For A Moment - A Wonka AU

Chapter 6: Abigail

Searching through the backstage corridor where some of the animals were kept overnight, the trio searched for the room labeled 'giraffe'.

"Giraffe...giraffe...aha, Giraffe!" Willy muttered to himself before confidently wrenching open a door.

"Willy!" Noodle screamed and Charlotte's eyes shot up in alarm. She pulled Willy back while Noodle slammed the door shut.

"That door is marked 'tiger'!" Noodle cried in terror.

"You really need to learn how to read..." Charlotte mumbled, letting go of him.

"Why?" he asked innocently.

"You were nearly eaten by a tiger!" Noodle exclaimed, not sure how he was so calm about this.

"Ah-ah!" He raised his finger up in the air. "'Nearly' is the key word there, Noodle. I was nearly eaten by a tiger. I've nearly been eaten by a lot of things- and I'll have you know that none of them got more than a nibble."

Charlotte sighed and pushed open the door next to the tiger room. "This is the giraffe's enclosure. Let's go." She entered first, followed by an eager Willy and a shaken-up Noodle.

Inside stood a large giraffe. Its legs were long, but its neck was even longer. It craned its neck down to look at the newcomers, its eyes fixed on Noodle.

Noodle gulped and Charlotte glanced at her. She seemed nervous.

Willy tipped his hat to the giraffe in greeting. "'Evening to you! It's a little late for visitors, I know, Miss..." His voice trailed off and he squinted at the sign by the door.

"Abigail," Charlotte read. "Her name is Abigail."

Just then, the giraffe's nostrils flared and it made a loud noise. One of anger, Charlotte observed. This scared Noodle and she jumped back, slipping and falling into a patch of mud near her feet.

"Are you alright?" Charlotte held a hand out to help her up.

Meanwhile, Willy was waving his hands up at Abigail. "Whoah there! Easy, girl." He turned to Noodle, a gentle gleam in his eyes. "And you too. She won't hurt you." He then turned back to Abigail and reached into his pocket, producing a small, mint colored sweet.

"What's that?" Charlotte asked, stepping away from Noodle and over to Willy.

He casted her a soft smile and held the mint up closer to Abigail. The giraffe gave it one sniff before gobbling it up.

Willy chuckled and reached up to scratch behind Abigail's ears.. "It's an acacia mint," he explained.

Charlotte reached up as well and scratched behind the giraffe's other ear. Noodle, seeing that it wasn't going to hurt her, inched closer.

"There we are..." Willy said, his voice soothing, before continuing his explanation, "You see, giraffes are just crazy for my acacia mints. Love them more than anything else- except for being scratched behind the ears, of course."

The giraffe stuck its head in between Charlotte and Willy and gave Noodle's face a huge lick. She squealed in delight. "It's tickly!"

"Now, Miss Abigail," Willy said, "if my colleague here gives you a good scratching," He gestured towards Noodle, "would you be so kind as to share with us a pint of your milk?"

The giraffe made a noise and Willy took that as a noise of consent. He pulled off his hat and his purple overcoat, tossing them to Charlotte. She caught them.

Only seconds later was Willy sitting on a stool, milking the giraffe, Noodle at the top of a tall, shaky ladder and giving it an ear scratch. Charlotte stood next to Willy, still holding his coat and hat and pretending to be useful.