Mad Chocolate (short tale)

Chapter 5

The giant bird was closing in on him. Willy Wonka didn't look back, he didn't want to see how close the bird was, he just kept running and running. He didn't have a weapon to defend himself with. He only had a chocolate maker and some ingredients. And even if he had any weapons, Willy Wonka wasn't a fighter, he was a candy maker! And an excellent one, the best, one might say. Maybe he was so good, that he could even peruse the bird to eat candy instead of, well, him. Willy Wonks took a sprint and dived to the ground he, heard Hatter scream his name, but he couldn't let himself be distracted right now. He had to be quick. As fast as he could he started to put all the things he had gathered, into the chocolate maker. The cacao beans he had brought from home, the pieces of giant mushroom and the berries. He pushed the button just as the bird had reached him. It made a horrible sound that hurt Willy Wonka's ears so much, he almost dropped the chocolate maker, so he could cover his poor hearing instruments. But he didn't drop it. Instead he held it in front of him, like a shield. The bird towered over him like a huge, feathered mountain. He opened his mouth and dived towards Willy Wonka. Willy Wonka closed his eyes, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Well, he thought, if this doesn't work, at least I didn't die from a boring heart attack. He pushed another button. There was a weird chocking sound when the piece of chocolate landed all the way down the birds throat. It started coughing and than it swallowed. Willy Wonka slowly opened his eyes and than he shot another chocolate, into the birds mouth this time. The bird chewed and chewed and swallowed. 'Do you like that?' Willy Wonka whispered 'Skriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!' the bird replied 'well I take that as a yes, it must taste a hell of a lot better than human flesh' the bird stared at Willy Wonka and than nodded. 'Do you understand me?' the bird nodded 'sorry' Willy Wonka said 'silly old me, thinking a bird like you wouldn't understand a guy like me' the bird looked a bit confused. 'Well so.. well...' Willy Wonka hadn't really thought his plan through. But to be fair, he hadn't thought it would actually work. 'So.. well.. uhum.. do you want more chocolate?' The bird nodded again 'well let me make you a deal' Willy Wonka said 'I will give you all the chocolates inside this machine' he showed the JubJub bird the chocolate maker 'it contains more than you can see you know, anyway, I will give it to you, if you help me and my friend to get out of this tunnel, without eating us'. The bird made an unhappy sound 'take it or leave it bird' Willy Wonka said 'attempt to eat me now and I will destroy the sweets before you can get to me'. The bird was probably fast enough to take them both before Willy Wonka had even blinked, but it didn't seem to realise that. 'Well? What will it be?' The bird made a soft, high sound and lowered his long, striped neck. Willy Wonka carfully climed on. Just then Hatter arrived. He was completely out of breath and he looked terrified. His eyes widend when he saw Willy Wonka sitting on the neck of the JubJub bird. Willy Wonka smiled at him 'I guess this bird likes chocolate as much as I do' he said 'I just had to make ourselves a little deal. 'Willy.... Wonka' Hatter said 'you are.. alive! Wonderful!' he smiled relieved and than he collapsed. Willy Wonka quickly jumped of the JubJub birds neck. 'Hatter!' He kneeled beside the man and felt if he could still feel a heartbeat. Hatters heart hadn't stopped beating and he was still breathing, but his eyes stayed closed when Willy Wonka tried to wake him. 'Oh Hatter' he said 'we will get out of these tunnels together, I promise' he turned to the bird 'a little help please' the bird nodded and walked towards the two man. With the help of the JupJup bird Willy Wonka eventually got Hatter on the neck of the animal. He held him close, to make sure he wouldn't fall of. 'Okay' he said 'time to go Birdy!' The bird screamed unpleasantly and started to run. Eventually he even started to fly! The tunnel was not that high, but high enough for one giant bird to fly close to the ground. Wind slapped in Willy Wonka's face and he laughed out loud. He felt Hatter stir in his arms 'so.. I guess we're on flying terms with the JubJub bird now?' Willy Wonka laughed 'so it seems'. Hatter looked deeply into Willy Wonka's eyes 'thank you' he said softly 'for saving me' Willy Wonka smiled at him and stroke a lock of hair out of Hatters white face 'thank you for running after me like a mad man' Hatter closed his eyes. 'Are you okay Hatter?' Willy Wonka asked. Hatter opened his eyes again 'yes' he said 'just a little bit tired and really really hungry.'

'Thank you Hank, can I call you Hank?' the bird made a sound, Willy Wonka just decided to take it as a yes. They had been sitting on the neck of the bird for hours, until the finally reached the end of the tunnel. Weirdly enough they ended up only a few meters away from the windmill. 'Well Hank, here you go, you deserved it' Willy Wonka gave the JubJub bird the chocolate maker, after he showed him how to open it. He even showed him how it worked. He had no idea if the bird was smart enough to make chocolate himself, but he showed him anyway. The bird screamed and than disappeared into the sky. 'Well' Hatter said 'that was interesting. Yes, yes it was' Willy Wonka replied. They walked back to the mill in silence. Willy Wonka knew what was coming next, he didn't like it, but he had to do it. He needed to go back home. After his almost dead experience, he had realised that he missed the factory. He missed Charlie, Charlies family, the Umpa Lumpa's, he even missed his dad. Not as much as he missed the others, but still, he missed him. He hated to say goodbye to Hatter. He only knew him a little longer than twenty four hours, but he liked him. He liked him very much. Willy Wonka suddenly realised that he didn't care about finding new inspiration or new recipes anymore. Maybe he had been looking for something else, but now he had to leave it behind. It wasn't fair. He sighed 'Hatter' he said, Hatter looked at him, smiling widely 'I.. I have to go home'. The smile vanished from Hatters face 'yeah, yes, yep, oui, alala, jah, of course you do. If you just keep on walking straight ahead, you will find a lake, if you jump in to it, it should take you back home. You have family don't you, just like me, just like Alice'. Willy Wonka nodded 'yes Hatter, I do. But you can come with me if you want, you could come to the factory! I can show you all the candy and Charlie and and' he had to take a deep breath before he could continue, Hatter stopped him 'I.. I can't' he said 'I want to, but I can't just disappear... poof Hatter gone' he made a hand gesture of an explosion and he sighed 'my friends will worry, my family will worry, I am sorry'. Don't be' Willy Wonka said 'I promise you, I will come back, I promise it Hatter!' Hatter smiled, it was a sad smile 'sure' he said. 'I mean it, I will come back for you. Sure' he said again. He turned around and started to walk away from Willy Wonka 'if you don't believe me, I will prove it to you'. Willy Wonka grabbed Hatters arm and pulled him towards him. He looked him in the eye, their faces were only millimetres apart. Hatter was breathing loudly, Willy Wonka swallowed. Than he pulled Hatter even closer and he kissed him. Their lips gently pushed together. It was a sweet and gentle kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to make Willy Wonka's head spin. He coughed 'well uuh' Hatter smiled at him 'well' he replied 'I will have to take your word for it than' Willy Wonka laughed 'yes, and you know what?' he said 'I will give you this' he took of his head and held it out to hatter. Hatter stared at it 'you can't give me your head! Hat you mean. Yes that's what I said, you can't give me your head!' Willy Wonka did want to give it's hat to Hatter, his hat not his head. 'I can and I will' he said 'but I do want it back some day'. After that Willy Wonka and Hatter said goodbye. Willy Wonka found his way back to the elevator and went back home. Without a hat, with a promise he would keep. Whatever it would take.

The end