(Matilda's POV)
"Okay, who puts an emergency exit chute leading to a chocolate press?" I ask out of anger, confusion, and fright
"I don't know," Billie squeaks fearfully.
"What now?"
I look to the sides. It doesn't look safe to jump, but it might be our only chance to survive. The press rises pretty high before stamping each bar, at least high enough for me to fit under there before it stamps me to death.
"We'll have to jump," I announce, looking out to the left and swinging my feet over the edge.
"Are you nuts? No pun intended," Alfie squeaks.
"It's either we jump or we get stamped to death. Now!"
I push off of the conveyor belt and let gravity take control. I hear five little squeaks behind me as I plunge to the ground. Luckily, I land on my feet. The shock of it rushes through me as I make sure nothing is broken. The squirrels land on their paws.
"Thank our lucky stars no one died," Dani squeaks.
I look up and around at the massive room.
"Wow," I gasp.
"Would you look at all of that chocolate? Wonka must make millions of them each day. Maybe billions. Or zillions. Or even googollions!"
I stand transfixed by the sight until I remember what we have to do.
"Right. What now?" I ask.
"I don't think this is the deepest the factory goes."
"It's not," Dani says.
"It's not even halfway deep."
"How do you know that?"
Dani shrugs.
"I think I heard some of the Oompa Loompas discussing it."
"I wonder if there's a map of this factory," I ponder.
"Do any of you have any idea where this lab is?"
The five of them glance at each other and shrug.
"If I had to hazard a guess," Sophie says.
"I would say that it would be very far down in the factory. Maybe at the lowest level."
I give a sigh.
"Well, let's get going then."
"Wait!" James exclaims.|
"How do we know for sure that it's at the lowest level?"
"It's a secret lab, you dodo," I scoff, stressing the word "secret."
"If I were Willy Wonka, I would put a secret lab in the lowest part of the building too. Now let's get going!"