"Veruca, can't you walk on your own for a while?"

Veruca shakes her head. A squirrel chatters, some three hundred feet away, and she flinches, grabbing her mother's hand. Mrs. Salt gives her husband a pleading look; he ignores them both.

"Mummy, I want to go back home," Veruca says, but with none of her old force. She seems more desperate whenever she asks for something now.

"Veruca, come on, the squirrels aren't bothering you," Mr. Salt says, (finally taking a stand) but Veruca shakes her head and practically runs to the park exit, jumping at every noise.


"Augustus, if you nibble on your fingers there'll be nothing left," Mrs. Gloop tells him frantically in thick German. He gives her a reproachful look and puts his leather gloves back on.

"But Mutter, it's my birthday," he mumbles, through a large bite of carrot.

Mrs Gloop massages her temples. This new diet is hard on her pig of a son. All she ever tried to do was be a kind mother. Now she's done more harm than good.

It's his father's fault, she decides. Working in that sausage factory all day. Makes a boy hungry.

"Mutter," Augustus says suddenly, staring out the window. "Mutter!"

Probably just an ice-cream truck, Mrs. Gloop thinks. So she ignores him.


Violet does not notice the fat German boy staring at her from the window of the Italian restaurant. She is too busy being dragged by her mother.

"Mom, when are we ever going back to America?"

"Hush up, honey, I've told you that we're staying long enough to sue that Wonka man."

Violet rolls her eyes. She is sucking on a cough drop and looks unhappy about it. "Can't you just get off his case sometimes?"

Scarlet Beauregarde gives her a dirty look. "Honey, I'm spending hundreds on your makeup. You want a purple face again, be my guest."

"I wish you wouldn't make everything into such a competition." Violet flips her blonde hair, then turns her head suddenly. "Mom! Look! It's that Teavee boy!"


Mike sees her at the exact same time. It's easy to spot things when you're eight feet tall.

"Dad, isn't that Violet?" He leans to tug at his father's sleeve. "Look, her face isn't purple anymore."

"Probably surgery. That woman could afford it." Mr. Teavee shivers at the mention of Violet's mother.

"Stupid Violet." Mike kicks at a rock on the ground, though his face is turning a little red. "Dad, come on, I hate walking down the street. People keep staring at me."

He turns his head shyly away from Violet as she gives a little wave.

"Son, you want the new Nintendo, you can walk and get it."

At least he got to see Violet. Maybe she's a bit nicer now.


Veruca comes running out of the park, panting hard. "Hey! Mike!"

Mike turns, right as Augustus barrels into him, knocking him over. Violet, who has been sashaying over, stops, and hides a laugh, leaning to help Mike up.

"I'll stay here. So I don't...you know...tower over you."

Violet nods and turns to Veruca. "Long time no see, squirrel girl."

Veruca twitches a bit, but smiles still. "Still crazy about the fighting?"

Violet snorts. "Hardly. Mom still wants me to do my karate. She won't leave me alone."

Augustus pulls off a glove and sucks his thumb.

"So...you're still here," Veruca says to them all. "I thought you would've gone home."

"It's only been a month," Mike reminds her.

"Well, yes."

They all avert their eyes.

"Um..." Violet says.

"Are you going to apologise for being bedeuten?" Augustus says hopefully.

"What?"

"Mean." He raises his eyebrows.

"Oh." Violet stares into space. "Was I...um...mean?"

"Yes," Veruca and Mike say together. Augustus follows with his customary "Ja."

"Come on, I can't have been that bad." Violet finishes her cough drop and begins chewing on her lip instead.

"Uh, yes, you were."

"Well, you all weren't very nice either!" Violet says defensively.

"Of course we weren't. That's why we ended up like this." Mike gestures to his entire form. "Except that Charlie kid."

Violet hisses a little at the sound of his name. Veruca jumps slightly, apparently thinking the squirrels have returned.

"I didn't like him," Augustus says thickly.

"I didn't either," Veruca mutters.

"I didn't mind him," Mike says.

They all stare at him.

"Well, it wasn't like he ever did anything to us," he continues, faltering a little. "We were the ones who...Oh, stop staring at me like that!"

"So you think we deserved to end up like this, and he deserved a whole chocolate factory?" Violet demands.

The honest answer is 'Yes', and they all know it. But none of them say it.

"He was thin, I remember," Veruca says, in a thoughtful way. "Really thin."

"I think he was poor. He looked hungry," Violet says. "Oh, we were jerks, weren't we."

"Super mega jerks," Mike tells her helpfully.

"No wonder this happened to us. We really deserved it." Veruca seems almost on the verge of tears.

"Karma," Augustus puts in.

"Yeah." Mike looks at Violet. She looks unhappily back at him.

"We should apologise," Veruca says. They all groan. "Come on, guys!"

"Are we just going to ditch our parents and run off?"

"Yes." Veruca starts running down the street, stumbling slightly in her heeled shoes. Mike sighs and gets up. "You coming, Violet?"

"Yeah." They start to run down the road after Veruca. Augustus waddles after them.

They run all the way to the factory, faster than some of them have ever run before. Violet and Mike easily pull ahead (Mike's legs being three times as long as usual) and come to a swift stop before the factory gates.

"Mike, lift us over," Veruca tells him. He gives her a look, and she rolls her eyes. "Please."

"No, that's trespassing!" Augustus looks alarmed.

"Who cares?" Violet begins, but stops when she sees someone on the other side of the gates.

Charlie Bucket stares at them, and they all stare back at him.

He is less thin, and less peaky looking, but it's still undoubtedly him. His hair has been swept haphazardly from his face, and he looks slightly lost at the sight of them.

"Hi, Charlie," Violet mumbles.

"Hi," Charlie says softly.

There is a long, awkward silence.

"Charlie, we were all complete losers," Violet bursts out. She then slumps against Mike, who holds her up as best he can. Charlie looks alarmed, and Augustus begins to suck on his thumb again.

"Um." Charlie seems to wish he were anywhere but here. "It's okay. I'm not mad or anything."

"You should be," Veruca tells him.

"You guys should be mad at me! You got turned into a blueberry!"

"Thanks for rehashing it," Violet snaps. Mike pokes her. "Sorry."

"Well, I'm guessing you don't want to come inside." Charlie fidgets.

They all frantically shake their heads.

"So...I'm sorry. That all that bad stuff happened to you. I should've tried to help."

"No, you shouldn't've," Mike says flatly.

"But you guys are so nice now!" Charlie beams. "I have to go. But thanks for coming back!"

And before they can reply, he has run off, giggling madly.

"Well, he's just as weird as always," Veruca says, but there is fondness in her voice.

"Our parents are probably looking for us," Violet says.

"Yeah, let's go back." Mike takes Violet's hand (though he has to stoop slightly.) "Wow, I feel so much better!"

"He smells like chocolate," Veruca says, in a dreamy sort of way.

Mike gives her a weird look. She blushes. "Well, he does!"

"No comment." Mike hesitates. "D'you guys want to come play Nintendo at my hotel?"

"Yeah, sure. DIBS ON YOSHI!" Violet starts running as fast as she can.

"Hey! Hey! I always play with Yoshi!" Mike goes running after her. Veruca shrugs. Augustus puts his gloves back on.

And they run too.


So this was a random story I wrote to prove that I can write cheerful things! It's not all dark and depressing!
Also, someone asked me if my stories are all connected. The answer is: Yes. Sort of. All the CatCF stories I have written are connected, with the obvious exception of Everything They Ever Wanted. Thank you for reading this latest bit of nonsense! :)