Ch. 2 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
When Charlie was a younger boy, he was just as normal as any other kid on the block, that lived in any normal town, that went to any normal school, and had normal parents that went to normal jobs and worked normal hours and had normal pay. Yes...when he was younger everything was normal.
But now...well, nothing was ever normal if you had a business partner like Willy Wonka.
Willy Wonka...the famous chocolatier
In Charlie's wildest dreams, and he had them quite often, he would never have been able to imagine, waking up in a quilted feathered bed, relishing in the fact that he had no longer had an open roof welcoming the snow and rain, or any other forms of weather that delighted in wrecking torture on his innocent sleeping form, and knowing instead that he had another eventful day, devoid of homework, cabbage soup, and freezing weather to look forward to.
Unlike most children his age, Charlie Bucket had an entire chocolate factory in which he would inherit by acquaintance from the candy man himself. He still remembered vividly that day when the eccentric Willy Wonka flew downinto hisroof through his propane clear, head dented, glass elevator that went every which way imaginable, and came with a deal. He had declined at first, but with an ounce of luck, and a little father warming love, Wonka was convinced to allow Charlie's family to move into the chocolate factory, complimented with their own home in the heart of the factory. The Chocolate Room.
Charlie clambered out of bed, stretching out his aching joints from the usual casualties acquainted with slumber, and began dressing, when suddenly, a loud clear, maybe even robotic voice, began booming all around him, reverberating off the marble walls, and impounding loudly into his oversensitive eardrums. He almost, like as human instinct, clamped his hands over his aching ears, but recognizing the voice, he remained still, and leaned toward the din in order to catch the entirety of the phrase.
"Charlie Bucket, please report to the main entrance immediately. You seem to have, uh" the monotonic voice paused quickly, but the pause was noticeable, as if he seemed to be glancing down at something," a visitor."
Charlie's face lit up dramatically. A visitor...who would need to see me?
Charlie struggling into his pants, jumping haphazardly into his shoe, before realizing it was the right foot that he was pushing harshly into his left shoe. Finally dressed, and highly anticipating his visitor, Charlie rushed down the rickety spiral staircase, kissed his family goodbye, out of the house, and ambling quickly down the edible grass toward the velvet carpeted elongated hallway. Pulling aside the wide caged steel doors, he found...
Ten Minutes Earlier
Erin had spoken into an intercom thingie that made her jump back when a booming, resembling feminine toned, but somewhat clearly masculine, had told her, "Good Morning starshine...the earth says HELLO!" the last he emphasized loudly, and made her jump back in slight fear. Not fear of the man, just more of the unknown. She stated she was a relative of Charlie's and would like to be permitted to see him.
"PLEASE ENTER."
The metallic prison resembling bars swung slowly open, enlarging a grand courtyard, that was splintered into a thousand slices, that could only be viewed between two bars, layered in snow like a blanket. She looked up, and her breath was taken away by the majestic force that seemed to punch the air out of her lungs.
Three torrential cylinder chimneys sat on top of the tall edifice (builded upon each other like a bunch of building blocks) issuing smoke like devilish serpents floating in the air. It was beautiful...not a place she would take pleasure in living but it couldn't be denied, that although in a more technological metallic, 'keep out' facade, that it was beautiful.
Climbing up the three steps, she awaited anxiously, until the large steel doors opened.
Normal Time
"Charlie!" screamed delightfully the voice of a slight age older than him, and of course resembling the opposite sex.
He turned and saw a face he hadn't seen in, the least, five years. She had certainly changed quite a bit; time seemed to do that to a person.
Erin had grown quite a bit; actually a lot, since he distinctly remembered her only towering over him slightly . Well she certainly towered over him alright; she appeared more like a painted up skyscraper, she was so tall. She had lost what was known by most teenagers as water weight or the more slanged up term, 'baby fat,' and she looked great. Her face only aged in what seemed as experienced, and was elongated and sharpened at places like her cheekbones, and neck. The same doe colored hair, and sharp bright eyes, hidden behind despicable glasses that he had known that she loathed entirely, but he entire sight dependency weighed heavily upon them.
"Erin!" he yelled back, despite the fact that they were two feet away from each other. They embraced in a family coincided hug, their arms clinging tightly behind each others waists, and it seemed, either one in fact, were trying to suffocate the other. Most bets, of course, would be on Erin, due to the height and more physical strength brought along from being more nourished for longer periods of time. And maybe, a big contributor was the fact that she was 18 and he was 12. But whatever the case, they released each other from their holds, not really caring whomever one the lack of breathing competition, and were smiling merrily at each other.
"Oh my gosh, Erin, its been..."
"5 years I know."
"Well, why are you here? Now. Of all places."
And she couldn't even get a word out, seeing that, like most 12 year olds, Charlie was very inquisitive and curious. And that sometimes meant that he would ask more questions then could be possibly answered.
Trying to hush him, she repeated his name over, until, realizing that wasn't causing him to cease, she placed a slender hand over his rapidly moving mouth. Unfortunately his mouth was moving under her restricting hand, and he began breathing heavier, and saliva started to ooze onto her palm. Finally, she had enough sense to bring her hand away, and as she wiped it onto Charlie's sleeve, and before Charlie could gulp down air to resume his interesting, but in time, annoying questions, the voice that Erin had heard over the intercom erupted as if out of nowhere behind them, and both Erin and Charlie turning toward the sound, Erin saw the most interesting looking character she had ever seen in her life.
"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello."
The figure kept walking toward them, before clamping a thin slender hand over Charlie's much lower shoulder, and staring at Erin's blue eyes with rare crystal, lavender ones.
"Hello...little girl."