Cherry and the Chocolate Factory

chapter 6

The lights flashed on. They were in a completely different room, far from the chocolate room.

"We're there." Willy told them.

"Where?" Mrs. TeeVee asked.

"A small step for mankind, but a giant step for us," Willy said, then announced to all the guests. "All ashore!"

Everyone then got out. Cherry got herself out, then followed the others as Katie was alone with Willy.

"How was the ride?" Willy asked.

"A little weird for my taste, but it wasn't so bad, sir." Katie replied, smiling shyly.

"Hey Kat, check this out." Cherry called for her.

"Better go," Katie walked from Willy then went with Cherry as she read some signs. "What is it, Cher Bear?"

"Look, dairy cream." she read aloud.

"Whipped cream." Katie read with her.

"Coffee cream."

"Vanilla cream?"

Cherry and Katie stumbled to the last word and looked at each other, saying the last name in shock and awe. "Hair cream?"

Willy spoke to the group in German.

"That's not French." Mrs. TeeVee pointed out.

"Well, duh!" Cherry scoffed at her. "Miss, I'm a High School Teacher and I Let My Son Watch A Zillion Hours of TV a day."

Mrs. TeeVee glared at her, then looked back as Willy was opening a strange door. Willy spoke in more German, but everyone was lost of what he could have been saying.

"I can't take much more of this." Mr. Salt groaned.

"The Inventing Room," Willy opened the doors after finally speaking English. He allowed everyone to step inside and look with wonder and curiousity. "Now remember, no touching, no tasting, no telling."

"No telling what?" Katie wondered.

"You see," Willy began to explain. "All of my most secret inventions are cooking and simmering in here. Old Slugworth would give his false teeth to get inside for just five minutes, so don't touch a thing!"

"Who is this Slugworth guy anyway?" Cherry asked.

"One of Mr. Wonka's rivals," Katie replied, looking down at her younger friend. "He often tries to steal Mr. Wonka's recipes to make his own candy taste better and put him out of business. Bewary of people you don't know, Cherry. Some other spies are known as Prodnose who made chewing gum that never lost its flavor, and Fickelgruber made ice cream that never melted."

"Whoa..." Cherry whispered in awestruck.

"Fascinating facts you know, Miss Katie." Willy smiled at her, which made her blush deeply again.

"You got a garbage strike going on here, Wonka?" Mr. Beauregard asked as he looked at how cluttered and out-of-place the inventing room seemed.

"Who does your cleaning up?" Mrs. TeeVee added, looking strict and firm.

"Shouldn't you be wearing rubber gloves?" Mr. Salt demanded. "You'll have the health inspectors after you, you know that, don't you?"

"Invention, my dear friends," Willy spoke as he was mixing up a concoction together before them. "Is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple." he then took a sip in front of them.

"That's 105%!" Mrs. TeeVee exclaimed.

Cherry counted her fingers to make sure that was right as the adults were talking.