Sweet Endings (Willy Wonka | Johnny Depp)

Chapter 7 - Chewing Gum Really is Gross

As we approached the river, a huge, purple seahorse boat pulled up to the side. The Oompa-Loompas were rowing it. Once the boat came to a stop, they all started laughing. "What's so funny?" Violet asked. "I think it's from all those doggone cocoa beans," Willy answered. "Hey, by the way, did you guys know that chocolate contains a property that triggers the release of endorphins? Gives the one the feeling of being in love."

"You don't say?" Mrs. Beauregard said, and gave Willy a flirty smile. I had to hold back a laugh from the disgusted look on his face. "All aboard," He nervously said. I let Charlie get in first, and sat right next to him. Willy then sat next to me, making me be in the middle of him and Charlie. Willy held my hand again as he said, "Onward."

The Oompa-Loompas started rowing as the drums were being played. Charlie smiled at me as we started moving and I kissed his forehead. Willy dipped a ladle into the river and handed it to Charlie, "Here. Try some of this, it'll do you good. You look starved to death." I smiled at Willy as Charlie drank half of the chocolate that was in the ladle. "It's great!" Charlie smiled, handing me the ladle. I drank the rest of it as Willy said, "That's because it's mixed by waterfall. The waterfall is most important. It mixes the chocolate, churns it up. Makes it light and frothy. And by the way, no other factory in the world-"

"You already said that," Veruca gave him a look. Willy was quiet for a second and nervously said, "You're all quiet short, aren't you?" Violet said, "Well yeah, we're children." "Well that's no excuse," Willy said. "I was never as short as you." Mike retorted with, "You were once."

"Was not! Know why? Because I distinctly remember putting a hat on top of my head. Look at you're short little arms. You could never reach," Willy sassily responded. I looked at Willy and chuckled at him as Charlie asked, "Do you even remember what is what like being a kid?" "Oh boy do I," Willy responded with a smile, then his smile slowly fell from his face. "Do I?"

Willy seemed to be in another trance and I turned to look at Charlie, "How about we don't ask Mr. Wonka anymore questions from his childhood, okay Charlie?" He nodded, "Okay Alex." I rubbed the back of Willy's hand with my thumb, comforting him through his flashback. We then approached a tunnel. I furrowed my eyebrows as Charlie called out for Willy, "Mr. Wonka?"

Willy shook his head as Charlie continued, "Mr. Wonka, we're headed for a tunnel!" I looked at Willy as he said, "Oh yeah. Uh, full speed ahead." The Oompa-Loompas started rowing faster as the drums were beating faster. "How can they see where they're going?" Violet asked. "They can't. There's no knowing where they're going," Willy answered. "Switch on the lights."

The lights turned on and we were rushing down the tunnel. I buried my head in Willy's shoulder, not really wanting to watch us zoom into a wall from how fast we were going. Willy rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb, reassuring me that we were going to be okay. We then slowed down and I lifted my head up. "People, keep an eye out. We're passing some very important rooms here," Willy said.

We passed the clotted cream room, then the coffee cream room, hair cream room. Mrs. Beauregard looked at Willy with a flirty smile again and asked, "What do you use hair cream for?" Willy ignored her flirting attempts and answered, "To lock in moisture." Mrs. Beauregard looked away from Willy and frowned as we passed the whipped cream room. The Oompa-Loompas were whipping the cow. I turned to raise an eyebrow at Willy, "Really?"

"What?" He asked. "Whipped cream," Charlie said. "Precisely," Willy giggled, but then frowned once he saw the look on my face. He realized that I was not okay with that process. "That doesn't make sense," Veruca snobbily said. "For your information, little girl, whipped cream isn't whipped cream at all unless it's been whipped with whips," Willy answered just as snobbily. "Everyone knows that." She looked away from him as he whispered in my ear, "However, I will do that another way."