Ichigo Yume
"Ichigo-chan, can you please stop that?" Willy tried to scold his daughter.
"No!" As always, Wynette was into something. Today it happened to be her father's desk.
Willy tried again. "But if you don't let Daddy work, then we won't have time to have fun later. Like go to the candy rooms."
Wynette gave her father the "look". Her bottom lip stuck out, her eyes got watery, and then, the scream.
Mr. Wonka flinched and covered his ears. Note to self, invent a candy for young children that will render them unable to yell.
"Wynette Ichigo Wonka! What ever is the matter with you?" Lavinia Wonka walked into the room. No matter how many times he saw her, Lavinia always took Willy's breath away.
"Mommy! Daddy has been yelling at me!" Wynette said, rushing to embrace her mother.
"I have not," Willy shot back, sticking his tongue out at the 3 year old.
"Honestly, sometimes I feel like I have 2 kids."  Lavinia carried Wynette back into her husband's work area.
"You know you love it." Willy replied, tipping his hat to the love of his life. He could still remember the day he had first met her.
He was still in the shop on Cherry Street, and Lavinia was a shy young thing back then. She was a regular customer, coming in everyday, and the employees had taken a liking to her. They would often take her to the back room to show her candy making techniques. Every evening at closing time, the candy makers sang her praises to their boss. Lavinia was a quick learner and soon knew enough about candy to feel confident enough to apply for a job. Even though Willy had not been hiring, he decided to give her an interview.
"Good morning starshine, the earth says hello!” Mr. Wonka’s clothing reflected his taste for the unusual. He was an eccentric person, but loved by the fortunate few who got to meet him.
"Hello sir." Lavinia had picked her favorite outfit, a dress reminiscent of Victorian London with a beautiful silver locket her father had given her, for the occasion. Even though it boosted her confidence, she still felt slightly nervous.
"Let's boogey!" Willy glanced down at the shocking green clipboard he was holding. "Why do you think you would be good for this job?"
Lavinia glanced down at her interviewer's polished shoes. "Because I love the faces of children when they eat candy, I love experimenting with new recipes, and I want to learn more about how to make it."
Willy scribbled something onto the clipboard, and then looked Lavinia in the eyes, who quickly looked away. "What is the point of candy?"
"Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy." She instantly replied, meeting Mr. Wonka's unnerving gaze.
He put the clipboard down on the nearest table, and solemnly stepped forward. "You are..." he paused, and let the suspense build. “My newest employee!"
Lavinia breathed a sigh of relief.
"I shake you warmly by the hand!" And so began the successful apprenticeship of the future Lavinia Wonka.
"....Willy...?" His wife's voice pulled him back to the present. Even after 21 years of acquaintanceship, she still held his heart captive.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Ichigo tackled her father in a bear hug. Even though her three year old arms are tiny, Willy felt like they could hold the world, and calm its problems. "I love you."
"I love you too, Ichigo-chan."
Lavinia looked on at this beautiful father-daughter moment. "Did you have another flash back, dear?"
"I have them increasingly often, you know." He flashed a dazzlingly white smile at her.
"Sir, sir, I've had a brilliant idea!" Charlie burst into the room. Willy felt his heart swell with pride. Ever since Charlie was named the factory's heir, the boy has become a candy genius. This, and his compassion, and ability to love others selflessly, made him the perfect candy man.
"Chawly!" Wynette thought of Charlie as her brother, and loved him as much as she did her father and mother.
"What's up kiddo?" Charlie said giving her a high-five. At 14, most boys his age wouldn't have time to hang out with small children like Wynette. But Charlie wasn't most boys. He had taught not just one, but two grown men to love and forgive. He was able to see the world like a child and a grown adult at the same time.
"Nothing...." Wynette said, showing a smile remarkably like her father's.
"Nothing? More like getting into trouble. Hello, Charlie." Lavinia said.
“Hello ma’am.” Even though he was actually the one to push Willy to start dating Lavinia again 4 years ago, Charlie never referred to Lavinia by her first name.
Of course, Willy’s mind was still caught on the word idea. “You were saying Charlie?”
“Oh yeah.” Charlie unrolled a set of blueprints onto the side table. The Wonka family gathered around him. Charlie’s notes were neat and tidy, the complete opposite of Willy’s. “So you know how Wynette gets upset, and nothing can calm her down?”
“Do we ever.” Mr. and Mrs. Wonka said in unison.
“Well, what if there were a set of toys that tasted like candy when you licked them?”
“Like lollipops?” Mr. Wonka took a closer look at the design.
“Sort of. These won’t get sticky though.” Charlie replied.
“No sticky?” Wynette asked, holding up her hands.
Charlie had to smile. “That’s right, goofy. You won’t ruin your toys,”
“Or her dresses,” Lavinia glanced at her daughter, who was wearing her favorite dress, despite the many stains from previous candy endeavors.
Willy looked back at his desk, covered in now crumpled, orange stained papers. “Or my papers.”
Charlie nodded. “Exactly. Just think about what a relief this could be to other parents.”
Willy couldn’t quite hide his doubt.
“I know what you’re thinking, sir. But what if we use the coating from the Everlasting Gobstoppers, and make the tastes be similar to the Lickable Wallpaper? Like have the yellow ones be banana, the pink be strawberry, and the aubergine-”
“For the snozzberries!” Mr. Wonka cried out.
“Honey, snozzberries are chartreuse, not aubergine.” Mrs. Wonka gently chided.
“Well, you get the idea, though, right?” Charlie had never seen the Wonkas fight, and he didn’t want today be the day they started.
Willy hurried back to his desk, and after some searching strode back to the group with the notes for both candies. “Charlie, I think you’re onto something.”
“Weaction?” Wynette was a bright young girl, and naturally, with both of her parents in candy making, knew a lot about making candy.
“She’s right. If you combine them, isn’t there the possibility of a chemical reaction?” Lavinia said, studying the papers closer.
Charlie and Willy looked at the chemical compositions of both candies, and sure enough, Wynette was right.
“We could still make it, and try it on Augustus Gloop to see if it reacts or not. Or maybe Veruca Salt. After all, she would probably want it...” Willy said, not even bothering to suppress the hope in his voice. When the others just stared silently at him, he added “Fine. It was just an idea. No need to get icy.”
“Be nice Daddy.” Wynette had not inherited her father’s taste for revenge. Everybody chuckled at the little ball of happiness.
“Oh, before I forget, Mr. and Mrs. Wonka, you are both invited over for dinner tonight. And I would be more than happy to baby-sit Wynette if you want.” Charlie said when the laughter subsided.
“Charlie, you are just too kind.” Lavinia said. “We’d love to come.”
“Do you want us to bring anything?” Willy said, gathering up the papers.
“Just yourselves. Oh, and Willy, if you want, you can invite your father.”
Willy’s smile slid right off of his face. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea...”
“You know, I honestly can’t hear a word you’re saying.” Charlie delivered the line to his superior with a straight face before bursting out laughing.
“Almost, Charlie, almost. You’re getting it though.” Willy had been teaching Charlie the tricks to categorizing people, and putting them in their proper place. Although this was hard for him, Charlie was trying his best, and his practice was obvious. “And I’ll give him a call.”
“I have to go. My tutor gave me a ton of geometry homework, and I got caught up with the candy.” Even after they’d moved to the factory, Charlie’s parents insisted on a good education. And although he was only freshman aged, Charlie was already on 10th grade subjects. “Should I watch Wynette in your apartment, or may I take her to one of the rooms?”
“Fireworks! Fireworks!” Wynette enjoyed going to the Shooting Range, where the Oompa Loompas held a nightly fireworks show.
“Actually, Charlie, do you mind baby-sitting her in our apartment? She has a big surprise tomorrow, and needs her sleep.” Lavinia put emphasis on the last three words, but any young child, such as Wynette, would be focused on surprise.
“Surprise?” Wynette asked, looking up at her beaming parents.
“Can we tell her now?” Willy begged.
“Not yet. She’ll find out soon enough tomorrow.” Lavinia tried to send subtle hints to her husband, with no success.
Charlie recognized the time to time to leave. “I’ll see you tonight Wynette. Have a nice evening sir and ma’am.”
Lavinia couldn’t help but smile at the boy’s social skills. “Thanks again, Charlie. And is 5 o’clock ok?”
“That’ll be perfect!” he said, running out the door.

At 5 o’clock sharp Dr. Wilbur Wonka, Willy Wonka, and Lavinia Wonka arrived at the Bucket home set in the Chocolate River Room. While the adults had a pleasant evening wining and dining, things weren’t going as smooth across the factory.
“Tell me what it is, Chawly.” Wynette pleaded for what seemed like the hundredth time.
“But I told you, Wynette, I don’t know what your surprise is.” Of course, Charlie wasn’t being truthful. Tomorrow was Wynette Ichigo Wonka’s 4th birthday. Even now Oompa Loompas were decorating various rooms of the factory for the exuberant celebration.
“You’re lying!” Wynette was able to characterize people almost as well as her father.
“Who wants to watch a puppet show?” Charlie felt bad distracting her, but it was better than continuing to lie.
“I do!” TV was discouraged in the factory, so puppet shows were an entertainment staple for the little girl.
“Ok, then. Let’s go watch!” Charlie grabbed her hand to lead her to the Puppet Show Room.
“You’re not going anywhere.” A gruff male voice came from the doorway behind Charlie.
When Charlie turned around, he saw that there were 3 masked men. His protective instincts kicking in, Charlie shielded Wynette, who was trying to attack the men.
“Give us the girl.” the one who appeared to be the leader demanded.
“Never!” Charlie’s mind was racing as he tried to figure out how to get Wynette and himself out safely.
“Hand her over, or you’ll be killed.” the leader pulled a pistol out of the feed sack one of the goons was carrying.
Charlie bit his lip to keep from crying as an idea popped into his head. “Look what you’ve done. You’ve made her wet herself.”
The idiots believed Charlie’s lie, and didn’t even bother to see if he was telling the truth. “Ugh. Go change her, and bring her straight back here.”
Charlie carried Wynette into her lavish room. Looking around, he spotted the laundry chute. Looking back in his memory, he realized that the laundry room was pretty close to the Chocolate River Room. Of course, the chute was too small for him, but not for Wynette. He kneeled down, and put his hands on her shoulders. She seemed incredibly small and fragile. “Listen, you have to go down here to the Chocolate River, and tell your mommy and daddy that bad men broke in. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes Chawly.” Even though she was young, Wynette understood the situation. “I love you.” she hugged him, with the innocence of a small child.
One of the men banged on the door. “Hurry up in there!”
Charlie bit his lip again, and hugged his “sister” back. “I love you too. Now get going.” He opened the chute door, and sent her on her way. Then he tried to cover the door with toys to throw the men off of her trail.
Right as he had it halfway covered, the door was kicked in.
“Where is she?” the leader demanded.
Charlie slowly stood up, and looked the leader in the eyes. “You’ll never find her.” Then he spat at the man’s feet.
“You little creep!” One of the goons rushed at Charlie, and in the blink of an eye had him turned around so that Charlie’s back was to the man. The man put a black cloth over Charlie’s mouth and nose.
Charlie tried not to breathe in, but the fumes got to his head. He started sinking to the floor, almost like a dream. Just before he passed out, he heard shouts of “She must have gone down the chute! Follow her, now!” “I’ll go sir.” and “That Wonka is going to pay!”

At a little past 11 pm the Wonka family returned to their apartment, expecting Charlie to be curled up on the couch with a book, and Wynette fast asleep in her bed. Instead they found a destroyed room. Glass from shattered picture frames glistened in the carpet. Splintered doors were kicked in. Drawers were left open, their contents strewn across the room.
“And you left a teenage boy here alone?” Dr. Wonka never understood his son’s reasoning.
“Usually he cleans, so this is a shock.” Willy responded, starting to pick up papers.
Suddenly, there was a scream from the nursery. Father and son looked at each other, and then made a mad dash to the room. Lavinia stood in the doorway of the darkened room, pointing at what appeared to be a human figure on the floor. Willy turned on the light, and looked again.
“Is that...?” Lavinia looked as if she were about to faint.
Willy tried to swallow, but couldn’t quite succeed. “Charlie?” Charlie’s body was purple from bruises, some of them almost black.
“Let me through.” the eldest Wonka bent over Charlie’s limp figure and checked his wrist for a pulse. “He’s alive, barely, knocked out and beaten by the looks of it.” The dentist found the black cloth where the intruders had dropped it by Charlie’s head. He wafted the odor to his nose, being careful not to inhale a large amount. “Chloroform. We need to get him to the hospital.”
“We can take him to the Doll Hospital and Burns Treatment Center. But how will we move him?”
“I don’t know. But we have to be incredibly gentle about it.” Dr. Wonka answered his son.
“Maybe some Oompa Loompas....” Willy started to pull a small silver musical instrument from one of the many pockets on his plum velvet jacket.
“Where’s Wynette?” Lavinia was searching the room high and low for her daughter.
“Ichigo-chan?! Come out; come out, wherever you are!” Willy stood up and joined his wife in searching, starting under the bed that was on the opposite side of the room.
Dr. Wonka was still crouched over Charlie, examining the boy’s injuries. Suddenly Charlie’s eyelids flickered open, and his eyes struggled to focus themselves. He tried to sit up, but Wilbur kept him lying down. “He’s awake!” Willy and Lavinia ran back over, anxious to know what happened.
Charlie’s eyes couldn’t focus, and he looked like he was in great pain. He opened his mouth and struggled to speak before faintly whispering “Is Wynette safe?” Then his eyes closed again and his breathing slowed.

The next time Charlie opened his eyes, he was in what appeared to be a hospital. He was on some kind of gurney, with the back of it leaning back, but not completely flat. He moved his head to the left and right and saw that his was the only occupied bed in the large room. Sunlight was pouring in from the high window, and it fell onto his sleeping parents.
Suddenly, every fiber of his being felt like it was on fire. Pain like he had never experienced gripped him, and when he tried to call out, no sounds came. After a few minutes the pain subsided a little and he was able to think almost clearly again. He looked at his bruised arms, and remembered what had happened. He tried to wake up his parents, but could only manage faint whispers.
Finally, one of the medically trained Oompa Loompas walked into the room to do his hourly inspection of Charlie’s condition. When she and Willy started dating, Lavinia had insisted that there be at least one doctor in the factory, and Willy responded by having a handful of Oompa Loompas medically trained. His reasoning was that this way, no doctors from the outside would have to be brought in, and Lavinia had relented to his stubbornness. A team of Oompa Loompas had even delivered Wynette, and there were always some minor accidents to be taken care of.
The Oompa Loompa saw that Charlie was awake and responsive, and pulled on Mrs. Bucket’s sleeve to wake her up.
“Wha-?” She said, before seeing Charlie. “Charlie! Wake up, Mr. Bucket!”
Mr. Bucket woke up almost as quickly as Mrs. Bucket. It seemed as though they had prepared themselves to wake up in a moment’s notice, in case bad news had to be told. “Is Charlie ok?”
Charlie tried to smile and calm his parents down. “Hi Mom. Hi Dad.” He managed to say in a half-audible voice, before the pain took over again.
The Oompa Loompa looked worried as he inserted an IV into one of the non-bruised patches of Charlie’s skin. The pain began to ebb, and Charlie realized that he must have showed his pain, because his parents were hugging each other for support.
Willy strode into the “hospital” looking disheveled. His top hat was askew, his hair was unbrushed, and he somehow looked paler than ever. “Is Charlie really awake?” When he saw that Charlie was doing better some color immediately went back into his face. He greeted Mr. and Mrs. Bucket, then pulled a bar of candy from inside his pocket. “Eat this Charlie. It will make you feel better. It’s Wonka Vite.” He broke a good chunk off and handed it to Charlie, who smiled and wolfed it down.
What felt like a wave of warmth crashed over Charlie’s body. The pain went away completely, and Charlie knew he would be able to speak again. “Thank you sir.”
“Oh, Charlie!” Mrs. Bucket started crying tears of joy.
“You should have some as well.” Willy said, breaking the remaining chocolate into 3 pieces, and handing a chunk to each of Charlie’s parents.
“Thank you, Willy.” Mr. Bucket accepted the gift with gratitude. His wife did the same, and even the sunlight seemed to get stronger.
After several minutes of silence, Charlie knew he must get the elephant out of the room. “Mr. Wonka, where’s Wynette?”
Just as quickly as it had come in, the light mood left the room.
Willy turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving with a frosty silence.
Mr. Bucket bit his lip. “Charlie, Wynette has been missing since the Wonkas found you last night.”
The Oompa Loompa finished up his examination, and then went out the doorway, leaving the family to catch up.
“She’s not missing. She got kidnapped.” Charlie searched his memory for details. “3 men, wearing ski masks, dressed in plain black outfits, said something about “Willy’s going to pay”, then that’s all I remember.”
Mrs. Bucket looked at her son. “Did they touch anything, so we can get prints?”
Charlie closed his eyes and let the night replay in his mind. “The criminals burst into the room, all wearing black ski masks with black shirts and jeans. They all had gloves on. Black leather gloves. It seemed like they knew what they were doing.  The leader was of medium build, with a muscular henchman, and one with a wiry frame. When the leader pulled the pistol from the feed sack, a funny little picture was revealed.”
“Charlie, what did it look like?” His father asked.
It was a bright red piece of candy with an F on it. Then there was a little G inside of the F. The letters were white, and the F was very elaborate. ”
“Charlie, that’s Ficklegruber’s logo.” Mr. Bucket looked about ready to stand up and strangle somebody. “He must have taken Wynette.”
Mrs. Bucket held him back. “But why would he put innocent children in danger?”
After several moments of silence, Charlie finally spoke. “He probably thought it was going to be Willy and his wife with Wynette, not me. He probably ordered them to harm anyone in their way.”

Lavinia handled her grief through motion. While her husband spent hour after hour cooped up in the Inventing Room, she wandered around the factory, searching for clues. As she poured over the parking lot again, she found something she missed the first 5 times. It was a candy wrapper slightly buried under this morning’s snowfall. As she inspected it closer, Lavinia realized that the wrapper was to a Prodnose candy bar. She ran back into the Entrance Hall, where Willy was talking to the Psychologist Oompa Loompa.
“I’ve always made whatever candy I felt like, and this time the candy tastes like there’s nothing there.” There was pause, then Willy sat up. “I haven’t felt anything since Ichigo was taken, so the candy doesn’t taste like anything. You’re good.”
“Willy! There you are. Look at what I found!” Lavinia ran up to her husband, and showed him the wrapper he found.
“It’s a Prodnose wrapper. So what?” Willy was unnaturally dressed. His coat was black, his gloves were black, and even his hair seemed black. His skin was slightly paler than it had been when he visited Charlie. His lips were almost white. The “W” necklace that he had received as thanks from the Indian Prince Pondicherry was not nearly as shiny as it had been only hours before. Lavinia couldn’t help but think that if he had fangs, he could pass as a vampire.
“So what? So what?! Willy, this means that Prodnose probably had something to do with Wynette’s disappearance!” Lavinia was getting more worried about her husband by the minute.
Willy scoffed. “What would Prodnose want with Wynette?”
Lavinia grabbed her husband by the shoulders. “What happened to you?”
He knocked her hands off. “Nothing. Now if you’ll excuse me, this candy doesn’t make itself you know.” Willy stormed off in the direction of the inventing room.
“Willy...” Lavinia whispered to herself. She decided that checking on Charlie and getting information from him would be an easier course of action.

“Hello Mrs. Wonka.” Charlie’s parents were back asleep, but Charlie was wide awake, waiting to be able to apologize to Willy.
“Hello Charlie. How are you feeling?”
He smiled, and held up his arms. “A lot better, thanks to Willy. Have you seen him, by the way? I...I sort of...maybe...made him upset.”
Lavinia’s face softened. “Don’t worry about it Charlie. He’s been on edge ever since we found you last night.”
“Mrs. Wonka...I think I know who might have kidnapped Wynette.”
“Me too. Prodnose.” she said, at the same time Charlie said “Ficklegruber.” They looked at each other in surprise.
“Do you think....?” Lavinia started.
Charlie finished her sentence. “That they teamed up?”
“Did they leave any sort of clues about how to find Wynette?”
“Well, did they try to contact you for ransom money?”
Lavinia thought back to the early morning. “I don’t think so...unless Willy received the message...” Charlie and Lavinia looked at each other with worry drenched on their faces.
“Mrs. Wonka, I want to come with you.”
“Charlie, I couldn’t ask you to do that. You’re still fragile.” Charlie looked like Violet Beauregard, he was so bruised.
Charlie shrugged it off. “It’s my fault that Wynette was kidnapped. I need to find her.”
Lavinia knew that Charlie could be as stubborn as her husband, so she asked an Oompa Loompa to release the boy in a wheel chair. As she wheeled him up to the Inventing Room, Charlie’s words haunted her. “It’s my fault that Wynette was kidnapped. It’s my fault...It’s my fault....” The room spun, and then....
“It’s my fault you and dad got a divorce, isn’t it?” Lavinia was crying at the bottom of the old wooden staircase as her father walked out the door, his possessions packed into a battered suitcase.
Her mother embraced her in a hug. “Of course not. We just don’t love each other as much as we once did. But we will always love you.”
“That’s what you said about Daddy!”  Lavinia struggled to escape from her mother’s touch. The 12 year old was small for her age, but finally succeeded.
She ran out the same door her father just exited, and ran down Cherry Street until she reached the new candy shop, run by a young boy named Wonka. School yard rumors said that he was only 16, and had run away from his home and his dentist father. He was supposedly a genius when it came to candy, but slightly touched in the head. At least, that’s what the girls whispered amongst themselves. Lavinia didn’t believe any of it.
She stood out in the snow, growing colder by the second, looking in through the large window, until an old man opened the door, and gently guided her in. His name tag said “Joe”, and he looked kind. He gathered some other employees around, and they took her to the back room, covered her with some blankets, and gave her hot chocolate. At closing time they sent her home with a small bag of sweets, and she started coming by every day to show her gratitude. After a while, she started learning how to make candy, and knew that this was the only job for her.
One Friday evening, about a year after becoming an employee of Mr. Wonka, Lavinia was staying after hours to sweep the floors. She was staying later and later, arriving earlier and earlier, all to escape the stress at home.
“Lavinia? What are you still doing here?” Mr. Wonka walked out of his office, which Lavinia had taken for empty.
She blushed. “Cleaning, sir.”
Willy looked down at his ever-present clip board. “It says here that you’ve worked 35 hours so far this week. Why?”
Lavinia felt comfortable with Willy, so she told him everything. About the divorce, about visitation with her father, about the stress at school. But she left out the part about her crush on him.
“Parents. Who needs them? Besides, they aren’t conducive to a creative atmosphere. Why don’t you live here with me? I’ve been watching you, and you’re brilliant.”
“You mean...run away?”
“Exactly. Hey, I did it, and look at me. I’m doing fine.”
Lavinia thought about her mother and how worried she would be. But then she thought of her father slowly walking out the door, and how sad he seemed every week when Lavinia visited him. “I’ll do it.”
Willy smiled, and wrapped her in a hug. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. I’m going to build a factory, and it’s going to be the world’s largest factory. Would you be my second in command?”
“Mrs. Wonka?” Lavinia was snapped to the present. “Mrs. Wonka, no offense, but you look like Willy when he gets flashbacks.”
Lavinia smiled sadly at Charlie. “Wait until you start having them.”
They paused outside of the Inventing Room door. As Charlie was about to turn the doorknob from his chair, Wilbur Wonka burst out of the room.
“You can’t do this to your wife! Or to Charlie! They need you!”
Willy’s voice came from within the room. “Well, I need somebody too!”
Dr. Wonka realized that Charlie and Lavinia were next to him. His face turned red, and he stormed off. Lavinia looked down at Charlie, then wheeled him into the room.
“Mr. Wonka....sir?” Charlie was nervous, afraid that Willy was still mad at him from the hospital incident.
Willy was hunched over a desk in the back corner of the room, his top hat hung up on a bust of himself, his cane thrown on the floor.
Lavinia walked over to her husband, and hugged him from behind, as he had done to her so many times before. “We know who did it. And we know you know also. What are their demands?” she whispered into his ear.
Willy’s body shook, and he covered his face with his hands. “They want me to give them the factory, and quit candy making. Forever. And they also said that they want you out of the business also.”
Charlie gasped, and Lavinia hugged her husband tighter.

Over at Ficklegruber headquarters, the henchmen were having quite the trouble with little Wynette. She had already bit some fingers, and no amount of pleading would get her to stop screaming.
The wiry captor, Man number 3 (as Wynette thought of him), leaned down to put his disgusting face into her small tear stained one. “Be good, or else you won’t ever see your mummy and daddy again.”
The leader, Man number 1, sneered at his charge. “Come on, let’s get her to the boss and off our hands.”
Man number 2 , the muscular one, stepped forward and grabbed Wynette’s right arm while Man number 3 grabber her left. They frog-marched her down the cold hallway, into an elevator, and then into a large office. There were 2 leather chairs in front of mahogany desk, mahogany bookcases filled with large books, and a small kitchen area off to the side. There was a large chair behind the desk, and its back was turned to the door.
Wynette felt her stomach turn. Her father would never approve of such drabness and neutrality. She started crying at the thought of her father, her mother, and Charlie back in the factory.
“You idiots! When I said “Go get the girl” I meant get his wife! Do you know how awkward it was to phone in that ransom?!” Ficklegruber turned in his leather chair to face the goons. He felt a certain disdain for the men that he had hired. It was foolish to even call them men. It took 2 of them to hold the little girl back, and all 3 had a worried look on their faces. Ficklegruber set his fingertips together, and surveyed the men in front of him.
“Yes...but, well- but- you see, we- we thought...” the normally confident leader stammered, frightened by the man of such power, such wealth! before him. He and his partners were getting paid $20,000 and a lifetime supply of candy each. Jefferson sighed and stopped stammering, awaiting the boss’s wrath.
Ficklegruber turned his chair around again, stood up, and looked out the windows that ran from ceiling to floor behind his desk. The sky outside was cloudy, the grayness a shade darker than the corporate beehives it hovered above. He tried to control his anger, but no! After all, he had wanted Wonka’s wife, that beautiful Lavinia, not his snot nosed brat. “I didn’t pay you to think.” He finally said in a cruel, metallic voice.
The doorway behind the henchmen opened, and a slightly shorter man walked into the room and joined Ficklegruber by the window. The two men looked almost like brothers.
Ficklegruber gestured at the 4 people in front of the desk. “Prodnose, you remember how we hired 3 competent, smart men to kidnap Willy Wonka’s wife and bring her back here for us to hold her ransom?”
Prodnose looked at where Ficklegruber gestured. He saw the three men, Jefferson, Davis, and Hays, but instead of the beautiful woman, he saw a little girl. He deduced that Ficklegruber was going to humiliate the men further. After all, that was his style, how he rose to the top. Well, almost the top. The only candy maker ahead of them was that blasted Willy Wonka! Prodnose nodded.
“Well, as you may have noticed, Lavinia isn’t here.” Ficklegruber’s eyes flashed in annoyance.
Prodnose smiled cruelly. “Right you are.” His voice was oily and dripping with malice.
“And now, we have his darling, precious little girl.” Wynette almost jumped at Ficklegruber, but knew it would be useless. She felt the two men restraining her loosen their grips a little; they had been expecting her to attack.
“So what shall we do with her?”
Ficklegruber sat down again, and motioned for Prodnose to do the same. “Well, I had a little chat on the phone with our good friend, Mister Willy Wonka.”
Wynette felt something in her stomach kick. These men were making fun of her father, the greatest man on Earth! She struggled to keep from vomiting.
She felt shudders from the men holding her, they were just as nauseous. She looked up at Davis, Man number 2, and saw that his face was as pale as her father's Marshmallow Pillows.
Prodnose sneered at the nervous puddles of human flesh before him. “And what did our good friend have to say?”
Ficklegruber held up his hands. “Nothing. He just hung up the phone.”
Wynette cheered on the inside, careful not to let her true emotions show. This means that her Daddy has a plan!
Her three captors shifted nervously. If Ficklegruber and Prodnose weren’t happy, then all Hell would break loose.

“Charlie, I can’t let you do that!” Willy slammed down his fist.
Charlie stood up, defying Willy to do something about it. “Why not?”
As Willy started to stand, Lavinia stepped in between the boys. “Willy, he’s not a little kid.” She said, looking at her husband. “But Charlie, this is far too dangerous.” She shifted her gaze.
Charlie sighed. “What’s wrong with breaking into Ficklegruber’s headquarters, beating him and Prodnose up, and taking Wynette?”
“Do we even have to tell you?” the adults said.
Charlie grinned. He suddenly frowned, letting his eyes drift over Willy’s dark ensemble. “Excuse me my lord, may I request my lord, permission my lord to speak?”
Willy nodded, slightly nervous about what was to come.
“Forgive me if I suggest my lord, you’re looking less than your best my lord-“
“In short, honey, we want you to change into your usual clothes.”

“Mr. Bucket, isn’t there anything we can do?” Mrs. Bucket was pacing back and forth in their little house in the Chocolate Room.
He put down the newspaper and sighed. “I’m afraid not, dear.” The front page headline said “Wonkas’ Daughter Kidnapped; Ficklegruber and Prodnose demand factory”.
Mrs. Bucket pointed to the headline. “How do they get the news so fast?”
“Dunno. Probably they leaked it to the press.”
“Well, we can’t let Willy or Lavinia see the paper.”
Mr. Bucket laughed a dry, fatigued laugh. “We don’t have to worry about Willy, he never reads the paper anyways.”
“And Lavinia?”
Mr. Bucket stroked his chin. “I suppose we just have to steal the paper before she gets to it.”
Mrs. Bucket crossed her arms. “Didn’t it come already?”
“Why yes...yes it di-“Mr. Bucket’s jaw dropped as he realized what he was saying. “Well...erm...could we have an Oompa Loompa hide it perhaps?”
Mrs. Bucket thought it over. “Maybe....or maybe....”
“Yes, dear?”
“Maybe....” she continued warily, “maybe we shouldn’t hide it from them.”
“But they’ll be destroyed if they see it!”
“And they’ll be destroyed if they found out that we knew and didn’t tell them. Think about how you would feel if it was Charlie instead of Wynette.”
“Tonight.” He said after a pregnant pause. “Tonight we’ll tell them.”

Lavinia sat at the table the Oompa Loompas had kindly set for her and Willy. She usually did the cooking, but with the day being so hectic, she’d asked for the night off. The pure white candles in the silver candelabra cast weird shadows as Mr. Wonka sat down. Why, his faced looked so...aged. His skin had even more of a gray twinge, but there was something...else. It wasn’t...natural. There wasn’t much time to dwell on that though, for Mr. and Mrs. Bucket joined them at the table. They sat down at the place settings across the table that Lavinia hadn’t noticed before. Mr. Bucket put a paper on the wooden table and put on a brave smile.
“Hello Willy. Hello Lavinia.” Mrs. Bucket’s voice seemed a tad more fragile than it usually did.
Willy gave a small nod of his head, the only indicator that he was mentally present.
Lavinia was still trying to figure out how the ocean blue plates had gotten on the table when Lavinia was sure that they had not been there 30 seconds earlier.
“Lavinia, I think you should read this headline.” Mr. Bucket pushed the newspaper to the dazed Mrs. Wonka.
She mouthed the headline a couple of times. “Wonkas’ Daughter Kidnapped; Ficklegruber and Prodnose Demand Factory”. As the message sank in, her eyes turned to fire, her maternal love for her darling daughter overpowering all molecules of her overworked brain. “They had the nerve to send it to the press?!”
“Send what?” Willy leaned over, trying to see what had agitated his level-headed beauty.
Her blue and green eyes blazing in hatred, she read snippets from the article out loud. “’We’re going to enjoy watching over Wynette while the parents make their decision’ said candy genius Ficklegruber over the phone today.”
“Candy genius? More like a parasitic copycat candy making cad.” Willy frowned, Ficklegruber didn’t deserve to be associated with candy in the least.
Lavinia couldn’t help but smile. At least Willy was getting some of his pep back. Even as she gazed lovingly, his face seemed to get younger. Not back to original, mind you, but about a year melted off like a Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight left in the sun on a hot summer’s day.
An Oompa Loompa brought a silver covered platter to the table. He had to step on a small platform to put the dish on the table. After pulling the cover off to reveal steaks, the Oompa Loompa bowed and retreated to the kitchen.
The silence was broken only by the sound of scraping knives and forks. The tension weighed down on the adults' already heavy minds.
"When is Charlie going to come down from the Inventing Room? He loves steaks." Mrs. Bucket gestured at the unclaimed food in the center of the table.
Willy looked up. "Inventing Room? We thought he was with you."
Mr. Bucket shook his head. "He told us he was working with you guys in the Inventing Room."
"You don't think....?" Lavinia dropped her utensils in shock.
"What?" Mrs. Bucket was high strung, and after the incident with Wynette, was even more overprotective.
Willy grimaced. Who would have thought that Charlie would lie?
"Mr. and Mrs. Bucket....I think Charlie's gone to save Wynette." All 4 adults subconsciously looked over to the empty plate, the purple napkin still folded in a swan shape.

A very nervous Charlie snuck his way into Ficklegruber headquarters. His disguise, a top and suit, was The Real McCoy. It was his voice that he'd have to worry about. If his pubescent voice decided to crack, he would be as good as dead. After all, everybody knew Willy Wonka's voice didn't crack.
He walked into the dingy lobby. The floors were carpeted with a cheap dirt brown matted excuse for flooring. The walls were bare, and closer inspection yielded that they were not tan, but unclean white. A man was sleeping at the desk in the far corner, shouldn't he be awake? After all, the great "Willy Wonka" had called to say he was coming to negotiate with Prodnose and Ficklegruber.
Charlie gulped as he stepped into the elevator. Charlie was not worried about mannerisms. Heck, after 5 years, he was pretty sure he could do a good imitation of Willy. It was appearances that made him sweat. He had had a major growth spurt last year, and was now almost eye-to-eye with Willy. Almost. But luckily Charlie had found a pair of shoes with a slight heel to them, and a top hat that was about 2 inches taller than the rest. That should convince them that he was who he said he was. His makeup added the 27 years that he lacked, and he found a wig that looked exactly like Willy's hairstyle in the second-hand shop down the street from the factory. But what if they saw through his disguise? He could be tortured....or worse. And what would become of Wynette? But it's too late to back out now. He thought as the elevator doors opened with a ding.
He stepped out and walked down a hallway, the lights on the ceiling looking as sickly as Charlie felt. He knocked at the brown door at the end of the hallway, and stepped in when it opened. This room was noticeably better than the rest of the building. The tables were a beautiful mahogany, and there were many books lining the bookshelves. One man was sitting in a chair in a little kitchen area, and two men were behind the grand desk. The weather outside was horrible, you could practically feel the wind, but the giant wall to ceiling window let you look anyways. There were other skyscrapers, but none of them as tall as this one. What could be going on in them? Could there be hostage situations, impersonators, cruel villains?
"Mr. Wonka? Hello...?" It took Charlie a moment to realize that Prodnose was addressing him.
"Where's Wynette?" Perfect! His voice was exactly like Willy's! This was going to be easier than he expected.
"All in good time, Mr. Wonka. But first, would you like some tea? Or coffee, perhaps?" Ficklegruber gestured over the kitchen area where the man, who Charlie now recognized as one of the kidnappers,  was sitting. "No thanks." Charlie said, clearing his throat.
Prodnose shrugged. "Alright then." He clapped his hands like a harem master, and 2 men came in through a hidden side door, practically dragging Wynette. Charlie recognized them as the other two invaders. He struggled to keep calm.
Wynette's face lit up when she saw what she thought was her dad. Charlie flashed her their secret symbol so she wouldn't cry when she realized that Willy wasn't there. Wynette gave the tiniest of nods, but still tried to break free of her restrainers. She knew she'd have to make it look realistic.
"Well, well, well then Mr. Wonka," Ficklegruber walked over to Wynette, and leaned down to put his face next to hers, looking up at Charlie. "I suppose you've come to make a deal."
Charlie decided now would be the time to act. "You're really weird." He then rushed Prodnose and Ficklegruber, using the element of surprise. He punched Prodnose in the gut and face, leaving him with a bloody nose and cracked lip. He grabbed one of the brown leather books off of the nearest bookcase and hit Ficklegruber on the back of the head. As the man fell to the floor, Charlie kicked him a couple of times, interrupted by explosions. As he turned around, he saw that Wynette was throwing Exploding Candies she must have taken from the factory before she was taken. Charlie started throwing books to add to the confusion, then grabbed Wynette and ran back to the elevator. He considered attacking the henchmen, but decided against it. Why be violent when there's no need? He hugged the slightly tearful Wynette for the first time in a day.

As that blasted Willy Wonka walked out of the door, Ficklegruber reached up and pressed the red security button on the underside of his desk. Let's see them get through that...

As soon as the elevator doors opened on the lobby level, security guards swarmed Charlie and Wynette. They grabbed both children, and after a mild fight, tied them to chairs to await instructions from the boss.
After several minutes in the stifling silence, Charlie tried to silently tell Wynette to throw some more Exploding Candies.
She shrugged, she had thrown all she had back in the bland office. But she did have one more secret weapon. She silently pressed a bottle into Charlie's hands when the guards weren't looking, and held up 3 fingers. After a count of 3 seconds, both emptied the bottles of Fizzy Lifting Drink into their parched mouths. After a moment, a funny feeling tickled Wynette's stomach. She giggled as she rose up in the air, Charlie right behind her. The guards turned around to see why the prisoner was laughing, and looked confused when nobody was there. Wynette couldn't help herself, she giggled again. The guards looked up at the floating children, who were getting closer and closer to the ceiling. That was the last thing they saw.

The real Willy Wonka hit the dumbfounded guards on the back of the head with his cane. "Good job Ichigo-chan!"
She giggled again and burped, sinking to the ground. Charlie did a couple flips, and belched loudly, landing in a handstand. "Excuse me. Hello Willy! Hello Mrs. Wonka!"
Wynette was already in her mother's arms. "I missed you mommy."
"I missed you too Wynette."
"Why, I look handsome!" Willy high-fived Charlie after doing a short mirror routine. "Oh, and Charlie, I think somebody wants to see you." Mr. and Mrs. Bucket walked into the building and embraced their son.
"Don't scare us like that!" Of course, his mother was back to worrying.
"Mrs. Bucket, he's fine." Charlie smiled as his father came to his aid.
"Yes, but think of what might have happened!"
"But it didn't." Willy and his family joined the Bucket reunion.
Charlie smiled, and felt very exhausted. "Let's go home."

The Oompa Loompas cooked a grand feast to celebrate the homecoming. Willy was wearing his usual purple coat and bottle green pants, much to the joy of everyone there. Doctor Wonka was invited back, and even Charlie's grandparents came. The little house in the Chocolate River Room wasn't big enough to hold everybody, so they ate on the Pink Sugar Boat.
And this time, Wynette and Charlie ate with the adults.