Chapter 7: The Third Golden Ticket Winner
Author's Note: As promised, I'm back with the next chapter of Kind At Heart, which features the third Golden Ticket winner! I'm sure older readers will be familiar with who's in this chapter, but newer readers might be surprised. It looks like I don't have much to say this time around, so enjoy this chapter, everyone!
Coincidentally, the foursome were in the cottage at the same time that Chris and Jenna had received the news about the third Golden Ticket winner. Unlike Antonio and Yuna, this one was found in the United States.
"This winner had better not resemble Violet," Mr. Wonka said in a grumpy tone of voice, "or I'm going to go nuts."
"Chances, Mr. Wonka," Charlie reminded him.
"Right," Mr. Wonka murmured, still unsure of what to think about his heir's advice.
"We have some incredible news to report!" a news reporter announced. "It has just been discovered that the third Golden Ticket was found at approximately 5:30 a.m. today in Phoenix, Arizona! Now that's what I would call a motivated winner for someone to go out and buy a Wonka Bar that early in the morning!"
As soon as Mr. Wonka heard "motivated winner", he began to have horrible thoughts of Violet Beauregarde flash through his mind, but the sounds of the television brought him back to reality.
"The lucky winner's name is Mindy Bell," the news reporter continued, "and we're reporting live from the Liberty Elementary School's gymnasium, where the girl herself is showing off her amazing skills!"
The interview was taking place inside of an enormous gymnasium, as the reporter previously stated. The lights of it were on, and the winner, Mindy Bell, was lifting herself up on a pole in the middle of the room and using it to flip around in the air in order to build up momentum. There were two other girls in the room with her, and they were doing gymnastic tricks as well, such as cartwheels and handstands. Mindy's mother was also sitting on the bleachers on one end of the room, holding her Golden Ticket, as well as a round object that resembled an Everlasting Gobstopper, one of Mr. Wonka's candies.
As soon as Mindy Bell saw the reporters, she let go as she was spinning, causing her to fly straight through the air and land on her feet without a problem.
Seeing this, the reporters, as well as her mother, clapped in applause. In response, Mindy bowed, then walked over to her mother. She took her Golden Ticket from her, as well as the round object, which she placed in her mouth, and held the Golden Ticket aloft for everyone to see. The reporters walked over to her and her mother.
Mindy Bell was an eleven-year old girl with brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing blue gymnastic tights, and her hair was tied into a bun. A few seconds later, however, she took the hair clip off, letting her hair fall down, and handed the clip to her mother, who placed it in her purse.
Mindy's mother was wearing a black silk dress, high-heeled shoes, and thin, black tights. She was also wearing a silver-beaded designer necklace that went halfway down her chest, as well as multiple silver rings on each hand, and golden bracelets on her arms, which glimmered in the lights of the flashing cameras.
"That was a great trick, Mindy!" one reporter complimented. "Can you tell us more about yourself, please?"
"Why wouldn't I give out more information about yours truly?" Mindy beamed. "As you know, my name's Mindy, and I'm the best ever in the entire school at gymnastics, if not the entire world! I have a statewide competition coming up, which I'll be sure to win! I came here before my school-day starts in order to practice and get ahead of my competition!"
"Who are those two girls over there?" one reporter asked, pointing to the other girls that had previously been seen in Mindy's interview. They were now done doing their tricks, and were walking towards Mindy.
The first girl was wearing pink tights, and she had blonde hair. The second girl was wearing yellow tights, and she had red hair.
"Oh, those losers?" Mindy sneered. "That's Madison Miller, and Sophia Davis. Don't mind them. They're just a bunch of lame nobodys who know nothing about the art of gymnastics!"
"I heard that!" Sophia Davis yelled, stomping towards Mindy. "That's not true!"
"You better believe it is," Mindy said firmly. "You two are just destined to be a bunch of basement dwellers, while I rise to the top and claim my key to fame, starting with this!" She waved her Golden Ticket around in the duo's faces, then smirked at them with a boastful look.
"We are not!" Madison Miller snapped.
"Just face it," Mindy frowned. "One day, I'll be the champion of the world, while you two are stuck in some dead-end job!"
The two girls walked away, sulking, and Mindy had a proud look on her face.
"See?" Mindy smirked. "I told you that I'm the best! In fact, I'd like to invite all of you to my house, in order to tell you even more about myself!"
As Mindy exited the gymnasium, followed by her mother and the reporters, a commercial break began to play.
"If this is just one part of her," Mr. Wonka murmured, "I can't imagine what could possibly happen next! She's reminding me way too much about Violet, and in the worst way imaginable."
A few minutes later, the news came back on, revealing the exterior of a two-story house. The scene then cut to a living-room lined with glass shelves. On each of these shelves, hundreds and hundreds of trophies and awards were displayed for everyone to see.
"Knew it," Mr. Wonka said, shaking his head in disappointment and resting it on his hands with a bored look on his face.
"These are just some of the five-hundred and forty-two trophies and awards that my beautiful daughter has won," Mindy's mother beamed proudly. "Tell the world about them, Mindy."
"As I told you back in my school," Mindy said with a projecting voice, "I'm the best in the whole wide world at gymnastics! You see, when I was younger, I saw some of Violet Beauregarde's old karate tournaments on television, and I was so inspired, I wanted to be just like her, and so, I chose gymnastics, because it's my favorite thing in the whole wide world! But don't you worry. Even though I have her as my idol, she is not my mother, just so you know. However, my mother is best friends with her, and she even used to send me cards and pictures in the mail! Now that's what I call a winner, don't you think?"
"My daughter really is the best," Mindy's mother beamed. "In fact, I even have my own share of trophies as well. Mostly the tuba, just so you know."
She gestured over to a large, shining tuba hanging on the wall of their house, surrounded by Mindy's awards, and below it, there was also a black and white photograph showing her using it when she was a child. "I still play it well, in fact, but it's been a while."
"In fact, there's one more award I must show you all," Mindy said, reaching into her mouth. "Hold on a sec." A few seconds later, her fingers re-emerged out of her mouth, holding a bright-red Everlasting Gobstopper. "Aside from gymnastics, my other notable record is being the Guinness World Record holder for the most number of years sucking on a single Everlasting Gobstopper. This Gobstopper right here, I've been sucking on it for nine years solid! That's a record."
"Are your gymnastic events where you got your various awards from?" one curious reporter asked.
"That's correct," Mindy replied in a boastful voice. "Five-hundred and forty-one of them are from the gymnastics events I've told you about. The remaining award is the Guinness World Records certificate from sucking on my Everlasting Gobstopper."
Mindy led the curious reporters into the dining-room in her house, where she proudly showed everyone a Guinness World Records certificate hanging in an elaborate frame.
"I won the official certificate about two months ago," Mindy Bell explained, "and I'm very proud of it."
"What would you like to say to Mr. Wonka and Charlie, Mindy?" one reporter asked, and Mindy's face suddenly scrunched up in disgust.
"Those dummies?" Mindy snarked. "I don't care about them, because I'm the best! I'm miles better than Antonio and Yuna, and I don't care who those other four will be! The winner of that special prize will be me! If they don't give it to me, I'll find my own way to win!"
She looked down at her legs and feet and chuckled evilly.
"I have one other thing to say..." Mindy added, staring straight into the camera. "Charlie and Mr. Wonka? Compared to me, you're just a bunch of dirty little-!"
Almost as if he knew what she was going to say, Mr. Bucket hurried up and covered his son's ears as Mindy began calling Mr. Wonka and Charlie various words that cannot be printed. As soon as she was done talking, Mr. Wonka turned off the television in disgust, and Mr. Bucket released his grip on his son.
"I know that you're old enough to hear what she said," Mr. Bucket smiled at his son, "but I'd rather you didn't."
"Thank you for looking out for me, Father," Charlie smiled.
"No problem, Charlie," Mr. Bucket smiled and patted his son's back.
"There's no question in my mind," Mr. Wonka said, extremely frustrated, pacing around the cottage, "that Mindy is one of the most disgusting brats I have ever seen! She's worse than Violet ever was! The girl's been sucking on that Gobstopper for nine years! Do you have any idea how unsanitary that is?"
"At least it shows they truly are everlasting," Mrs. Bucket added. "For a girl, she certainly has a spicy vocabulary, too! I have never heard such language coming out of someone so young!"
"You know what?" Mr. Wonka said angrily, "I don't even think we need a discussion about her! I'm heading over to the Music Conservatory this instant!"
"Mr. Wonka, wait!" Charlie pleaded, but Mr. Wonka ignored him, leaving his heir alone with Mr. and Mrs. Bucket. "Do whatever you want, I guess."
Mr. Wonka's voice suddenly boomed through a loudspeaker in the Chocolate Room, and it could be heard from inside the cottage, loud and clear: "NO MUMBLING, CHARLIE!"
Author's Note: There's the third Golden Ticket winner! What do you think about Mindy? In older readers' cases, which version do you prefer?
In the original version, I felt Mindy was way too similar to Violet. Next in Line had the interview take place directly in Mindy's house, with hardly any references to Mindy's gymnastics, so I wanted to change that up. Also, the only differences separating her and Violet were the number of trophies and the Everlasting Gobstopper, so I decided to change that as well, and being condescending sounded like a fitting trait for me to add on top of boasting. I thought that making Mindy a horrible bully on top of being a boastful winner would make her easier to hate than the original version, and it would also make her a true brat. And yes, the Mr. Bucket moment was a reference to the 2005 film with Grandpa George. XD
Also, the loudspeaker moment was a reference to a scrapped moment in Next in Line. The quotes were the same, but it took place during the interview of a removed winner named Drew Hyde, who you can find out more about in Next in Line: Secrets from the Vault as well, just like Stephanie. I thought that the moment was so hilarious that it'd be a shame if it was left on the cutting room floor. I was laughing out loud while typing it, and I hope that you got a good chuckle out of it as well. XD
Additionally, the name of Mindy's school, Liberty Elementary School, is just one huge pun on her last name. When you combine Liberty and Bell together, you get Liberty Bell. How clever is that?
Overall, what did you think about this chapter? Stay tuned for the next one, which features the fourth Ticket winner!
Until then,
Gabe S. :)