Chapter 12 - Creatures and Coasters
Author's note: Hello, dear readers! Sorry about the terribly long wait, but don't worry, I've written a really long chapter to make up for it, and it's just over 6,000 words in length! I've managed to keep myself in high spirits during this whole COVID-19 craziness, and now that a vaccine is finally on its way, I couldn't be any more excited! Plus, tomorrow is Christmas, so I'm really stoked for that as well. :) Time for me to respond to all the wonderful reviews that were written during my temporary hiatus!
Gage the Hedgehog, I'm glad you enjoyed Chapter 11, and I hope you'll enjoy this one even more!
DontCallMeGussie, thanks for the feedback! It warmed my heart to know that I did the Blackberry Sausages room justice. As for Mike and Violet, you may recall some moments between the two in "Where All the Bad Nuts Go", but Gs33022 and I thought this story would present a great opportunity to elaborate on their relationship even further. Too bad Augustus doesn't really have a romantic interest, unless you count his relationship with Ulala in "The Speedy Chocolatier Showdown" and "Charlie's Chocolatey Adventure", but that's in a different timeline altogether.
JOHNHAMMOND1993, I miss dragonserpent18's stories too, but you'll see some nods to his creations as you read this chapter. As for the zombies being used against Mr. Ritchie...I can't answer that just YET now, can I? Also, I've never heard of Wannado City before. It seems very interesting, from what I've seen after Googling it.
To all the guest reviewers who essentially supplied with what seems like random shopping lists (PORKnSausAGES, MANgojELLYfish, spinACHshARK, COCOApilGRIM, CHErrysALT, catCANtaloUPE, and MOUseonION), thanks for the suggestions! I can guarantee you that at least some of them will be included in future chapters, but some of the others...maybe not. I mean, Stinky Cheese Room? Clogged toilets? Disgusting!
Guest # 1, that's a great idea! I bet Charlie would be interested in trying a Blackberry Sausage, so I'll make sure to include that at the end of the story!
Tessa, welcome back! I've been okay, taking all the precautionary measures I possibly could during this awful pandemic. Thanks for expressing your concerns towards my well-being, but I'm perfectly fine. As that old song goes, don't worry! Be happy! :)
WooBOOYAmyASS, interesting name you got there. Violet eats a sour stinger, you say? You wait and see... ;)
Guest # 2, that certainly wouldn't be good if everyone has cancer by the end of the tour!
XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you're okay, and don't feel bad about being late with your review. Better late than never! Unfortunately Halloween has long since passed, so I guess I'll have to put one of your suggestions into writing next Halloween. At least it gives me more time to think about it!
randommetalhead6, I must thank you dearly for posting those song lyrics, since thanks to you, I discovered a new band I really like! They're called Symfobia, and they're a symphonic metal band from Slovakia. To my readers, I recommend you check them out, since they have two female vocalists with amazing voices, and their songs are very accessible and catchy. :)
Erika Balazova, thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying my story so far, and your English is very good. Now, on with the story!
(Note: this chapter was written by me.)
~Violet's POV~
"This will be a great way to show Mr. Ritchie who the boss really is," I grinned, holding out my hand for my friends to look at. Unbeknownst to them, I snuck a second Zombie Chew from the conveyor belt while inside the room which produced those candies.
"What a terrific idea, Violet!" Mike replied, giving me a high-five. "Ooh, I can just imagine the hilarity that would ensue when Mr. Ritchie is being chased by the zombies!" We snickered at each other before Mike said, "Wait! I wonder what these are."
He was pointing at a nearby door which read "SOUR STINGERS" in glowing blue letters.
"Ha, well, as long as the key doesn't sting us, we're good," Veruca said jokingly.
"All right, ready or not, in we go!" I proclaimed as I reached for the door's vault-like handle.
As soon as the door opened, a loud, electrical buzzing noise overwhelmed my ears. Right in front of us was a five-story-tall machine that looked like a gigantic jellyfish, with a bulbous top section and several long, spiraling, tentacle-like glass chutes hanging from below. Every few seconds, a tiny, blue ball the size of a toy marble slid down one of the chutes before it landed on a conveyor belt.
"Welcome, kiddies, to the room where Wonka's Sour Stingers are produced!" an all-too-familiar voice boomed from the PA system. "They're great for your enemies—or should I say, my enemies! MWAHAHAHA!"
"Mr. Ritchie!" Veruca cried, tightly clutching onto Charlie's shoulders.
"These candies are so unbelievably sour that your lips will pucker instantly, and the taste will linger in your mouth for up to three hours, no matter how you try to get rid of it! Feel free to try one...if you dare."
"I'm taking one for myself," I immediately proclaimed, snatching one of the little blue candies from the conveyor belt. If there's one person who would dare try one of these, it would definitely be me.
"Uh, Violet," Mike spoke, "didn't you hear Mr. Ritchie's warning?"
"Of course I did," I swiftly replied, twirling the Sour Stinger around with my fingers, examining its smooth, shiny surface. "Remember, I'm not afraid of anything!" I put the candy into my mouth.
Big mistake.
True to Mr. Ritchie's word, my lips immediately puckered as if I had sucked on a thousand lemons in a fraction of a second, and my senses of taste and smell were overwhelmed by pure sourness. To add insult to injury, Mike, Augustus, and Veruca were laughing at me!
"What's so funny?" I growled.
"Vu kot ein taste of your own meticine, Fiolet!" Augustus cackled. "Zee girl vo 'isn't afraid of anyzing', your cocky attitude led vu to eat zat candy vizout zinking, und—"
"Shut! Up!" I screeched. Augustus may have become a bodybuilder following his incident in the chocolate river four years ago, but I have a black belt in karate. "Do you want to be on the receiving end of my karate skills?" The German boy put his arms up, as if he was surrendering to the police.
"N-no," he squeaked.
"I didn't think so," I said in a tone that was only slightly more friendly than before. "Now, let's get the heck outta here and continue on." As we filed out of the room, I mumbled, "Gosh, I just want this taste to go away, goddammit!"
"Two hours and fifty-eight minutes remaining," Mike told me, checking his watch.
"Jeez, you don't have to rub it in," I replied as I led my friends (and frenemy) down the corridor, stopping only when we reached the end of the For Your Enemies Corridor. There wasn't any kind of label to display the name of the next area of the factory, nor were there any doors blocking our progress. We strolled into another corridor, which had only three doors. The first one read, "GUMMY GLO-ZOO", and the other two were labeled, "UTILITY CORRIDOR # 351" and "ELECTRICAL ROOM # 43".
"Ooh, this is different!" Charlie exclaimed, pointing at the Gummy Glo-Zoo's entrance door. "I wonder what this room will be like inside!"
As soon as he reached the door, it automatically slid out of the way, revealing a pitch-black void, and the five of us were swallowed up by the darkness upon entry. As if that wasn't enough, the door closed automatically, sealing us inside the room.
"AH! I can't see anything!" Veruca shouted. "Daddy, I want—"
"Shh," Charlie said to her. "It's okay. Besides, he can't hear you anyway, and we're not entirely in the dark. Look down at your feet!"
Sure enough, there were small, glowing white dots on the floor, like the lights you'd find in a movie theater.
"Perfect," Mike said confidently. "This will make navigating around the zoo much easier."
"They're probably also there for safety purposes in case there's a fire," I added, "but I know for a fact that there are hidden sprinklers everywhere to extinguish even the tiniest flames before it starts."
"I thought this was supposed to be a zoo," Veruca spoke as we continued to follow the winding path around the area. "Where are all the animals?"
"Be patient," Mike told her.
Charlie began to sing, "Follow the glowing white path! Follow the glowing white path! Follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the glowing white path!"
"You're referencing Zee Visard of Oz, aren't you?" Augustus asked. "I zink I rememper an Oompa-Loompa giffing us hints pazed on zee movie four years ako."
"I remember that as well," I nodded. "Charlie said that you shouldn't look any further than your own backyard, but that only applied to our first challenge back in 2005, since there was one key to search for. This time, there are five, with four more to go."
Eventually, we reached the end of the glowing path. I was expecting all the exhibits to be around the corner, but instead it brought us to a train station where a purple electric train was waiting for us. It was one of those miniature trains that you'd find at amusement parks, and there were even a few Oompa-Loompa families, including small children and toddlers, riding the train at this moment. Another Oompa-Loompa was sitting in the locomotive, dressed up in a train conductor's uniform.
"All aboard!" the conductor Oompa-Loompa called out. Once we made ourselves comfortable inside an empty train car, we were off.
"Dear passengers," a female voice announced over the PA system, "welcome aboard the Glo-Zoo Express! Together, we'll take you on a relaxing tour through the wonders of the Gummy Glo-Zoo. Please remain seated and keep your hands, arms, feet, and legs inside the train at all times, and watch your children. Wonder why it's so dark in here? It's because these candies are an upgraded version of Wonka's Glow-in-the-Dark Gummies, as well as a variant of the Sour Dragons."
The train rounded a bend as orchestral music began to play, and we immediately came across a cage that contained some of the strangest creatures I've ever seen! In this first cage, there was a trio of large, glowing blue reptiles that looked like a cross between an ankylosaur and a crocodile. Their bodies were adorned with massive spikes, including its enormous tail, which was shaped like a club. At the front end of their bodies were crocodile-like snouts that measured at least ten feet in length. Lastly, a single rhinoceros-like horn grew out the top of their snouts. The Oompa-Loompa children cried out in fear and wonder while pointing in the creatures' direction.
"These creatures are called hornswogglers," the announcer spoke. "Remember, these are sentient candies, but the real hornswogglers are one of the deadliest creatures known to mankind. Their jaws are so powerful that with just one bite, they could crush an adult human to a pulp without even trying."
A few seconds later, the train passed by another cage, but inside this one were six-legged green beasts that were even more hideous than the hornswogglers. These creatures had long, thin, curly hairs growing on their somewhat lean bodies. Small bat-like ears protruded from their heads, just behind their beady little eyes. Their mouths were especially revolting. Their top lips resembled curly elephants' trunks, and extremely sharp, yellow teeth protruded from their bottom lips.
"Snozzwangers," the announcer continued, "are just about as dangerous as the hornswogglers. The real creatures are infamous for their extremely foul breath. Trust me, you do not want to come face-to-face with a real snozzwanger under any circumstances."
"I'll admit, this is pretty entertaining," Mike said to me as we passed through a tunnel. The entire tunnel was actually a gigantic wraparound screen that displayed a photo slideshow of some of the strange plants and flora of Loompaland. They included writhing green vines that were connected to piranha-shaped man-eating plants; gigantic, poisonous mushrooms that stood over fifty feet tall; and beautiful purple flowers that spewed a toxic purple gas, rendering its prey unconscious before a colossal plant burst out of the ground and swallowed its prey whole.
"Very freaky," Charlie remarked once we exited the tunnel. "And to think that Mr. Wonka encountered all of that before saving the Oompa-Loompas and bringing them here!"
"That's not all of them, Charles," Veruca replied, pointing towards yet another cage. This one contained a red, glowing gummy version of the largest and most terrifying predator in all of Loompaland. It was over twice as large as a hornswoggler and a snozzwanger combined! It had three eyes on top of its head, and a gaping mouth with dozens of dagger-like teeth. The creature's ears were somewhat similar to those of the snozzwanger, but were more of a frilly shape. It had two little arms and two gigantic legs, and all four limbs boasted fearsome claws that measured at least one foot long. Lastly, its long, crooked tail swung back and forth like that of an excited dog.
"Was zum Teufel ist das?" Augustus cried with fear.
"This, ladies and gentlemen, is a whangdoodle," the announcer explained. "The whangdoodle is the apex, or top, predator in all of Loompaland. Terrifying creatures, those beasts! A single whangdoodle would eat ten Oompa-Loompas for breakfast and come galloping back for a second helping! Its tail is powerful enough to smash a big oak tree in two. They are also extremely territorial, so if two or more whangdoodles come across each other, they will fight to the death. Once again, keep in mind that these ones are sentient candies. By the way, here are some more interesting facts: all of the creatures in the zoo are very sensitive to light, so if we were to turn the lights on, they would freeze in place like a statue and stop glowing. However, Mr. Wonka is working on a new design to make these glow-in-the-dark creatures move even when exposed to light, which should be simple considering that the Sour Dragons can also move around in bright daylight. They use his Never-Melting formula so that they stay intact even in the hottest temperatures. Mr. Wonka actually lit the gummy whangdoodle on fire with gasoline and a blowtorch before moving it into the zoo, and it emerged from the experiment completely unscathed!" Charlie and Veruca stared at the whangdoodle in awe, holding each other's hand without saying a word.
The train continued to advance onward at a relaxing pace, and it approached a cage that contained five huge egg-shaped creatures. They actually didn't hold that egg shape for long; since they began to elongate their bodies at will, morphing into the shape of a massive worm. Their circular mouths were lined with thousands of sharp, pointy teeth, like some kind of gigantic leech, and those mouths were constantly opening and closing as the creatures slithered across the ground. Eventually, they morphed back into their former egg-shaped appearance.
The announcer said, "These creatures are called Vermicious Knids. The real creatures are actually not native to Loompaland. Rather, their home planet is Vermes, a planet located 184,270,000,000 miles away from Earth, or 52 times farther away from Earth than Pluto."
"But Pluto isn't a real planet," Mike suddenly interjected.
"DON'T MUMBLE!" the announcer shouted. "Anyway, Knids travel at super speeds, usually clocking in more than a million miles per day, and that's only their casual exercise! They can travel even faster than that if they wanted to! They will eat anything except for other Knids, so they are absolutely deadly; however, they do not attack immediately. Rather, each Knid stretches his or her body so that as a group, they spell the word SCRAM before attacking. Also, a good portion of shooting stars you see at night are actually Vermicious Knids burning up in the Earth's atmosphere. Please don't mumble in response to what I had just said."
"Yeah, Mike," I joked while elbowing him. "Don't mumble!"
"Thank you," the announcer replied as the train snaked around one last corner before entering another train station. "We hope you enjoyed your ride on the Glo-Zoo Express! For those who wish to exit and visit the gift shop, please do so once the train has come to a complete stop. Remember to gather all of your belongings, and enjoy the rest of your day. As for those who wish to stay on the train, our journey will take us through the middle of the aquarium, filled with glowing gummy sea creatures!"
"Time to go," I relayed to my friends as we stood up from our seats and promptly left the train. We walked down a long, zigzagging hallway with lights that slowly grew brighter and brighter, likely to give our eyes time to adjust to the light without blinding us. Eventually, we emerged into the Gummy Glo-Zoo's gift shop, which was fully stocked with standard Glow in the Dark Gummies, souvenir T-shirts that glow when exposed to UV light, plastic animal toys for kids, and even a model train set based on the Glo-Zoo Express! Oompa-Loompas of all ages were browsing around the store, and there was a very long line in front of the checkout counter. Unfortunately, we didn't have much time to check everything out before I had to lead my friends outside.
"Oh my gosh, look where we are!" Veruca cried with excitement as we left the gift shop. Turns out, there was a whole shopping mall contained within the factory, featuring many more shops that sold all kinds of merchandise for the Oompa-Loompas, as well as a massive food court. Hundreds of Oompa-Loompas strolled around the mall, and most of them were either carrying shopping bags in their hands or pushing shopping carts. At the far end of the food court, there was a large glowing sign that read, "WONKALAND AMUSEMENT PARK".
I gasped in wonder. "An amusement park?! Come on, everyone!"
"Oh, no no no," Mike groaned. "I'm not taking a single step inside that place."
"I agree vith Mike!" Augustus added. "Me neizer!"
"Aw, come on already!" I pleaded. "Okay, you don't have to ride anything if you don't want to. However, it's still worth checking out since I think my key may be somewhere inside. Maybe Charlie and Veruca could go on some of the rides while I search for my key."
"Sounds fantastic!" Charlie whooped, and we all ran towards the entrance, including Mike, but that was only because I was pulling him along.
~Charlie's POV~
As soon as we set foot inside the Wonkaland Amusement Park, our ears were filled with the screams of Oompa-Loompas riding the various attractions, as well as all the chattering from those who were just walking around the place. Right in front of us, there was a carousel that played the kind of music you'd normally hear on those rides, and as the carousel began to rotate, Oompa-Loompas young and old were laughing and giggling as the colorful horses they were riding bobbed up and down. To the left was the queue for the admission booths, and to the right were the washrooms. I didn't have to go, so I entered the admissions queue line, carrying Squishy with me, while everyone else...did their business. There were options to purchase individual ride tickets or wristbands that would allow for unlimited rides. I certainly did not feel like carrying a whole bunch of tickets around, so I decided on purchasing wristbands to lighten the load. Besides, they cost five Wacky Wafers and we were each carrying ten of them, so why not?
"I would like three unlimited-ride wristbands, please," I said to the Oompa-Loompa behind the counter once I got there.
"Sorry," he responded, "but we can only give each guest one wristband. If you bring the other two members of your party who wish to ride, I can admit them as well. Your Nerd companion can enjoy the rides for free, so no need to worry about him!" Squishy squealed with excitement in response. "He's one happy fellow, isn't he? Just like all the other Nerds here. It takes an awful lot to make one upset. Oh hey, aren't those your friends there?" The Oompa-Loompa pointed his finger in my direction, and I turned around to see Veruca and Violet running towards the admission booths.
"Hello, ladies!" the Oompa-Loompa greeted both girls.
"Hi, nice to meet you!" Violet replied.
"This boy ordered three unlimited-ride wristbands, so I take it that he saved the other two for you?"
"Thank you so much!" Veruca happily exclaimed, rushing up to me and giving me a hug. "Yes, that is correct."
"You two are so cute together," the Oompa-Loompa behind the ticket counter said to Veruca and me. Once my girlfr—er friend...not sure what to call her just yet, let me go, the Oompa-Loompa took out three wristbands, and we each rested our right arms on the counter as he secured our wristbands in place. "Five Wacky Wafers from each of you, please."
"With pleasure!" Violet whooped, practically slamming the money onto the counter. Veruca and I were a bit more discreet when we handed our Wacky Wafers to the Oompa-Loompa working there.
"Thank you so much!" the Oompa-Loompa replied. "Enjoy the rides!"
We quickly met up with Augustus and Mike, and Violet held Mike's hand as we walked around the park, passing all sorts of gentle and thrill rides. There was a little roller coaster off to our left called Cocoa Bean Scream Machine, and it was just an oval circuit with a few small hills.
"You could have ridden that one, Mike," Violet teased as they watched the brown, cocoa bean-shaped train make several laps around the circuit. All of the riders were Oompa-Loompa children, likely no older than six years. Some of them laughed gleefully, raising their hands into the air, and others were grabbing onto the lap bar as tightly as they could.
"Shut up," Mike scowled. Eventually, the train came to a stop, and we watched as the Oompa-Loompa children got off, running down the steps to reunite with their guardians.
We walked past a small Ferris wheel called The Wagon Wheel, a swinging ship ride called Wonkatania, and a Zipper ride that was named...The Zipper.
"Seriously?" Mike said, scratching his head. "Out of all the rides in this park, they couldn't come up with a better name for that one? Oh well, as if this place interests me at all, which clearly it does not!" He began to walk away. "I'm outta here."
"Me too," Augustus added.
"Wait, guys!" Violet shouted just as they started to walk away, and Mike turned around to look at her. She was pointing towards the entrance of a dark room that was filled with arcade machines. "There's an arcade in this park! I think you two would like that a lot more."
"Alright, I'm changing my mind," Mike said, grinning as he and Augustus made a beeline for the arcade. "You guys go explore, and Augustus and I will play some video games. See ya later!" They disappeared into the arcade in just a matter of seconds. Once they were gone, Veruca, Violet, and I looked at each other. We stood in a triangle, and Violet held out her hand. Veruca and I stacked our hands on top of Violet's.
"I'm going to look for my key," Violet told us, "since I'm absolutely certain that it's located somewhere inside the park. Charlie, Veruca, and Squishy, you three can go on some of the rides to bide your time, and then I'll join you if I succeed in finding my key here. How does that sound?"
"Sounds awesome!" I grinned, and Squishy whooped with excitement. "Good luck!"
"Thank you, Charlie," Violet smiled. "Enjoy the rides, and tell me which one is your favorite so that I can ride after!"
As Violet walked away to continue her mission, I took Veruca's hand and we gazed at some more of the attractions as we strolled onward. Eventually, we arrived at the back of the park, which was where all the really big rides were located. To our left was a giant Ferris wheel that was about a hundred feet tall, called Candy Balloon Adventure. The individual passenger compartments were made to look like candy balloons, and they were painted all sorts of colors. In addition, there were thousands of LED lights built into the framework of the Ferris wheel, and they were programmed to rapidly change colors and put on a spectacular light show while the ride was slowly rotating.
Just to the right of that was a drop tower called The Devil's Drenchers Drop of Doom. We watched as a sixteen-person passenger rig slowly ascended up the tower, all the way up to the ceiling of the park. The rig stayed in place for several seconds, and then without warning it fell back down to ground level, reaching breakneck speeds as the Oompa-Loompas riding it screamed and hollered at the top of their lungs.
To the right of that was the park's signature attraction: a massive roller coaster named Rock Candy Riot that looped and corkscrewed all the way across the rear section of the park. There was even a vertical lift hill, where the colorful eight-person cars climbed straight up and through the ceiling before plunging down a drop that was beyond vertical! I had never seen such a ride in my life despite having called the factory my home—no, our home—for the past four years. The ride itself looked like a mess of steel, with twisting, turning, looping pink track held up by a jungle of purple supports.
Finally, the really big rides were rounded out by a slingshot ride called Licorice Launch. At the base of the attraction, two Oompa-Loompas were sitting side-by-side in a pair of seats with purple shoulder harnesses. The seats were connected to multiple steel cables, and as soon as the ride operator gave the thumbs-up, the seats (and the Oompa-Loompas riding in them) were launched high into the air, spinning and flipping over and over before eventually drifting back down to the ground.
"That's the same kind of ride where all those funny slingshot reaction videos are recorded," I said to Veruca. "I see lots of footage from those rides on America's Funniest Home Videos."
"Ha, no doubt!" Veruca laughed. "Thanks to everything I've been through at the factory, I am feeling braver about amusement rides now. Maybe we'll do the slingshot after we ride Rock Candy Riot. Sound good?"
"For sure, Veruca!" I gave her a high-five, and then I gave Squishy a high-five as well. "Let's do it." And with that, we madly scrambled towards the roller coaster's entrance.
We ended up walking into a cave that was filled with all sorts of rock candy sculptures, along with stalagmites and stalactites like you'd find in a real cave. Dim, flickering lamps overhead guided us through the queue line, and I could see and hear dozens of Oompa-Loompas waiting in line ahead of us and behind us. The line was moving faster than I was expecting, and before I knew it, Veruca and I were inside the station, which wasn't any brighter than the queue. The ride's purple cars had two rows with four seats per row, making for a total of eight riders. The eight Oompa-Loompas who stood in front of us began to take their seats in the empty car before pulling down their shoulder harnesses. I put Squishy onto the ground in front of us, and he began to jump and hop around with excitement.
"I think he's excited to ride," Veruca said. "Am I right, little Squishy?" The Nerd squealed in agreement as he smiled and waved at all the Oompa-Loompas around him. There was an Oompa-Loompa standing behind a control booth at the other side of the station, and he was making sure that everyone was good to go.
"Are you guys ready to ride?" the ride operator asked, and everyone inside the car cheered as he gave the thumbs-up. I eagerly watched as the car slowly rolled out of the station before disappearing around a left-hand corner. Seconds later, an empty car rolled up to the platform before coming to a stop, and the gates in front of us quickly opened.
"Front row!" I called out, leading Veruca and Squishy into the front row of the car. I sat down on the far left side, Veruca sat down to my right, Squishy sat down to her right, and a stranger took the last seat beside Squishy. We all pulled down our shoulder harnesses, making sure they were nice and secure. They were even adjustable to accommodate smaller Nerds like Squishy.
"Well, it looks like we got a Nerd on the ride today!" the operator announced. "How awesome is that? Not all Nerds are brave enough to tackle this coaster, but this one seems to be an exception!"
"You've got that right!" I replied. "His name's Squishy."
"Ha, that's an awesome name!" the operator smiled. "So? Ready to ride?"
"Oh yes!" everyone in our car cheered. He did a thumbs-up as he pushed the green button on the ride's control panel, and we slowly began to move forward and around a 180-degree turn to the left. Before long, we were lost in total darkness.
"AHH!" we all screamed as the car plunged down an unexpected drop. After a tight turn to the right, we did a barrel roll that flipped us upside down before turning left and coming to a total stop. The area began to fill up with fog, and then an orange animatronic Nerd appeared to our left.
"Listen up!" the animatronic Nerd spoke with a high-pitched voice. "There's a robber who wants to steal some of Willy Wonka's precious rock candy, and you've got to catch him as quickly as you can! Ready...set...GO!"
As soon as he said "GO!", we were launched out of the tunnel and into the "daylight" of the amusement park, reaching speeds of over sixty miles per hour in just two seconds. It happened so fast that I didn't even have time to scream! Veruca tightly grabbed my hand as we soared upwards and into a gigantic corkscrew high over the park before rushing back down to the ground. After some sort of weird maneuver which involved a vertical hill, a sharp turn that almost took us upside down, and a vertical drop, we blazed past the big Ferris wheel before watching the entire park turn upside down yet again as we looped around another corkscrew. After an upwards hill to the left and a quick drop to the right, we rocketed into another tunnel, where the brakes quickly brought us to a halt.
"Is it over?" Veruca asked, still clutching onto my hand.
"I don't think so," I said, looking around. We had entered another cave, but this time, there were strobe lights flashing and the unmistakable rumbling of thunder. A 2D cartoon image of a masked bandit was projected onto the wall in front of us, and he was pulling a large wagon that was overflowing with stolen rock candy.
"You fools think you're going to arrest me?!" the man laughed. "Well, I don't think that will be happening anytime soon!"
The brakes disengaged and we slowly turned 180 degrees to the right before coming to a stop once again.
"I'll show you how to get outta here like a true criminal," the bandit continued as he stood at the base of an enormous rock candy cliff. He moved the wagon into an elevator, which started to ascend out of view. The man took out a very long stretch of rope, tied it like a lasso, and threw it into the air with all his strength. The rope suddenly tightened, and he began to climb up the cliff. "See you later, suckers. MWAHAHAHA!"
A yellow cartoon Nerd appeared on the screen, making a pleading gesture with his tiny hands. "We must follow him at once!" he cried.
Seconds later, we felt ourselves tipping way back, and we began to ascend the vertical chain lift, blood pooling into our skulls. I leaned my head sideways on the headrest, watching as the amusement park was tilted on its side. The other rides appeared to be shrinking, and they looked like toys by the time we neared the top. To be truthful, I did not like this sensation of lying flat on my back while on a roller coaster. Veruca gritted her teeth, clearly nervous about what was to come.
Finally, we reached the top, only to end up in a dark chamber of sorts, and a brake held us in place. The bandit reappeared with a pistol in his hand.
"It appears that you followed me," he groaned. "Now I WILL end this all for you!" He cocked his gun and prepared to squeeze the trigger, but just as he was about to fire, he lost his balance and fell down another cliff!
"We can't let it slide!" the cartoon Nerd shouted to us. "It's all up to you now! Finish the mission!"
"Oh my gosh!" Veruca shouted. "I think this is the big drop! HELP ME, CHARLIE!" She clutched onto my hand even more tightly than before, and the Oompa-Loompas behind us were giggling maniacally. Squishy was laughing as well.
"Is this a joke or something?!" Veruca screamed. "We're still stuck here! Has the ride broken down? If so, then who the hell is getting us off of here?!"
Her question was "answered" when the car began to inch towards the beyond-vertical drop as slowly as a snail, and just when we felt ourselves starting to tip forward, a flash of light blinded us. The on-ride photo was being taken! And then...
WHOOOOOSH!
Our stomachs were left behind as we screamed down the big drop, only to rise up into a hill, twist upside down, and dive back down to the ground in a half-loop. After that was a steep hill that led into a turn that nearly took us upside down once more, and then we soared into one last half-loop before twisting back upright and darting into one last cave, where the brakes grabbed hold and slowed us to a crawl.
The cartoon Nerd appeared once again, and the bandit was handcuffed and bound together with his own rope.
"You did it, everyone!" the Nerd congratulated us, throwing his arms up into the air. "Time to haul this crook to where he truly belongs...in the dumpster at the back of the factory!"
"NO, NO, NO!" the bandit screamed in terror as he struggled to break free from the rope. "Not the trash! NOT THE TRASH! NOOOO!"
"Thanks for your participation," the Nerd said to us as we rounded a tight corner to the left, coming to a stop inside the unloading station. "Please push up on your harness and exit to your right, and enjoy your stay at Wonkaland Amusement Park! Bye everyone!"
"That was so much fun!" I said to Veruca as everyone got out of the car. "I actually loved it!"
"I...think I might be sick," Veruca groaned.
I nervously looked at the Oompa-Loompas who were running the coaster. "Uhh, we need a janitor here at once! NOW!" I then thought, so much for doing the slingshot ride after this.
~Violet's POV~
While the others were having a good time, I came across an attraction called High-in-the-Sky Gum Trampoline. It didn't take me long at all to realize that this was a lot like the Gum Trampoline that I had experienced four years ago, but there were some differences. The trampoline was a LOT more springy this time around, catapulting Oompa-Loompas over a hundred feet into the air just by taking a step onto its surface! There was netting all around to stop guests from sailing over the edge and onto the hard floor below (you can imagine the unfortunate result of that), and in order to stop guests from bouncing around indefinitely, the trampoline was somehow able to adjust its springiness so that it was hardly springy at all by the time the guests were bouncing no higher than two or three feet.
Oh, I guess it wouldn't hurt to do one of the rides, even though I'm on a mission, I thought to myself. I need to have at least a bit of fun, take a little breather to loosen up and not be so serious all the time.
Just before it was my turn, I watched the Oompa-Loompa in front of me fly straight up to the ceiling, and to spice things up, he grabbed onto a metal bar that hung from the ceiling and started doing gymnastic moves on it! While watching him have fun all the way up there, my gaze drifted towards a little hook just off to the side. I quickly pulled out my phone and, using the camera, zoomed in so that I could take a closer look. On that hook was a key that resembled a stick of gum! Just what I came here for!
"That key is mine!" I exclaimed, and the Oompa-Loompa who was supervising the trampoline looked at me with a confused expression. "A man named Mr. Ritchie tasked us with finding keys to unlock something, otherwise we will never see our families again. I have to get that key as soon as it's my turn."
Thankfully, the Oompa-Loompa currently using the trampoline made a soft landing two minutes later, and after he got off, I rushed onto the trampoline's surface. As soon as my left foot touched its springy surface, I was launched upwards, and I aimed for that tiny hook as if I was a laser beam. I used my right hand to quickly grab onto the metal bar, and my left hand quickly followed. Thankfully I was not afraid of heights, so even when I looked down and saw the trampoline's seemingly tiny surface over a hundred feet below, I was not fazed in the slightest. Using a hand-over-hand motion, I inched my way across the metal bar towards the metal hook, and I grabbed the key, my key, in my left hand.
"I did it!" I shouted happily as I let go. After a hundred-plus-foot freefall, I bounced off the trampoline and began twisting and contorting myself into a ball as I backflipped and somersaulted over and over again through the air. Unfortunately, the fun wore off once my jumps became smaller and smaller, but on the very last jump, I positioned myself so that I landed flat on my back and sprung back up one last time to gracefully land on my feet.
"Two keys collected! Two keys collected!" I chanted with glee as I strode through the exit and ran towards the arcade to reunite with Mike Teavee and Augustus Gloop. "I can't wait to celebrate my victory with my friends!"
Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this long-awaited chapter! Violet found her key, so who do you think will find the next key, and where might it be located? Only Gs33022 and I know the answer, but you can take some guesses in your review!
Credit goes to the great Quentin Blake for influencing my descriptions of the hornswogglers, snozzwangers, whangdoodles, and Vermicious Knids.
The Rock Candy Riot coaster was inspired by TMNT Shellraiser at the American Dream mall in New Jersey. The ride layout is the same, so you can just watch a video of that coaster and you'll know how the Rock Candy Riot coaster goes. Obviously with it being located in Willy Wonka's factory, there is a LOT more theming during the ride. I was so disappointed with Shellraiser's lack of theming. It's supposed to be themed to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles but the coaster just looks like it's been plopped inside an Amazon warehouse. At least you'll know what the layout of Rock Candy Riot is like. In addition, the scene at the end where the bandit is carried towards the dumpster is a recurring gag in Gs33022's stories, specifically "Kind At Heart" and "Charlie's Chocolatey Adventure". There's nothing as satisfying as reading about villains being thrown into the garbage. XD
What was your favorite part of this chapter? Please let me know, and stay tuned for what's to come!