Chapter 6 - Greed is an Ugly Color

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Veruca then called out to her father, interrupting mine and Willy's conversation. "Daddy, look over there. What is it? It's a little person," She pointed to one of many little people working in the factory. "Over there by the waterfall." He was using a jackhammer on something. 

Willy and I went to go join the others, and Charlie looked up at me and smiled. I ruffled his hair as Mrs. Beaureguard said, "There's two of them." Mr. Teavee said, "There's more than two." Looking around, we noticed that there were tons of these tiny workers in the room. "Where do they come from?" Mrs. Gloop asked.

"Who are they?" Charlie asked as well. Then Mike asked, "Are they real people?" Willy looked down at him and answered, "Of course they're real people. They're Oompa-Loompas." We watched them work some more as Mr. Salt asked, "Oompa-Loompas?"

"Imported direct from Loompaland," Willy informed. What the heck is Loompaland? I've never heard of it before. "There's no such place," Mr. Teavee said, making Willy whip his head around to look at him. "What?" He asked. "Mr. Wonka, I teach high school geography, and I'm here to tell you-"

"Well, then you'll know all about it and know what a terrible country it is," Willy cut him off, then looked forward again. "The whole place is nothing but thick jungles infested by the most dangerous beasts in the world: Hornswagglers and snozwangers and those terrible, wicked wangdoodles. I went to Loompaland looking for exotic new flavors for candy. Instead, I found the Oompa-Loompas. They live in tree houses to escape from the fierce creatures who lived below. The Oompa-Loompas ate nothing but green caterpillars which tasted revolting. The Oompa-Loompas kept looking for other things to mash-up with their caterpillars to make them taste better: red beetles, the bark of the bong-bong tree. All of them beastly, but quite so beastly as the caterpillars. But the food they longed for the most was the cocoa beans. An Oompa-Loompa was lucky if he found three or four cocoa beans a year. But oh how they craved them. All they'd ever think about was cocoa beans.  The cocoa bean happens to be the thing from which chocolate is made, so I told the chief 'Come live in my factory. You can have all the cocoa beans you want. I will even pay your wages in cocoa beans if you wish.' They are such wonderful workers. I feel I must warn you though, they are rather mischievous. Always making jokes."

"Augustus my child, that is not a good thing you do!" Mrs. Gloop called out, making us all look at her child who was drinking the chocolate river with his hands. I gasped in shock and Willy ran a couple steps forward, "Hey, little boy, my chocolate must be untouched by human hands." Augustus didn't listen though. As he went back to get another handful of chocolate, he fell into the river. We all gasped as Willy rolled his eyes.

"He'll drown! He can't swim! Save him!" Mrs. Gloop pleaded. "Augustus, no!" I grabbed Willy's hand, making him look at me. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering why he wasn't helping Augustus, as he looked at the pipe that was coming to pick up more chocolate. Willy gave me a smile as the pipe made its way down to the river. Then Augustus got sucked up into the pipe. 

"There he goes," Violet spoke up, as we all watched Augustus get shot up the pipe. "Call the fire brigade!" Mrs. Gloop cried. "It's a wonder how the pipe is big enough," Mrs. Beaureguard said. Then he started to slow down as Charlie said, "It isn't big enough. He's slowing down." 

"He's going to stick," Mike said. "I think he already has," I spoke up, placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder. "He's backed the whole pipe," Mr. Salt said. Then Charlie suddenly said, "Look. The Oompa-Loompas." We all looked at the tiny workers as the started to make a rhythm with their tools. "Back off you little freaks!" Mike exclaimed. "What are they doing?" Veruca asked. "Why, believe they're going to treat us to  little song," Willy smiled. "It is a special occasion, of course. They haven't had a fresh audience in many a moon."

Willy was clapping as soon as they Oompa-Loompas were done with their song and the chocolate pipe was carrying Augustus away, "Bravo! Well done! Aren't they delightful? Aren't they charming?" Mr. Salt said, "I do say that all seemed rather rehearsed." He does have a point. "Like they knew what was going to happen," Mike said. "Oh, poppycock," Willy said as he walked away, pulling me with him. 

"Where is my son?" Mrs. Gloop walked beside Willy. "Where does that pipe go to?" I looked at Willy as he responded, "That pipe- it just so happens to lead directly to the room where I make the most delicious kind of strawberry-flavored chocolate-coated fudge."

"Then he will be made into strawberry-flavored chocolate-coated fudge? They'll be selling him by the pound? All over the world?" Mrs. Gloop cried. "No, I wouldn't allow it." Willy shook his head. "The taste would be terrible. Can you imagine Augustus-flavored chocolate-coated Gloop? Ew! No one would buy it." Mrs. Gloop glared at Willy as he turned around and made a weird noise. An Oompa-Loompa walked over.

We all bent down as Willy said, "I want you to take Mrs. Gloop up to the fudge room, okay? Help her find her son. And take a long stick and start poking it around in the big mixing barrel, okay?" The Oompa-Loompa crossed his arms over his chest then back down at his sides. Willy let go of my hand to do the same, and we stood up straight. The Oompa-Loompa tugged on Mrs. Gloop's dress and led her away from the group. 

"Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked. "Huh?" Willy smiled at him. "Why would Augustus's name already be in the Oompa-Loompa song unless they-?" Willy cut him off, "Improvisation is a parlor trick. Anyone can do it." Charlie looked at me and I shrugged. Willy looked at Violet, "You, little girl, say something. Anything."

"Chewing gum," She responded. Willy turned back to look at Charlie, "Chewing gum is really gross. Chewing gum I hate the most. See? Exactly the same." Mike spoke up, "No it isn't." Willy turned to look at him, "Uh, you really shouldn't mumble, because I can't understand a word you're saying. Now, on with the tour."

Willy started walking and Charlie looked at me, "Are the Oompa-Loompas really joking, Alex?" I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him, "Of course, they're joking. Augustus is going to be fine." Charlie smiled back at me and walked ahead of me. My smile dropped off my face once I was sure he wasn't joking. I just didn't want Charlie to worry. "Lexi," Willy called out of me. "Come walk with me." I stood next to him, "Sure." He grabbed my hand and led us to the river again.

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YES, HELLO! YOU'RE FAVORITE AUTHOR HAS RETURNED!

Hi guys, I'm so sorry it took literally YEARS to update this story again ;-; Please don't hate me. They took the movie off of Netflix again and after that I just lost interest for a long long time. BUT, I am back, and I am determined to finish this story. 

STAY TUNED!


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