustus, I couldn't get any info about Roald's special book, so I just copy and pasted the full book song.)
"Dear friends, we surely all agree," the Oompa-Loompas sang,
"There's almost nothing worse to see
Than some repulsive little bum
Who's always chewing chewing gum.
(It's very near as bad as those
Who sit around and pick the nose).
So please believe us when we say
That chewing gum will never pay;
This sticky habit's bound to send
The chewer to a sticky end.
Did any of you ever know
A person called Miss Bigelow?
This dreadful woman saw no wrong
In chewing, chewing all day long.
She chewed while bathing in the tub,
She chewed while dancing at her club,
She chewed in church and on the bus;
It really was quite ludicrous!
And when she couldn't find her gum,
She'd chew up the linoleum,
Or anything that happened near–
A pair of boots, the postman's ear,
Or other people's underclothes,
And once she chewed her boy friend's nose.
She went on chewing till, at last,
Her chewing muscles grew so vast
That from her face her giant chin
Stuck out just like a violin.
For years and years she chewed away,
Consuming fifty packs a day,
Until one summer's eve, alas,
A horrid business came to pass.
Miss Bigelow went late to bed,
For half an hour she lay and read,
Chewing and chewing all the while
Like some great clockwork crocodile.
At last, she put her gum away
Upon a special little tray,
And settled back and went to sleep–
(She managed this by counting sheep).
But now, how strange! Although she slept,
Those massive jaws of hers still kept
On chewing, chewing through the night,
Even with nothing there to bite.
They were, you see, in such a groove
They positively hadto move.
And very grim it was to hear
In pitchy darkness, loud and clear,
This sleeping woman's great big trap
Opening and shutting, snap-snap-snap!
Faster and faster, chop-chop-chop,
The noise went on, it wouldn't stop.
Until at last her jaws decide
To pause and open extra wide,
And with the mosttremendous chew
They bit the lady's tongue in two.
Thereafter, just from chewing gum,
Miss Bigelow was always dumb,
And spent her life shut up in some
Disgusting sanatorium.
And that is why we'll try so hard
To save Miss Violet Beauregarde
From suffering an equal fate.
She's still quite young. It's not too late,
Provided she survives the cure.
We hope she does. We can't be sure."
Author's Note: Two kids down! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Which version of Violet's demise do you like better- this one, or the final? As usual, feel free to review if you want, and stay tuned for Chapter 23. I want to publish that tomorrow or Sunday, but as I said in the beginning Author's Note, there are a couple things that need to be ironed out with it. I hope that you will all understand.
Until then,
Gabe S. :)