Chief pov
I spotted part of Willy's handkerchief trapped in the drain cover, torn off when he leapt in. I kneeled down heavily on the drain cover and examined it. “Oh so that's how you're doing it. Affable, I want a man at every storm drain in the city.”
“Are you sure, sir? Shouldn't we focus on all those unsolved murders?” Officer Affable asked.
“No, this is the priority.” I tried to get up but failed, “Ok you know what? I’m gonna need a hand here. I'm pretty sure I gained about a hundred and fifty pounds in the past two weeks…”
Willy’s pov
I knocked on Lottie’s bedroom door, she opened it a few moments after. “Willy? What are you doing?”
“I need your help with something.” I answered simply, grabbed her hand gently and brought her to my room before Lottie could respond. “I’m working on a trap.”
“Is it for your chocolate making scheme?”
“No. Yes. Kind of. Someone has been stealing my chocolates and I want to catch him in the act.”
“Alright, let’s do it.”
“Wait really?” I honestly was surprised that Lottie was so quick to help me, I thought that it would take more to convince her but then again she volunteered to help me with my scheme with no questions asked. She nodded with a smile, I grinned and explained the trap I had in mind. While we were working on it I asked her a question that’s been on my mind for a bit, “Why did you stop talking? You have a beautiful voice.” She opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off, “I know that you weren’t telling the whole truth when you said that you didn’t have anything to talk about. Please just tell me the truth if you’re comfortable sharing.”
Lottie was silent for a few seconds before answering, wording it carefully to not reveal too much. “I stopped talking because my big mouth got me in trouble. I shared information that I shouldn’t have… they took advantage of that. I couldn’t let it happen again.”
“Bleacher and Mrs. Scrubbit?” she nodded, “What changed? Why did you start talking now? Sorry if I’m pushing it with the questions, I’m just curious.”
“I met you. Seeing someone so full of life, hope, and dreams… it was a good reminder that not everyone is manipulative and cruel.”
I didn’t know how to respond. I was flattered of course but how do you respond to something like that? I did the best thing that I could think of, I gave her a hug. Lottie stiffened so I was about to pull away but she hugged back before I could. All the tension in her shoulders relaxed and buried her head in the crook of my neck. I just held Lottie until she let go. I gave her a soft smile before standing up to work on a different part of the trap and I felt something drop out of my pocket.
Lottie grabbed it before I could and looked at it, it was my mom’s chocolate. She gave it back after a glance. “It was my mom’s. She passed away when I was a kid because she fell sick, this chocolate bar is the last thing I have of her.” I don’t know why I shared this with Lottie, she didn’t ask any questions like Noodle did, but I felt the need to. I would say that it’s strange but I have done far stranger things.
“I’m so sorry, Willy.” Lottie responded and placed a warm hand on my shoulder
I leaned into her touch, “Thank you, Lottie.”
“Of course, now let’s finish building the trap before it gets late.”
Later it was the dead of night and Lottie went back to her room and I was laying in my bed pretending to be asleep. A tiny figure, no more than eighteen inches high, shimmied up to my window ledge, silhouetted in the moonlight. He slipped through the bars, scanned the room, then crept over to two jars of chocolates, still keeping to the shadows. Click! He stepped on a floorboard which activated a switch. Suddenly the floorboard twanged upward and the tiny figure flung across the room and into a funnel which deposited him in a jar which closed as he landed, trapping him. I sat up, delighted. “Gotcha!”
“What the devil? Let me out of here! I demand to be released!” the figure said within the jar.
“Incredible! It can speak!”
“Well of course I can speak. Now let me out of here or I shall shriek.”
“Not til I take a good look at you.” I lifted the jar onto my desk and switched on the light which revealed a small man with bright orange skin and green hair
“Good evening.”
“So you're the funny little man who's been following me.”
He puffed out his chest indignantly, “Funny little man?! How dare you! I’ll have you know I'm a perfectly respectable size for an Oompa Loompa.”
“An Oompa what now?”
“In fact in Loompaland, I’m regarded as something of a whopper. They call me Lofty. So I'll thank you note to keep gawping at me like something unpleasant you found in your handkerchief. I find it uncomfortable and frankly rude.”
“Sorry.”
“Now let me out of here. You have no right to go around embottling innocent strangers.”
“Innocent? Hold on. You've been stealing from me for years!”
“Well you started it!”
“Me?” When did I steal from this guy, I don’t even know him.
“You stole our cocoa beans!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you mean to say you don't even remember?!”
“Remember what?!”
“The day you destroyed my life.”
“Well then, young man, allow me to refresh your memory, in the form of a song so ruinously catchy it will creep into your brain and never leave.” Lofty blew a whistle and started dancing.
“I don't like the sound of that.”
“Too late. I'm dancing now. Once we've started we can't stop. Oompa Loompa doompety-doo, I've got a tragic tale for you. Oompa Loompa doompety-dee, If you are wise you'll listen to me. Dear Loompaland is both luscious and green But not conducive to growing the bean! My job was guarding what little we'd got. You came along and pinched the lot!”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Well perhaps I drifted off! Oompa Loompa doompety-day, When I awoke, they sent me away. I'm disgraced, cast out in the cold til I've paid my friends back a thousand fold!”
“A thousand fold?! Are you kidding me?” I asked in disbelief.
“I repeat! A thousand fold!!”
“Look, Mr Loompa, if you really think this is a reasonable penalty for taking three beans…”
“Four!” He corrected me.
“...then I'm sure we can come to an understanding, but I can't just hand over my entire supply. I've got people counting on me.” my mind immediately drifted to Lottie and the first night I came here. She was treated horribly and I can’t let her stay any longer, especially not after I learned how sweet she was.
“Hm. Alright. I tell you what. You let me out and we can discuss it like gentlemen.” Finally, he was being reasonable.
“Alright.” I released him.
“Thank you. Now would you be so kind as to hand me that miniature frying pan?” Oh, he must like my pans. I got them while I was the cook on the boat.
“This one?”
“No no, the heavy one.”
“Alright.”
Oompa loompa weighed it in his hand, “Ooh that's quite a beast, isn't it? Now come a little closer. Closer now. Cozy on up.” I did so and he hit me in the head with it.
“Aargh!” I groaned in pain, that hurt. The Oompa Loompa stomped on my fingers, grabbed the jars of chocolate and hopped up onto the window ledge.
“Oompa Loompas do not negotiate! Good day, sir.”
“But-”
“I said good day!” And with that, he was gone.
YOU ARE READING
We Can Create a World of Our Own: A Lottie Bell and Willy Wonka story
Fanfiction"Why did you stop taking? You have a beautiful voice." "I stopped talking because my big mouth got myself into trouble. I shared information that I shouldn't have... they took advantage of that. I couldn't let it happen again." "I promise I won't hu...
