Chapter 30: Mindy Bell's Second Loss
Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm back again with the next chapter of Kind At Heart, and the third demise! Let's see how many of you guessed correctly, but first, I'm gonna respond to your reviews. :D
Softkitty55, I'm ecstatic that you enjoyed the last chapter! Admittedly, before publishing it, I thought it ended up being a tad weaker than previous chapters, but I'm glad you liked it! As for your guess, read on, and I hope you'll enjoy the third demise!
Matt, I'm glad you enjoyed the Gummy Glo-Karts reference. Originally while developing this story, I was planning on including both the Gobstopper Go-Karts and the Gummy Glo-Karts, but I scrapped the second one due to them being similar in concept. I also had tons of fun coming up with the power-ups in here as well, so I'm happy you liked that segment. As for Mindy, she'll for sure get that spotlight in this one. Enjoy!
emeraldphan, I love writing Tyler and Kitsune's antics as well. It's one of my favorite parts of this story. XD As for your guess...you'll find out if you're right in this chapter. :)
Miss BullTrunch, you'll definitely see more subtle Matilda references, but did you know that I included a couple in the previous chapter? Two of Mindy's insults, "witless weed" and "stupid glob of glue" were taken from the Matilda book, where they serve as two of Miss Trunchbull's insults.
ThatGamer1, hm, like the Arctic Room in Charlie's Chocolatey Adventure? I could definitely consider that!
Guest #1, "eerie and spooky", huh? You'll definitely see something like that in this story!
Guest #2, hm, I'll see if I can fit that in, but I'm not sure.
sdfgsdfgsdfgsdf, sorry you didn't like "Next in Line", but I'm glad you're enjoying my version. I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter! :)
Guest #3, A Box of Chocolates? I have the text of that story on my hard drive, so it wouldn't be a problem whatsoever to include the Imaginary Insects in this story. MysteriousMaker1185 also gave me permission to include a couple of his rooms in here, so we'll see. :D
Guest #4, the Dirt Desert will definitely appear. :)
Guest #5, I love that line, so it's staying. :D
Guest #6, haha, so true! You made me laugh, so thanks. XD
(Credits: Ideas in this chapter were contributed by MysteriousMaker1185. More details will be given at the end of this chapter.)
Mr. Wonka and Charlie Bucket ushered everyone into the Everlasting Gobstoppers corridor. The group, even Tyler and Kitsune, were completely awestruck as they looked around their new surroundings. The Everlasting Gobstoppers corridor appeared to have been lifted straight from a sci-fi movie. The entire corridor was composed of shiny black tiles, and the spaces between each tile were constantly glowing and pulsating with every color of the rainbow, creating a multi-colored grid throughout the length of it all. Like the rest of the doors in the factory, the ones in this corridor were round with glowing labels on them.
"This corridor was actually recently remodeled," Mr. Wonka explained. "Construction ended just three weeks ago."
"As Mr. Wonka stated before," Charlie announced, "not only does this corridor include our current varieties of Everlasting Gobstoppers, such as our Chewy Gobstoppers, Gobstopper Candy Canes, and Heartbreakers, it also includes ones in various stages of testing. So, as some of them haven't been finished yet, I ask you to refrain from tasting unless me or Mr. Wonka says that it's okay."
"Are you just saying that to get another one of us eliminated?" Daniel asked. "And I know you'll accuse me of mumbling, so don't even try." There was a faint smirk on the chocolatier's mouth upon hearing his last sentence.
"The eliminations are my favorite part of the tour, to be honest," Mindy Bell remarked. "Watching the losers just fade away one by one is just too satisfying for me. Pretty soon, me and Daniel will be the only ones left, and I'll declare myself the queen of winning alongside him."
"Wait, what about me?" Daniel asked, walking up to Mindy and gripping her hand. "I do agree about the eliminations, though. With every one person gone, that's one step closer to our victory."
"Now you're getting it," Mindy Bell said, and Daniel looked at her in confusion. Mindy could only smile back.
"Although I do feel sorry for the children and their parents," Mr. Davidson remarked, "I do have to say, both of the events that happened were a result of the children, and in the case of Yuna, her and her mother, not listening to instructions."
"I agree, but I do like the songs," Jenna Adams agreed. "Mr. Wonka wasn't lying when he said there'd be music on this tour. I wonder when we'll visit the music room, or whatever it's called."
"All in good time, little girl," Mr. Wonka smiled at Jenna. "Now, let's visit some more candy-making rooms, shall we?"
Mr. Wonka and Charlie guided the group five feet to the first door in the Everlasting Gobstoppers corridor. This label was in purple letters, and read, "MIXUPS."
"I like the sound of this room," Chris chuckled, looking at Jenna as they entered the room with their parents and the rest of the group.
The sight that everyone had their eyes upon left the group in utter bewilderment. The machines that produced the gobstoppers were on the ceiling, with a large tube on the side above the group's heads that served to dispense each sphere as they dropped out of the tube, down a twisting slide, and into a basket on the floor. As the Gobstoppers went down the slide, they went through the statue of a grotesque green creature that was round, and had orange and white shoes. This creature also had white eyes with black pupils, with a single tooth sticking out of his smiling mouth.
Aside from the baskets and statue, the floor was completely barren as Oompa-Loompas in orange, green, and pink rubber suits were taking the baskets as they filled up and took them into the packaging department located nearby.
"What the heck is going on here?" Daniel said, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "The machines are on the ceiling? It's like the ceiling is on the floor! This is totally mixed-up, and one-hundred percent nonsensical and impossible."
"We are in a room that makes Mixups, Daniel," Jenna reminded him, "so it makes sense that everything would be mixed up."
"Whatever," Daniel responded. "This place is weird."
"What are Mixups anyways, Mr. Wonka?" Mr. Adams asked.
"I'm glad you asked, my dear sir!" Mr. Wonka smiled. "Ya know how regular Everlasting Gobstoppers change color once a week, and the color corresponds with the flavor? Not with Mixups! With these 'lil boogers, red Mixups may taste like grape, and orange ones may taste like cherry! Ya never know, hahaha!"
"That sounds stupid," Daniel interjected. "Isn't that kinda misleading?"
"I think you got it all mixed up, little boy!" Mr. Wonka answered. "These gobstoppers are clearly labelled as, "Mixups", cause the flavors are mixed up. So, they're not misleading in any way."
"I don't care," Daniel complained. "I just wanna move on to the next room. This one is boring."
Chris looked at Daniel in annoyance, but the chocolatier only smiled back at the technology-obsessed boy.
"Whatever ya say, my little mumbler!" Mr. Wonka said. "Let's get a move on, kids."
Hoisting his cane into the air with a smile and marching happily, Mr. Wonka, along with Charlie, exited the Mixups room, closed the door behind them, and walked over to the next door in the corridor, which said, "DAREDEVILS" in neon red letters.
Charlie Bucket reached for the handle of the Daredevils room, then looked at the group and said, "Daredevils are one of our most unique varieties of Gobstoppers. These have already been released to the public, so you get our full permission to taste them. Come in, please."
Upon entering the Daredevils room, the remaining group members felt as if they had just been transported into a dirt bike arena. A fence in a square shape surrounded a part of the arena in order to protect the audience and people who were just walking into the room.
Inside the fenced section of the arena, there were various ramps made out of dirt. In front of each ramp, there were large rings made out of fire. On one side of the arena, there was a large metal garage. On both sides of the arena, there were metallic bleachers, and Oompa-Loompas were cheering on them.
"And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for!" an Oompa-Loompa announcer shouted, getting the crowd all hyped up. "The best and baddest daredevil around...Danny Daredevil!"
Everyone looked towards the garage, and it began to open. A loud revving sound was heard, and a dirt bike charged out of the garage, doing a wheelie, and a small red devil was on it. He was plump with a small pair of black glasses, and had two small horns on the top of his head with one pointy tooth sticking out of his mouth. The devil also had a long red tail, and as soon as he drove out of the garage, the Oompa-Loompas broke out into huge fits of applause as he drove towards the ramp, his speed increasing with every passing second.
Danny Daredevil's expression became more and more determined as he came closer and closer to the ramp, until he finally jumped off of it and cleared it with no problem. Stopping his dirt bike with a screech, he bowed and waved to the Oompa-Loompas as his success caused them to cheer even louder. As he was enjoying his fame, he noticed Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and the group and motioned them over.
"Ah, Mr. Wonka, Charlie, and more fans!" he smiled, looking at the tour group. "To show my appreciation, I'd love to give you something!"
Walking over by his dirt bike and putting his hand into a hidden section of it, he emerged with ten black boxes with him on it. Each of the boxes said, "DEVILISHLY HOT DAREDEVILS", with the words, "DEVILISHLY HOT" being in a fire-themed text, and the word, "DAREDEVILS" was in a white text.
"Daredevils are my signature candy!" Danny Daredevil beamed. "They're like regular Everlasting Gobstoppers, but these can get hot, hot, hot, interspersed with rings of cool, cool, cool! Can you brave the heat?" He then passed out the boxes he was holding, one to each group member.
"You bet I can!" Mindy Bell interjected. "I'm no coward!"
"Daredevils have been out for a long time now," Charlie Bucket said, "so all of you may have them."
Looking around, everyone noticed that Charlie's words came too late. Mindy Bell had already opened the tab dispenser of her box of Daredevils and was currently sucking on one of them. Mindy's mother was holding her record-breaking Everlasting Gobstopper.
"How does it taste, honey?" Mrs. Bell asked her daughter.
"This is one of the most unique Gobstoppers I've ever had!" Mindy answered, and Mr. Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and Danny Daredevil smiled at the competitive girl. "The hotness in this is perfect! This has to be the hottest jawbreaker I've ever had! And I'm not even at the first cool-down ring, oh boy! I love this candy!"
"Me and Charlie will be sure to put some Daredevils in your lifetime supply," Mr. Wonka responded. "But for now, we must move along!" Mindy frowned. She took her Daredevil jawbreaker out of her mouth, then placed it back in her box, then gave the box to her mother. In return, Mrs. Bell gave her daughter her record-breaking Everlasting Gobstopper back.
"Bye, everyone!" Danny Daredevil waved as everyone was exiting the Daredevils room. "Have a good rest of your day!"
As the group finished exiting the Daredevils room, Charlie and Mr. Wonka turned to the group with stern expressions on their faces.
"Boys and girls," Mr. Wonka began. "And their...parents, of course, this next room we're going to be visiting has a brand-new Gobstopper in it, so there will be no touching and no tasting. Consider it a privilege that we're even allowing you inside. Let's go, everyone."
Mr. Sparkman looked at Mindy as the group was walking towards another door. It said, "JAWBREAKING GOBSTOPPERS."
"Jawbreaking Gobstoppers?" Mindy questioned. "What the heck kind of candy is that?"
"You'll see," Charlie said as he opened the door with one hand and the group walked inside.
The Jawbreaking Gobstoppers room had a dark atmosphere, similar to the one in the Inventing Room. Large machines were seen throughout the room, and every single one of them was connected by a bunch of metallic pipes. All of the pipes, however, connected into one, main machine. It looked like a red Everlasting Gobstopper, but without a curved bottom, and there was a small hole in one part of it, with a clear plastic "door" allowing someone to reach and grab what this absurd machine produced. A fence surrounded this machine, and there was a locked gate that prevented anyone from entering inside.
"Jawbreaking Gobstoppers are our newest invention!" Mr. Wonka beamed. "When sucked on, they're supposed to increase your courage and strength. However, there is a teeny side-effect."
"Can we see this Gobstopper?" Mindy Bell asked.
"I suppose so," Charlie answered, "but you're not allowed to take one under any circumstances."
Mr. Wonka walked over towards the machine and unlocked the gate, then closed it behind him. Then, he pressed a red button on the side of it, and every single one of the machines in the room sputtered to life as Mr. Wonka smiled and clapped excitedly. Sirens blared, steam floated around the room, and lights flashed as they did their work. At last, several minutes passed, and a single red Gobstopper fell out of the red machine and behind the door. Mr. Wonka opened it and held it by two fingers for the group to get a good look at it.
"These 'lil things have a whole lot of power in them,'' Mr. Wonka explained. "Unlike most of the products in this corridor, the Jawbreaking Gobstoppers are not everlasting, but that's only to balance out the courage and strength effect these babies are supposed ta give ya!"
"Mr. Wonka, I'd like to try it out," Mindy Bell told him.
"Uh, no," Mr. Wonka looked down at her. "This product is under testing. We've told you that. Move along, little girl. We're going to the next room."
"I am not leaving this room unless I have that Gobstopper," Mindy said sternly, raising her voice to the chocolatier. "I'm not scared of some stupid side-effect."
"Mindy, I think you should listen to Mr. Wonka," Jenna told her, and she just responded by turning to face her with a scowl and looking at her Wormhole Citadel shirt with disgust.
"Your dumb band means nothing to me, Jenna Adams," Mindy Bell said, staring straight into Jenna's eyes with a boastful, yet serious, look on her face. "You're just a pathetic idiot who loves to plant a rebellion phase in the minds of teenagers like me with your horrible music. On the other hand, I have more awards and records than you ever will in your wretched lifetime. My Guinness World Records certificate is just the tip of the iceberg. I will always get more awards, more recognition, more fame all over the news and the Internet with every passing second that I'm in this dumb factory. This just goes to show you where hard work can take you. I'm a doer, not a dreamer, Jenna. You can dream about your Blackhole Citadel getting worldwide tours as much as you want, but it'll never happen. This special Gobstopper here will only help me reach my goals even more, and no one can stop me."
"I would listen to Jenna if I were you," Charlie Bucket warned her.
"It's too late now, you old goat!" Mindy snapped, then she took a step back. Looking at the gate with rage, she ran towards it, then vaulted over it with zero effort, just like if she was at one of her gymnastics tournaments. After this, she grabbed the Jawbreaking Gobstopper from Mr. Wonka's hand, then calmly jumped over the gate as if nothing had happened.
"Don't do it," Mr. Wonka told her half-heartedly.
"I'm sucking on this thing, and no one will stop me!" Mindy Bell beamed. She took her record-breaking Everlasting Gobstopper out of her mouth and handed it to her mother, then placed the Jawbreaking Gobstopper in her mouth instead.
"How do you feel, darling?" Mrs. Bell asked eagerly.
"Well, it tastes like any other Everlasting Gobstopper," Mindy answered, "but I can feel the strength effects kicking in already! I feel wonderful, like I can do anything!"
"Oh no, here it comes again," Mr. Sparkman sighed.
"What is it, Dad?" Daniel asked.
"Look," Mr. Sparkman responded, pointing to Mindy.
"I don't see anything- holy toledo, your nose is turning red!" Daniel interjected, and everyone else began to stare at her face as well.
"He's right!" Chris agreed, whispering to Jenna.
"I heard that!" Mindy snapped, glaring at Chris. "All you're doing is attempting to embarrass me! But it won't work, because I'm gonna go right over there, and kick your-!"
"What's wrong, Mindy?" Mrs. Bell asked, noticing Mindy stopping mid-sentence.
"I-I feel sick…" Mindy groaned. The red color spread to her face, then her hair, and even to her clothes. "W-what's happening to me?!"
"I told ya not to try it," Mr. Wonka answered, ducking behind the Jawbreaking Gobstoppers machine. "I'm terribly sorry."
"Oh, yeah!" Tyler Smith whispered to his mother. "It's elimination time! This oughta be fun!"
As the red color continued to spread, Mindy suddenly became as frozen as a statue, unable to move.
"M-my skin!" Mindy squeaked, her voice becoming suddenly quieter. Her body began to swell, and everyone looked on in horror.
"I knew this would happen," Mr. Sparkman sighed as she continued to swell up while everyone was mortified.
Daniel looked at Mindy, and Mindy looked at Daniel. The last words that she could muster enough energy to say were, "I'm sorry."
As Mindy continued to swell, she only stopped once she became two times the size of the machine. Looking as if she was about to throw up, Mindy couldn't move her body as a result of her new size. The sound of techno music began to play, and everyone watched as one-hundred Oompa-Loompas in red, reflective outfits began to enter the room. A couple of them were even doing various gymnastics tricks, such as somersaults, cartwheels, and backflips, as Mindy was forced to look on in horror. On the contrary, Mr. Wonka began to dance to the Oompa-Loompas' song, smiling with glee.
Breaking records is quite a proud feat,
But Mindy only knew how to compete.
This dreadful girl, she only wanted fame,
And she always thought she could beat the game.
She never thought about others around her,
And now she's watching as we all surround her.
Mindy Bell had a look of panic on her face. Suddenly, her expression froze, as if she had become petrified and frozen in time, like a statue. Her mouth was stuck open, and the group watched as a single tooth fell out of her mouth and fell onto the ground, right in front of Daniel Sparkman. All the boy could do was gape and gasp in horror.
Dear friends, we surely all agree
There's almost nothing worse to see
Then some repulsive little bum
Who treats others like they are dumb.
Mindy's ego was bound to get her in trouble,
And turn her entire career into rubble.
As the group watched the Oompa-Loompas sing their song, an instrumental break began to play. They noticed that in the spot where Mindy's tooth had fallen out, something else was starting to grow. The object was red, and resembled the bottom half of a sphere. It was an Everlasting Gobstopper! More and more of Mindy's teeth began to fall out and land on the ground one by one as the Oompa-Loompas continued to do tricks around her. One Oompa-Loompa ran forward and did a cartwheel across the front of Mindy, right in front of her head, then jumped off and landed gracefully on his feet. They continued to sing:
Alas, this is how irony caught up with her life,
And caused her mother to get into tons of strife.
She would never stop bringing others down,
And now poor Mindy looks like a clown.
This putrid girl never knew when to quit,
And now we will watch as she does submit.
With each passing lyric on their song, more of Mindy's teeth began to fall out, until nearly every single one got replaced by Everlasting Gobstoppers. The group gasped in horror, and some, including Daniel Sparkman, covered their eyes, unable to bear the sight unfolding in front of them.
This dreadful girl- she saw no wrong
In sucking for her record all day long.
She sucked while bathing in the tub,
She sucked while dancing at her club,
She sucked in church and on the bus;
It really was quite ludicrous!
But alas, her record has come to an end,
And will take forever and ever to mend.
Her victims will point and make sick faces
As we begin to take her places.
Making her victims cry with every word,
Now she's the one who won't be heard.
This stupid girl would only hurt.
Now it's her turn to bite the dirt.
And now we say farewell to Mindy Bell,
Who is stuck inside a Gobstopper shell.
An instrumental break began to play, and Oompa-Loompas continued to jump and do tricks around the girl. She had one final tooth left, and it just barely hung out of her mouth, about to fall to the ground just like the rest of them. At last, it did, landing right in front of Chris and Jenna, causing Jenna to gag at the sight of it. Seconds later, another Everlasting Gobstopper grew in its place, making every single tooth in her mouth Everlasting Gobstoppers. As the song's instrumental break came to a close, every single Oompa-Loompa jumped on top of Mindy, then landed on each other, creating an enormous pyramid right in front of Mindy Bell. The song finished, then the Oompa-Loompas jumped back down and went back to their work as if nothing had happened.
Daniel looked at Mindy in absolute horror, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"First you shoot Antonio, then turn Yuna and her mother into a baby and old lady, now this?" Mrs. Bell gasped. "This is the worst one so far!"
"Quite right," Mr. Sparkman agreed. "Wonka, Mindy better be alright after all is said and done. Although, I must admit, you did have that gate, and Mindy did jump over it."
Daniel Sparkman sighed. "I guess, but…"
"Mindy will hopefully be just fine...after the process, of course," Charlie Bucket said.
"What process?" Daniel asked worriedly.
"You see," Charlie explained, "the unfortunate side-effect not only made her body have the appearance of an Everlasting Gobstopper, but also turned her into one. The reason Mindy froze during her demise was because her organs also hardened, putting her into a dormant state. Our Oompa-Loompas will have to attempt to soften her at just the right temperature, or things may get a little...messy."
"Messy?" Daniel said worriedly, but Charlie put up both of his hands in an attempt to calm the boy down.
"I assure you that Mindy will be perfectly okay once everything is said and done," Charlie reassured Daniel and Mrs. Bell, and Mr. Wonka did his signature trilling once again. As if out of thin air, an Oompa-Loompa wearing a shining red suit like in Mindy's song appeared in the midst of the group.
"I'd like ya to take Mindy and her mother into the Great Glass Cargo Elevator straight away," Mr. Wonka commanded. "Go to the Boiler Room. Help soften her up to reverse the process. But be careful- it has to be just the right temperature as like what happened during our other tests, 'kay? Not one degree more, nor one degree less."
The Oompa-Loompa crossed his arms in a tribal manner, which Mr. Wonka repeated. The Oompa-Loompa then walked over to Mindy and began carefully rolling her towards another door at the end of the Jawbreaking Gobstoppers room. Mr. Wonka smiled, then Mindy's mother followed suit as the group could still hardly believe what had happened.
"Everyone," Charlie said to the remaining four guests and their guardians, "we'd better press on before we lose anyone else in this room, that's for sure. There's still lots to see."
Author's Note: Wowee, what a demise! And Mindy before Tyler?! That's a new one! What did you think of this chapter? I had a lot of fun writing it, so I hope that you all had just as much fun reading it. :D
While coming up with ideas for Kind At Heart, MysteriousMaker1185 was a huge help. He helped to fill in many missing holes, as well as how to differentiate this story from the 2005 film and Next in Line. One thing I was having trouble with was Mindy's demise, since her old demise in Next in Line was just a copy from the 2005 film, so he suggested this demise, and I was ecstatic about his idea. If you're reading this, MysteriousMaker1185, thanks so much for the help. :D
It may also be noted that Mixups were a real candy, no relation to the bags we have today. They appeared in the 70's and 80's, before the Wonka Nestle company decided to use the term "Mixups" for the Halloween bags instead. Daredevils were also real, and they were sold in the 80's.
What do you think could possibly happen next? If you'd like, you can leave your reviews in the review section, and maybe even leave a favorite and/or a follow in order to help me out! Stay tuned for the next chapter, everyone!
Until then,
Gabe S. :)