Chapter five: stars, or lack there of
Willy Wonka had set the lights to go on and off slowly, mimicking the dawn and twilight hours of the day. Aleera sat on the banks of the chocolate river as the light began to fade. Treeclimber sat a little ways away on a jaw breaker boulder. She watched as the little mammal cleaned his face with his front paws. The glazed look in her eyes stated
clearly that she was lost in thought.
meanwhile
Charlie and Willy sat at the table waiting for Mrs. Bucket to place dinner on the table. Charlie excitedly told every one about showing Aleera around the factory. Willy received some very disappointed looks from Mrs. Bucket when she was told just how Aleera came by the squirrel. Charlie reached for his napkin when his mother noticed his dirty hands. "Charlie!" she said disapprovingly "go wash up!" she smacked him playfully with her dish towel as he past. "Aleera!" she called up stairs. When she got no answer she peaked up there. Finding the room empty, she frown, "hmm…she must be down by the river" she moved to the door but Wonka jumped up.
"I'll go get her." He volunteered surprising every one, including himself. Quickly he added "I just hope she hasn't fallen in!" putting on a distressed face he ran out of the house saying "oh my poor chocolate!"
---
He found both Aleera and his chocolate unscathed. Watching her silently from behind a peppermint plant, he studied how the light (now silver to represent the moon) reflected off her spiral curls. Odd, because normally he wouldn't care. Stepping closed, he heard her speak.
"It's very odd Treeclimber, she said softly to the squirrel who sat at attention a few feet away. "You would think that of all people he would understand her, but nope" she shook her head to emphasize her words "he's nod even the least bit insane" Willy realized that she was talking about him and decided to intervene before he heard something he didn't want to hear.
"Good morning star shine, the earth says hello!" he said walking up to her.
Aleera turned her head and regarded him, "if one is nocturnal then yes, I suppose it would be a good morning. As for stars" she looked up, "there are none."
"Well," he said thoughtfully as he came to stand by her "I suppose that I could make tiny sugar crystals and place them in the exact right place to mimic the pattern of the stars in the sky."
Aleera nodded slowly as she tried to comprehend whether or not that meant he would make stars or not. While she did a bit of her mothers logic slipped out of her mouth before she could stop it. "And the wolves howl to the moon as the sun fades while it rises. The rain falls into a sea of blood and here I stand on the island of maybe as it crumbles beneath me."
"What?"
"Hmmm?" she asked
"Whaddid you just say? Something about the moon and wolves and blood"
Aleera looked at him. She had completely forgotten everything she had said a moment before. Raising an eye brow, she asked, "Mr. Wonka are you drunk?"
"I most certainly am not!" he answered quickly. This caused her to give him a funny look as she murmured something about odd males. He ignored this and said "dinners done… which is why I came out, cause they wont lemme eat…without…you ...there." he voice trailed away when she held out her hand for him to grab. "And just what am I supposed to do with that?" he asked tapping his foot impatiently. For god sake didn't she understand he was hungry? Why didn't she just get up?
"Help me up." She answered. Something about her voice, probably the child likes innocents of it, prompted him to grab her hand. He pulled her up and looked at his hand horrified. "Ewwwwwwwww!" he exclaimed and vigorously wiped his hand on her arm "germs!"
Again she looked at him. This time with a wide eyed expression on her face, "Afraid of germs that much are you? As one who is alone, I'd say your fears are better placed in that which is unknown." Done with sanity for the day she decided to revert to speaking in riddle.
Willy looked at her for several moments before laughing nervously "heh heh, you're really weird." He walked up to the house not really caring if Aleera followed. Upon hearing her call to the squirrel, which had become very much like a dog, he knew that she had indeed decided to follow, which was good, because one could only dine on candy for so long.