The Chocolate Worker

Chapter 1: 5 Golden Tickets, 4 Gross Kids

I admit, I thought Willy had lost his head the day he said that he had sent out 5 golden tickets hidden in ordinary Wonka bars throughout the world for 5 fortunate children to find. "Excuse me?!" I had asked. And instead of taking a hint, Willy simply repeated himself: "I decided to send out 5 golden tickets throughout the world hidden in ordinary chocolate bars." I didn't know the exact reason for him doing so, but I had a pretty good guess.

Ever since several months ago, when Willy got his semi-annual haircut and had discovered his first gray hair...well, let's just say he wasn't very easy to work for. I remember that day. An Oompa-Loompa had walked into my private office with an anxious look on his face. I sighed. I knew that look. Something had happened that had made Willy upset, and if he was upset, everyone in the factory knew it. "What's wrong this time?" I groaned.

"Well...Mr. Wonka just had his haircut," The Oompa-Loompa mumbled. "And he, um...discovered his first gray hair." I grimaced. I was worried that that day would come. I knew that the day it would happen would be the day of an Ultra Wonka Meltdown. "How's he taking it?" I asked. He shrugged. "I'm not sure. He's locked himself up in his office and won't come out." I rolled my eyes.

"Alright, that's it. I'll handle this," I said. "Willy isn't going to keep himself locked up in his office if I can help it." I walked down the hall to Willy's office and tried the doorknob (locked tight) then banged on the door. "Come on Willy!" I said in exasperation. "Will you open the door!" I waited for at least 2 minutes, then finally, I heard Willy sigh and then he unlocked and opened the door.

I walked into his office and quickly pulled the door closed behind me before he could change his mind. Willy sat down in his desk chair and got that look on his face. That look is the look he gets when he makes up his mind about something and nothing, not even logic, can change it. I sighed and sat down on the edge of his desk. "Willy," I began. "Just because you have one gray hair isn't the end of the world. It may just be stress. I mean my mom got gray hairs when she was only in her 20's! Sure, gray may have been her natural hair color but...are you even listening to me?"

It sure looked like Willy wasn't hearing a word I said. I was just about to yank him up out of his chair, when finally, he responded. "Avril, today I realized that I must do something that I have put off for a long time now." I rolled my eyes. "What, go into the Wonka Mausoleum and Retirement Center?" Willy gave me a sharp look. I shrugged and muttered a sorry under my breath.

Willy paused (for effect, I suppose) then turned around and stated: "I must find a hair, er, heir." I smirked. Willy frowned at me. "This is no laughing matter, Avril." I smiled. "I know, I know. I just really can't see you robbing a childcare facility any sooner than I can see you run out of candy ideas." Willy rolled his eyes. "Very funny. I am serious though. Some way or another, I must find an heir before my time is up."

I just hadn't expected him to use tickets. Oh well. Let's just hope that the first child isn't too bad.

About a week later...

I sit down on one of the chairs in the Television Room. Willy has recently built a new room for one of his "latest and greatest" inventions, as he called it. Television Chocolate. We also use this room for watching regular television. Well, technically, this is the first time we're using it for regular T.V. Willy and I are usually too busy with work to have any time left to spend in front of that big white box.

But since Willy sent out those five golden tickets, he decided that we might as well tune into the news to see exactly what sort of raggedy Rumpelstiltskin's we'll be dealing with. I'll be taking notes, because Willy also thought that it would be a good idea to kind of test the children a little bit, to see which child will be a good fit to be his heir and which child is too much of a little snot to be a good fit for anything.