CHAPTER 3

Charlie was late. He had had a detention at school (on his birthday, no less!) for

daydreaming in class again. He hurtled through the streets, desperate to get home, to get

his one and only chance at a Golden Ticket. He looked up at the sky and frowned as the

blazing red sun sunk lower and lower to the ground. Just how late had that teacher kept him? If he didn't get home before sunset he would be in big trouble. He spun around a garbage can that had been pushed down by the icy winter wind, and came to an abrupt stop as he got an idea. He could go through the alleyway.

The alleyway was really only one of many alleys that criss-crossed the city. However, this alleyway was special, because it was the ONE alley that Charlie and been specifically told to avoid. Mrs. Bucket had come home one night, pale as snow and panting like she had just run a marathon. She had also been crying. Mr. Bucket had rushed to her side, asking her what had happened. She had taken the alleyway as a shortcut home, and halfway through heard someone behind her. It was too dark to see who it was when she turned around, so she sped up her gait. Only to hear the following footsteps speed up too. She had broken into a run, and as she burst out of the alleyway looked back once more, only to see a flash of silver –a knife? She had absently wondered- and a hand covered in lilac gloves. She'd screamed and ran the rest of way home, not daring to look behind her. Charlie been told he was not allowed within 100 feet of the alley, and if it was found out he had crossed through it……

Charlie bit his lip. It was getting late, and he really needed to be home soon. He peered cautiously down the dark maw of the alley. The sun wasn't even down and the alley looked dark as night! Charlie sighed heavily, and turned away from the alley. As he did so, the cold wind blew by once more, this time carrying a scent of candy and chocolate. Charlie's eyes widened as realization struck home. If he was late, what better way to punish him then to take away his one chance at a golden ticket!?! He took another look at the alley, and after looking around quickly, took the three steps that would lead him inside the alley.

Charlie squinted as his eyes tried to adjust to the dark. His heart thumping loudly, he decided it would not be such a bad idea to run through the entire alleyway. After all, he tried to reason with himself, he wasn't scared there was nothing to be scared of. He just wanted to be home on time for his birthday present. He slowly began to jog. After reaching about the midway point, he felt like laughing at himself for being so freaked out about the alley. There was nothing to be afraid of! He would go home and tell his family there was nothing to be afraid of, he would use the alley as a shortcut every day after school, he would- CRASH! Charlie's breath caught in his throat. A garbage can had fallen, crashing and clanging all over the place. This really wouldn't have been a problem if it had been Charlie who knocked over the can. However this particular can had been a good 15 feet behind Charlie. He sped his jog up to a run, and that was when he began to hear footsteps behind him. "This is why I listen to my parents!" he thought frantically. Charlie sped up his run to a full out sprint, but he could still hear noise from behind him.

With that, Charlie stumbled and fell to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut and just knew that this would be the end of poor little Charlie Bucket. He wouldn't get a Golden Ticket, he wouldn't get his chocolate bar, and he would never see his family again. He could just feel the hand reaching out for him. He looked up, and his mouth fell open. He was only a foot away from the end of the alley! But the noises were still coming closer. Visions of knives and lilac gloves reaching out for him filled his head, but he staggered up and out of the alleyway, gasping as the last few rays of the sun hit him. He turned to take one last look at the alley. A cat sped out of the dark, and Charlie almost fell back as he realized that he had been being chased by that cat through the entire alley. He turned around to continue the jog home, mumbling about his stupidity.

Sometime people see only what they want to see. Charlie saw the cat run out of the alley, and instantly became enchanted with the idea that what had stalked him had only been a cat and not something much more menacing. So, filled with the relief spawned from this idea, he hadn't seen the dark figure of a man standing just inside the alleyway. He hadn't seen the faint glimmer of silver in the man's hand. And he hadn't seen the lilac glove furiously gripping the side of the alleyway. He didn't see any of this at all.