life would be sweeter / charlie and the chocolate factory ✔️

4

Three days had passed, and there was still no word about the progress of the golden ticket hunt. I found myself growing increasingly restless with each passing day, though I constantly reminded myself not to let greed for chocolate consume me.

One evening, I tuned in to the TV for the latest news. The announcer's voice filled the room as they reported on the discovery of the second golden ticket. Veruca Salt, a young English girl, discovered it.

In the living room, only I and two adults were glued to the TV screen, all ears and eyes, eager to gather any information about how Veruca Salt had secured the coveted golden ticket.

A reporter on the screen asked, "Veruca, can you spell your name for us, please?"

Proudly, she spelled out her name, "V-E-R-U-C-A. Veruca Salt!"

I'd heard tales of spoiled children—those who incessantly whined and threw tantrums to get what they wanted. And looking at her, her face spoke volumes; she seemed thoroughly and undoubtedly spoiled and rotten.

"As soon as little Veruca told me she had to have one of these golden tickets, I started buying all the Wonka bars I could lay my hands on. Thousands of them. Hundreds of thousands," her father, the famous Mr. Salt, said.

"I'm in the nut business, you see. So I say to my workers, 'Morning, ladies. From now on, you can stop shelling peanuts and start shelling the wrappers off these chocolate bars instead.' Three days went by, and we had no luck. Oh, it was terrible. My Veruca got more and more upset each day," he explained.

"His Veruca?" I said to myself. My disappointment seemed to be directed more at the parents than the child, realizing that the actions of parents often inspire their children.

I listened as Veruca's father explained, "Well, gentlemen, I just hated to see my little girl feeling unhappy like that. I vowed I would keep searching until I could give her what she wanted. And finally, I found her a ticket." He smiled nervously, the memory of his daughter's incessant demands flashing before him.

But my thoughts soon drifted away from the Salt family. It was getting late, and dwelling on their story wasn't worth it. I let out a sigh instead, refocusing on my own hopes for a golden ticket.

"She's even worse than the fat boy," Mrs. Thatcher said to the other adult.

"I don't think that was quite fair. She didn't discover the ticket on her own," I remarked, glancing in her direction.

"Don't let it trouble you, (Y/N). That man tends to indulge his daughter, and excessive indulgence seldom leads to anything good," she explained with a knowing nod.

"(Y/N), can we talk in your room for a moment? I need to speak to you." I heard Miss Mitchell's voice again. Standing up from the couch and bidding goodnight to them both, I trailed after her, making my way to my room.

I nestled under the cozy blanket and waited for Miss Mitchell to sit by my side. She was holding a neatly wrapped square present.

"So, I thought maybe you wanted to open your birthday present in advance. Here you go." She then gave it to me. Looking at the red wrapper, it must've taken her the time to buy one for me.

"Maybe I should wait till morning," I said.

"(Y/N), trust me, waiting until tomorrow might make both of us cranky. We'll still have a celebration then," she whispered.

I nodded, following her instructions. As I slowly opened the present, I discovered the Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight in its entirety.

"Now, (Y/N), you mustn't let yourself get too disappointed. You know, even if you don't get the..." she began with concern.

"Whatever happens, I will always have the candy," I said firmly, and Miss Mitchell smiled.

I opened the wrapper. Nothing. There's no golden ticket, just the chocolate bar itself.

"Ah, well. That's that," she sadly sighed.

I broke the bar into pieces and gave some to her. "We'll share it," I said.

"Oh, no, sweetie. Not your birthday present," she protested, but I persisted.

"It's my candy bar, and I'll do what I want with it. It's fine, Miss Mitchell," I asserted as I discarded the wrapper into the trash can. Together, we enjoyed our chocolate treat.

After brushing our teeth, I nestled under the covers while Miss Mitchell serenaded me with a sweet lullaby in the stillness of the night.

"Thank you, darling." It was the last thing I heard before I drifted off to sleep.

🍫🍫🍫

On the very day of my birthday, news broke that the third golden ticket had been discovered. This time, it was given to Violet Beauregarde from the state of Georgia in the United States.

Yet, what filled me with even more excitement was the ongoing celebration of my 10th birthday! The day was filled with laughter and joy.

We had fun playing games like musical chairs and the newspaper dance, breaking records with the longest birthday greeting, and even competing in the longest line game!

The food was delicious, and I owed Uncle Richard a big thank you for his delicious contributions. It was undeniably better than last year's birthday celebration.

And since Miss Mitchell was expecting some visitors, I was expected to receive a gift or two. No, there were more than three.

Back to the golden ticket winners, some of us were listening to the news as they were interviewing the girl with her mother.

I don't even know what's worse. They wear matching clothes like dolls or the sheer number of trophies they amassed, leading to extra cabinets to house their collection.

And as for that new golden ticket winner, Violet Beauregarde, have you seen her gum-chewing manners? It's no wonder I despise gum, muttering under my breath. I can't even bring myself to chew one for myself!

"These are just some of the 263 trophies and medals my Violet has won," her mother bragged.

"I'm a gum chewer mostly, but when I heard about these ticket things, I laid off the gum and switched to candy bars," she said while chewing her gum.

Her mother just smiled and added, "She's just a driven young woman. I don't know where she gets it."

"Obviously, she gets it from you. You're the one who could tell her to get the prize," I mumbled again. As Violet's gaze fixated on a gleaming trophy, she couldn't resist the urge to boast about one of her victories.

"I'm the Junior World Champion Gum Chewer. This piece of gum, I'm chewing right at this moment. I've been working on it for three months solid. That's a record!" Her pride radiated as she spoke.

"Of course, I did have my share of trophies, mostly batons." The mother moved a little to show her batons.

"So it says that one kid's going to get this special prize. Better than all the rest, I don't care who those other four are. That kid, it's going to be me!" she exclaimed.

The mother smiled at her. "Tell them why, Violet."

"Because I'm a winner!" she said, her arrogance showing up.

"That girl is mean!" Rosie said.

"I understand, but let's remember not to act that way, alright?" I reassured her with a gentle pat on the head. Miss Mitchell switched off the television and announced that it was time for cake.

As we all sang the Happy Birthday song, I was told to make a wish. I wish to win a golden ticket to see the factory.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of belonging in this time of joy as I blew out the candles. Today, the orphanage had something very unique to offer, and I was happy to be a part of it.