The Candy Man (Christian Borle as Willy WonkaXReader)

6.

-And here we are!

There's pitch black in here. I'm almost afraid of walking, I don't want to step on something. It seems though that my feet are walking on simple tile. Can this room be completely empty?

-Welcome to the Immaginum!- smiles Wonka, turning the lights on: even if I can see all the people in here, we are still surrounded by darkness. This is such a strange room...

-It's empty!- says Grandpa Joe.

-That's right, Mr. Bucket: this is the place where I come to imagine. At evening, I come here and I look at the town from above and when I have an idea for some treats, I write it in my diary.- Wonka shows us the only objects in the room: a table with a big violet book on it that has a golden hand-painted "W" on the cover.

Charlie opens his eyes wide:-You have a diary too, Mr.Wonka?!

I'm very curious too: there must be awesome notes in that notebook. I would give anything to read some pages!

-Of course, Charlie. There are the best ideas I've ever had in there, and even the ideas I haven't had too.

-...The ones you haven't had?

-Exactly: I leave them on the blank pages in the back.

I laugh, and I instinctively grab the cover, opening the diary:-Can I read some pages?

Willy looks at me, but this time it's not the usual reassuring gaze he has given me up to now. I see in his eyes a kind of sadness, anger, and disappointment like I've done something terrible.

-No. Nobody can read it!- Willy grabs out angrily the diary from my hands, and without looking at anyone goes to leave. But what is the deal with him?

-Mr. Wonka, where are you going?

-I made a mistake by telling you about this journal. I won't allow anybody to read it! There are too many busybodies out there!- Willy is furious, his face is red with anger, and the vein on his neck is now visible. But what have I done?

-Mr. Wonka!- Grandpa Joe is getting nervous -Don't you think that's a little extreme?

-Nothing is extreme if you have to deal with spies!!!

I understand how he feels. I come closer to him, whispering:-Willy, I'm not a spy. And neither Charlie is...

-DON'T CALL ME WILLY!!!- Wonka screams furious, violently pulling my hand from his shoulder -I DON'T KNOW YOU! AND YOU DON'T KNOW ME!!!

I'm shocked, I barely can talk. What is going on with him? I thought he liked me, I thought...

Oh, my God, I'm so stupid. What do did I think I had obtained? I seriously thought I already was someone special to him? What nonsense.

But why do I feel the world crumbling around me then?

There's a painful silence in the room. Wonka turns his back to me:-Miss Teavee, it has been a pleasure to have you here. The Oompa-Loompas will escort you to the exit.- his voice is cold, intransigent.

-But-

-I have nothing to say to you. Thank you for everything. Goodbye.

Charlie and his grandpa look at us shocked. I see Willy pulling off again the whistle to call two Oompa-Loompas, who arrive immediately. As if they had quickly understood the situation, they enter silently, offering me their tiny hands to take me out of the Immaginum. I'm sad, confused, I don't get why. What's going on?

Before I can give an answer to the hundreds of questions filling my mind, the Immaginum's sliding doors close in front of me, while the Oompa-Loompas take me down the stairs.

-(Y/N)! Finally! Where have you been? Dinner's almost ready!- my mom opens the front door with her colorful apron on, as usual. As I walk into the kitchen I see that a big roast beef is being prepared, while on the counter there's a bowl full of mashed potatoes.

Roast beef and mashed potatoes. The same gum flavor that Violet tasted at the Factory. How ironic...

-Sorry, mum, but I'm not that hungry. I just want to go to bed, I'm really tired. How's Mike?

-Oh, you should have seen him: as soon as he came home he immediately turned off  his computers and his three TVs! Well, he hasn't got anything else in his room, so he spent all day looking at the wall, but it's better than those screens! I don't understand what is so fascinating about Willy Wonka to make him transform that way!

Yeah. I wish I knew too.

-...Good. I'm going sleeping.

-(Y/N), are you sure you're okay? You don't look good...

-Don't worry, I'm just very, very sleepy. Goodnight.

I go up the stairs, going to take my pajama in the bathroom. I change myself as quickly as I can: I walk out of the bathroom after ten minutes, when I bump into Mike in the hallway.

-Look who's here, the Candy Man's Sweetheart! So? You already got tired of staying in the Factory of Wonder and you came back home?- says Mike, with his usual arrogant tone.

-Mike, leave me alone.

-Well, at least you made it out alive. Trust me, that Wonka is completely nuts. He's stupid, insane, and he has the brain of a seven-year-old baby...

-MIKE, STOP IT! I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!!!

I slam my bedroom's door, locking it. I hear Mike go away laughing: I hate him when he acts like this...

I stand on the door with my back, passing a hand through my hair. I'm sad, I'm a wreck, I just want to sleep and forget this day.

No, actually I don't want to. I realized a dream that I didn't even know I still had, I became a child back for one day, I rediscovered some feelings that I had totally forgotten. It was supposed to be a wonderful day. Why was not that so?

I take the purse I brought with me today, going to bed: I want to read something before sleeping. Wait, my glasses are dirty, I need my chamois cloth to clean them... Oh, there it is, it was at the bottom of my bag. I pull it out, but what I see shocks me.

This isn't my glasses cleaning cloth. It's mint green with black polka dots.

It's his handkerchief.

I instinctively smell it: it has a mint scent.

And this is when I can't contain myself anymore: I burst into tears, clutching hard in my hand the wrinkled handkerchief.

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I know, this chapter is so sad, I was feeling bad too while writing it... What's gonna happen next? Comment!

XOXO