Chapter 14: Truffle goes up the Pipe
AN: Let's see what the fate will be for Truffle Shuffle in this chapter. Enjoy!
The foolish boy began gulping down one handful of the melted chocolate after another, unaware that he was polluting the rest of the river in the process.
"Mmmm, this stuff is delicious," Truffle grinned with pleasure.
Having heard the comment, Flurry turned around and noticed what Truffle was doing by the river. She got the attention of her brothers and gestured over to the overweight boy.
"Bob, Patrick, look at Truffle," Flurry said.
"Truffle, I don't think you should be doing that," Bob called out to the boy, but got no acknowledgement.
"Don't worry, you guys. He can't drink it all," Patrick brushed it off.
"He can try to at least," Flurry remarked.
Their conversation gathered the attention of Truffle's parents and eventually the rest of the group as well.
"Truffle, sweetheart, save some room for later!" Mrs. Shuffle said as she went over to her son's side.
It didn't take long for Wonka to notice what Truffle was doing by the river and started to panic as he tried to move through the crowd in order to reach the boy.
"Oh, Truffle, please don't do that! My chocolate must never be touched by human hands!" Wonka called out.
"Truffle, you heard Mr. Wonka! Get away from the river!" Mr. Shuffle ordered.
However, the only thing that Truffle was listening to was the call of his stomach. And it was calling for more of the melted chocolate, so the boy continued to scarf down the chocolate, which only worried Wonka even more.
"Hey, don't do that! You're contaminating my entire river! Please, I beg you, Truffle!" Wonka cried desperately.
Just as Wonka went over by Truffle's side, the boy leaned out too far and toppled over into the chocolate river. This caused Wonka to cringe, Mrs. Shuffle to shriek, and the others to gasp in shock. When Truffle's head came back up, it was covered brown with the chocolate substance. The boy continuously splashed around as if trying to stay afloat. However, unlike the others, Wonka seemed to be more concerned about something else instead of the boy's well-being.
"My chocolate! My chocolate! My beautiful chocolate!" Wonka said hopelessly.
"Dive in there and save him!" Mrs. Shuffle ordered her husband.
"I'm not going in there! I've got my new suit on!" Mr. Shuffle retorted.
"Don't just stand there, Mr. Wonka! Do something!" Mrs. Shuffle turned to the chocolatier.
"Help...police...murder..." Wonka spoke impassively as held his hands up.
Bob glanced around until he noticed a medium-sized lollipop nearby. He ran over to it and pulled it out of the ground. He went back over to them and he handed the lollipop to Flurry.
"Here, Flurry! Use this!" Bob told his sister.
"Quick, Truffle, grab this!" Flurry held the lollipop out to Truffle.
Taking Flurry's advice, Truffle tried to grab the huge lollipop, but just as he was about to get a grip on it, he quickly sank below the chocolate. Bubbles of air continued to float to the surface, indicating that Truffle was still alive for now.
"What's happening to him?" Spectacle asked.
"It looks like he's drowning," Filthy Rich answered.
"Dive in! Save him!" Mrs. Shuffle demanded.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Wonka said.
"Too late?!" Mrs. Shuffle barked.
"He's had it now. The suction's got ahold of him," Wonka added.
Just then, the bubbles of air seemed to be moving further and further away from the group and was heading into the air of the many glass pipes, meaning that Truffle was being pulled towards them with great force.
"Truffle, come back here at once! Where is he going?!" Mrs. Shuffle yelled.
"Watch the pipe," Wonka pointed towards the pipes.
"How long is he going to stay down there?" Diamond Tiara questioned.
"He can't swim!" Mrs. Shuffle stated.
"There's no better time to learn," Wonka commented.
"There he goes!" Button pointed at the biggest glass pipe.
They all glanced at where Button was pointing and saw the figure of Truffle going up the glass pipe. They could hear his muffled screaming as he continued to go upwards.
"Call the fire department!" Mrs. Shuffle cried out.
"It's a wonder how that pipe is big enough," Spectacle wondered.
"It isn't big enough. He's starting to slow down," Flurry pointed out.
"He's gonna stick," Trixie put in.
True to their claims, Truffle began to slow down until he finally stopped moving altogether.
"Yeah, he's definitely stuck," Bob said.
"He's blocked the whole pipe," Filthy Rich nodded.
"He's blocking all the chocolate!" Trixie added.
"Forget the fire department, call a plumber!" Jackpot suggested.
"How can he block the pipe up like that?" Mr. Mash questioned.
"Because of his large stomach. Yeah, it's his stomach that's doing it," Mr. Shuffle confirmed.
On one half of the pipe was brown with the contained chocolate, but on the other end, they could see his head and face. And if they listened carefully, they could hear his muffled cries for help through the glass.
"So what happens now?" Patrick asked.
"Oh, the pressure will get him out. A terrific amount of pressure is building up behind the blockage," Wonka answered.
"I wonder how long it's gonna take him to push through," Mr. Mash pondered.
"This suspense is terrible! I hope it'll last," Wonka muttered to himself.
As the pressure continued to build on one end of the pipe, Truffle slightly moved upwards again, but not more than a few inches. Everyone watched with anticipation, hopeful that Truffle will somehow push through.
"He'll probably never get out," Flurry said.
"Yes he will, Flurry. Remember when you once asked Grandpa about how a bullet comes out of a gun?" Bob replied.
Then, true to Bob's description, Truffle shot up the pipe like a bullet being shot out of the barrel of a rifle. He continued to soar upwards until he went through a hole in the ceiling and was out of sight.
"He's gone!" Spoiled Rich gasped.
"He'll be made into marshmallows in five seconds!" Mrs. Shuffle breathed heavily.
"Impossible, my dear lady, that's absurd! Unthinkable!" Wonka shook his head.
"Why?" Mrs. Shuffle asked.
"Because that pipe doesn't go to the Marshmallow Room; it goes to the Fudge Room!" Wonka pointed out.
"You terrible man!" Mrs. Shuffle snapped.
"And what's going to happen to Truffle there?" Mr. Shuffle inquired.
"Well, the Fudge Room is currently experimenting with a new release in time for the holidays: a special kind of strawberry-flavored, chocolate-coated fudge," Wonka answered.
"Then he'll be made into strawberry-flavored, chocolate-coated fudge?! They'll be selling by the pound all over the world?!" Mrs. Shuffle gasped in horror.
"No, I definitely wouldn't allow that to happen," Wonka said seriously. "Besides, the taste would be terrible. Not to mention that the name itself sounds disgusting. Can you imagine a Truffle-flavored, chocolate-coated Shuffle? No one in their right mind would buy it."
"Oh, that's nice to know," Mr. Shuffle said sarcastically.
Wonka took out a recorder flute from his coat pocket and played a few notes on it. A few moments later, an Oompa Loompa appeared and listened for further instructions.
"I want you to take Mr. and Mrs. Shuffle up to the Fudge Room and help them find their son, Truffle," Wonka said to the Oompa Loompa. "When get up there, take a long stick and start poking around inside the big, chocolate mixing barrel. I'm sure you'll be able to find him that way. But you'll need to look sharp and you'll have to hurry. If you leave him in the chocolate mixing barrel for too long, he's liable to get poured into the fudge boiler. And that would be a real travesty; it could damage the machinery."
"But Truffle would also be damaged!" Mrs. Shuffle argued.
"Mrs. Shuffle, I mean this in the nicest possible way, but Truffle was damaged a long time ago. The only real tragedy in this whole affair is a lot of wasted chocolate," Wonka said with a smile.
"How do I know you haven't boiled him up already, you lunatic?!" Mrs. Shuffle said with venom in her voice.
"Do not despair, dear lady. For across the desert lies the Promised Land. Goodbye, Mr. and Mrs. Shuffle. Adieu, auf wiedersehen, gesundheit, and farewell," Wonka said as the Oompa Loompa led the two devastated parents away.
"Look, the Oompa Loompas!" Flurry spoke.
"What are they doing?" Diamond Tiara asked.
"If I'm not mistaken, I think they're going to sing to us," Patrick guessed.
A few seconds later, Patrick was proven right since the Oompa Loompas began to sing a short song to the guests, regarding what happened to Truffle.
[Oompa Loompas]
Oompa loompa doompety doo
I've got a perfect puzzle for you
Oompa loompa doompety dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
[Oompa Loompa 1]
What do you get when you guzzle down sweets?
[Oompa Loompa 2]
Eating as much as an elephant eats
[Oompa Loompa 3]
What are you at, getting terribly fat?
[Oompa Loompa 4]
What do you think will come of that?
[Oompa Loompa 5]
I don't like the look of it
[Oompa Loompas]
Oompa loompa doompety da
If you're not greedy, you will go far
You will live in happiness too
Like the Oompa Loompa Doompety do
Then, one of the Oompa Loompas pushed on a small part of the wall and it opened like a hidden door. The Oompa Loompas went inside one by one, but the fifth Oompa Loompa turned around and faced the group with a blank expression.
[Oompa Loompa 5]
Doompety do!
Afterwards, the Oompa Loompa pushed the hidden door closed, leaving the guests stunned with silence.
AN: Well, that escalated quickly. Again, HeySpike does NOT own any of the songs. Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Next time, we'll see what will happen next on the tour. Until then, catch ya later!