Chapter 18 – Reunion
Isabelle was nervous.
She felt so alone. Augustus was still sitting on the banks of the Chocolate river blissfully nibbling away at his fingers. She however, had her wrist held in the firm grip of an Oompa-Loompa and was being tugged downwards along a blindingly white corridor. More Oompa-Loompas swarmed around them, chattering non-stop.
They didn't seem to be trying to communicate with her directly, more interested in fussing around her than talking to her. At least, she assumed so. They spoke so fast that she wasn't even sure if they were speaking English at all.
The Oompa-Loompas were not as short as she had originally imagined. The tallest reached well past her waist. They were solidly built and deceptively strong. It couldn't have been easy to drag her heavy, soaking wet body out of the river.
Isabelles heart was pounding as she was dragged along. Steam from the remnants of molten chocolate still rose in puffs from her clothing and hair, but was cooling rapidly. The formerly liquid chocolate was becoming much less flexible, causing her clothing to stiffen as it became crusty and making each step more difficult than the last. Large chunks frequently broke off as she was rushed along.
In contrast, large drips of still-warm, gooey liquid dripped from her hair into her eyes and down her neck, making it difficult to see. It was an entirely unpleasant trip.
Her thoughts briefly strayed to Charlie's terrified eyes, then whirled away to wonder if Augustus was really alright. She hadn't had time to really check on him, had she? Her mind momentarily flitted towards Mr. Wonka, remembering how he stood with Charlie on the banks of the river, before she was once again distracted and her thoughts scattered as she tripped over her slippery feet and almost fell.
Many hands steadied her before she tumbled to the ground. The chocolate encrusted towel around her shoulders began to slip off and she automatically went to adjust it with her right hand, momentarily forgetting that it was held tight by someone else.
Her guide didn't stop or even seem to notice her movements, he was clearly intent on getting her somewhere important, probably to minimise the amount of mess they all had to clean up later, she thought, glancing down at her squelching, chocolate covered shoes. She must have left quite a trail, she thought guiltily.
A helpful Oompa-Loompa by her side reached up and pulled her towel straighter and smiled at her when she dipped her head and thanked him. Isabelle assumed they were all male, but she wasn't completely sure.
Her escort eventually guided her into an enormous white room and led her behind an opaque partition. Here the white floor was tiled and sloped slightly towards a large drain in one corner. Above her was the largest shower head she had ever seen and the far wall was decorated with coiled hoses of different sizes and colours.
Several obviously female Oompa-Loompas now came forward wearing white wetsuits with their hair tucked up underneath white caps. They held large scrubbing brushes and buckets full of frothy green foam.
The Oompa-Loompas group who had brought her in, disappeared as the overhead shower switched on, drenching her immediately with clean, warm water. Some of the hoses were uncoiled as dragged towards her.
One lovely Oompa-Loompa sat her down on a stool and began washing her hair. Isabelle had never felt more grateful to have so many helpers; chocolate coated hair was truly horrendous.
She shut her eyes tightly when the buckets of soft green foam were dumped over her head. She peaked through the strands of her hair when the giggling started and watched in bemusement at the antics of the Oompa-Loompas around her.
Clumps of gooey chocolate were occasionally tossed at the odd unsuspecting person, quickly followed by a chorus of giggles when formerly pristine white suits were splattered with brown.
Their antics and laughter were helping to calm her racing heart. The shock of the entire episode was starting to sink in a little as Isabelle tried to hide her trembling hands by trying to rinse her hair. Tiny hands gently stopped her efforts and instead began gently scrubbing her fingers and nails.
Isabelle chocked back a hysterical laugh. She really did have chocolate everywhere didn't she.
As the Oompa-Loompas worked and played, the previously hard, flaky chocolate began to soften and melt under the combined onslaught of warm water and diligent scrubbing.
The bright green foam stuck to everything, easily lifting the sticky chocolate from her clothing. Some of the froth fluttered in the air and wafted into the far corners, whilst the rest mixed with the streams of chocolate that washed down the drain like green and brown snakes. It was a bizarre sight.
With so many helpers, it didn't seem to take long for all the chocolate to be washed out. The powerful shower was shut off, and a warm, fluffy towel was wrapped around her.
It was so large, it felt as if she was wearing a cape. Standing upright with her clean, but still soaked, clothes clinging to her skin was only marginally better than it had been before.
It made movement very difficult and Isabelle was sure she made quite the hilarious sight as she was gently coaxed off to the side into a smaller locker room.
Most of the Oompa-Loompas departed at this point. All except one. The kindly Oompa-Loompa held open another door and gestured to the regular looking shower cubicle inside.
Isabelle understood immediately and gratefully smiled. She thanked the kind Oompa-Loompa as she shut the door and left her alone, then began stripping off all of her wet clothes and dumping them into the waiting plastic bag.
The shower felt heavenly, and there was even shampoo for her to use. What a relief. It was surprising how such simple luxuries could make a world of difference for a woman.
Afterwards, Isabelle stepped out and wrapped herself with another conveniently placed fluffy towel and wondered what to do next. Should she dress herself in her wet clothes again? The thought wasn't exactly appealing. She decided to be brave, and peaked out of the cubicle to look around.
Bright orange lockers lined the far side of the wall and a bench ran the length of the space. One side had what appeared to be the fanciest washbasins she had ever seen attached to the wall with long mirrors reflecting the bright lights above.
The room was completely empty except for a pile of clean, dry clothes sitting innocently on the bench in the middle of the room. The silence was deafening, and bolstered Isabelle's confidence.
She pushed the door wider and walked across to inspect the pile of fabric, mindful of her wet, slippery feet. Gathering the clothing into her arms, she quickly retreated back inside the cubicle to dress in privacy.
After dressing, she didn't hesitate to walk out, absentmindedly dropping her used towel and plastic bag of wet clothes onto the bench whilst studying her reflection in the mirror.
She was now wearing a pair of jeans overalls, that were slightly baggy, a bright purple top and a comfortable, grey shirt that was so large she had to roll up the sleeves. The previous owner had clearly been a brawny male.
Well, she looked like a maintenance worker, but at least she was warm and dry. Isabelle stared at her reflection and laughed at herself. She really did look ridiculous in her too large shirt. A purple, stylized WW embroidered onto the front of her overalls caught her eye. Yes, she was definitely wearing a corporate uniform, or at least part of one.
She spied some shoes and socks under the little bench, and sat back down to put them on.
The shock and adrenaline of her little adventure had worn off by now, and Isabelle finally had time to truly reflect on her situation and laugh.
'Charlie will never let me live this one down.' She chuckled to herself as she pulled on her new striped green socks. 'I hope he's not worrying about me too much; I must have given him such a fright.' She thought about Charlie and his tendency to worry about things he really shouldn't.
Hopefully the other parents would keep an eye on him, she couldn't imagine them turning their backs on a kid in that situation. She hoped Mr. Wonka would allow Charlie to continue the tour with the others and that he would be brave enough to continue by himself. It would be a real shame if he had to lose out on the experience of a lifetime just because she dived into a river without thinking things through properly.
Then again, she mused, maybe the tour would be re-scheduled after this incident. Would it be fair if Augustus lost out on the tour just because of an accident? Those tickets were difficult to find. She sincerely hoped Mr. Wonka wouldn't cancel everything.
Then again, the man had shut down an entire factory for years on end in a fit of anger, so who knew what he would do now.
Isabelle laced up her new white sneakers and was mildly surprised that they fit her very well. She was extremely grateful for all the help she had received so far. The Oompa Loompas had been so kind to her, cleaning her up and giving her new clothes. Some thoughtful soul had even left her a bottle of cold water to drink.
She tied her wet brown hair into a tight bun, then turned her attention to the plastic bag full of her old soggy clothing. Everything still smelled faintly of chocolate. She picked up her soaked shoes, trying not to let them drip everywhere, then hesitated, wondering what to do next.
There was a polite knock on the door, but no one came in until she called out.
The kindly female Oompa-Loompa from earlier bustled in. She grinned happily up at Isabelle and waved.
"I'll be taking those, miss."
The little lady took charge of Isabelle's wet clothes, shoving the plastic bag inside a much larger laundry bag. Even the shoes disappeared inside.
The Oompa-Loompa then gave a loud whistle that scared Isabelle half to death with its suddenness. Once again, the room was swarmed with female helpers.
Isabelle was pushed down onto the bench and had her hair dried, brushed and braided within minutes. They chattered away at top speed in a mix of English and their native language. Isabelle tried thanking them, but they seemingly ignored her attempts at communication, or possibly didn't hear her; they were quite noisy.
A few minutes later, and Isabelle was being herded back out into the previous room where she saw Augustus receiving the same cleansing treatment as she had received. She could hear him before she saw him.
The boy was loudly complaining and fidgeting constantly as the Oompa-Loompas scrubbed away with vigour. He was not at all happy. Isabelle cringed internally as one of his flailing arms smacked an Oompa-Loompa right in the face. The poor man staggered backwards and slipped over as one of the co-workers lobbed a giant wad of chocolate at his head.
Isabelle could hear them humming a merry tune with a catchy beat that instantly stuck in her head.
Mrs. Gloop was ushered in at that moment and herded into a seat in a corner. The rotund lady was loudly asking questions without waiting for answers and wringing her hands with anxiousness. The Oompa-Loompas tried to lead Isabelle past quickly, but she stopped and touched the elder womans shoulder.
"He will be fine Mrs. Gloop, the Oompa-Loompas will help him get cleaned up."
Mrs Gloop just stared at her, then covered her face with her hands. "Mein Liebling, I am so scared. Herr Wonka should have done something sooner! Everything is his fault, zis should not have happened. My boy didn't do anything wrong." She continued wailing as tiny hands gently tugged Isabelle away.
The Oompa-Loompas who were scrubbing down Augustus paused and waved as she was led away from them. Their humming turned into singing as Augustus continued complaining.
Her escort was constantly chattering around her; Isabelle wondered if they ever stopped and what they could possibly be saying. She herself had never been a very chatty person, and never understood how so many people could simply talk for hours without pausing for breath. All the Oompa-Loompas she had met so far seemed to fall into this category, which was astonishing.
They led her through two windy, brightly lit corridors, until they approached a cheerfully large round red door that looked completely rustic and out of place compared to the austere white corridors. The door even had a shiny handle to complete the picture.
Most of the group stopped at this point and called out various versions of 'goodbye' and 'farewell' whilst waving.
Her guide, the one who had been her constant companion since being scrubbed clean, continued onwards and slid the door sideways, trying to tug Isabelle through the opening.
Isabelle however, hesitated and looked back, one hand resting on the doorframe. She smiled at the happy group. They might have bright green hair and orange skin, but they were warm-hearted and oh so cheerful. The small people really were very kind.
Isabelle briefly touched her cleaned hair that was braided in a similar way to theirs. Very kind people indeed.
"Thank you for everything, I really mean it." She smiled, and waved back at the little troop, before following her guide through the doorway.
She found herself on a little jetty. In front of her, the expanse of the chocolate river could be seen gently lapping at the sides of a giant tunnel. The entire area was bathed in soothing purple light. As she looked upwards, she could see the high ceiling was covered in tiny sparkling pinpricks of light. The effect reminded her of an extremely purple firefly grotto.
What caught her attention next was a majestic, blindingly pink boat silently sailing towards her out of the darkness and steam. As the boat bobbed closer, she saw all the ticket winners and their parents. At the back was Charlie.
Isabelle was so ecstatic that she waved to him with both arms and almost began hopping up and down, still mindful of her shorter companion. She didn't want to cause another accident.
The boat sailed closer and Isabelle was surprised to notice that most of the occupants looked incredibly grumpy. Only Mike was laughing, but Isabelle barely spared a glance for any of them. All her attention was focused on the rear of the boat, where she could see Charlies' familiar mop of unruly blond hair. He was waving madly at her, his famous grin splitting his face in half.
Mr Wonka was next to him, one arm around the boys shoulder as he pointed his cane at her.
"Charlie!" Isabelle laughingly called out as she continued to wave.
A quick glance downwards told her that her little Oompa-Loompa guide had left her side, and was now stationed at the edge of the jetty holding a thick rope, ready to tie up the boat when it came within range. Another Oompa-Loompa onboard was standing ready as well. The little man gave her a brief salute and grin when he noticed her curious glance over.
Once again, Isabelle marvelled at their cheerful nature. They were always so very happy. Endearing, was the word she was looking for.
Those thoughts vanished quickly, as the boat slid closer to the little jetty. Charlie shook himself free of a surprised Mr. Wonka, who made a hasty grab for his jumper to hold him back. Charlie was too fast though, as he raced down the length of the boat and jumped off before it had been secured, forcing her guide at the jetty to dive out of the way to avoid being flattened. Charlie landed safely and made a mad dash directly towards Isabelle.
"Oof." she felt all her ribs cracking as Charlie engulfed her in the biggest bear hug she had ever experienced from him.
"Easy, Charlie, I need to breathe." She tried squirming out of his hold to encourage him to let go, or at least ease up a little.
"I thought I lost you." Charlie had his face buried in her stomach. Isabelle hugged him back fiercely.
"I'm ok Charlie." She promised. "Really," she added, as Charlie peeked up at her with moist eyes.
"Mr. Wonka said you'd be alright." Charlie finally let go, and the duo headed towards the now secured boat. The two Oompa-Loompas stood side by side on the little jetty, holding hands and watching them all.
"Care to join us Ms. Isabelle?" A warm voice called out.
Isabelle looked up and was momentarily struck by lightning in the form of a pair of blazing blue eyes. There stood Mr. Wonka, hand stretched out towards her, the corner of his eyes crinkling from the joyous smile on his face.
She blinked, and the moment was gone.
"Thank you." She gladly held tightly to the offered hand as she hopped across the gap into the boat and found her balance.
"This is a beautiful boat Mr. Wonka. Hello everyone." She commented as she let go of his hand and awkwardly waved at the group that sat and silently stared at her.
"All I need is a tall ship and a star to sail her by." Was the jovial response behind her as she made her way towards the back where she had seen Charlie sitting earlier.
"You already said that." Veruca spat viciously.
"Yeah, but she wasn't here to hear it." That sharp retort unsurprisingly came from Mike.
No one else said a single word as she passed them by, making her feel very uncomfortable. The entire boat felt hostile to her and she wondered what she had missed. The joyful bubble that had surrounded her earlier was evaporating quickly.
"Nice jump Charlie." Isabelle heard Mr. Wonka complimenting Charlie as he climbed aboard. She smirked a little. Charlie was often as clumsy as a baby elephant; it was a miracle he hadn't fallen overboard. She hugged him to her side as he threw himself into the seat next to her.
The boat gave a lurch and began to drift away. The pair waved goodbye to the lone Oompa-Loompa on the jetty. Isabelle felt a brief pang of regret as she watched her disappear; she hadn't even had time to ask for her name.
"Daddy, I do NOT want a boat like this." Veruca's voice was determined and strong.
Everyone sat in silence, staring intently at Mr. Wonka, who had seated himself at the front of the boat once more and was facing them. He looked very pleased with himself, like a cat that had just stolen the forbidden cream.
"What did I miss Charlie?" Isabelle whispered in confusion. She didn't feel brave enough to talk out loud and break the staring contest everyone was participating in.
"You won't believe the wild ride we just went through." Charlie explained.
"You'll have to tell me later." Isabelle relaxed as chatter slowly filled the air, easing the tension slightly. "This really is a beautiful boat." She commented, running her fingers along the side.
"You smell like chocolate. It's delicious." Charlie teased whilst flicking her newly braided hair off her shoulder so he could bury himself into her side. He poked her new grey shirt.
"What are you wearing?"
She ruffled his hair and smiled.
"Is Augustus going to be ok?" Charlie asked hesitantly. His face scrunched up with worry and Isabelle smoothed his hair down before answering.
"Yes, he is being washed and looked after by the Oompa-Loompas, just like I was." She paused. "In fact, he will probably join us later if the Oompa-Loompas ever stop playing around with him.
She laughed at Charlies confused look and echoed his sentence from earlier.
"You won't believe the wild ride I just went through."
She couldn't stop her herself from glancing, just briefly, at their host who remained at the front of the boat.
Willy Wonka was justifiably miffed at the group in front of him and it fuelled his childish staring contest with Veruca. Not a single one of the occupants had said a word to Isabelle upon her return and none of them had asked about Augustus. He wasn't surprised by their attitude, but he was irritated.
He grinned as Veruca rolled her eyes and turned away with a huff as her portly father tried to console her. She was clearly strong willed and used to getting her way all the time. Well, her attitude would have no effect on him.
The rest of the group began murmuring amongst themselves and the chocolatier allowed himself a brief moment to look over Isabelle as Charlie hugged her close.
His friends had not let him down. He knew the Oompa-Loompas worked fast, but they had really outdone themselves by getting Isabelle to this little jetty in record time. They must have liked her, else they would have arranged time for harmless little pranks. They had even managed to scrounge up one of the old uniforms from the maintenance department for her to wear.
In truth, he hadn't truly expected her to be re-joining them until sometime during the visit to the Inventing Room. There was always a way to stall for time in there.
He freely admitted to being mildly surprised to see young Ipso standing at that jetty with Isabelle at her side. That particular Oompa-Loompa was usually quite reserved and preferred to remain hidden within a group.
Mind you, he slanted a sly glance at the captain, Ipso seemed to have extra motivation in the form of Munza. He hadn't missed the way the captain had instantly leaped off his own boat to help her to her feet after Charlie's hasty dash. Nor had he missed seeing the two Oompa-Loompas holding hands as the reunion took place.
"Will you allow the other boy to re-join the group as well?"
The quiet comment near his elbow made the chocolatier glance over at Munza. The captain had his eyes fixed into the middle distance and was seemingly ignoring everything else around him.
"Hmm, no. We proceed as planned from now on." The chocolatier replied softly.
"We must keep a much closer watch on the two of them though."
Wonka shifted away and continued to quietly observe the bored looking group in front of him and sighed.
Couldn't they find it withing themselves to show just a tiny bit of enthusiasm? A smidgen? A pinch? Was that really too much to ask?
Willy supressed a tiny smile as his gaze fell across Isabelle. Charlie had tucked himself into her side and she was smoothing down his hair.
The two clearly adored each other and Wonka wondered why he had never bothered to pay her much attention before; his focus had always been on Charlie. Maybe Wilkinson had been right all along, maybe he had become a little too obsessed with trying to right the wrongs of Charlies world by make amends for all the pain he had caused by closing down his factory all those years ago.
He quickly shook himself out of the morose thoughts, he couldn't afford time to wallow in self-loathing right now. He still had a tour to lead.
Isabelles unexpected actions in the Chocolate Room hadn't disrupted things too badly. The Gloop boy was out of the competition as planned. He was grateful that Charlie hadn't jumped into the river as well. If he had, then he would have been forced to allow Augustus to re-join the group together with Charlie. And that would have ruined everything.
He watched with interest as Isabelle directed Charlies attention to the roof of the cavern, to the millions of tiny purple lights that danced high above them, bathing the area in twinkling purple sparkles.
Did she realise they were real fireflies native to Loompaland? He stamped down his urge to wander over to them and regale them with tales of his adventures from years ago. There would be time for that later. Much later.
He shook his head and schooled his features. How long had he been sitting there smiling like an idiot? He was supposed to be focusing, what was wrong with him? His thoughts always tended to run in circles inside his head and he was glad the other occupants of the boat were not paying him the slightest bit of attention.
Charlie and Isabelle were important yes, but so where the tests. The other children had to fail and Isabelle had already proved to be an unexpected obstacle. Only the parents of each child should be interfering and trying to help their offspring.
Hopefully Isabelle wouldn't interfere again and potentially ruin his carefully laid plans for Charlie.
He had full trust that his friends would be watching and prevent any further unplanned mishaps. They were crafty. He surreptitiously glanced at his watch.
They would be arriving at the Inventing Room soon. He looked up and mentally corrected himself. Now actually. My, my how the time did fly.
Time for the tour to continue.
He straightened himself and prepared to act the flamboyant leader once more.
"We're here," Wonka called out.
"Where?" Veruca looked around completely unimpressed as the boat came to a halt and was secured.
"Right here," Wonka firmly repeated. "All Ashore!"
Various grumbles of "Finally," and "What a nightmare" could be heard as Mr. Wonka deftly assisted as needed, with Verucas father, naturally insisting that his daughter disembark first.
Isabelle was helped out last and received a flamboyant little bow from Mr Wonka once her feet were on solid ground.
The Oompa-Loompas began giggling as he nimbly hopped down behind her.
"What's up with them?" Violet questioned whilst popping her gum.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Wonka mused, stroking his chin whilst looking over the giggling rowers sternly. "It must be all those cocoa bean vapours."
"What do you mean?" Mike was intrigued.
"Well," Wonka continued whilst leaning forward on his cane to stare him down. "Chocolate contains a property that triggers the release of endorphins." He explained. "It's what makes people happy." He said conversationally. He straightened and turned away slightly before sneaking a sideways glance down at Mike. "Also gives one the feeling of being in love."
Mike scrunched up his face in disgust and turned away as Mr. Wonka smirked and tipped his hat towards the rowers, watching the giggling boat sail away.
"You don't say." Violets mother said suggestively. Behind her, Mr. Salt almost rolled his eyes. He was very glad to be away from the womans attentions on the boat. He had noticed that she tried to flirt with everyone at some point and it made him very uncomfortable. He wasn't usually the type to attract that sort of attention.
He needed a drink badly, his mind briefly drifting back fondly towards his own wife at home. She always knew how to mix the best drinks after a long day at work. Running his factory all day, then coming home to one of Verucas trivial tantrums always made him thirsty.
Maybe he could offer to buy the nerdy kids father a drink at the nearest pub after his Veruca won this little contest. A show of good sportsmanship always softened the blow for the looser.
He glanced over at the man. His name was Michael, a pasty, weedy looking fellow. Probably a tea drinker. Henry Salt sniffed. Maybe he would go to the pub alone after all.
Isabelle laughed gently at Mikes disgusted face. It was always amusing to see boys his age be disgusted by the mere mention of the word love.
She nudged Charlie to follow Mr. Wonka as he waltzed towards a set of enormous double doors. She agreed with her earlier assessment, Mr. Wonka loved his impressive double doors far too much, but they did suit his flamboyant personality.
Emblazoned above them were the words:
INVENTING ROOM – DANGER – AUTHORISED OOMPA-LOOMPAS ONLY
She was happy that her and Charlie had been reunited. She was also extremely grateful to Mr. Wonka for both keeping him company and lifting his spirits whilst she was getting cleaned up.
She could only imagine how traumatising the experience had been for him, watching helplessly from the shoreline. Charlie always wanted to actively jump in head first and help people, so being forced to do nothing would have been terrible for him.
Mr. Wonka walked ahead of the group, cane on his shoulder, and did and impressive spin whilst turning to face them all. He clapped his hands together to get their attention.
"Meine Herrschaften" He spoke in German. "Schenken Sie mir Ihre aufmerksahmkeit."
He gestured to the sign above the doors.
"We are about to enter the most secret, most interesting and most important room of my entire factory." He paused for effect, then continued. "This, ladies and gentlemen, is my Inventing Room."
He pressed his hand up against a flat panel that lit up his handprint as it was scanned by lights.
The doors whirred open and everyone shuffled forward.
Isabelle held her breath. What exciting things awaited them inside this room, she wondered.