Chapter 5

"Veruca Salt, the Second Candidate"

Landing in London, I was met outside the arrivals hall by another one of our company's Oompa Loompa's and was ushered into a taxi to take us to the site of the next candidate. In the car, the Oompa Loompa briefed me on what was known about this latest candidate.

"Apparently, Mr. Wilkinson," the Oompa Loompa explained, handing me a report with a background on the candidate. "The girl's father had bought about ten shipments of Wonka bars and is having all his workforce opening bar after bar in search of that ticket."

"Then, why do you contact me?" I wondered, handing the report back to the Oompa Loompa. "How can you be sure that the next golden ticket is in this shipment?"

"We are very much certain that it is in this shipment. Mr. Wonka ordered us to keep a close watch on this shipment. The girl's father was willing to pay 20,000 pounds for them."

"20,000 pounds?" I sighed, my face aghast by what I had just been told. "To find a golden ticket? Where does this girl live?"

"Some mansion not too far from her father's nutcracker factory. And one other thing, Mr. Wilkinson, she is a spoiled brat to the core."

"Why am I not surprised?"

We soon arrived at the nutcracker factory which was located in the southwest corner of London, not far from Heathrow Airport itself. And let me tell you that if it were located in Heathrow, you could pass it off as a hangar. Nevertheless, we arrived and pulled up to the building's main entrance.

"Can I help you sir?" asked the secretary in a British accent.

"Arthur Slugworth," I replied, pulling out a makeshift badge with my picture in Slugworth's likeliness. "President of Slugworth Chocolates, incorporated. I understand that Veruca Salt is here."

"Why do you wish to ask of her?" the secretary asked, thinking that I was perhaps one of those perverts who enjoys preying on children. Of course, I gave her a look to make her understand that what I was doing was serious. "If you wish to speak with her, then you must speak with Mr. Salt."

"I don't have all day, madam."

She was just about to get into contact with Veruca's father when all of a sudden, there was a loud roar coming from one of the workshops down the hall, followed by the sounds of a young British girl screaming.

"It's about time too! I want it!"

Hearing the call, I ran down the hall as fast as I could and right away, I detected the worker with the ticket in her hand. Without saying a word, I raced towards the worker and dragged her to her feet. Of course, she was too excited to notice me dragging her along.

"Give me that ticket! It's mine! I've got the golden ticket!"

With the ticket in hand, I whispered my instructions to Veruca and just for a moment, a brief moment, she was calm in front of an adult. But, once I was done giving her instructions, she went right back to being her excited spoiled self.

"I've got the golden ticket!" she continued to cry out and didn't even bother to hug her parents, which to me was an alarming sign that this was possibly not the candidate we were hoping to find. "It's mine! It's mine at last!"

…

With the second candidate found, I returned to Heathrow and arrived back in Munich later that night. The next morning, I presented my findings to Wonka in his office.

"Spoiled brat, pampered and spoiled like a Siamese cat," Wonka remarked as he read my findings on Veruca. "Well, you know who exactly is to blame, Arthur. The mother and the father."

"She was screaming like she was going to be your successor, Mr. Wonka. In my view, she is impatient and selfish. She'll basically want anything that her heart desires and her parents won't say no about it."

"Hmm, want anything her heart desires?" thought Wonka, turning his attention away from the report and back to me. "Arthur, how has our geese been feeling lately?"

This to me was a surprise, hearing Wonka talk about our geese.

"Sir, I don't mean to interrupt your thoughts, but what about the geese?"

"The geese are live animals and something that every little spoiled girl would want to have for themselves. I want the geese to be used as her test of character."

"What are you saying, Mr. Wonka?"

"I mean, Arthur, that spoiled brats are to learn that there is more to life than getting everything that you want all for yourself," he explained as we made our way towards the room where the factory's geese laid the golden eggs. "When Veruca is tempted to demand that her father get her the geese, he will refuse and will keep refusing until she sees sense."

Stepping into the room, we saw the three geese doing their job of laying the golden chocolate eggs that we would ultimately sell to the public. As Wonka spoke, we saw an egg land on the eggdicator and proved itself to be a good egg.

"If she sees sense, she will be a good egg," Wonka continued as another egg landed itself on the eggdicator. However, this egg proved itself to be a bad egg and fell through the chute to the furnace. "But, if she is a bad egg, Arthur, then she will end up just like that egg we just saw. Now, then…"

Taking out his little flute, he called over one of the Oompa Loompa's tending to the geese.

"Make sure that the geese are given extra helpings between now and when the candidates come," he ordered. "Is that clear?"

"Sir, you know our geese can't be overfed. It's not healthy for them."

"I'm not overfeeding them, Arthur. Not with the diet feed."

Wonka then motioned for several more Oompa Loompa's to bring in two large bags of diet geese feed.

"Sir, I can understand what you are trying to do, but don't you think that…?"

Of course, Wonka gave me the 'do not question' me look and I immediately silenced myself.

"Yes, sir."

"And furthermore, Arthur," added Wonka as we left the golden geese room and back towards the Chocolate Room. "Creating these situations will help us understand who is fit to be my successor and who is not fit. Make sure that my chocolate river is more chocolaty than normal."

He gestured towards the chocolate river that flowed towards the tunnel.

"I want this river to be a test for Augustus Gloop's character."

"On Augustus Gloop, sir?" I added. "But, isn't there so much we can test him with in here?"

"It's not enough, Arthur, no. I need this river to be at its highest standard, enough to attract an overweight boy into testing his character to me. See that you do it."

"Yes, sir."

Having received my instructions, I did as Wonka asked me to do which was to enhance the chocolate river.

Meanwhile, the third of our five golden tickets would soon be found in North America…