Willy Wonka and his Heir

Candy Land

Inside the factory, as the door shut with a bang, Atlas was surprised to find that it was actually quite warm inside the factory, and his shivering grew less strong, his body becoming more stable. "Why is it so warm in here?" Veruca asked. "My workers are used to a much, much hotter climate, and they hate the cold." Willy replied. "Drop your coats anywhere. Anywhere works." Everyone, minus Atlas, tossed their coats to the side, while Atlas folded up his blanket and carefully set it down. It hadn't been cleaned in a while, and any dirt that was on it might make the chocolate go bad if it was touched. Everyone followed Willy, with the other children introducing themselves to Willy.

Violet hugged Willy, and Atlas quietly noted to himself that Willy stiffened, and apparently did not like being touched. He called Veruca a wart, and gave an awkward smile at Augustas when he told him how much he loved his chocolate. Mike just stood by his dad, looking somewhat bored. As they followed Willy, Atlas hung back, debating seriously on whether he should run back to get his blanket or not. He glanced back, and saw orange skinned men with green hair quietly gathering their things. One of them saw him looking, and pointed at his blanket, quietly whispering something to another man. They picked up his blanket with care, unlike the others coats, and went through a little door.

Atlas hurried to the group, who had almost reached the end of the hall. His footsteps didn't make any noise against the carpet, so nobody noticed him as he appeared again besides Willy. Willy opened the door to reveal a room that looked remarkably like candy land. "Everything in here is edible. Go on, go eat!" Willy said, gesturing to the edible landscape. Atlas appeared beside him silently as Willy watched the other guests, and Atlas watched with him. Willy glanced down, sensing something, and gave a little hop when he noticed Atlas. "Why hello there. You're very quiet." He informed Atlas. "What's going to be happening to my blanket?" Atlas asked in his soft crackly way. "Why, whatever do you mean?" Willy asked. "I saw some orange skinned men pick up our belongings. I wanted to go back for my blanket." Atlas mumbled the last part, hugging himself. "You're very dependent on that blanket." Willy observed. Atlas remained silent.

Mike spotted Atlas, and scooping up some liquid chocolate in a buttercup, walked over to Atlas. "Here. He said we could eat as much as we like, and you need food." He said firmly, holding the buttercup out to Atlas. Atlas gave a small smile, and took the buttercup. He took a sip, and paused. He slowly sat down, and sipped it slowly. Mike sat with him, and his father awkwardly sat with them as well. "So what's your name?" Mike's father asked. "Atlas." Atlas mumbled. "Where's your parent, weirdo?" Came Veruca's mocking voice. Atlas stiffened, and wished he had his blanket with him to hide from Veruca's mocking face. "Oh leave him alone brat." Mike snapped. "He isn't feeling very well right now, leave him alone." Veruca scoffed, and walked away.

Atlas closed his eyes, and slumped, resting. "Hey, are you okay?" Mike asked, concerned. Atlas nodded minutely. "Just resting." He mumbled. "Augustas!" Came a terrified cry. Atlas bolted to his feet, startled, and looked wildly to the source. "He's fallen in!" Atlas and crew walked over to the crying lady, where Willy proceeded to reassure her slightly that he would be fine. Augustas got stuck in the pipe, amd the orange skinned people came out and started singing. "What are those?" Mike's dad asked. "Those are Oompa-Loompas." Willy replied. "They're my workers in exchange for coco beans. They love it." The Oompa-Loompas began to sing their song, and Augustas went up the pipe. As they left, a few waved at Atlas, and Atlas, startled, shyly waved back.

As they got on the boat that appeared, Atlas got on last, and sat beside Willy. Before they took off, one of the Oompa-Loompas discreetly gave Atlas a blanket. Atlas simply put the blanket beside him, afraid of getting it dirty. As they pushed off, there was banter between Veruca and Violet, and Mike was looking bored. "Why aren't you using the blanket the Oompa-Loompas gave you?" Willy quietly murmured to Atlas. "I don't want to get it dirty. And it's really soft, and soft blankets are hard to come by." Atlas said quietly. "Are they really." Wonka said quietly. "Yeah. Which is why I'm concerned about my blanket. I don't want anything bad to happen to it." "It'll be just fine." Willy reassured.