The dining room was luxurious. It could even have been labelled a banquet hall through its sheer size; golden chandeliers and candlesticks with all the stoicism of the Victorian era; a gleaming oak floor and sweeping drapes of rich, dark green.
They seated themselves at one end of the long table, Mr Wonka naturally at the head in the taller, throne-like chair. Silver platters had been set ready for them, piled unnecessarily high with steaming vegetables or crammed with roast fowl – chicken, Charlie mouthed to his girlfriend with a grin. Their glasses were full to the brim with white wine, except for William who had a large plum mug.
"What's that you've got there, Willy?" his chocolate-making apprentice wondered.
Mr Wonka smiled thinly, apparently embarrassed. He still kept his shades on even for the meal.
"Hot chocolate," he said. "I don't usually have it but I recently developed a bit of a craving for it." He emitted a half-hearted giggle then, with a burst of realisation, he cried out, "What in tarnation am I thinking?"
The noise he made next startled Alice so much that she leapt two inches out of her seat. It was a ridiculous sound, an ululation made with the tongue that even primary school children would classify as immature.
As if from nowhere, a small man appeared beside Mr Wonka. If it hadn't been for the white chef's hat balanced proudly on his head, the man would barely have reached the height of the chocolatier's elbow. William leaned down and whispered something to the chef, then crossed his arms over his chest in salute. The tiny person repeated this gesture and scurried away.
"Was that an…what did you say they were? An Urmpalurmpa?" Alice asked.
"An Oompa Loompa, yes," Charlie answered. "Always happy to help so long as they get their wages in cocoa beans. All these years and they still can't get enough of them. Oh, Willy, didn't you say you brought in some more Oompa Loompas over the last few weeks?"
Mr Wonka had been staring at the door in wait for the little man's return.
"What? Oh, yeah. There're still a few stray tribes out there in Loompaland. They're welcome to stay in their jungle but I found these ones under siege by a gang of Hornswogglers. They sure couldn't wait to take refuge here instead, and furthermore, they're fittin' in like lettuce in a salad. Speakin' of, you guys get on an' eat before it gets cold." He pointed at the various plates of succulent foods.
Charlie and Alice dished up what they desired and soon the Oompa Loompa chef returned with what the head chocolatier had asked for – three novelty straws with looping tops.
Alice glanced sidelong at Charlie who didn't seem to think it was the slightest bit strange as Mr Wonka dropped the straws into each of their drinking vessels. She shrugged and sipped her wine through a pink pipeline.
"Aren't you having anything?" Charlie asked Mr Wonka with a mouthful of gravy-smothered chicken.
"Not hungry," was the simple reply. "Are you having fun at University?"
"Yeah, it's great," Charlie exclaimed. "The work load's a lot heavier this year but we got to know lots of people and stuff. I've even learnt how to-."
"Oh," Mr Wonka interrupted loudly. His tone was etched with disappointment.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothin's wrong."
"Well there must be something wrong if you -."
Charlie's voice was drowned out by a very loud slurping sound coming from William's mug.
"Fine then," the younger chocolatier grumbled. He continued with his meal.
Alice wondered if she should break the tension but luckily, Mr Wonka broke his silence.
"I just don't see why you have to go to that place at all," he sighed. "Present female company excluded. You have a whole business back here to help me run. Isn't that all you'd ever need?"
"We've already discussed this. We can't guarantee the factory will always be as successful as it is, especially when you're – when I have to take over. Wouldn't you rather I play it safe with a degree so I can help it stay in profit and if worst came to worst be able to get a job should the place close down? I have to think of my family, Willy, present female company included."
"Present female company has a name," Alice interjected, coughing.
"Sorry honey."
William stifled a retching sound before replying, "But I'm your family too Charlie…and the factory…and the Oompa Loompas. You've still got so much to learn, there's paperwork making a mountain outta your office! It's hard work taking care of everything myself."
"You managed it before," Charlie said a little coldly.
"Yeah and I'm a darn sight older than you…" The head chocolatier trailed off. He didn't need to say any more.
Charlie knew that Mr Wonka must have been nearing fifty by now. The strange thing was that he didn't look much different from the day they had met. If anything, he almost looked younger. Oh Mr Wonka had ways of staying youthful all right, the least of which was his fabulous Hair Cream – fabulous in the way it kept the crop soft and full of colour, shame it couldn't give you a respectable hairstyle. But he doubted even Hair Cream could have been the cause of the not-a-week-over-thirty appearance. Surely he hadn't broken out the Wonkavite tablets?
"All right," Charlie said at last. "I see your point. It's only for this last year anyway so I'll be back again before you know it. As for family, how come you haven't found someone of your own to settle down with?"
Alice's eyes widened. Was Charlie for real?
Mr Wonka, however, had gone positively green. When he finally opened his eyes, an action no one could see through the sunglasses, he spoke his reply weakly.
"I've only got so much love to go around, Charlie. My time is tantamount to that."
Charlie sighed.
"You can be such a Scrooge sometimes, you know that?"
The rest of the banquet was consumed without words. When the couple had cleared enough from their plates as they could manage, Charlie asked bluntly which rooms had been prepared for them.
"You're in the Dauntless suite, Miss Alice has the Everglott."
"Right," said Charlie and walked briskly out of the room, almost having to pull his girlfriend along with him as she had stopped to nod her head in thanks for the supper.
As the door closed, Alice heard the voice from within utter: "Mumbler."
Charlie was still in a rage by the time they had reached the level of the factory with the bedrooms.
"I can't believe how he's acting," he growled. "I don't think the man will ever grow up."
Alice placed a calming hand on his shoulder.
"He probably just misses you. Besides, I thought you said that was one of the things you most admired about him, that he'll always see things as a child."
"I know, but it doesn't mean he has to be like it all the time. He runs a business for god's sake, oh I don't know what I'm saying…I'm becoming just what he always feared…an adult. A big, stupid government-run adult."
Alice poked him in the ribs. He laughed, unable to prevent himself from doing so.
"There you see," she said, grinning. "We're all kids inside. Have to push the right button, that's all. Now, go get some sleep. We'll stay in our separate rooms for now if it'll keep him happy, okay?"
Charlie nodded wearily. He kissed Alice on the lips, lingered for a moment in a nostalgic lover's gaze and retired to his room.
Alice wandered along the corridor until she'd found a door embossed with fancy lettering: Everglott. She paused with her palm on the handle, her gaze caught by the shadows of the hallway. Her imaginations gone wild, she thought she saw a figure dart just out of sight. Tiredness overwhelming her, she dismissed it and entered through the door.