The picnic was a great birthday lunch that Charlie prepared and things were going well so far. However, it could have been better if it went without the usual uncomfortable silence. Charlie kept waiting for either one of the candy-makers to start a conversation but unfortunately, none has said a word to each other.
Finally, Charlie had to break the silence and could not help but ask. "So, I know you might not want to talk about it but I was wondering how you two became so competitive with each other. Were you ever friends at all?"
Both Mr. Wonka and Miss Vicky stopped eating and stared at Charlie as though as if he uttered a swear word. They glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. Mr. Wonka shot him a slight glare and sneered. "You're right. We don't' want to talk about it, kay?"
"Oh, come on, Mr. Wonka!" Charlie pleaded and then gave Miss Vicky another angelic look that she could not resist. She sighed as she turned to Willy. "Go on, Willy. It's his birthday after all."
"Fine!" He gave a slight pout as he began. "I was about your age. At school, I always had the best grades in the class, always was the first to raise my hand and always was first to finish my exams. I was also the first to arrive in class and get to my favorite desk. And if that wasn't enough, I beat all the kids out of their marbles during playtime! Isn't that neat?! Then one day my teacher asked a question about how to spell some weird word. Suddenly..."
"...I raised my hand before he did." Miss Vicky smirked as Mr. Wonka glared at her. "And if I remember correctly, the word was 'haughty'. H-A-U-G-H-T-Y. Haughty. I was the new student in school and my mother always taught me 'never let some ninny little boy beat you at anything'. I studied vigorously, day and night. I never went out to play and my mother forced me to finish my school work before supper. From then on I always had the better grades in class, was first to finish my tests, and if Willy got an A-, I ended up with an A+. Not to mention, I won all his marbles. Hmph!" She smirked proudly at him as he rolled his eyes and pouted. He really did not want to talk about it but looking back, he finally needed to let the burdens of his past out.
He continued. "Then, one horrible day, my father decided to install those appalling braces. I came to school and I was instantly poked fun at. All thanks to Vicky Adams." He narrowed his eyes at her.
Miss Vicky could not help but snicker. "Yes, they were dreadful. He looked like a little monster with metal all over his head. I never meant for the name Mr. Metal Helmet to have caught on so quickly around school. However, schoolwork became more and more hectic for me that I studied and studied. At the same time, I kept eating and eating... mostly sweets, that is. I blew up fat like a balloon and it got so horrible..."
"...That she could not fit sitting on the chair at her desk! Hahaha!" Willy Wonka fell into a fit of insane giggles.
Miss Vicky glared at him and sighed. "Yes, well, I had to be forced to sit in the back where there was more room for me and then thanks to Willy, everyone in class kept poking fun at me as well, calling me the Fat Lard and Chunky Vicky."
"That's awful!" Charlie frowned.
"Though I must admit." She continued. "I was quite inspired years later when making new bubblegum with my father. I thought of non sticky gum that people with braces could chew. Braces like Willy's."
At this, Mr. Wonka could not help but gawk at her in astonishment. "Really?! That's really weird!" He grinned broadly. "I was inspired to make Wonka Nerds from that day you dropped that lollipop. You were making fun of me that I wasn't allowed to eat candy and when I ran into you, on purpose, of course, the candy fell and shattered into tiny little pieces. Hehe! I thought of it years later when I wanted to make bits of crunchy candy. Well, what do you know!?"
"Is that right? Extraordinary!" Miss Vicky also gave him an astonished look and Charlie smiled widely at the both of them. They really meant to help each other from the start.
However, he did not see so much cooperation when he saw Mr. Wonka beginning to laugh spontaneously at the memory. "Heehee! You sure fell down hard! Much like a walrus on its belly! Hahaha.... Ahh!" Mr. Wonka gasped as he felt the sweet taste of creamy marshmallow all over his face. He grabbed a chunk of it off as he saw Miss Vicky staring fiercely at him, with a handful of marshmallow cream. He stood up slowly, seething at her and swiftly turned toward the fudge tree and grabbed a gooey, chocolaty sphere. He chucked it at her head and to her horror, sent the fudge trickling down her face.
"How dare you!" She fumed and began throwing more gooey confection she could find.
Charlie gawked at them, regretting that he got them talking about their painful past and hid behind one of the candy trees. Suddenly, he began hearing fits of laughter among them.
"Take that! Hahaha!" Mr. Wonka laughed as he had a handful of creamy marshmallow and chucked it at Miss Vicky who was in hysterics of laughter.
"Not if I get you back! You like chocolate don't you?!" She sent more fudge dripping on Willy's hat.
Charlie could not help but feel relief and amusement at the sight. Suddenly, he also began to feel something cold and gooey thrown at the back of his head.
"Charlie, I'm sorry! I was aiming for Miss Vicky!" Mr. Wonka called out as he was hiding behind a licorice tree, dodging her aim. Charlie laughed and began throwing any slimy and gooey candy he could find at both of his favorite candy-makers. The picnic became a fun filled candy fight in the chocolate room and this was definitely Charlie's favorite birthday yet.
Once the trio was exhausted and covered in fudge, cream and all other sweets of the room, they plopped down on the picnic mat, chuckling while wiping the sweet substances off of them.
"Boy, that was the most fun I had in a darn long time! Heehee!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed in a hysterical fit of giggles.
"Me too!" Miss Vicky laughed as she also had a rather disgusted look on her face as she combed her chocolate covered hair with her fingers. "Ugh, I never knew chocolate would stick to my hair like this!"
Mr. Wonka glanced at her and began to giggle insanely yet again. "Also to your upper lip! You have a chocolate mustache! Hah!"
"Where?!" She tried wiping the chocolate off her face but still had more left.
"Haha! Here! Let me get that for you!" He chuckled as he took a napkin and began dabbing off the smooth traces of chocolate on her lips. Ooh, those tasty-looking lips again. He was hypnotized once more and when he realized that their faces were close to each other yet again, his throat did the usual reaction. Then he found himself unable to breath as well. Gasping for air, he gulped hard and backed away quickly as he turned to his apprentice.
"That was fun, Charlie! I better go wash up before your folks get home. Bye! Eh..." He ran over to the glass elevator and took off quickly.
Miss Vicky got up and grinned at Charlie. "Thanks for a great picnic... I better wash up too. See you at dinner!" She had somewhat of a dreamy look in her eyes as she headed toward the pink boat. Charlie could not help but feel even more satisfied with himself. He was certain that the candy-makers did not have any idea what they were starting to feel but that occasion may have sparked more questions about it.
The rest of the family gathered for Charlie's birthday dinner that night and when Mrs. Bucket asked why his clothes were all sticky, he and the candy makers could not help but chortle at the events that happened that afternoon.
Later on that evening, Mr. Wonka and Miss Vicky headed back to the main tower. Both have not said a word to each other on the way over until Mr. Wonka asked. "Hey, are you tired at all? Because if not, I think I should show you something I've been working on. It's a full moon tonight and... well you gotta see this!"
She shrugged, "Well, alright. What is it?"
"You'll see! Hold on!" He pressed the button leading to another tower. When they arrived there, Miss Vicky was astonished to see that the room had a large, glass dome ceiling that showed the glow of the night sky with the moon beaming down at them. There were also numerous tables situated with crystal like stones that were sparkling brightly.
"Willy, this is breathtaking!" She exclaimed in awe. "What is all this?"
"I call these BriteBites!" He grinned. "During the daytime, they look like ordinary sugar crystal candies but at night, with the stars and moon shining, they glow brightly like you see here! Isn't that neat?!"
"Neat?!" Vicky smiled. "It's amazing, Willy! You really are a pure talent."
"Why, thank you! You're not so bad yourself, haha! Hey, I have an idea. Next month is February and you know what that means?"
She nodded. "Valentines Day candy of course! Ooh! We should get started on them and create a new challenge."
"Precisely, Miss Vicky! Only I think we should work on them separately for old time's sake and then show our finished product a few days later, kay?"
"Willy, I shall get started right away." She grinned at him and they shook hands to seal the deal, "And Willy, just calling me Vicky will do."
"Okie dokie, Chunky Vicky! Hehe!" Willy snickered and paused when he noticed her glaring at him yet again. "I'm sorry... old habit. Vicky, heh!"
When Mr. Wonka arrived at his tower, he was so excited the he could not wait to start working on the new Valentine's Day candies right away. Wonka's chocolates were just the treat for the holiday and a guaranteed success. He leaped for joy all over his room and did not care about competing with Vicky this time. He was just so consumed with excitement at the new ideas he had were brainstorming in his head. He giggled insanely as he cleared up his work desk for room to jot down his ideas, unplugging and getting rid of the monitors and the other auditory equipment he forgot was connected to Vicky's working space. He far longed forgot all about the competition and the hostility they had previously exchanged. He just wanted to make an amazing new Valentine's Day candy and be proud enough of it to show them off to her.
He stretched himself out on his bed, preparing himself for a good night's rest. He knew that he had the best ideas come to him at night so he closed his violet eyes and looked for that idea. Instead, he could not help but replay the fun events of that day and then suddenly, he kept seeing Vicky's lovely face in the darkness. She was as beautiful as his chocolate room and can smell her wonderful scent of sweet strawberries and vanilla cream. The strange, uneasy, yet blissful feeling started to creep up at him but why was he feeling so strange? Perhaps it was something he ate. He could not put his finger on it. He did not feel any hatred or rivalry toward his competition any longer. It was something else and as odd as it felt, it gave him a warm feeling and a different sense of happiness. This feeling inspired him to create his next holiday batch of chocolates.
The first day of February approached and just a year back, it was the day that Mr. Wonka opened his factory to the five lucky Golden Ticket winners. The next year to come, it became the first day he was able to openly share his latest, most secret creations to none other than a candy-making rival. That morning he took with him a large, red and gold heart shaped box of chocolates down to Miss Vicky's door. He knocked on it and straightened himself out. He could not wait to see what she came up with. She opened the door and eagerly invited him in.
"I can't believe it's already February." She exclaimed happily as she took out a small, red box with white hearts all over it. "Are you ready to show me what you've been working on?"
"Ready when you are, Miss Vicky... I mean, Vicky!" He grinned. "Here!" He slightly opened the heart box and inside were very small, heart shaped chocolates.
"Looks like a normal box of Valentines Day chocolates, right? But watch this!" He removed the lid completely and suddenly the little pieces of heart chocolates started slowly floating above the box. "You see what's happening?! They're floating! Know why?! Know why?! They start to float when it senses happiness and then they...." Suddenly, the hearts stopped floating but rather, started jumping up and down from the container quite rapidly. Mr. Wonka's eyes widened as he closed the lid immediately, hiding the box behind him and let out a nervous chuckle. He was afraid the chocolates would have done just that. He took a big gulp. "I have to work on a few more adjustments...heh... Okie dokie. Now,yours!"
Miss Vicky cleared her throat and held up the little red box. "I must say that is fascinating, Willy. As a matter of fact, my creation is not much different than yours, believe it or not! You remember my MoodPops?"
He nodded in agreement. "What about them? I only saw them turn green every time I held one..."
"Well, here." She opened the box and took out a very small, white heart shaped lollipop that looked like it was much smaller than a quarter. "It's so tiny, isn't it? However, watch it closely!"
When they focused on it, they began to see it increase in size and turned from white to pink. It was twice the size from its original. "You see, it swells up, rises, and turns pink when you're feeling happy around someone, like a dear friend..."
Suddenly, it started growing even more and turned into a fiery shade of red. The heart became the size of her hand and to her puzzlement, it began beating rapidly, like a heartbeat. As she did not plan on that to occur with her creation, she quickly hid it behind her back and stammered. "Well, I... I didn't expect that. I think I should adjust a few things on this as well. Umm...alright! Good luck, Willy..." She went over to the door and opened it for him as a sign for him to leave. He took the hint and quickly left the room.
Later that day, the candy makers remained occupied in their own working spaces and when Charlie came home from school, he received somewhat of an urgent message from his mentor to meet with him in the Inventing Room. Charlie opened the door and walked in quickly. "Mr. Wonka, you wanted to see me? Is everything alright?"
"Oh, yeah!" Mr. Wonka called out as he was looking closer at his heart chocolates. He saw that Charlie was already at his side. "I just needed your help testing out something." He held out the Valentine's box and opened the lid. The chocolate floated slowly above the box. However, moments have passed and they remained calmly mid air. "I don't understand, Charlie..."
"It's great, Mr. Wonka!" Charlie looked at it in amazement.
"That's what happens to the chocolate when you're around friends but when I was with Miss Vicky, they went crazy! They started jumping up and down like monkeys!"
Charlie shrugged. "Well, maybe they did that because they sensed something more than friendship..."
"What else could it be?!" The great chocolatier began pacing. "I don't feel the same around her. My face heats up, my throat swells up, my mouth dries up, and my insides starts to churn like butter! What's happening to me!? She's making me ill!"
However, Charlie could not wait for the day to happen as he grinned happily and began snickering. "Oh, Mr. Wonka! You're in love!"
Mr. Wonka scrunched his face. "In love?! Ew! I haven't eaten that much of my chocolates lately! How could I be in love?"
Charlie sighed. "It's not your chocolates this time. You love Miss Vicky, admit it!"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He shook his head. "She's evil... okay maybe not evil but she's putting some spell on me. She's a witch I tell you!"
"It has nothing to do with witchcraft. You're in love!" The little boy began laughing. "You know what you should do? Ask her out on a date!"
"That doesn't make any sense at all, Charlie." He narrowed his eyes at him. "I'm not standing on my dates while I talk to her, eww! I need them for my chocolates!"
Charlie sighed as it was going to take a while to explain. "Not the food date... Date! It's when you spend time with someone you really like, alone together. You know, you have dinner and talk about other things besides work..."
"How do you know all this?" Mr. Wonka looked at the boy in bewilderment.
"My mum already gave me a talk about girls, yuck!" He rolled his eyes.
Mr. Wonka made another face. "So, won't you be there too?"
"Of course not! It's not a date if I'm there. You have to be ALONE together! This is what you should do. You will have dinner at the chocolate room but not at my cottage. I'll set up a really romantic table and my mum will have dinner ready for you two. All you have to do is ask Miss Vicky to join you and just talk about anything you want."
"You really planned this out rather quickly, little boy..." Mr. Wonka furrowed his brows.
Charlie could not help but chuckle in self satisfaction. It was finally happening. "So, Mr. Wonka, are you alright with that? I know it sounds strange but I knew it all along. You and Miss Vicky were made for each other. Don't be nervous at all. Just be yourself."
"Made for each other?" Mr. Wonka nearly gagged. However, it may have explained how well he and Miss Vicky worked together. It was dinner with a friend and nothing more. He took a deep breath before rolling his eyes. "Okay okay. I guess that doesn't sound too bad."
Then Charlie gave his mentor a very mischievous grin. "At the end of the night, if you feel that you had a good time. Give her a kiss!"
To Willy Wonka's horror, he exclaimed. "HUH?! GIVE HER A WHAT?!"