Greetings, all, and thanks for taking the time to read this little story of mine…hope you enjoy it, and even if you don't, would you mind letting me know what you think about it?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters written by the author of CATCF and am receiving no type of monetary compensation for writing this, so don't sue me…I'm too broke to pay attention anyway……grin

P.S. I'll give you a muffin if you can guess what the tattoo is of…wink

Anyway, here's the next chapter…short and sweet, just like me!

Chapter 2: Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have A Winner!

She couldn't believe she'd actually done it.

Sarah had actually gotten up the courage and marched into the nearest reputable tattoo parlor, bared her derriere to a perfect stranger and had the unique design etched permanently on the skin of her backside. She couldn't help but wince a little when she had risen from the table and seen the final product, but the grin she had given the tattoo artist was one of genuine appreciation. What's done is done..she thought to herself…I just wish my ass wouldn't hurt so bad for the next week or so…

Downing several ibuprofin for the pain, she headed to work, where she sat down gingerly on the stool behind the counter. Thankfully her part time job at the sandwich shop required her to spend most of her shift on her feet, and for once she was supremely grateful. Several co-workers had noticed her wincing when she sat down, and she couldn't help but smile slyly when she told them she had finally broken down and gotten a tat. Since several of them sported body art of their own, they were exceedingly curious as to what design she had chosen, but she remained tight lipped, only saying that it wouldn't make much sense to anyone but one living soul on the planet, and she wasn't naming any names.

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Meanwhile, like other hopeful chocolate lovers around the world, Sarah had begun buying Wonka bars in search of one of the prized silver tickets. She kept up with the papers and news reports and had learned that contrary to her prior belief, not all the tickets had been released all at once, but had been staggered over a weeks time to give the average person a better chance of being a winner. It was also revealed that each winning ticket holder would go home with a truckload of Wonka's finest chocolates as a sweet reward.

It was no surprise that the demand for the candy far exceeded the supply, and the black market for the chocolate was raking in money hand over fist. Fortunately, a fellow student in Sarah's dormitory happened to work in a sweet shop, and managed to buy a box of 24 Wonka's Whipple Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight Bars. Despite her eagerness, Sarah didn't do like most would be winners and rips the packaging in a frenzy. She instead limited herself to 2 bars a day, and refused to peek under the remaining wrappers.

After the initial first day total of 9 winners, there were on average 3 to 4 tickets found all over the globe, and as the number of available tickets dwindled, the more frenzied the search became. People were going so far as to offer to exchange a kidney for a case of chocolate bars, and bids on eBay were going into the thousdands. It was 8 days before the masquerade ball that Sarah ripped open her 2nd bar of the day and found the 78th Silver Ticket.

At first she thought she was imagining things, and for the next few moments she experienced the exact same sensations and emotions young Charlie Bucket had---shock and disbelief, followed by hope, exhilaration and utter euphoria. Her hands were trembling noticeably as she finishing tearing the wrapper, and she absent-mindedly began nibbling on the delicious chocolate bar as she read the embossed silver ticket.

CONGRATULATIONS

You, the lucky holder of this Wonka's Silver Ticket, are cordially invited to be my guest at a Masquerade Ball Birthday Celebration for Mr. Charlie Bucket, in honor of his 21st Birthday. Please present this ticket at the gates of the Wonka Chocolate Factory at 8:00 pm on Saturday, the 5th of December.

R.S.V.P.

(see reverse side)

Transportation will be provided

P.S. Please arrive in costume and Ready for the dance of a lifetime!

Sincerely,

Your future host

Willy Wonka

Sarah clutched the shining prize to her chest as she spun around in circles, picturing herself waltzing around a grand ballroom. Then it hit her….the dilemma that had probably been thought of a million times before by a million girls in the same situation, wailing the same 5 word question….

"WHAT AM I GONNA WEAR?"

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