Disclaimer: Due to my numerous break-in attempts on the Burton compound, Willy Wonka still remains out of my reach and therefore isn't mine.
AN: Okay, quick change in storytelling technique for a while. We've all seen Astra come and go, so I decided to just jump into the narrative without interruptions, like our beloved lead female having to dash in and out all the time…it makes me dizzy, and I'm the one that wrote it! I'm sorry if people don't like this new way, but it is my story, though I'm open to constructive criticism. Anyway, here's the chapter, and I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 5: Life Without Willy Wonka:
It is a gross understatement when one says that life is boring without people to have fun with. It's even more so when you've grown up with Willy Wonka and are then separated from him by thousands of miles of ocean, not to mention cities, lakes, and the occasional historic landmark. Nonetheless, Astra Johnson managed to make it through her childhood years without someone in purple-and-pink waistcoats and rainbow-colored top hats showing up at her doorstep, their arms filled with gifts of magical candy that could make a child's head spin with wonder and delight.
Yes, life was now "normal" for the Johnson family. Robert had taken up a job designing boxes for other companies and was paid very well for his work. Caroline became the normal housewife that took her children to school, cleaned the house, and had dinner ready just as her husband came home from work and the children finished their homework. Mitchell was the normal boy-child that went from playing with action figures to hooking up to video games at the age of thirteen. He hung out with his friends, did well in school, and slept in late on the weekends, like every other teenager in the world. Astra, on the other hand, was very different from her family.
From the moment they had told her that they would be moving far away from her Uncle Wonka and his amazing factory, Astra's parents had done their best to help her cope with the loss of such childish wonder and excitement in her life. Robert had decided to try and keep that sort of magic in her life by telling her bedtime stories, ones that were straight out of the books of Grimm's Fairy Tales and Hans Christian Anderson. Eventually, Astra's dreams included not only visions of sugarplums, but also those of sugarplum fairies, dwarves, and giant dragons.
As childhood left her and the dreadful teenage years descended, Astra held tightly to the magic that her father and Uncle Wonka had instilled in her since the day she was born. The greatest times in her life included opening purple packages from England that were always full of Willy Wonka's newest creations. Astra always took great pleasure in knowing that the candy she took to school the next day in her lunchbox was hers and that no one else had the chance to buy it. Kids she didn't know (or didn't like) would come up to her and wonder where she'd gotten the strange candy that could jump around on the tabletop, or would change color to whatever mood the person holding it was in. It made her laugh when no one could figure out her connection to the infamous Willy Wonka, but she was generous in sharing her delicious bounty with her friends during recess, snack time, or (as she entered middle school) between classes. Although the return address or the stamp on the outside of the package would sometimes be in funny lettering or different languages, they were still delicious and fun to eat and play with, and Astra cherished every tiny bit of the precious treats.
Even when the factory had been shut down, boxes continued to arrive at the Johnson home. It puzzled Astra to no end why her Uncle Wonka could still make candy when he had no one to work for him or to sell it to, but as long as they kept coming, she didn't mind. Mitch had outgrown candy at a young age, but even he couldn't resist a box of Wonka candy when it arrived! Birthdays and holidays often consisted of what the family called Wonka Gift Boxes, but as the years rolled by, Astra got the distinct feeling that Mr. Wonka didn't fully understand that she was no longer five-years-old. Her gifts were always wrapped in pink paper, and she always winced whenever she saw it. It wasn't that she hated pink; it was mostly the fact that she hadn't owned anything in that color since she was eight-years-old. As she graduated from middle school and entered into high school, the candy continuously came wrapped in bright, almost neon, pink paper and ribbons. As she opened a pack of candy on her fourteenth birthday, Astra suddenly remembered that at the last time she'd seen her famous foster uncle, her favorite color had been pink. The reason for that was because, at the time, that had been one of the most frequent colors he had dressed himself in. Finally understanding the significance of that particular color, Astra managed to put aside her minor dislike for it and appreciate it as one of the few things that connected her to the infamous candyman across the sea.
As she began ninth grade, Astra decided to form another link to her uncle and began to write back to the factory, thanking the chocolatier for his gifts and hoping that he was well. And every time she wrote to him, sliding the letter into an envelope decorated with small doodles of flowers and sealing it shut with a sticker in the shape of a gold star, Astra always wondered what her beloved Uncle was up to whenever he got her notes.
'Is he thinking of us, remembering the times we spent together?' she thought as she composed one letter. 'Does he still really remember Mitch and me, or is he doing this out of habit? Maybe because he and Daddy were friends for so long?'
Whatever the reason, Astra always hoped that her Uncle Wonka was happy and enjoying life as much as she remembered.
The passing years had gone by swiftly for the World Famous Chocolatier as well. Even though he had shut down his factory thanks to those horrible cads who stole from him, Willy Wonka still made candy for two very special children. Traveling the world in search of new flavors for candy had kept him busy, but he was never too busy to turn those new tastes into treats for Astra and Mitchell. He always thought about their cute little faces and how happy they had always been to see him at their front door. Even though he didn't really like people all that much, Willy Wonka loved being able to make those two children smile.
In actuality, when it came right down to it, the success of his candy had practically revolved around the joy of the two Johnson children. He always looked to their reactions whenever he developed a new product and brought the final result over to their homes. The Unmeltable Ice Cream had them squealing with delight after he'd set it in the hot summer sun for an hour and nothing happened. The Sugar Balloons had been an idea that had formed while watching Astra toss a ball to her brother on a sunny morning, and Chocolate Birds was from hearing Astra whine about not being able to have a pet, as her father was allergic to nearly every animal under the sun.
When he'd warned the Johnson's about possibly closing the factory, Willy hadn't thought it would actually happen. He'd simply gotten Robert his new job just in case, and had thought that they would move back within a few months. However, several years went by with several suspicious instances, and the factory was closed just before Astra's eighth birthday. It had broken Willy's heart to fire all those people, but it had to be done for the sake of the future of his factory. Oh, he'd known that closing it was only temporary; after all, candy was his calling, and he could no sooner stop making it than fish stop living in water! He would reopen his factory, but only after he'd taken a much-needed stint around the world to see what flavors and ideas he could pick up.
Closing the factory was indeed bittersweet for Willy, but the amount of free time he had to himself gave him the opportunity to stay in contact with his old friend. Robert had sent him a photo of the family as soon as they had moved into their new house, and that photo became one of Willy's most prized possessions. He carried it with him throughout all of his voyages, glancing at it frequently and getting ideas for candy just by looking at the two adorable children staring back at him from beneath a laminated piece of colored paper. It really was amazing what a person could create just by looking at an aging, slowly fading photo…
As his ideas for candy popped into his head, Willy made them into reality, creating the product and taste-testing it carefully before sending it to Mitchell and (especially) Astra, hoping to get some sort of feedback from them. Mitchell rarely replied, but Astra was a wonderful fountain of information when it came to getting letters or short notes of thanks for the candy. He always took notice on what she would passively say about the candy, such as whether or not she liked the flavor or whether she had fun eating it or not.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Willy knew that the biggest thrill of his day came whenever there was an envelope waiting for him, a golden star-shaped sticker holding the precious information safely inside a very lightly decorated envelope. Subconsciously, he knew that his world revolved around getting letters from that adorable little girl that he'd been too happy to create things for, a girl that he would give anything and everything just to see her smile happily at him with those little pearly teeth. It was the thought of that one smile that made all of his travels and work so worthwhile, and what drove Willy to such lengths to get every bit of his candy just right.
And in the end, it was that one smile that would hold his heart forever.
However, in the great bubbling churn that was his mind, Willy Wonka could not fully comprehend one thing: that his darling little Astra was no longer a child who bounced around the instant she got a package of delectable candy from her Uncle. Oh, she was always happy to open a box and giggle like mad whenever she got a Wonka Gift Box, but a little girl she was not, and hadn't been for some time. She was growing into a young woman, and if there was one thing that Willy Wonka couldn't handle, it was grown women.
It was probably a blessing and a curse that Willy Wonka didn't get the chance to see dear Astra Johnson grow up from an adorable little girl to a shy, though affectionate and childlike, young woman. It would likely have ruined him to see the little thing grow "too old" for candy, and for that the children of the world should remain grateful. In this, Willy was much like Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up: he'd watch with a broken heart as others grow up, but he'd always try to remain childlike inside. Watching Astra mature was like the idea of Peter watching his Wendy grow up in front of his eternally youthful gaze: it would have destroyed Willy and any sort of childlike creativeness within his heart to watch that happen.
And so the removal of Astra was somewhat of a blessing in disguise for the chocolatier. But as she grew up, Astra miraculously managed to keep a strong hold on the bits and pieces of magic she had experienced as a little girl, and never let them go. Even though she was no longer a child, despite growing up, she still maintained childlike mannerisms: she always laughed whenever her father and brother held belching contests at the dinner table (much to her mother's horror), she still traded immature banter with her brother, and at night, she insisted on a goodnight kiss from her father before bed. Despite being separated from the influence of Willy Wonka, Astra Johnson managed to still believe in fairy magic and the idea that anything was possible when it came to candy.
Which was a good thing, for the next time she encountered Willy Wonka would change both of their lives for all time.
AN: I hope that this chapter wasn't too deep or anything. I sort of wrote it in a sort of 'writer's daze' and it kind of just flowed. Please let me know what you think! Thanks!