Cameron Wilkins sighed as he looked out the classroom window. Another day of snow. Without a jacket, it was going to be really rough walking back. Nevertheless, Cameron was happy. What's more, he had a very good reason to be happy. Every day on his way back home from school, he passed by the Mclean Chocolate factory. Cameron loved Mclean chocolate, especially the smell of it. However, neither he nor his family could afford it. Cameron's dad worked in the toothpaste factory downtown. As far as job security went, Mr. Wilkins was in trouble: he was one of the workers who screwed the caps onto the tubes of toothpaste, but it seemed like every other day another worker was being laid off.
The final bell rang, loud and clear. Time to leave the comfort of the school and step out into the world, Cameron thought. He packed up his belongings and stepped into the hallway towards the door. He talked to a couple of his friends and was just about to reach the door when he heard a voice from behind him. "Hey, spazz! Where do you think you're going?", the owner of the voice said. It was a skinny, pale kid with orange hair wearing jeans and a light jacket.
"Geez, Scott, can't I just go home? It's been a rough day and all, and I'm sure you have better things to do than to-"
"Zip it, dork!", Scott said as he advanced menacingly towards Cameron. A small circle had gathered around the two of them, and many of the kids were watching them. Scott reached into his pocket and pulled out a penny. "You're right, I decided to be charitable for one day. Here you go!" he said as he flipped the penny over to Cameron, who caught it with a glare. "Now you're making more money than your old man!"
Cameron's face turned a deep shade of red from both rage and humiliation. He wished this was an exaggeration. But Scott was at least partly right. Cameron's dad barely made enough to keep a roof over the family's head, and even then, the roof that was up there was cracked and leaking. Cameron turned back to face Scott, head lowered, and in a quiet voice said "Is that it? Can I go?"
"Ah, what the hell, I told you I was feeling generous. I'll give you a rain check on that beating I was gonna give ya! Now get outta here!", Scott said.
Cameron was more than happy to oblige as he took off running, barely missing the snowball that would have hit him square in the back of the head. Once he got a couple blocks away from the school, Cameron stopped to catch his breath. As he breathed in, he caught a whiff of something. It had a warm, delicious smell to it. Cameron excitedly looked up as he saw the towering spire of the Mclean chocolate factory in the distance. The smell of chocolate instantly calmed Cameron down and made him feel all warm and happy inside. All of his problems evaporated. Scott: gone. His family's money problems: gone. The fact that he had eaten nothing but cabbage soup and stale bread for the past week and a half: also gone. All that remained was chocolate. Oh, how Cameron would love to have one of those Mclean chocolate bars! Every year for his birthday, he got one for his family, but that was still weeks away. The smells would have to do until then.
Cameron was in so much of a trance that he hardly noticed the bulky man walk up to him. "Hey, kid! Everything alright?" the man said in a deep, gruff voice.
"Yeah, just smelling the air for a little bit, if that's ok!"
"Well, we have a store right downtown! Maybe go sniff the air over there. Maybe buy a candy bar too, while you're at it!"
Cameron sighed. "I wish I could, sir. I just don't really have the money to do so. Sniffing is enough for me!"
"Damn, kid, I'm sorry. Didn't mean to judge...Aw, hell, ya know what, take this." With that, the large man pulled a chocolate bar out of his pocket and gave it to Cameron. "Enjoy it, kid. And don't forget to watch the news tonight."
"Thank you so much!", Cameron shouted in awestruck glee. "You're a really good guy, Mr...umm…"
"Hatchet. Chef Hatchet. Now run along, kid."
Cameron practically devoured the chocolate bar as soon as he crossed the street. It was Peanut Chocolate Blitz, his favorite flavor. He was still smiling as he walked through the door of his house. The Wilkins house was built ages ago, and it showed. The paint was peeling in some places, the floorboards creaked when one stepped on them, and the walls had cracks in them. Despite that, Cameron and his family were happy with their house, because in it lived the family they loved the most. Alongside Cameron and his dad (Cameron's mother had tragically passed away two years before) lived both sets of grandparents: Mr. Wilkins' parents, Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina, and Mrs. Wilkins' parents, Grandma Josephine and Grandpa Joe. The four grandparents shared one bed, from which they hadn't moved in ages. No one really knew if they were still able to walk anymore, although Cameron swore he saw Grandpa Joe walking to the fridge about a year ago. As Cameron walked in the door, five pairs of eyes excitedly looked at him.
"Cameron! Nice to see you again!", said Grandma Georgina.
"Was school okay?", said Grandpa Joe.
"I hope those kids weren't mean to you again!", said Grandma Josephine.
"I'm hungry!", said Grandpa George (he had always been a bit slow in the head).
Cameron enthusiastically greeted his grandparents, excited to see them all after a long day at school. He ran over to greet his father in much the same way. "How was work at the toothpaste factory, Dad? Hopefully they didn't work you too hard!", he said to his dad.
"Oh, another day, another dollar! I'll tell you what, my day just got a lot better now that my whole family is home! By the way, dinner is ready; Bread and soup again...sorry", Mr. Wilkins replied, handing Cameron a bowl of cabbage soup.
After eating dinner with his family, Cameron got up the courage to ask a question. "Do you think we could watch some TV? I got all my homework done at school."
"Oh, sure", Mr. Wilkins replied. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt."
Cameron remembered the words of that mysterious man he met outside of the factory, the one who told him to turn on the news. Cameron grabbed the remote and changed the channel over to the news broadcast. A young, brown-haired man was currently standing at the gates of the very same chocolate factory that Cameron stopped by every day. "Live for Channel 5 Action News, this is Topher Jones, reporting from outside the Mclean Chocolate Factory. Big news was released today from the man himself: Chris Mclean, who no one has seen in ten years, announced today that he is running a contest, and the prize is that 5 lucky children will get to tour the chocolate factory!"
At this, the whole Wilkins family gasped. "They're opening the factory again?", Grandpa Joe said.
"It can't be! I never thought this would happen!", said Grandma Josephine.
The news report continued. "5 golden tickets have been hidden inside random Mclean Chocolate bars all over the city, and the winners will not only receive a personal tour of the factory from Mclean himself, but they also get a lifetime supply of candy!"
Mr. Wilkins shut the TV off. "That's incredible! Man, I remember the chocolate Mclean used to make when I was just a young boy. To get a tour of the factory would be a dream come true for anyone!"
The four grandparents murmured their agreement. Cameron looked at everyone quizzically. "I know that the candy is amazing, but what's so special about Chris Mclean? Why is everyone going crazy over the tour of the factory?"
Everyone looked at Cameron, shocked. "Have we really never told you the story of Chris Mclean?", they all exclaimed.
"I don't think so...could you tell me now?", Cameron replied.