It Must Be Believed To Be Seen

The Reunion

The nightmarish elevator ride eventually came to a welcome stop, Em clambering out of the contraption as quickly as her shaky legs would allow. Macas and Lampa bid her a cheery goodbye before speeding off into the distance and she hoped that would be the last she ever saw of the damned elevator.

She glanced down at her dress and was pleased to note it wasn't half as dirty as she'd expected. She pulled the sleeves of her cardigan down and brushed off a cloud of dirt from her shoulder.

After a quick look around, she headed down the only corridor she could see, ignoring the butterflies currently fluttering in her stomach. As she passed a line of large windows she spotted the sun setting in the distance; she smiled sadly – their day in the factory was almost up, and she'd managed to spend the last of it stuck in a pile of rubbish. She was grateful, however, for the warm glow of the evening sun on her skin.

She reached the end of the corridor and felt her heart begin to race. She could hear Mr. Wonka talking to Charlie, their voices animated and lively, just off to her right. She heard the chocolatier laugh and grinned to herself, noting once again that the noise sent a shiver of warmth down her spine. She straightened her dress as best she could and made one last attempt to run her fingers through her hair, happy to note that it felt soft and smooth against her hands, with no bits of rubbish hiding amongst the strands.

With newfound confidence, she followed the sound of their voices, her brother's face instantly lighting up as she rounded the corner.

"Em!" he cried, running past a surprised Mr. Wonka to give her a rib cracking hug. Mr. Wonka turned, his face morphing into a huge grin as he spotted Em.

"My dear Ms. Bucket, thank goodness you're alright."

Em hugged Charlie tightly, her little brother clinging on to her. Her eyes found Mr. Wonka's unfaltering gaze and she felt the colour rushing to her cheeks.

"Charlie," she sighed, "I'm so sorry, I ruined your tour." She looked down at him sadly, hopeful that her brother would forgive her.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed, pulling away from her. "Em, we won! We won the competition!"

She looked at him in shock before looking to Mr. Wonka. The man nodded in agreement, laughing at Charlie's excitement and Em's bewildered expression.

"Indeed you did, Buckets!" he clapped his hands together and placed a supportive hand on Charlie's shoulder. "Charlie," he motioned to her brother, "why don't you go and get it, to show your sister?"

"Get what?" she queried, intrigued.

"Oh, all in good time!" laughed Mr. Wonka, the sound making her stomach backflip over and over.

"Great idea!" concurred Charlie, rushing past her and out of sight.

Em watched her brother disappear, overjoyed to see him so happy. She turned back to the chocolatier, shocked by his sudden proximity.

"Em," he breathed, his hand resting gently on her elbow.

She gazed up into his dazzling blue eyes. The sound of her name on his lips the sweetest noise she had ever heard; her name had never sounded so beautiful.

She tensed as his eyes flicked down to her lips. Was he about to kiss her?

She closed her eyes in anticipation, waiting for the glorious moment their lips would connect.

"... Bucketa?"

She opened her eyes suddenly, aware that she had once again let herself get caught up in thoughts of Mr. Wonka.