Chapter 16: The Inventing Room / Everlasting Gobstoppers

AN: Time to see what awaits the others in the top-secret room. Enjoy!

A few small lights hanging from the ceiling came on and lit up the area in which the Wonkatania had stopped at. The boat was currently next to a cement pier that led to two large metal doors. The guests sat in their seats on the boat, breathing heavily as they tried to process what had just happened moments ago.

"Holy trip out, where are we?" Patrick panted.

"We're there," Wonka answered.

"Where exactly?" Spectacle asked.

"Our next stop on the tour. A small step for mankind, but a giant step for us. All ashore that's going ashore!" Wonka said chipperly.

Wonka then got up from the stool and got off of the boat, prompting the others to quickly do the same thing.

"Let me off this crate!" Jackpot said desperately.

"Why don't they ever show stuff like that on TV?" Button asked his mother.

"I don't know," Mrs. Mash shrugged.

"What a nightmare!" Spoiled Rich sighed.

"Daddy, I do NOT want a boat like this," Diamond Tiara changed her mind.

"Finally, something we can agree on," Filthy Rich eagerly nodded.

Once everyone was off the boat, Wonka headed over towards the two metal doors. At the same time, Bob and Patrick glanced to the other side of the tunnel and saw some different metal doors in a row. They began reading the labels of the doors out loud while the others looked at the doors as well.

"Jelly beans..." Patrick read.

"Dairy cream..." Bob read next.

"Whipped cream..."

"Coffee cream..."

"Vanilla cream..."

However, there was one label on one door that really confounded them and the others.

"Hair cream?" both brothers said simultaneously.

Wonka then began speaking in German as everyone turned around to face him. "Meine Freunde, bitte lenken Sie Ihre Aufmerksamkeit hierher."

"I think he just said something in German," Mrs. Mash guessed correctly.

"Wir sind jetzt im geheimsten und interessantesten Raum der gesamten Fabrik angekommen," Wonka spoke as he unlocked a huge padlock with a key.

"I can't take much more of this," Spoiled Rich rubbed her temples.

"Meine Damen und Herren, ich präsentiere Ihnen, der Inventing Room," Wonka finished before he resumed speaking in English. "Now, before we go in, remember this: no messing about. No touching, no tasting, and no telling."

"No telling what?" Bob asked.

"You see, all of my most secret inventions are cooking and simmering in here. Old Sombra and any other of my candy-making rivals would give anything they have just to get inside for five minutes, so don't touch a thing!" Wonka instructed firmly.

After everyone gave a nod of understanding and agreement, Wonka pushed the metal doors open and the group was led inside. When they all saw what was inside this room, much like the Candy Room, they were amazed at what they were witnessing. Visually, it looked like a mad scientist's laboratory. There were over a dozen tables that held either vials, beakers or vats, all of which contained colorful liquids. There were also some strange machines scattered throughout the room, most likely the machines that were used to create new types of candies. There were also a dozen Oompa Loompas working all over the room, taking down notes of the progress with the inventions or just moving some of the things around to different areas. The floor also seemed to be a little dirty and there were a bunch of clothing materials thrown into piles next to the vats.

"Holy Dr. Frankenstein!" Patrick gasped.

"Yeah, this place looks more like a science laboratory," Bob nodded.

"Even if Sombra did get in here, he couldn't find anything that important," Flurry said.

Wonka went over to one of the tables and began to mix some of the colorful liquids from the vials into a beaker over a lit Bunsen burner. Some of the adults noticed this and gathered around him, making some comments on what he was doing.

"You got a laundry strike going on here, Wonka?" Jackpot asked.

"Do you have custodians to help out with the cleaning?" Mrs. Mash asked next.

"Shouldn't you be wearing rubber gloves and safety goggles? You might get the safety inspectors after you," Filthy Rich noted.

However, Wonka ignored their constructive comments and continued to mix the liquids in the beaker.

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation, and 2 percent butterscotch ripple," Wonka spoke.

"That's 105 percent!" Mrs. Mash counted.

After mixing the liquids for a few seconds, the color of the liquids turned into a bright orange color. Wonka then took a small spoon off from the side, scooped up some of the liquid and drank it after taking a sip.

"Is it any good?" Spectacle wondered.

"Yes," Wonka said in a high-pitched voice before he walked over to one of the vats and turned to Flurry and Diamond Tiara standing nearby. "Time is a precious thing. Never let it go to waste."

To emphasize his point, he grabbed an alarm clock and threw into the vat, much to the surprise of both girls. He then walked away to look over a bicycle used for mixing up creams.

"Okay, he's completely bonkers!" Diamond Tiara said to Flurry.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Flurry shrugged.

Button noticed some round candies on a small plate on one of the tables and put one of them into his mouth. The candy tasted really good, making him nod his head with a smile.

Wonka got onto the bicycle and began pedaling to mix up the creams while he sang a little song. "In springtime; the only pretty ring time; birds sing; hey ding a ding-a-ding; sweet lovers love...the spring—"

BOOM!

The sudden sound made everyone, except Wonka, all turn around and wince. A small explosion of smoke erupted from within Button's mouth. It turned out that the candy that he put into his mouth was exploding candy. The force of the small explosion sent Button flying backwards until he landed into one of the clothes piles.

"BUTTON!" Mrs. Mash screamed as she ran over to her son.

"I warned you not to, silly boy," Wonka said neutrally.

"Your teeth!" Mrs. Mash said fearfully.

"Oh boy, that was some great stuff," Button wheezed.

"That's exploding candy for your enemies. Great idea, but not ready for sales yet. It still needs more gel ignite," Wonka said as he got off of the bicycle.

Wonka then walked over to another vat, poked one of fingers into the liquid matter and tasted it. After smacking his lips, he looked into a nearby pile of clothes and found two sneakers and tossed them into the vat.

"What are the shoes for?" Mr. Mash asked.

"It gives the brew a little kick," Wonka answered.

Filthy Rich looked around until he spotted two tubs placed next to each other. He noticed that both tubs had names written on them. One tub was labeled, "Butterscotch", and the other was labeled, "Buttergin". Being an adult, he knew what those types of names most likely meant.

"Mr. Wonka? Butterscotch? Buttergin? Is there something going on inside the candy that we don't know about?" Filthy Rich asked.

"It's elementary school, my dear Mr. Rich; candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker," Wonka snickered.

Wonka then walked over to another vat and stuck his hand into it, but quickly yanked it out and gave a startled shout.

"What's the matter? Too hot, Mr. Wonka?" Trixie asked.

"Too cold! Far too cold," Wonka said as he put some shirts into the brew and began stirring it.

"That's gourmet cooking for you," Bob chuckled.

Nearby the vat was some kind of machine that was hidden underneath some dust covers and there was a sign attached that said, "KEEP OUT!" Jackpot, unaware of the warning sign, decided to lift up the dust cover and take a peek. Unfortunately, a loud buzzer sound went off, causing everyone, including Jackpot, to jolt back in surprise.

"NO, DON'T, PLEASE!" Wonka shouted in alarm before calming down. "Forgive me, but no one must look under there. This is the most secret machine in the entire factory. This is the one that's really going to put Sombra in his place."

"What does it do?" Flurry wondered.

"Would you like to see?" Wonka asked with a smile.

"Yes, please," Flurry said politely.

"Brown-noser," Trixie muttered, believing that Flurry's politeness was just an act.

Wonka then pressed a button, which started the machine up and it began making a lot of strange noises. In the front of the machine, there was a small conveyer belt that was moving forward. After a short while, small sphere-shaped candies were being carried out of the machine on the small conveyer belt. Eventually, Wonka shut off the machine and picked up one of the candy spheres.

"So, what does it do?" Patrick repeated Flurry's question.

"Can't you see? It makes Everlasting Gobstoppers!" Wonka answered.

That statement caused the guests to widen their eyes and gasp internally, since they were all aware of Sombra's proposition about the Everlasting Gobstoppers.

"Did you say, Everlasting Gobstoppers?" Trixie asked, wanting to make sure she heard him correctly.

"Yes, for children with very little allowance money," Wonka explained. "You can suck on them forever and they'll never get any smaller. At least, I think they won't. I'll have to do a few more tests. Still, this is definitely a fantastic invention. It could revolutionize the whole industry."

"How do you make them?" Button questioned.

"I'm a trifle deaf in this ear. Speak a little louder next time. Who wants an Everlasting Gobstopper?" Wonka brushed the question off.

"I want an Everlasting Gobstopper!" Diamond Tiara barked.

"Me too!" Trixie pushed Diamond Tiara aside.

"Me three!" Flurry raised her hand.

"And me!" Button gestured to himself.

"Very well," Wonka smiled before he looked at them with a serious expression. "Now, I will only give them to you as long as your swear to keep them only for yourselves. And that you will never share them with another person outside of your family as long as you shall live? Agreed?"

"Agreed," all four children promised.

However, unknown to Wonka, Diamond Tiara had her fingers crossed behind her back, proving that she had little to no respect for him. Yet, she managed to fool him by giving him a genuine-looking smile.

"Good. One for Diamond Tiara, one for Trixie Lulamoon, one for Flurry Heart, and one for Button Mash," Wonka said as he gave each of the children one Everlasting Gobstopper.

It was at that moment where Diamond Tiara's greedy pride got the better of her and tried to get an extra Gobstopper, mainly by making Trixie look bad.

"Hey, Trixie's got two! I want another one!" Diamond Tiara whined.

"False! Get a pair of glasses, you twit!" Trixie snapped while getting into the rich girl's face.

"Everybody has received one! And one is enough for a lifetime," Wonka said sternly. "Now, follow me over here. I've got something else very special to show you."

With that said, the chocolatier started heading over to a different machine in the room. The two girls instantly stopped arguing and followed Wonka along with the others. No one could possibly predict what was going to happen afterwards.

AN: Please leave a review and let me know what you think. Coming up next is Trixie Lulamoon's time to shine, more or less. Until then, catch ya later!

Translations:

Meine Freunde, bitte lenken Sie Ihre Aufmerksamkeit hierher – My friends, please direct your attention over here.

Wir sind jetzt im geheimsten und interessantesten Raum der gesamten Fabrik angekommen – We have now arrived at the most secret and interesting room in the entire factory.

Meine Damen und Herren, ich präsentiere Ihnen, der Inventinr Room – Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the Inventing Room.