Chapter 36: The Loompaland Log Flume
Author's Note: Hello, everyone, and I'm VERY sorry for this late update! Before I begin review responses, however, I should acknowledge that some recent reviews which I received were correct- before working on Chapter 36 in full swing, I went through chapters 1-35 of Kind At Heart and tweaked all of them, as a way to improve the story overall. If you're just returning after a long time, I'd heavily advise reading from the start before this chapter. Differences include, but are not limited to:
1. Jenna now brings her mother instead of her father, and Mindy now brings her father instead of her mother.
2. More dynamic conversations were added, including several between Antonio and Yuna, and one between Mindy and Tyler.
3. Tyler and Kitsune were toned down and made more sympathetic, including using water bombs instead of pepper spray in the Licorice Rainforest. On the contrary, Mindy was toned up slightly.
4. Song lyrics were combed through and polished. Mindy is one example.
5. Charlie's age when he inherited the factory is now eleven, as the movie script says his age was ten at the start of the movie.
6. The Square Candies that Look Round scene was overhauled.
7. The Great Glass Elevator chapter was split in half, and scenes were added there. "The Wonders of New Loompaland" is now named "Ancient Past, New Loompaland."
8. And more!
Thank you all for your support! Now, it's review response time!
Guest, I'll keep that Cedar Point suggestion in mind!
Guest 2, lmao, that's a funny suggestion!
Tessa, I'm glad that the twist worked as intended! I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, too!
Fudge Sicle, I do! It's become a sort of running gag between me and Matt. XD
Theo Bagman, I'm not really sure how that could work, but thank you for the review!
Guest 3 (who undoubtedly saw my revisions), it's in there!
Guest 4, as with Theo, I'm not really sure how that could work, but thank you for your support!
Guest 5, both of those scenes will be illustrated!
Guest 6, who knows?
Avimo, thank you so much for the compliment!
Guest 7, as I acknowledged in the intro, it's true! I hope that you enjoy the new version!
MOUseonION, that has been added!
Guest 8, thank you! I was laughing while writing it. Lol
Enes, that's a great idea! I'll totally consider it.
mattTheWriter072, thank you for your review! At least you were only captured by the Duolingo Owl, and not harmed by Miss Trunchbull, although I don't knowbwhich is worse! The Loompaland Zoo section was one of my favorite sections too, and I'm really glad that you had as much fun reading it as i did writing it : )
Cindy, thank you for the very, very high compliment! I'm so happy that you think that!
Nobody, I guess so. XD
Guest 9, that's a hilarious thought! "YAHOOOOOO!" XD
mattTheWriter072 (again), I'm glad that the changes to chapter 31 and 32 surprised you! I had a lot of fun writing the Chris and Jenna moment. Lol. You'll see some backstory- maybe- in this chapter. Stay tuned!
Random dude, good point XD
Guest 10, I did it to prevent aging, since "smartphone" is more of a modern word and concept, but I'm glad that you like it!
Guest 11, hmmm, I'll check that.
rivers, that sounds like a funny concept! XD
Trashy, welcome back! That sounds hilarious, and I'll definitely consider it! LMAO.
Guest 12, I'll consider that!
Mindy Bell, I'll tell Daniel that you said this : (
Justin Fleck, thank you for your review! The next demise will happen very soon, and I hope that you'll enjoy it!
Guest 13, I'll consider that lol.
Sonny Apríl, I'm glad that you liked chapter 34, and I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter and the rest of KAH 2.0! As you know by now, I forgot to mention that Mrs. Adams is in this story during the tour instead of Mr. Adams, but at least you know now.
With the reviews out of the way, the next chapter can begin! Enjoy, everyone!
(Credits: New Loompaland belongs to MysteriousMaker1185.)
Grandpa Joe, Jenna Adams, and the rest of the group made their way down the path in New Loompaland. As they moved their way towards the next area, Grandma Josephine turned to Jenna.
"May I ask you something, Jenna?" she asked the metalhead girl.
"Sure, Grandma Josephine," Jenna replied.
"How did you and Chris meet?" Grandma Josephine said.
"Is this going to end up being a flashback within a flashback or something?" Jenna chuckled.
"I think I'm getting a flashback right now," Grandma Georgina laughed in her signature childlike pitch.
"Not that we know of," Grandma Josephine told Jenna with a smile, looking at Grandma Georgina then back at Jenna.
"Well…" Jenna began, her mind instantly flashing back to the day that she and Chris first met, "we first met at a concert of my band, Wormhole Citadel. While my family and I were signing autographs, I noticed a small fight taking place within the crowd near us. A girl was making fun of a boy, who I'd later find out was Chris, and shoving him so that she could get an autograph before him. I stepped in, and had the girl escorted out of the venue. That was how me and Chris met, and later became the best of friends."
"That's a beautiful story, Jenna," Grandma Josephine said.
"You want me to tell her the beautiful story of my wedding?" Grandma Georgina asked Grandma Josephine.
"Maybe another time, dear," Grandma Josephine told her, and Grandpa George smiled.
"Keep him close to you, Jenna," Grandpa Joe said, "for true best friends are a team when they're together, not a competition."
"And don't let him be the one who got away," Grandpa George said. "Chris is a good kid, and there's only one of him…and that's all there ever will be! Only a dummy would do something like dump him for money or the newest fashion trends. Are you a dummy?"
"No, sir," Jenna Adams replied.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Grandpa George asked. "The winds of fate are in your favor!"
Jenna smiled, and she suddenly noticed that her surroundings were becoming hazy and distorted. A chorus of the grandparents' voices and Theo Kekoa, Igor, and Jasir was heard saying, "Good-bye, Jenna! See you later!" Then, everything went dark, and she opened her eyes.
As Mr. Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and the rest of the group exited the Loompaland Zoo and Aquarium, they noticed another area in New Loompaland, this one featuring pipes that looked identical to the ones used in the Chocolate Room.
"This, my dear children," Mr. Wonka explained, "is where the necessary chocolate from the Chocolate Room is deposited for use in New Loompaland. We need to keep moving, though. We have so much time and so little to do! Wait, strike that! Reverse it! We must meet up with Jenna and continue the tour."
The Golden Ticket winners continued their way through New Loompaland, zig zagging their way through many paths, twists, and turns along the way. At last, Mr. Wonka, Charlie Bucket, and their guests found themselves in front of an extremely thick and intimidating tree that shone in the color of shining brown steel. Oompa-Loompas could be seen walking in and out of the front of it.
"This is the Chief Building," Charlie explained, "and it's where Jasir, the current chief of the Oompa-Loompa tribe, works- while he's not coming up with songs in the Music Conservatory, of course," he added, smiling at Chris.
The two chocolatiers led the group inside, where the same female Oompa-Loompa who had greeted Jenna now greeted them.
"Hello, Mr. Wonka and Charlie," she bowed to them.
"Hello!" Mr. Wonka smiled at her. "We're looking for Jenna Adams. Is she still here?"
"She is," the female Oompa-Loompa replied. "Last place I saw her, she was walking down the hallway leading to the bedrooms."
"The bedrooms?" Charlie asked, but Mr. Wonka simply bowed.
"Thank you!" Charlie's mentor said, and led everyone towards the hallway and past the Oompa-Loompa plaque and pictures which Jenna had seen before her vision with Grandpa Joe and the rest of Charlie's family began. A picture of Grandpa Joe caught the corner of Chris' eye, and he stared at it for several seconds before following everyone else. Like Jenna before them, Wonka and Charlie tried opening every other door, but found only one unlocked- Grandpa Joe's bedroom. Mr. Wonka looked inside…
As Jenna opened her eyes, she saw that she was right back in Grandpa Joe's bedroom. Nothing was moved around, and it was as if she was the only soul within it once again.
"Where was I?" Jenna asked herself out loud, before she was interrupted by Chris' voice.
"Jenna?" Chris asked, causing her to flinch and turn towards the open door. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"
"Chris!" Jenna cried, jumping off the bed and flinging herself into her best friend's arms. "I missed you so much!"
"What happened, Jenna?" Charlie asked. "You're not in trouble. I just want to know."
"I'm so sorry," Jenna said. "The escalation began to get a bit too much for me, so I ran off to destress, then I found this place."
"I don't blame you," Mr. Wonka said. "The number of escalations so far seem to be more frequent than the number of whangdoodle encounters that I had in Loompaland."
"Now that we're all together again," Charlie said, breaking the awkwardness, "we've got something really exciting to show you all! Let's get going to our next method of transportation!"
As Chris and Jenna held hands, excited to be back together again, and Mr. Wonka and Charlie led everyone out of Grandpa Joe's bedroom, the two friends could have sworn that they saw Charlie look back and let out an almost unnoticeable sigh.
Once everyone was out of the Chief Building, Mr. Wonka and Charlie led the group near one of the amusement park segments of New Loompaland. Screams and shouts of Oompa-Loompas nearly deafened everyone's speech, so the trip was almost completely made in silence, except for when Mr. Wonka and Charlie explained what was going on.
"New Loompaland also has several amusement parks," Mr. Wonka said, "and they're especially popular with Oompa-Loompa families. We even have a Tunnel of Fear, which is so intense that we have a hospital built next to it just in case! One scene in it involves a chicken with its head being cut off, in case you were wondering. We don't have time to go inside it, though, as we must move on with the tour!"
As the group zigged and zagged through the New Loompaland amusement park, they saw a variety of attractions, ranging from a rocking boat for smaller children, a haunted house, steel and wooden coasters, and even food vendors. At last, after what felt like ten to fifteen minutes, the two tour guides stopped in front of a ride that said, "LOOMPALAND LOG FLUME– TO HORDE 'O ZOMBIES SWAMP (IF YOU DARE!)
No line was present for this ride, so the Ticket winners simply walked up to the ride operator, who each guided them into the entrance station, a bright area with several floating log carts floating on water, fitting two people per cart. Yellow plastic guns could be seen sitting in holsters in front of their seats, with LED score pads next to them.
"Welcome to the Loompaland Log Flume, Ticket winners," the operator told them. "The aim of this ride is to get the most points as you travel through a replica of Loompaland. Shoot the hornswogglers, snozzwangers, and whangdoodles for massive points! Let's get you all safe and secure," at this, he looked at Tyler and Kitsune, "to make sure that you don't get into trouble. The ride's guns are plastic and laser operated, you two, so don't even think about doing something stupid."
"Aw, come on," Tyler said as he got into a cart with his mother. "How disappointing."
"Don't worry, Tyler," Kitsune reassured her son. "Didn't you see how this ride leads to a "Horde 'O Zombies Swamp"? That sounds like the perfect place to cause chaos!"
"You're right, Mother!" he replied, his eyes lighting up. "We'll finally be able to show everyone else who's really the leaders around here!"
The ride operator helped everyone into their carts. Mr. Wonka and Charlie got into one in front; Mike Sparkman and Daniel followed next; Tyler and Kitsune were third; Mrs. Adams and Mr. Davidson sat into the cart behind them; lastly was Chris and Jenna.
"I'm actually kinda excited for this," Daniel told his father. "I wonder what new Loompaland creatures could be in here, if any."
"I'm very happy to see that you're excited, son," Mike Sparkman smiled. "That's all I wanted from you from this experience."
"I'm sorry for being so stubborn at the start, Dad," Daniel said. "I...guess I got carried away with myself."
"It's okay, Daniel," Mike Sparkman told him. "What's done is done, and we're here now. Let's have some fun!"
Once everyone was safely buckled into the Loompaland Log Flume, the logs continued their journey, and they were off! The group found themselves going through a hole, where they were surrounded by a thick, green jungle. Chirps and howls could be heard, and everyone picked up their guns from their holsters.
A loud roaring sound was heard, and from a bush came a grey creature somewhat resembling a triceratops but without the faceplate. A thick horn protruded from its upper lip, and its tail had a club at the end of it. On one side of this creature was a red and white target.
"Hornswoggler ahoy!" Mr. Wonka shouted, and everyone began shooting at its target. At last, Daniel hit it, and it ran away, howling in pain.
"Yes!" Daniel exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. "I did it!" He checked his scoreboard, and it changed from "000" to "010."
The carts took a turn to the left, then swerved around more wild plants and bushes, as well as tall Loompaland trees. One tree in particular had an extraordinarily thick brown trunk, and huge green leaves that were looming above the ride's passengers.
"Did you know," Charlie interjected, "that all of these Loompaland plants are real plants that grow in Loompaland? Some you won't come across, like the stinging nettles, because they're much too dangerous for contact, but others, like these tall plants that we just passed for instance, are very much from the fabled country and perfectly safe for visibility. It's called the "Umbrella Fir," and its leaves were used as makeshift umbrellas by Oompa-Loompas when it was raining."
After another turn, a second hornswoggler appeared, this one a juvenile (like the previous hornswoggler but smaller and with a tinier horn), and Chris hit this one. To the right of them this time a third one came roaring, and Daniel again got points from it. His scoreboard changed from "010" to "020."
"How am I not hitting anything?" said Tyler, annoyed.
"We'll get the next one, dear," responded Kitsune assuringly, and sure enough, a target appeared on a thick branch blocking the path in front of them, and the prankster hit it, causing his scoreboard to go up from "000" to "030." Kitsune hit a target on a grey hornswoggler egg, and it cracked open, and Jenna hit a target on a branch, causing it to lean down to the ground.
Tyler, meanwhile, looked at Mr. Wonka and Charlie, who were smiling and shooting at many more targets that were surrounding them. He felt A knot forming in his stomach.
"This game is actually kinda fun," Tyler admitted to himself quietly. "If I didn't stop clowning around and I didn't obey them, I might not have even come to this point. I just wish that my dad was here, despite how stuck up he can be– Ehh-? Tyler, keep yourself grounded, and do what you came here for!"
"Is everything alright, darling?" Kitsune asked, breaking him out of his monologue.
"Yeah," Tyler replied, trying his best to put on a façade. "Just trying to think of new pranking plans is all."
"Excellent!" Kitsune smiled. "You can tell me what you're thinking when this ride is over with."
She went back to her target practice, and Tyler shouted just loud enough in front of him so that Daniel could hear him. "Hey, Smarty Pants!" he exclaimed. "I bet that I could beat you!"
Daniel turned around, then looked at Tyler. They stared at each other. "You heard me," he smiled, then held out his hand.
Daniel, reluctant to accept it, looked into Tyler's eyes. This time, it wasn't a smile of mischief. It was a smile full of fire in his eyes. Before he knew what was happening, the tech-obsessed boy smiled back, then they gripped each other's hands in a firm lock.
"You're on," Daniel grinned.
The Loompaland Log Flume turned to the right, and another creature suddenly jumped out of the plants with a target on one side. This one had large teeth, a gaping mouth, and two drooping ears.
"It's a snozzwanger!" Mr. Wonka called out. "Get your guns ready!"
Everyone began shooting at the snozzwanger, and at last, Charlie hit its target, and it turned around and walked away.
"That was close!" Jenna told Chris. "I nearly had it!"
"Me too," Chris chuckled. "But you can't get 'em all, I suppose."
"You're right," Jenna said, "but I'll get more, just you wait and see!"
The ride continued, and more smaller targets appeared. Chris got another branch, Jenna got a bird in the distance, too far away to make out what it was, and Mr. Wonka hit a target resting on a net hanging on a tree branch, and the branch sagged, causing it to fall to the ground. After more twists and turns, and even a couple small hills, a loud buzzing sound was heard, and a creature that resembled a large mosquito flew into view.
"It's those terrible, wicked whangdoodles!" Mr. Wonka cried as many more whangdoodles followed the first one and flew near the riders. Everyone began shooting at the targets on them, and slowly, the whangdoodles started to fly away with a high-pitched shriek as every one of them winced in pain when their target was hit.
At long last, the carts twisted and turned once more, then the path straightened out. Everyone saw a large hole in front of them, and they placed their guns in their holsters.
However, this wasn't the end. A chain grabbed the log carts and began lifting them up, higher and higher and higher. As they looked around, they noticed that they were now in a white room, similar to the loading area in New Loompaland, and were nearing what looked like a long shed. They went inside it, and it became totally dark around them, everyone being unable to see each other. Suddenly, towards the end of the shed, a large, man-like creature appeared, and everyone's carts shook as fire flew around it. The man was wearing a silver mask and a black coat, and a sad-looking woman with green hair, orange skin, and white overalls was on the opposite side of the Unknown.
"Welcome to your doom," she said in a monotone voice.
"What is that?" Charlie's voice exclaimed in the darkness, in the direction of the masked man. "It's the Unknown!"
"You're the only one who gets me, Unknown," said a British voice which sounded very similar to Charlie's and echoed loudly throughout the entire room.
The Unknown moaned, and more fire flew around it, and the carts continued to shake, and without warning everyone suddenly found themselves plunging downwards to goodness knows where, causing everyone to close their eyes in fear.
Everyone's eyes were pulled open by a sliver of light at the bottom of the hill. They adjusted themselves and noticed that they were in what looked like a swamp, and a grey sky surrounded them. Wet, murky plants were visible as far as the eye could see, and everyone saw a wooden loading platform coming up.
"Prepare to disembark, everyone," Mr. Wonka told his party. "We're here…at the Horde 'O Zombies Swamp!"
Author's Note: Well, what did you think? Now that the group is at the Horde 'O Zombies Swamp, what do you think will happen next? I'll tell you that the newest demise will happen in Chapter 37, so guess one final time! I had a lot of fun writing the Unknown cameo especially, and I hope that you all had fun reading it! Stay tuned for the next chapter, everyone!
Until then,
Gabe S. : )