Chapter 20 – Blueberry Delight

The group was led to the far side of the Inventing Room where Mr. Wonka stopped in front of what Isabelle would likely describe as a UFO if she saw it flying through the sky. In short, it was an extremely odd-looking contraption that defied explanation.

"Is that a beehive?" Isabelle pointed to one side. "Yup." Charlie agreed.

"This will revolutionise the industry." Mr Wonka enthused as he deftly began searching all the way around the side of the machine.

Isabelle and the other adults spread out to allow him space to move around. The had all grown used to his random flailing by now and knew to give the eccentric man room to work.

"Button, button, who's got the button?" He searched high and low until Charlie tapped him on the shoulder and pointed towards a very obvious large red button that had the word 'Button' emblazoned on it.

Wonka and Charlie spent a few minutes playing charades as they made sure that it was, in fact, the missing button. Isabelle found the display entirely too funny. Mr. Wonka was clearly hamming up the theatrics, but no one else seemed to be as easily amused. She could almost feel their impatience.

"What does it do?" Violet was the one who finally cracked and asked the question. Mr Wonka finally pressed the button, grinned and said, "Watch."

Various coloured liquids drained in from all sides. The strange machine had an entire production line attached to the back of it.

Charlie tried to see where everything was coming from. "I think those are tomatoes." He pointed into the distance. It was true, crate after crate of tomatoes were being dumped into the mechanism.

A small group of Oompa-Loompas suddenly appeared and began fiddling and adjusting various parts as the machine spun to life. They buzzed around in the background, pretending to ignore the group as they busied themselves with production line processes.

She turned her attention back to the wheezing machine. It suddenly gave a belch and a loud 'ding' could be heard.

A single small strip was spat out onto a steel tray. It was tiny, bland and colourless. Mr Wonka held it up with a triumphant "Ta da!"

"That's it?" Veruca was not impressed.

"Good, at least I know my Veruca won't want one." Mr Salt said jokingly to Mikes father as he elbowed the man.

"What do you mean that's it?" Mr Wonka was outraged. "Do you even know what 'this' is?"

"What is it?" Mike was staring at the bland tiny stick with complete boredom.

"By gum, it's gum." Violet pushed her way through and stared upwards with delight.

"Wrong!" Mr Wonka said childishly. "This isn't just gum, it is the single, most amazing, fabulous, sensational gum in the whole entire world!" He enthusiastically held the gum up for all to see.

Violet's eyes grew bigger as she stepped closer, never losing sight of the gum as it was waved about.

"This gum is an entire three-course meal, all by itself." Wonka continued. "It will revolutionise mealtimes for everyone!" He looked proudly at the gum in his hand.

"Bull!" Scoffed Mr. Salt,

"No, roast beef." Mr Wonka countered pointedly. "It's just not quite right yet, still tiny issues to work out."

"Give it! It's my kinda gum!" Violet snatched the gum out of his hand and retreated a few steps. Charlie sighed as he hastily made room for her to pass him by before she smashed into him.

"Ah, no!" Wonka's stern voice halted the girl in her tacks. "I wouldn't do that it I were you." He wagged a finger at her, "I really wouldn't.

"Relax Mr. Wonka!" She said as squashed the gum she had been chewing on all day behind her ear.

"I'm a professional gum chewer, right mother?"

Violet didn't give her mother a chance to answer as she marched away and shoved the gum into her mouth.

The adults parted to make way for her and the children hastily followed, starring at her in fascination.

"What does it taste like?" Charlie asked her with genuine curiosity, but Violet was too caught up with the experience to answer right away.

"It's delicious!" she enthused, chewing furiously, brows wrinkled in concentration.

"Nice work Violet." Mrs Beuregarde watched on with pride. "My baby girl is going to be the first person in the world to have a chewing gum meal." She caught Isabelles eye and smirked. She looked as proud as a peacock.

"Spit it out please." Mr Wonka sounded stern, but unenthusiastic.

Isabelle glanced at him and saw that he was staring at his pocket watch instead of watching Violet like the rest of them. All traces of his previous joking nature had vanished like an extinguished candle as he leaned back against his machine.

"How is it darling?" Violet's mother encouraged her daughter with pride in her voice, completely ignoring their hosts polite request.

"Mmmm, its tomato soup, I can feel it running down my throat." Violet's eyes were wide with delight as she continued to chew and wander around. The other children had stopped following her, content to just watch.

Isabelle looked on uncertainly, the recent events with Augustus weighing heavily on her mind.

"Wait, stop, don't." She looked back at Mr. Wonka as she heard his tired words. He had made himself comfortable by sitting on an empty part of the machine and was staring up at the ceiling with a bored look on his face, idly twirling his cane.

She noticed the Oompa-Loompas had stopped their work and had stepped back, quietly watching the proceedings. One of them winked at her when he saw her watching them.

"Violet, listen to Mr. Wonka, please spit it out." Isabelle turned and started to walk over to the girl, but she fled further back into the open area behind her.

"Don't you tell my little girl what to do." Mrs Beuregarde puffed up with indignation, but Isabelle ignored her.

The group halted as Violet stopped and turned towards them.

"Wait, it's changing." She enthused. "Ohhh, it's roast beef with potatoes. There's gravy too. It's delicious." Her whole face lit up with delight as she stared at her mother. "This is the best gum ever!"

"I'm so proud of you darlin', keep chewing." Her mother replied, looking as proud as a peacock.

"My little girl is a gum chewing champion and isn't afraid of anything." Her mother looked over at Mr. Wonka, expecting him to be as happy as she was.

"Mmhmm. Fabulous. Spit it out now before it's too late." Mr Wonka repeated with the same flat tone as before. He was looking at the floor now, lightly swinging one leg as if patiently waiting for something.

"Izzy, why won't Violet listen to Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked. He looked anxiously between the two. He sensed that something wasn't right.

Isabelle didn't voice what she was thinking.

"Ooh, blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream." Violet was delighted, but something about her subtly changed at that moment. Her skin very slowly began to take on a blue tinge.

Isabelle blinked, no, Violet was actually turning bluer by the second.

"Look at her nose!" Veruca pointed with glee.

"Violet! What's happening to your face." Violet's mother finally sounded concerned for her wellbeing.

"Chill out mother." Violet snapped back.

"Spit out that gum Violet." Isabelle pushed forward and knelt down next to the girl and held hand up to her mouth like a cup. "Your turning blue, something's very wrong."

"What?" Violet started to look unsure of herself, but refused to stop chewing. She looked up into her mothers face.

"Violet, you're turning Violet, Violet." Her mother was slowly becoming hysterical and Violet finally glanced down at her hands, completely ignoring Isabelle who kept trying to get her to spit out her gum.

Violet was now terrified, but wouldn't stop chewing her gum. She shook herself out of Isabelle's grip and retreated back further, holding her blue hands up in front of herself in disbelief.

Charlie ran up to Isabelle who was still kneeling on the floor, watching as Violet staggered backwards.

"It always goes wrong when it comes to the dessert." Mr Wonka scratched his head as he hopped down and strolled over to the two of them.

"What's happening to my daughter!" Violets' mother cried with dismay as Violet began swelling up. Ironically, Violet now resembled an overly large blueberry.

Her skin and was changing to a very dark shade of blueish purple as she continued to swell. Buttons began popping and cloth was ripping. Her bright red belt stretched as far as it could before bursting open and flying dangerously close to Isabelles face.

Violet was almost sobbing. The poor girl could barely move now and her own mother was backing away in fear. Just like last time, the adults were just standing around watching the poor girl. It wasn't right, the Violet needed help. She needed to spit out that gum.

Isabelle stood and removed Charlies hand from his death grip on her sleeve and tried to weave through the other parents towards Violet. She couldn't get past Mr. Wonka though as either the man himself or his cane were frustratingly always in her way. Each time she stepped around one of them, another obstacle blocked her way. Charlie followed her and grabbed hold of her arm, kicking Violets red belt by accident as it lay forgotten on the floor.

"She's gonna pop!" Mike sounded both excited and scared at the same time.

"She needs help!" Isabelle tried again to barge past the chocolatier but he deftly diverted her to the side.

"Why don't we give the poor girl some space?" He suggested. "It happens every time they reach the dessert, they all turn into blueberries. It's just so puzzling."

Isabelle looked incredulous, but stopped trying to get past him.

Suddenly, she could hear singing as Oompa-Loompas filed into the area. They surrounded the scared girl, peering at her from all angles, eventually deciding to roll her onto her side, humming all the while.

The only thing Violet could do at this point was wiggle her hands uselessly at them.

It broke Isabelles heart to watch. Violet was clearly terrified and was calling out to her mother for help as the Oompa-Loompas danced around her. Her mother wasn't even trying to hide her dismay as her daughter was rolled around on the floor.

Mr Wonka was perched on the machinery again, and Isabelle was surprised to find herself standing next to him. How had she ended up all the way over here? She glanced up at the calm chocolatier, wondering why he wasn't more concerned with the situation.

His words from earlier registered in her mind. 'It happens every time, they always turn into blueberries.'

Those words implied that this had happened before. Isabelle paused and thought it over. The Oompa-Loompas had acted fast and known exactly what to do to help her and Augustus after their accident. She took a deep breath and decided to trust in them to fix this situation too. If Mr Wonka was being so calm, clearly Violet really wasn't in immediate danger of dying. At least, she fervently hoped not.

As she watched, she realised the effect the Oompa-Loompas singing was having on Violet. Their deep, repetitive tones were calming her down and distracting her from the situation. She grudgingly had to agree with some of their lyrics. Gum chewing all day really wasn't a good idea.

The Oompa-Loompas eventually finished their lecturing song and rolled Violet through a doorway. Her mother was being towed behind by another Oompa-Loompa. Isabelle idly rubbed her wrist, remembering a similar vice-like grip from earlier.

Violet would be in the best hands possible, she had to trust that.

Suddenly, Mrs. Beauregarde pulled back and glared right at Mr. Wonka.

"You'll regret this Wonka! You'll be hearing from my lawyers!" She hissed, whilst waving her free hand in his direction. The Oompa-Loompa tugged the woman along sharply, and she turned back, calling out consolingly to her daughter.

"Mommy's coming honey. Everything will be alright" Mrs Beauregard's final despairing words echoed as she was dragged down the hallway. "I have a blueberry for a daughter."

"Where is fancy bread? In the heart or in the head?" Wonka muttered thoughtfully as they disappeared from sight.

"Will Violet be all right Mr Wonka?" Charlie looked up hopefully.

"Well of course she will be Charlie." Wonka reassured him kindly. "She's being taken to the juicing room to remove all of that blueberry juice that's stuck inside her."

"Nice!" Mike enthused. "Are they gonna squeeze her? Like a pimple?" His dad looked down at his son, an ill expression flickering over his face.

"Guess she's out of the competition." Veruca sneered. "Good riddance."

Mr. Wonka looked faintly irritated as he hopped down from the machine and led them away.

Isabelle hesitated before leaving the Inventing Room and looked back to where Violet had vanished. The space was empty now, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something just wasn't right about the entire situation.

Now that she had time to think about it, the coincidence was far too great to ignore. The entire episode seemed choreographed, as if Violet had been set up. Even the song seemed oddly specific to Violet's favourite activity.

Isabelle caught up with the group, still in deep thought. Charlie looked at her, but didn't speak. He recognised the signs that she was lost inside her own mind for the moment.

Thinking back on what had happened to Augustus, she remembered Mr. Wonka having a similar, disinterested reaction to both events. After giving a verbal warning not to do something, he had then simply stood back and watched. He had done nothing to help; nothing except offer sarcastic remarks.

Isabelle watched the chocolatier walking at the front of the group. His red top hat clearly visible high above the group as he bounced along the hallways.

Her thoughts turned inwards again. It was almost as if the children had been baited and tempted. Augustus weakness was chocolate and Violet's was gum. Both of them had triggered their own ordeals by refusing to listen when their host had warned them repeatedly to stop what they were doing.

Was Mr. Wonka deliberately setting traps? Was that the reason he had been so unconcerned about Violet? Why? And how could he possibly predict what someone would do? What would be the point? Something still felt off.

Isabelle choked and almost tripped over her own feet as she realised exactly what was going on. Of course, how could she have been so stupid? This was a competition. Naturally there would be winners and losers. Mr. Wonka was simply eliminating contestants in a very unique way.

She watched as Mr. Wonka spun around on his toes every now and then to answer a question or to point out something. He never allowed the group to stop though, he clearly had a specific destination in mind and they wandered through corridors and up steps.

It was bizarre. This sort of competition was usually reserved for game shows on tv and Isabelle momentarily wondered if there were hidden cameras filming their every move and streaming it live to the audience outside.

So much had happened that it was actually surprising to remember that only a few hours had passed since they had first entered the factory.

Two contestants missing, three left over. She could only guess that each of the other children would have a temptation to face as well. For good or bad, Mr. Wonka evidently wouldn't interfere with whatever the child chose to do. Instead, teams of Oompa-Loompas were primed and ready to take action to help fix any bad decisions the children made.

Isabelle internally berated herself for forgetting about the competition part of the tour. Veruca and Violet had mentioned it often enough. Even the mother hadn't been shy about boasting about how Violet would be victorious.

The fact that her and Charlie simply didn't care about the competition didn't automatically mean that it didn't exist. They just wanted to have a good time and see inside the mystical factory that featured so prominently in the stories that Charlies grandpa Joe had skilfully woven into both their imaginations. She missed that old man dearly, even though she had only known him a very short time.

Mr. Wonka was Charlie's idol.

A lifetime supply of chocolate meant very little to him, even though he loved the stuff. She smiled. Knowing Charlie, if he did win, he would simply donate it all. He would never keep it to himself.

She glanced down at Charlie and ruffled his hair.

"What was that for?" he asked, smoothing his hair back down.

"Do I need a reason, shorty?" She laughed.

"Just remember who's gonna be taller one day." He mocked her gently.

She could see Mr. Wonka glancing back at them fairly often now. It was true, they had both dawdled behind the group for a while now. Isabelle straightened and hurried to catch up with everyone. She had a decision to make.

Should she interfere when it was Charlie's turn to make a choice. He was a really good kid, she was confident that he wouldn't get himself into trouble. He was far too smart for that, but he was still a kid. Everyone had a weakness, even Charlie. So did she, for that matter.

"Hey Charlie, promise me something?" She questioned softly as Charlie looked up at her.

"If Mr. Wonka tells you not to do something, please listen to him." She was glad when Charlie smiled and nodded his consent.

She understood that children needed to learn that actions had consequences, but Mr. Wonka's methods seemed a tad extreme. What she had seen so far only seemed to make the children terrified for their lives.

She couldn't stand to see people scared or in pain, especially children. She had been traumatised herself when she was younger, and knew exactly the kind of lasting impact it could have. These kids didn't deserve to be terrified, but how could she stop it from happening? Did she have a right to interfere?

She had tried to help Augustus. In hindsight, she guessed she had interfered badly with Mr. Wonkas plans. She had tried to do the same with Violet, and that was probably why he had deliberately gotten in her way.

Charlie wouldn't be experiencing that kind of terror, she decided. She was adamant that he would stay safe. He would not get his tour ruined or his dreams dashed to pieces if he got in trouble and his idol refused to help. No, she would make sure he listened very carefully to Mr. Wonka's instructions. She trusted Charlie to do the right thing.

She watched him as he trailed behind the group and suddenly realised that she had fallen behind yet again. Her mind could truly float in a million directions at once and she usually never paid too much attention to where she was going when it happened. She often 'woke up' from these episodes and found herself sitting in random corners, staring at nothing.

It was embarrassing when it happened in public. She quickened her pace and slipped past Wonka, who was patiently holding a door open for her and waiting for her to walk through.

He didn't say anything as she went by, but she could feel his piercing eyes on her as he followed after her. It almost felt as if he could read her mind and knew all her secrets. It was a little unsettling, but at the same time, a little exciting.

Could she outsmart this eccentric genius? Should she try? Her thoughts continued to circle each other like vultures as she stood amongst the group once more.