ρυяε sωεεт ιмαgιηαтιση

The Birthday Tour: Part II

"Thanks," I murmured, grinning at him. He smiled, keeping his hands on my waist for a moment. I studied him with suspicion, and he noticed my gaze, removing his hands from me completely.

Oh, you nervous, wonderful candy man. I planted a small peck of a kiss onto his cheek. I saw him tense up with my small sign of affection. I giggled and said, "Look who has the red snozzberry-face now!"

I pointed at his face and he blushed even more. He took my hand, giving me a smirk out of embarrassment. I chuckled and looked around the room once more. I realized that we only went about sixty feet in distance from where we first stepped onto the Wonkamobile.

"Couldn't we have walked?" I asked him.

Willy, who was in a daze still from the kiss, murmured, "If the good Lord had intended us to walk, he wouldn't have invented roller skates."

I giggled again at his silly statement, and he brought me down a few more hallways, both of us smiling like crazy.

"Come along! There's something in the Inventing Room I want to show you!"

I smiled as he pulled me along eagerly. We took many turns around corners and many strides down hallways, and we finally reached the Inventing Room.

"What did you want to show me?" I asked. He smirked and pushed the doors open to the all-too-familiar room.

"I had been thinking: remember when you were feeling uneasy? On the boat ride during the tour?" Willy recalled. I nodded, having a small flashback of the sickening boat ride. He grinned and turned around, racing to some odd machine.

"What is it?" I questioned as I followed in close pursuit. He turned around suddenly and I nearly ran into him. He giggled lightly and pulled me to him by my waist with one arm.

"Try this," he said, holding up a little gumdrop-like chew. I took it and popped it onto my tongue. It went through about seven different flavors: cherry, orange, lemon, green apple, blue raspberry, and finishing off with grape.

"What is this?" I asked him, still sucking on the multi-flavored chew, covering my mouth to be mannerly.

He explained excitedly, "That's a Rainbow Drop. You can suck on those little buggers, and spit out six different colors. I made these little things for those who get nauseous."

He looked to the side and said a little quieter, "I'd have given you one at the boat ride, but they weren't done just yet."

"That's thoughtful of you to think of how to alleviate my uneasiness due to an extremely wild boat ride," I said sarcastically, laughing.

He let go of my waist, chuckling at my childish whim and bringing me over to another machine.

"Close your eyes and open your mouth," he murmured with a goofy grin. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth as told. I felt him place a little round shape onto my tongue and I closed my mouth instinctively.

An odd feeling spread over my tongue, and I felt the round shape crack. I opened my eyes and gave Willy a look. He kept grinning and said, "Now open!"

I did, and I stuck out my tongue. I heard a little chirp come from my tongue and I gasped, taking my fingers to gently pick up the light chocolaty substance that sat on my tastebuds.

I looked at my hand, and I saw a little, lively chocolate bird. I cradled it with care and cooed, "Aw! It's so cute!"

He giggled at my remark and informed, "They're Chocolate Birds. Hatch the egg on your tongue and then you have a baby bird made out of chocolate! Isn't that neat?"

I nodded and said, "It's too cute to eat."

"Eat it. I'm still figuring out to keep it from melting just in case someone wanted it to stay alive for a while. Although I don't know how..." he trailed off, and looked at the floor thoughtfully, tapping a finger on his chin.

I thought about his never-melting ice cream, and I gasped, patting his arm quickly in excitement. He gave me a funny look with my action, and I rushed out, "Whatabouttheingredientinyournever-meltingicecreamthatkeepsitsolid!"

"What?" Willy giggled at me.

I sighed exasperatedly and said again, "What about the ingredient you use in your never-melting ice cream?"

His face lit up and he immediately wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. "Mary, you are a genius!"

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his neck, being careful with my itty-bitty candy bird.

"Why didn't I think of that?" Willy sighed. He set me down and made that weird call again, calling one of his Oompa-Loompas.

One of his workers came up to us and Willy said, "Please write down 'Use the NeverMelts in the Chocolate Birds.'"

The little worker nodded and beamed at me before walking off. Willy looked back at me and explained, "I just realized that I could make all of my chocolate not melt. Although, I should test it first to make sure that there won't be any weird side-effects with the other candies."

I nodded and smiled, eating my chocolate treat of a bird. He beamed at me and pulled me to one more machine. "Now, this is a real kicker."

He pulled from the small conveyor belt a little firecracker-red toffee-like square. He held it up and showed it to me. "This, is something that you should never, ever try. It's far too dangerous."

"What is it?" I wondered for perhaps the twenty-fourth time I've ever wondered.

"This little puncher is an Exploding Sweet. For those nasty enemies. You can seem absolutely innocent, then BANG!" he shouted, making me jump with a start and giggle. He continued, "The candy explodes. It's not fatal, thankfully, but it does serve a good vengeance."

Willy laughed lightly and placed it back onto the conveyor belt.

"Now, there is so much more I am dying to show you, but we should check in on that family feast Mrs. Bucket was cooking. Yeah?" He took my hand and I nodded.

He led me out of the Inventing Room and back out to where the Wonkatania was resting.