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The Elevator Tour

"I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. The elevator's by far the most efficient way to get around the factory," Willy said with euphoria. He pushed a button, which revealed a glass elevator. The elevator opened, and he gestured us to go in. I felt his hand rest on my back gently as I walked inside, letting it drop as he pressed a button to close the elevator's door.

Mike looked at the elevator, squinting at all of the buttons. "There can't be this many floors."

"How do you know, Mr. Smarty-Pants?" Willy countered. He looked at all of the buttons, stating, "And this isn't just an ordinary up-and-down elevator, by the way. This elevator can go sideways, longways, slantways, and any other ways you can think of. You just press any button and, whoosh, you're off."

He pressed a button, which made the elevator lurch to the left. I nearly fell, but Willy grabbed my arm gently, steadying me. He grinned and let go of me, looking around and smiling brightly, as if I didn't even stumble.

"Oh, look. Look! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fudge Mountain," he announced as we entered a room. I pressed my hand up against the side of the glass, looking at the large mountain of fudge. The mountain had snow—or was it sugar?—all over it.

Some Oompa-Loompas were working in the mountain, picking at the fudge. They noticed us and waved. Willy waved back, and I waved, too. They took notice of me and jumped up and down excitedly, waving their arms to say hello, making me giggle.

Willy pouted a little and murmured, "How come do they like seeing you more than me? They haven't even met you..."

I shrugged and patted his shoulder in mock comfort.

"Perhaps it's all of those doggone cocoa beans," I said with a smirk. Willy's pout broke into a goofy grin, and I laughed.

The elevator left the Fudge Mountain Room, and slowed a little as we entered a pinkish room. A couple Oompa-Loompas were shearing pink sheep, throwing their wool into a machine. Cotton Candy...

Willy smiled brightly again, and started to explain, "Oh!"

He paused, and then murmured softly in slight embarrassment, "I'd rather not talk about this one."

He gave me a small smile, and I whispered in his ear, "Cotton Candy, right?"

He nodded, embarrassed, and I giggled.

We left the Cotton Candy Room and entered another room, which was over fifty feet below. The puppets from this morning's show were on gurneys, with Oompa-Loompas tending to them.

"This is the Puppet Hospital & Burn Center," Willy informed. He smiled nervously. "It's relatively new."

We zipped out of that room and reached a dead end. I barely glanced at Willy before we dropped down, spiraling. I gasped and wrapped my arms around myself, startled. Willy glanced at me worriedly, and hesitated before taking my hand in his. I clenched his hand with both of mine, fighting my uneasiness.

We dropped through a circular sign that was labeled Administration.

"Ah, the administration offices," Willy cheered. We stopped in front of an Oompa-Loompa who looked up at us. Willy grinned and waved his hand gleefully at the worker, greeting, "Hello, Doris!"

Doris waved back, and we lurched backwards, Willy nearly falling into me. I gasped and he apologized quickly, pushing against the glass wall behind me to steady himself.

What he didn't realize was that he was only inches from my face. He glanced down nervously, then his eyes met mine. He swallowed and blushed deeply, straightening himself and not looking at me. I fought my own blush, looking out of the elevator.

We wove through another part of the factory, Willy not saying anything else. He must still be too embarrassed from earlier to talk.

We entered a sort of demolition room, where the Oompa-Loompas were firing machine guns and cannons at targets. Their ammunition were all sorts of different peppermints, and when they hit their target, the peppermints exploded into bright fireworks of different colors. I stood their, awestruck. Suddenly, we dropped downwards again, but once I had my footing, I was fine.

I felt Willy's eyes on me, but I kept observing the fireworks, utterly speechless with the light show, placing my hands against the glass. "Wow..."

I looked at Willy with a giddy smile plastered onto my face, who stood right next to me. He glanced at me, and held my gaze. And I swore, in that moment, something sparked. And it wasn't the fireworks igniting. He looked at me with something he hadn't shown before, and I swallowed, a blush creeping onto my cheeks. He smirked sweetly, his violet eyes illuminated with the exploding lights.

He placed his right hand over my left on the glass and smiled gently, a genuine, heartfelt smile. I noticed him glance over my face, and he rested his gaze on my lips. I kept staring at his eyes, and he glanced up, returning my gaze. A blush colored both of our faces.

Mike interrupted our little moment. "Why is everything here completely pointless?"

I looked at him and frowned, seeing him look at the cannons with a bored sneer.

Willy's gaze tore from mine, his hands returning to his cane, and he stared emotionlessly at the boy, a menacing flare in his eyes.

Charlie said in Willy's defense, "Candy doesn't have to have a point. That's why it's candy."

Willy's gaze softened, and he smiled minutely at that, glancing back at me. I beamed at him, proud of my little brother.

Mike then stated abhorrently, "It's stupid. Candy is a waste of time."

Willy's expression fell, and he spaced out, staring at nothing. He's having another flashback, I thought. I began to worry, and I rested my hand gently on his arm, whispering his name to him. "Willy? Willy, what's wrong?"

Nothing. I tried to fight my worry, and I took his hand, whispering, "It's okay. Don't take it to heart. He doesn't know what he's saying."

He didn't move an inch, his face permanently holding that saddened look. I began to worry even more, not able to keep calm.

"Willy, please. Say something." I squeeze his hand gently, trying to snap him out of it, giving it a light tug.

Still nothing. I was about to use my last resort, but instead, I leaned into his ear, whispering softly, "Willy Wonka."

I leaned away, and he blinked once, shifting his eyes slowly to mine. His gaze revealed sadness, and he just studied me, that same expression on his face all the while.

I studied him back, wishing I knew his thoughts. "Are you alright?"

He continued to stare at me, and when he opened his mouth to answer, he was yet again, interrupted.

Mike announced, "I wanna pick a room."

Willy looked at him, a small, dark, menacing smile creeping onto his face. "Go ahead."