Chapter 4

"Augustus Gloop, the First Candidate"

The day we learned of our first candidate was a day unlike any other. It was apparent that Wonka was going to follow through on what his father had told him about finding the right candidate. He didn't want to be questioned about his decisions, that wasn't what Wonka's purpose and intentions were. To see this through, he had Oompa Loompas stationed throughout the world, having orders to report any findings to Wonka and me right then and there.

On the morning we learned of our first candidate, I was awakened by the ringing of my telephone and sure enough, it was Wonka on the other end.

"Arthur, Arthur," I heard him cry into the phone, causing me to immediately wake up. "Arthur, are you there?"

"I'm here, Mr. Wonka," I muttered groggily, getting myself out of bed. "I'm here. What is it?"

"The first ticket has been located," he cried into the phone.

"So soon? When was it found?"

"Sometime last night according to one of the Oompa Loompa's in Germany. I need you to start make preparations to head to a small town called Dusslenheim."

"Dusslenheim? That's outside of Munich, isn't it?"

I looked over to my darling wife, Olga, who was also waking up. Dusslenheim wasn't that far off, in fact, it was a short drive so it was a golden opportunity to practice what I had rehearsed with Wonka.

"Can you make it by the end of the day if possible?" Wonka asked.

"Yes sir," I answered. "I shall be there by the end of the day."

"Good, the Oompa Loompa assigned shall help you get in towards the candidate. Don't let me down, Arthur."

Immediately, Wonka hung up the phone and I knew right then and there that it was time to get down to business.

"For a man who spent his life in candy, Arthur," remarked Olga. "He sure is desperate to find an heir."

"Can you really blame him, Olga?" I sighed, sitting back down on the edge of the bed and looking over at Olga. "He cannot go on forever, given his mental state. To be honest, this is why I left Slugworth's because I refuse to let a human being suffer from mental issues. The loss of his wife further sent hm over the edge."

Rising from my bed, I immediately picked out a suit for work and it was right then and there that there was something else I needed to do. I wasn't going to just go in as a man in a suit, I needed to blend in, keep myself from being recognized.

"What is it, Arthur?"

"Olga, I just remembered something," I said, looking back at her once again. "Do you remember us visiting Dussleheim not too long ago?"

"How could I forget, Arthur? Isn't that where that small village restaurant is? Why do you ask?"

I didn't answer my wife right away, however, I had an idea to get close to this candidate. Sure enough, later that afternoon, I began the short drive to Dussleheim arriving at the small village restaurant. Like a fortune teller, I predicted that the press would be on this small establishment and sure enough, there was a reporter and several cameramen walking in. Just then, I noticed a small figure walking towards me with an orange face. It was one of the Oompa Loompa spies Wonka had sent.

"Have you been following him?" I asked the Oompa Loompa as I got out of my car.

"Yes, Mr. Wilkinson," the Oompa Loompa replied in a high pitched voice. "He's the son of the town's butcher. He's very into eating."

"What is his name?"

"Augustus Gloop."

"Augustus Gloop, you say?" I whispered, looking towards the back door of the establishment where the kitchen was. "Did you talk to the restaurant owner?"

"No."

"Good, did you steal a uniform?"

"Here you are, Mr. Wilkinson. This was the last one they had in your size."

Sneaking through the back door of the restaurant, I changed into the restaurant's waiter uniform and began to sneak around the dining room for Augustus Gloop's table. After a few moments, I spotted the candidate, sitting at a table eating whatever Germans eat. My first impressions of this boy were, well, somewhat mixed. Based on his body size, he looked like someone who wouldn't last for a long time.

Still, I had a job to do and that was to give the candidate his assignment.

"Augustus, how does it make you feel to be the first golden ticket finder?" the German reporter asked.

"Hungry," Augustus answered.

"Any other feelings?"

"I feel sorry for Wonka," the German boy added. "It's going to cost him a fortune in fudge."

That was the thought that was going through my mind as I slowly approached the boy as the father ate the reporter's microphone and the mother gave her comments on the situation. Leaning into the boy's ear, I whispered the task assigned to him and hastily left the restaurant, returning to Munich.

…

"A fortune in fudge? That was his feelings wasn't it?" Wonka remarked the next morning in his office as he looked at the notes I had taken down. "Well, at least he's sympathetic, Arthur, he doesn't want me wasting money on fudge."

Of course, having gotten close to Augustus, I thought otherwise.

"Something tells me he may not be the best fit for a possible heir," I wondered, feeling my instincts kick in. "In any case, he'll probably just eat away everything you have worked for."

"Well, we can't jump to conclusions right away, Arthur. There are still four more candidates out there and we are going to find them, one way or another. The question is, where to next?"

Sure enough, the phone rang and Wonka got up to answer it.

"Yes?" he asked. "Where? In England? Are you certain? All right, thank you. Keep out of sight."

The tone in Wonka's voice meant that the next candidate was in England.

"Has the next candidate been found?"

"Yes, Arthur. Apparently, it is the daughter of a nutcracker in England. A rather…spoiled Siamese cat from what I understand. Can you take the first available flight today if possible?"

Part of me felt like I wanted to wait, but there was no time to waste.

"Yes, Mr. Wonka."

"Then do so."

Heeding this order, I dashed out of the factory and towards Munich Airport, where I was put on the first available Lufthansa flight to London to meet the next candidate. However, the gut feeling inside of me was telling me that there was something off about this next candidate than Augustus Gloop was.

But, I could be wrong about her, could I? Only time would tell, I suppose…