Chapter Text
Charlie Bucket is one of the luckiest children in the world. Living with his mother and father, his Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine, the father and mother of his father, Mr. Bucket, and his Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina, the father and mother of his mother, Mrs. Bucket, the family had little to their name, but never asked for much. Despite the poor living conditions his family lived in, and just how harder things got in the recent winter, with his father losing his job at the toothpaste factory and the cold air blowing in every chance it got into the house, Charlie kept pushing forward. One day, the starving boy was able to come across some lost money, lying in the snow. And as no one was looking for it, he took the chance, and bought himself two nice, creamy, delicious chocolate bars, which were both his favorite flavor; the Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight! He forgot how good it felt to chew on solid food, and the boy was so hungry, he wolfed it down without a second thought. And as he got ready to tear into the next candy bar, a miracle happened.
“It’s the golden ticket!” The shopkeeper cried, jumping up and down excitedly. “You found the last golden ticket! And in my shop too!” It took a moment for him to process what happened, but when he did, Charlie rushed home, with energy he hadn’t had in the last few weeks. His home was filled with excitement; upon seeing the ticket himself, Grandpa Joe was miraculously able to walk again, dancing and cheering his grandson’s name.
The very next day, Charlie and Grandpa Joe went to take the golden tour at Wonka’s factory, lead by the owner of the factory itself, Mr. Willy Wonka. For most people, he was strange, wacky, nutty, dotty, daffy, but Charlie and Grandpa Joe respected the man, every step through the factory. One by one, the other ticket winners, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregard, Varuca Salt and Mike Teevee were all escorted out of the building after failing to their own hubris. They were at least able to go home with lifetime supplies worth of sweets, however, Charlie was the only boy, who listened to Wonka whenever great danger was around, and therefore, found himself to be the winner of the chocolate makers contest, and his grand prize was the chocolate factory itself.
“Once you are old enough, and once you are ready, the chocolate factory shall be yours.” Mr. Wonka explained. On top of that, Wonka even allowed his family to move into the factory as well, to help Charlie while he trains his new protege, though, there had been a few complications with one of the grandparents distracting Wonka just long enough for them to get launched into space, and engaged into a battle against a deadly force of Vermicious Knids that had taken over an American space hotel! But, after that battle, and saving a majority of the staff meant for the hotel, they were able to return to the chocolate factory safely. They even found themselves being invited to the White House for saving the staff from the Knids! That news alone was enough for The other three grandparents to follow Joe’s example, and get out of the bed that they’ve been in for over twenty years. They made a quick stop to get fresh clothes, as they couldn’t go to a dinner with President Gilligrass in their pajamas, and once they were ready, they were flown all the way to the White House. They were gone for about three days, not only having dinner with the president, but taking time to sightsee the area, and once they were ready, they were taken back to the chocolate factory, where a ghastly sight was waiting for them. Once they got back, they were greeted by two large holes, smashed right through the walls of the chocolate room, and all the chocolate in the river was poured out!
“My factory!” Wonka cried. “My chocolate! What happened?!”
“Could it have been the competitors?” Grandpa Joe scratched his head, staring at the damaged left wall, as Oompa Loompas were doing their best to patch up the damages. “Slugworth, Prodnose, and Ficklegruber?”
“No. No, they’re crafty enough to send in spies, but to use explosives? It would damage the chocolate! And as much as they might hate me, they would never damage the goods…” Wonka explains, crossing his arms, letting go of his walking cane and letting it stand right up as he takes a few steps over, looking over the empty river that once held gallons upon gallons of perfectly mixed chocolate from the waterfall. It would take forever just to get things back to speed again. Charlie looked at the damage in pure dismay as he stood next to the chocolate maker, and his father felt a slight tug at his leg. Looking down, Mr. Bucket saw an Oompa Loompa standing next to him, holding up a few newspapers from the last few days while they were gone.
“Who could have done all of this?” Charlie questioned, a little upset that the flow of chocolate was stopped.
“I think, we might have an answer.” Mr. Bucket said, getting everyone’s attention. “Listen to this, this happened while we were over at the White House.” He paused to clear his throat, then pulled the paper close to his face, squinting, as he still couldn’t get prescription glasses. Everyone gathered around, eager to hear what might have happened.
“Rampaging Peach Bowls Through Town! It was early this morning, when the giant peach that grew seemingly overnight on top of our town's hill, which hadn’t seen fresh crops in years, broke free from the tree it grew on. Spiker and Sponge Trotter could only watch in horror as the fruit they were making money from paid visitors to see, rolled through fences, bowled over cows and other livestock, and smashed through Wonka’s Chocolate factory, the result causing a large flow of chocolate to pour into the streets where the children waited to gobble it up.”
“That explains why the roads and sidewalks are all painted brown.” Grandma Josephine said to herself.
“The last anyone has seen of the peach…” Mr. Bucket continued. “...was seeing it careen off the side of a cliff and into the waters, where it has sailed out into the Atlantic Ocean.”
“A giant peach…I’d say that’s insane if it wasn’t for the fact we went against those nasty Knids.” Wonka shook his head, as Mr. Bucket grabs the next newspaper, and he noticed him shuddering at the front page. “What? What’s the matter?”
“Well…take a look for yourself!” Mr. Bucket turned the paper around, to show everyone the picture of the front covered, which showed a printed image of a boy, standing with a giant grasshopper, ladybug, earthworm, centipede, spider and glow worm. They were standing in New York City, and the picture showed the giant peach behind them. The bold headline read, ‘BIG BUGS IN THE BIG APPLE!’ in all capital letters.
“Cripes! Look at the size of those things!” Joe stared at the picture, mouth agape.
“Oh, I’d hate to get caught in that Spider’s web…” Grandpa George shudders, as his son in law continues to read the story.
“Late last night, New York City was greeted with a very odd, peculiar surprise. No one heard it coming, and no one saw it coming, but once an officer felt fresh peach juice spill onto his hat, people began to take notice of the giant peach that was now nestled onto the Empire State Building. On top of it, was a small boy, James Henry Trotter…ahh, he must be the nephew to those Trotter women we heard earlier…” Mr. Bucket paused to mutter that to himself. “After being escorted down, along with the giant fruit, the boy's aunts arrived on the scene, their car mysteriously crushed and filled to the brim with water. It seemed as though they didn’t pay for travel, and chose to drive their vehicle over the Atlantic Ocean.”
“So they’re dotty.” Grandma Georgina shook her head.
“They tried to talk to the boy to go home with them, but when he refused, they…oh dear. They grabbed two fire axes from a nearby fire truck and started swinging at the boy.”
“Oh my word, they are dotty!” Grandma Josephine gasped.
“And people think I’m nutty? HA!” Wonka chuckled.
“What happened next, father?” Charlie asked.
“Let’s see…then, as if descending from heaven itself, insects the size of average people and large dogs, came hovering down with the help of seagulls, and trapped the crazed aunts in spiderwebs before the police hauled them off. The boy, James Henry Trotter, introduced them as Mr. Grasshopper, Mr. Centipede, Mr. Earthworm, Miss Spider, Mrs. Ladybug, and Ms. Glowworm. They kept the boy safe and sound, treating him as a member of their own family. Once things were settled, the children of Manhattan were allowed to dine on the massive fruit, until all that was left was the core of the fruit itself, which is now set up as the home for James and these insects in Central Park. Mr. Centipede is now running for mayor, promising the moon and back. Mr. Grasshopper is playing in the New York Symphony orchestra as a new violinist. Mr. EarthWorm is now a spokesman for women's facial cream products. Mrs. Ladybug now works in St. Elizabeth as their new Maternity chief, and averages eight deliveries a day, expecting to deliver her one thousandth child soon. Miss Spider is opening up a new nightclub with Jazz, dancing and food. And Ms. Glowworm has become the new torch for Lady Liberty, saving the city millions on the electric bill.”
“Wow…that’s incredible!” Charlie said, having a little trouble processing everything he had just heard.
“Incredible? These insects busted holes through the factory!” Wonka said as he stood to his feet. “We must find them, and have a good word with them!”
“What if we invite them to the factory? It might be a better solution, plus, it’ll help us make sure FIcklegruber, Prodnose and Slugworth don’t come poking around.” Charlie suggested. Hearing this, Wonka began to ponder it over, scratching his chin while placing his other hand back onto his walking cane.
“That might be the best solution…it’s time to release the emergency Golden Ticket.”
James Henry Trotter is another lucky boy in the world. Being stuck with his aunts for several years, he was able to get away, thanks to a man with a bag full of magical green creatures that unfortunately got out into the soil, causing the growth of the giant peach. Once it was fully grown, and his aunts, Sponge and Spiker, sent him outside of the house, he was able to get into the peach, where he met his newfound friends, and soon to be family; Mr. Grasshopper, an old but kind gentleman, the Earthworm, a nervous wreck who couldn’t see, Mr. Centipede, a Brooklyn boy who was mostly all talk, Ms. Glowworm, kind but mostly sleeps throughout the day, Mrs. Ladybug, a sweet nurturing woman, and Miss Spider, a quiet soul who kept to herself mostly, but was very sweet and protective of the boy, keeping James safe whenever she could.
They all loved the boy, and he loved them back, sticking together through thick and thin, and now, they lived a peaceful life in Central Park in the seed that once was a part of the giant peach. Life, if you can pardon the pun, couldn’t have been any sweeter.
It was a fine afternoon at Central Park, and James was relaxing outside his home, gazing at the clouds with Earthworm, who, despite not being able to see anything, still enjoyed spending time with the boy, who was practically a nephew to him, listening to him describe the clouds.
“What do ya think, James? See any good ones up there?” He asks, turning his head in the direction he last recognized the boy’s voice being at.
“...I do! I see one that looks just like you, Earthworm! The clouds curled up like whenever you’re taking a nap!”
“Ohh, that sounds nice!”
“Boys, if you’re hungry, lunch is just about ready.” Miss Spider called to them before closing the door.
“Coming, Mum!” James smiled before standing up and making his way inside, the earthworm following behind him. Miss Spider was currently setting the table with several sandwiches, one enough for everybody. Mrs. Ladybug was washing the dishes, the Glow Worm was napping, and Mr. Grasshopper was tuning his violin and listening to Mr. Centipede on the radio during his morning conference. It was a nice dynamic they had; as mentioned, the Earthworm was like James’ uncle. The Glow Worm took the aunt role. Mr. Grasshopper and Mrs. Ladybug took the grandparent role, and Mr. Centipede and Miss Spider took the parental roles. It worked, and while everyone had jobs, some at night, some during the day, they were able to get their time with James, even with him now attending school.
“Sounds like Centipede is doing well in the polls!” Grasshopper comments, turning the station to listen to some orchestral music. “Good show as always!”
“I hope he knows he has to actually deliver on those promises.” Earthworm shook his head as he got onto the couch next to Grasshopper.
“Don’t worry, dearie, I already talked to him about it.” Mrs. Ladybug says, looking over her shoulder at the worm. “He seems to be fully aware of what he needs to do.” As if on cue, Mr. Centipede entered the house, holding some mail, humming about the bright lights in the big city.
“Welcome home.” Miss Spider greeted him.
“Glad to be home!” He says, sitting down, looking at the mail while Miss Spider put sandwiches on the table, everyone else reaching up to grab one. “Let’s see…bill…Glow Worm’s bonus for being the Liberty statues torch…bill…bi-” He paused, raising a brow, lifting his hat from his other eye to get a better look at what he was looking at. It was a bar of chocolate with a sticky note that read ‘To James, Henry Trotter’, but the bar itself wasn’t just any ordinary bar of chocolate. “A…Wonka chocolate bar? Hey, it’s addressed to you, kid!” He says, holding up the bar before passing it over to James.
“A Wonka bar? I haven’t had one of these in a long time.” He chimed before opening it up, the wrapper crinkled as he did, and suddenly, there was a sudden flash of gold, catching everyone’s attention, aside from the glow worm who was still sound asleep.
“What’s that, dearie?” Mrs. Ladybug asks.
“It’s…It’s a golden ticket! It’s from a contest Mr. Wonka himself started, wanting to invite five children to his factory! I thought it was over! I never got a chance to enter because of my aunts.” He explains, pulling out the golden ticket.
“Really? I wonder why they’d sent you one specifically.” Earthworm tilts his head.
“What’s it say, my boy?” Mr. Grasshopper asks as James begins to read the ticket.
“Greetings to you, James Henry Trotter. I hope this bar of Wonka’s Nutty Crunch Delight has found its way to you safely and in one piece, for I have a special message, just for you! I’ve heard about your escapades with the giant peach, and I am very much interested in meeting you and the rest of your newfound family. That is why, I am taking it upon myself to invite you all to my factory! Many wonderful things are in store for you, as I invite you and your family to my factory for one whole day! Mystic and marvelous surprises that will entice, delight, intrigue, astonish and perplex you beyond measure await you! Now, here’s your instructions. On the morning of Next Saturday, a Wonka boat will enter the New York docks. Make sure to be there early in the morning, and once on board, show the captain your golden ticket, and you will be whisked to my factory! All I ask is that you don’t get into mischief. Have a good day, and I shall see you soon.
“Signed, Willy Wonka.” He looks up, seeing the bugs share surprised exclaims, excited about visiting the famous chocolate factory.
“Looks like we’re visitin’ our home town!” Mr. Centipede laughed. “Thankfully we won’t have to worry about Sponge and Spiker!”
“As long as those two bars are still behind bars, we shouldn’t have to worry about anything!” Grasshopper laughed, unaware that just outside their home, the aunts were hiding in the bushes, listening in on their conversation in the bushes.
“A trip to Wonka’s? That little brat…” Spiker sneers.
“What are we going to do. Spiker?” Sponge questioned.
“Isn’t it obvious? We’re going to sneak aboard a ship, right now, and we’re going to sail back home and beat these monsters there!” The two aunts chuckled, creeping away from the home of the giant insects before hailing a taxi to the New York docks.
The next morning, James and the insects waited by the docks, trying to spot the boat in question.
“Where is this thing, anyways?” Mr. Centipede questioned, taking his hat off to scratch his head.
“We did agree to show up ten minutes early.” Mr. Grasshopper says, pulling out his pocket watch.
“It helped us beat the New York Traffic!” Ms. Ladybug smiled, checking her reflection in her handheld mirror.
“I hope Mr. Wonka will like this appreciation gift.” Miss Spider reached into her bag, pulling out something that was a surprise to the rest of the group.
“You still have a piece of the peach?” James asked, a little surprised. “I thought it was entirely eaten!”
“I decided to save at least one chunk, in case we wanted to have something special for dessert. I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t spoiled yet.”
“To be fair, the peach was affected by the same magic that made us all huge!” Mr. Worm pointed out. The group mutters in agreement, noting he was right with that little observation.
“...Hey, there it is!” Mr. Centipede points to the waters, spotting a fairly colorful ship approaching the dock with a golden capital W on the sides. On board were little orange men, no taller than James’ knee.
“Those are…rather small men.” Glow worm commented, adjusting her glasses to get a better look at the men, who were gesturing for them to come on board. Everyone grabbed their bags, and once safely on board, the little men started to pilot the boat off the dock, sailing for the open oceans.
‘It’s been awhile since we’ve been on the waters!” Centipede chuckled, standing by the ledge, looking at the water.
“It’s fantastic!” Mr. Grasshopper smiled. “The fresh salty air, the clear blue skies and calm seas! It’s so invigorating!”
“And we don’t have to worry about things trying to kill us!” Mr. Worm smiled, sitting on a lounge chair.
“Are you excited, James?” Miss Spider asks, smiling at the boy.
“Absolutely! I’ve always wondered what it was like inside Wonka’s factory, I didn’t think we would be invited!”
“It’s quite a fascinating turn of events!” Mr. Grasshopper smiled, pulling out his violin and began playing it. “There’s nothing for us to do now but enjoy the adventure! Tally ho, and away we go!” He laughed, and the others let out a cheer before kicking back, relaxing and enjoying the ride, while the oompa loompa’s maintained the ship.