Mr. Wonka seemed to be in a very great hurry.
Onward and upward he flew, his coattails flapping lightly behind him, with Charlie struggling to keep up. Charlie couldn't help but wonder why they weren't taking the elevator as they climbed the seemingly never-ending stairs. Perhaps it was broken. Charlie stopped to catch his breath for a while, leaning against the door of a room labeled, "Fireballs". He looked up and realized that Mr. Wonka was nowhere to be seen. Panicking, Charlie started running up the stairs again. He couldn't be lost. He'd never been to this section of the factory before, and without a guide he could be stranded there forever! He may never----
"Charlie, my dear boy, you shouldn't lag behind."
Charlie didn't need to turn around to know Mr. Wonka was smirking at his brief moment of panic. Blushing bright scarlet, Charlie turned around and laughed nervously. "S-Sorry Mr. Wonka, I just had to catch my breath, and I lost you for a second."
A strange, unreadable expression spread over Mr. Wonka's face, and he slowly walked over to Charlie. "Charlie…", he said in barely above a whisper, "You needn't have worried. I never left. I'll never leave you behind, I promise". A small grin touched the corner of his mouth, and he stood up straight again. "Now then! Shall we?" Charlie nodded, and Mr. Wonka turned briskly on his heels and continued with his quick pace. Charlie, once again, questioned why they hadn't taken the elevator.
The subject on Mr. Wonka's mind, whatever it was, sure seemed to bother him a great deal. Charlie could tell. His face, which usually sported a sly half-grin at all times, was strangely blank, staring straight ahead at all times. Usually when they walked together though the factory, no matter how serious or ludicrous their destination, he'd always take the time to talk and laugh with Charlie. Now Mr. Wonka said nothing, nothing at all, and it greatly disturbed Charlie. His eyes though…. That's what bothered Charlie the most. Mr. Wonka's beautiful lavender eyes, usually twinkling with laughter or a clever joke, seemed slightly dead and empty…
As if he had been crying…
Would these stairs never end! They seemed to stretch forever in both directions, and Charlie once again had to stop. This time, though, he called out to Mr. Wonka. "Please sir, can't we rest for a bit? Or at least slow down?" The older man turned to him and cocked his head quizzically at him. Charlie flushed, and said, " It really MUST be important, or we wouldn't be going so fast."
"Ah…it IS important, DEATHLY important, Charlie…" It slightly unnerved Charlie how much emphasis was put on the word 'Deathly'. "And we really mustn't dally too long…" A slight mist of sadness covered Mr. Wonka's eyes for a moment, but he shook it off. "But never fear, my dear boy, we're almost there." He smirked again, and motioned for Charlie to get up. Turning again, Mr. Wonka said, "This is a VERY important part of the factory we're headed to, Charlie. You really ought to feel privileged, my dear boy." He stopped at a seemingly normal wooden door with a single gold 'W' engraved in the middle. Turning to Charlie, he smiled and said, "Do you know why?"
Charlie shook his head. "Why?"
"Because no one but me has ever gone in. Oompa-Loompas never come here, and I've never shown it to anyone." Charlie's eyes widened, and he watched intently as Mr. Wonka carefully unlocked the door.
Unable to stand the excitement, Charlie timidly asked, "What room IS this?"
Mr. Wonka looked back at him, opened the door, and said, "My dear boy…
"This is my room."