Someone brought up that they weren't very pleased with the previous chapter and when I went back and looked at it again, I realized I wasn't happy with it either. So Gobstoppers and Blueberries was edited and a little more was added to it. It's not a whole lot and it does nothing to change the outcome of the chapter, but you may want to go back and re-read it. Anyway, let's continue on with the next chapter.

The tour continued on. Wonka led us down a hallway with strips of wallpaper hung up on one wall.

"Wait a minute," Wonka said, bringing us to a stop. "Must show you this. Lickable wallpaper for nursery walls. Lick an orange, it tastes like an orange. Lick a pineapple, it tastes like a pineapple. Go ahead, try it."

We'll see about that. I turned to a strip of wallpaper and tried to find the fruit that least tasted like the actual thing when it was in candy form. I found a cherry and gave it a try. I was surprised that it actually tasted like a real cherry and not that artificial junk.

"Mmm! I got a plum!" Mike said.

"Martha, this banana's fantastic!" Charlie told me. "It tastes so real!"

"Try so more," Wonka encouraged, getting more excited. "The strawberries taste like strawberries. The snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"

Veruca turned to him. "Snozzberries? Whoever heard of a snozzberry?" she sneered. She turned back the wallpaper to have another lick, but Wonka caught her cheeks and turned her face back towards him, her tongue halfway out of her mouth.

"We are the music-makers, and we are the dreamers of the dreams," Wonka told her.

What was a snozzberry anyway? I looked at the wallpaper trying to find a fruit I didn't recognize.

"Come along, come along," Wonka beckoned, continuing on.

I didn't get a chance to find the elusive snozzberry and I hurried to bring up the rear.

We were taken down a corridor with doors marked with various signs. We passed signs saying "Eatable Marshmallow Pillows", "Hot Ice Cream For Cold Days", "Cows That Give Chocolate Milk", "Square Candies That Look Round", and "The Nut Room". I listened closely as we passed that particular door and heard scratching and shuffling and a chatter of a squirrel or two. I smiled.

"Martha," Charlie called.

The rest of the group was ahead of me by a growing distance since I had slowed down. I jogged to catch up.

"Why are we rushing passed all these rooms?" Veruca asked.

"We shall stop in good time," Wonka answered.

I caught of whiff of something that wasn't chocolate or sweets. "Am I the only one who smells hot metal?"

"No, you are not," said Wonka. "That's from the art room."

"Art room?" asked Mrs. Teevee.

"Sometimes my chocolate needs the special, visual touch," said Wonka. "It may be a custom wrapper or a custom mold, which is why you smell hot metal."

"You do your molds in house?" I asked, a little surprised.

Wonka nodded. "It can be very difficult to find someone who understands my vision. I recently came up with an idea for a chocolate tea set and it will need custom molds. I was inspired by a painting I saw."

By a painting he saw? Wait . . .

Wonka led us around the corner. "Something very unusual in here."

We entered a large room. Along the sides were metal tables with different bottles sitting on them. In the center of the room was a large machine. It looked a metal dome opening up and exposing the red coloring on the interior. Bubbles floated everywhere and seemed to be coming from the large machine.

"Bubbles, bubbles everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Yet," said Wonka.

"What's it making, Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked, looking at the bubble producing machine. It was hard to see what it was actually doing since the panels came up around it. There were gaps in the panels and all I could make out was the color red on the inside.

"Fizzy Lifting Drinks," Wonka answered. "They fill you with gas, and he gas is so terrifically lifting that it lifts you right off the ground like a balloon." He motioned to the high ceiling. I could just make out the large industrial fan on the ceiling.

"Oh, it's so high! Gosh!" Veruca gasped.

"But I daren't sell it yet. It's still too powerful," said Wonka.

"Come on, let us try some! Please?" Mike begged.

"Come on, let us try some. Don't be mean!" Veruca whined over Mike.

"No, no, no. Absolutely not!" Wonka told them firmly. "There'd be children floating around all over the place. Come along now; don't hang about. You're going to be wild about this next room."

Charlie and I stayed behind as Wonka and the others left the room. I glanced over at the bottle sitting off to the side. It gave me an idea.

"Wanna try some?" I asked Charlie slyly. "Nobody's watching."

Charlie's face lit up like he was about to agree, but he stopped. "But Martha, Mr. Wonka said it wasn't ready yet. He said that about the gum Violet chewed and look what happened to her."

Yes, look what happened to Violet indeed. But at least this was the movie version; she'd be okay. Although, some of the things we just walked by in the previous corridor were from the book.

An awful thought occurred to me. What if her outcome mirrored the David Greig stage adaptation? She actually exploded in that version. Now I felt bad. I didn't think anything of it when her face started to turn blue because I knew it was supposed to happen. And when she started to blow up, I was resigned like Wonka while everybody else was panicking.

"What are the odds something like that'll happen to us?" I asked, hiding my worry behind a smile.

Charlie was conflicted. He shook his head. "No. Mr. Wonka said it was too powerful. What if we get too high and caught in the fan?"

I smiled warmly. "Good job, Charlie."

"Huh?" The poor boy was so confused.

"I wanted to see if you would do something another adult told you not to do just because I told you to do it," I told him. "But you thought about the consequences, unlike what Violet did."

Just like I needed to remember to do. This may be a simple vacation for me to have a little fun, but the story had to stay on track. My actions had consequences as well.

Charlie blinked.

I jerked my head in the direction of the door. "Come on, let's catch up to the others."

I turned to start for the doorway, but felt my foot go out from under me. I hit the floor hard, a pain shooting up my ankle.

"Martha!" Charlie cried, bending over me. "Are you all right?"

I hissed. "Probably not my smartest choice in footwear today." I looked my platform heels in disdain. "Help me up, Charlie."

Charlie pulled me to my feet.

I put my weight on my twisted ankle. It wasn't too bad. I could manage the rest of the dream like this. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something white duck out of sight. I was pretty sure it was an Oompa Loompa.

"I'm okay, Charlie. I just won't be running any marathons for the rest of the day."

Together we found our way back to the others. They were in the geese room looking up at the giant geese sitting in their nests above the egg collectors. The tables had several Oompa Loompas sitting at them, polishing and wrapping enormous golden eggs. Around the room were colorful packages and wrapping materials in bright colors.

"I know what you're thinking," said Wonka. "They can't be doing what they're doing. But they are. They have to. I haven't met the Oompa Loompa yet who could do it. These are the geese that lay the golden eggs. As you can see, they're larger than ordinary geese. As a matter of fact, they're quadruple size geese which produce octuple size eggs. They're laying overtime right now for Easter."

"But Easter's over!" Mike blurted out.

Wonka quickly clamped his hand over Mike's mouth. "They don't know that," he said quietly. "I'm trying to get ahead for next year."

"What happens if they drop one of those eggs, Wonka?" asked Mr. Salt.

"An omelet fit for a king, sir," Wonka replied.

"Are they chocolate eggs?" Veruca asked.

"Golden chocolate eggs. That's a great delicacy." Wonka blocked the advancing guests with his cane. "But I wouldn't get too close. The geese are very temperamental. That's why we have the Eggdicator."

"Eggdi-what?" Mrs. Teevee asked.

A goose laid an egg at that moment and it gently made its way down the see-saw like paddles before reaching a scale. An Oompa Loompa made his way over to the scale with a shopping cart.

"The Eggdicator," repeated Wonka. "The Eggdicator can tell the difference between a good egg and a bad egg. If it's a good egg, it's shined up and shipped out all over the world. But if it's a bad egg . . ." He made a thumbs-down.

Another goose laid an egg.

"Down the chute."

The egg sat on the scale for a moment before the scale let out an obnoxious honk. The egg was then dropped out of sight.

"Hmm, an educated Eggdicator," I said quietly to Charlie.

"It's a load of nonsense," Mr. Salt said.

Wonka leaned over and began to sing in his ear. "A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men."

Veruca got closer to the workstations and the geese. "Hey, Daddy, I want a golden goose."

"Here we go again," Charlie sighed.

"Mm-hmm," I agreed.

"All right, sweetheart, all right," said Mr. Salt, trailing after her. "Daddy'll get you a golden goose as soon as we get home."

"No, I want one of those!" she whined, pointing at the giant geese.

Mr. Salt turned around. "Wonka, how much do you want for the golden goose?"

"They're not for sale," said Wonka.

"Name your price," said Mr. Salt, taking his checkbook out of his jacket pocket.

"She can't have one," Wonka told him.

Veruca whirled around. "Who says I can't?" she snapped angrily.

"The man with the funny hat," Mr. Salt muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I want one! I want a golden goose!" she barked. Then her demeanor changed to look sweet. "Gooses. Geeses. I want my geese to lay gold eggs for Easter." She picked up a golden egg and Oompa Loompa had been polishing.

"It will, sweetheart," Mr. Salt coddled.

"At least a hundred a day," she said, giving the egg a toss and catching it.

"Anything you say," Mr. Salt went on.

She set the egg back down. "And by the way . . ."

"What?" asked Mr. Salt.

"I want a feast," Veruca said.

"You ate before you came to the factory," Mr. Salt told her.

"I want a bean feast," sang Veruca.

"Huh, one of those," Mr. Salt said, understanding.

I'm glad he knew what she was talking about, because the name and what she goes on to list makes no sense to me.

"Cream buns and donuts and fruitcake with no nuts
"So good you could go nuts."

See what I mean?

She listed off each item on her fingers as she walked away from the workstations and back over to us.

"You can have all those things when you get home," Mr. Salt told her.

"No, now," she whined. "I want a ball. I want a party
"Pink macaroons and a million balloons."

Veruca walked up to Wonka. Wonka looked away from her and seemed bored. I couldn't really blame him for not wanting to deal with the spoiled brat.

"And performing baboons and -
"Give it to me."

Mr. Salt came up behind her and took her gently by the upper arms. "Later."

Veruca jerked her elbow back and hit Mr. Salt in the ribs. "Now!" She ran around to the tables and continued on. "I want the world
"I want the whole world
"I want to lock it up all in my pocket
"It's my bar of chocolate
"Give it to me now
"I want today
"I want tomorrow
"I want to wear 'em like braids in my hair
"And I don't want to share 'em!"

She shook her head angrily. She then calmed down and smiled.

"I want a party with roomfuls of laughter
"Ten thousand tons of ice cream."

She leaned over one table to sing at the Oompa Loomps and then leaned against the opposite table.

"And if I don't get the things I am after
"I'm going to scream."

She grabbed some of the plastic used to wrap the chocolate eggs and threw it around Wonka. The eccentric man just let her throw her tantrum. She ran over to the baskets of ribbons and knocked out all the contents. She kicked a box across the room. Meanwhile the Oompa Loompas were trying to keep things from being destroyed.

Veruca grabbed a shopping cart and spun it around.

"I want the works.
"I want the whole works."

She pushed the shopping cart into a tall stack of boxes next to us and sent it tumbling down. I was quick to pull Charlie and Mike back from the collapsing boxes.

"Presents and prizes and sweets and surprises
"Of all shapes and sizes and now!"

She ran over to the Eggdicators.

"Don't care how
"I want it now."

She decided to finish her little snit fit on top of the Eggdicator. She stepped up on the scale.

"Don't care how
"I want it now!"

The Eggdicator honked and Veruca fell down the chute, screaming her last word.

Good-bye, Veruca. Maybe I'll feel bad about you later, selfish brat.

"She was a bag egg," said Wonka. He started forward.

Mr. Salt stopped Wonka. "Where's she gone?"

"Where all the other bad eggs go," Wonka replied. "Down the garbage chute."

Mr. Salt stopped Wonka again and chuckled. "The garbage chute. Where does it lead to?"

"To the furnace," stated Wonka.

Mr. Salt laughed more heartily. "To the furnace. She'll be sizzled like a sausage."

"Well not necessarily," said Wonka. "She could be stuck just inside the tube."

"Inside the . . ." Mr. Salt's shock induced good mood vanished and he became a panicked parent. He ran over to the Eggdicator. "Hold on! Veruca, sweetheart, Daddy's coming!"

He jumped down the Eggdicator which honked again.

"There's gonna be a lot of garbage today," Wonka said plainly.

"Maybe Mr. Salt got what he wanted for once," I said.

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

"Veruca went first," I said with a shrugged.

Charlie turned to Wonka. "Mr. Wonka, they won't really be burned in the furnace, will they?"

Wonka hummed in thought. "Well, I think that furnace is lit only every other day, so they have a good sporting chance, haven't they?"

The Oompa Loompas gathered around the Eggdicator and looked down the chute. I could hear the music begin and they began to sing.

"Oompa Loompa doompadee doo
"I've got another puzzle for you
"Oompa Loompa doompadah dee
"If you are wise you'll listen to me
"Who do you blame when your kid is brat
"Pampered and spilled like a Siamese cat
"Blaming the kids is a lie and a shame
"You know exactly who's to blame
"The mother and the father."

The Oompa Loompas turned from the Eggdicators and continued their little song and dance for us.

"Oompa Loompa doopadee dah
"If you're not spoiled then you will go far
"You will live in happiness too
"Like the Oompa Loompa doompadee do."

Wonka led us out of the geese room. "I don't understand it. The children are disappearing like rabbits." He stopped and turned to us. "Well, we still have each other. Shall we press on?"

Mrs. Teevee leaned against some containers. "Mr. Wonka, can't we sit down for a minute? The pace is killing me."

Wonka took her by the arm and waist. "My dear lady, transportation has already been arranged."

I think I have one more chapter to go. I already have it roughed out on paper, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to have it done by the end of the month short of anything major happening.