🍭Esme's P.O.V🍭

I walked beside Willy as we were walking down the hallway, my heart fluttered as he looked at me. He gave me a small smile and it felt like I had butterflies in stomach.

"Without the boat we'll have to move double time just to keep on schedule" he said "there's far too much to see!"

"Mr. Wonka?" Asked Charlie.

"Yeah?" Said Willy.

"Why did you decide to let people in?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Why, so they could see the factory, of course!" Said Willy.

"But why now?" Asked Charlie "And why only five?"

"I've been wondering that myself?" I said.

"What's the special prize and who gets it?" Demanded Mike, pushing his way to the front.

"The best kind of prize is a sur-prize!" Willy laughed.

I giggled.

"Will Violet always be a blueberry?" Asked Veruca.

"No... maybe... I don't know?" He said, unsure "but that's what you get for chewing gum all day. It's just disgusting!"

"If you hate gum so much why do you make it?" Asked Mike.

"Once again, you really shouldn't mumble cause it's kinda starting to bum me out!" Willy told him.

"Can you remember the first candy you ever ate?" Charlie asked him.

Willy stopped dead in his tracks. "No..." he said, spacing out again.

We all stood there and stared at him as he remembered.

"I'm sorry" he said, finally "I was having a flashback."

"I see" said Mr. Salt, pulling Veruca closer to him.

"Do these flashbacks happen often?" asked Mr. Teavee.

"Increasingly..." said Willy "today." 

We continued walking until we found the door labeled the nut room. 

"Ah! This is a room I know all about!" said Mr. Salt "you see, Mr. Wonka, I, myself, am in the nut business." He handed Willy a card to which he threw over his shoulder.

"Are you using the Havermax 4000 to do your sorting?" asked Mr. Salt.

"No" Willy laughed "you're really weird!"

Willy opened the door and everyone saw what the factory used instead of the Haver-whatcha-ma-call-it Mr. Salt said.

"Squirrels!" said Veruca.

"Yeah, squirrels!" said Willy "these squirrels are specially trained to get the nuts out of shells!"

Mr. Salt looked at Willy. "Why use squirrels? Why not use oompa loompa's?" he asked.

"Because only squirrels can get the whole walnut out!" said Willy "see how they tap each one with their little knuckles to make sure it isn't bad. Oh! Look! Look! I think that one's got a bad nut!" He pointed to a squirrel who had his ear to a nut. 

And Willy was right, the squirrel threw away the nut just like Willy with Mr. Salt's business card.

Suddenly one squirrel gave a surprised squeak and they all turned to look at me. I tried to hide my face behind Willy, but it was too late they noticed me. They all hopped of their stools and came running up to the bottom of the stairs.

I sighed. "Excuse me for a second" I told the group.

I walked down the stairs and Willy gasped.

"Hey Esme!" He called after me "I wouldn't do that!"

I walked up to the squirrels and they all looked at me sweetly, twitching their tails happily.

I huddled down to them and began talking to them.

"Chitter-chitter-squeak-chirp!" I said speaking the squirrel's language. Translation: Hi guys! What's up?"

"Chitter-squeak!" Said the youngest squirrel handing me a nut. Translation: We saved you a nut!

"Chirp-chitter!" I said, accepting the nut. Translation: Thank you!

They squeaked and chattered happily.

"Chirp-squeak-chitter-chitter-chirp!" I said. Translation: I have to go now, but keep up the good work!

They squeaked and waved their little paws goodbye as they went back to their work.

I came back up to the group and crawled through the gate.

"Sorry about that" I said "animals love me!"

"You can talk to squirrels?" Asked Mike.

"Yeah" I said "Why? You can't?"

"How do you know how to speak squirrel?" Asked Veruca.

"Anyone who truly listens to animals can talk to them" I said.

Willy gave me an admired look.

"Daddy, I want a squirrel! Get me one of those squirrels! I want one!" Demanded Veruca.

"Veruca, dear you have many marvelous pets!" Her father tried to reason with her.

"All I've got at home is one pony and two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbit and two parakeets and two canaries and a green parrot and a turtle and a silly old hamster! I want a squirrel!" She yelled.

"Arlight, pet" agreed Mr. Salt "daddy will get you a squirrel as soon as we get home."

"But I don't want any old squirrel!" She said "I want a trained squirrel."

"Very well" said Mr. Salt "Mr. Wonka? How much do you want for one of those squirrels? Name your price."

Veruca gave him a big smile which I found creepy.

"Oh, their not for sale" Said Willy, softly "she can't have one."

Veruca went back to her angery face.
"Daddy!" She snapped.

"I'm sorry, darling" Willy impersonated Mr. Salt perfectly. "Mr. Wonka's being unreasonable."

I giggled.

Veruca turned to her father and scowled. "If you don't get me a squirrel, I'll get one myself!" She said.

She crawled through the gate and made her way down the stairs.

"Veruca" Said Mr. Salt.

"Little girl?" Said Willy.

She ignored them both and made it to the squirrels work area. She looked around eyeing which one to take.

"Veruca, come back here at once!" Her father called.

Oh! So now he decides to be stern with her! I thought, rolling my eyes

Veruca appeared to be approaching the squirrels. All the little squirrels turned away from their nuts and stared at her.

"Veruca!" Called Mr. Salt.

"Little girl?" Said Willy "don't touch that squirrels nuts! It'll make him crazy!"

Veruca reached for the squirrel that gave me the nut. "I'll have you!" She said.

The squirrel squeaked and jumped on Veruca, the rest followed him. They crawled all over her and and made  her fall backwards on the floor.

"Veruca!" Shrieked Mr. Salt, shaking the gate.

Fortunately, Willy had his key ring with him. Unfortunately, he had every other key in the factory on the ring!

"Daddy!" Called Veruca.

The squirrels pinned Veruca's arms and legs to the ground.

"Gotta find the key..." he said, trying one. "No, not that one..."

"There it is!" Willy tried another key "there it isn't..."

"Daddy! I want them to stop!" She yelled.

"Wanting things is how you got into this situation!" I yelled to her.

Mr. Salt glared at me.

"Well, it is..." I shrugged.

The squirrel Veruca had reached for before hopped on top of her. He inspected her, knocked on her head and listened closely.

"What are they doing?" Asked Charlie.

"Their checking to see if she's a bad nut" explained Willy.

The squirrel gave a dissatisfied squeak.

"Oh my goodness!" Said Willy "she is a bad nut after all!"

The squirrels began to carry Veruca to the hole in the center of the floor.

"Daddy!" Shouted Veruca.

"Veruca!" Cried Mr. Salt. "Where Are they taking her?" He asked Willy.

"Where all the other bad nuts go" answered Willy "down the garbage chute."

"Where does the chute go?" Asked Mr. Salt.

"To the incinerator" said Willy "but don't worry, we only light it on Tuesday!"

"Today is Tuesday!" Said Mike.

"Well, there's always the chance they decided not to light it today?" Said Willy, slightly worried.

We watched as Veruca got thrown into the chute, screaming the whole way down. The squirrels went back to work, not caring wither or not they just roasted a person alive.

"Now she may be stuck in the chute just below the top" said Willy, trying to reassure Mr. Salt. "And if that's the case, all you have to do is just reach in and pull her out!"

Willy finally puts the right key in and unlocks the gate, letting Mr. Salt in.

We watch as the oompa loompa's start another musical number.

Willy and I stifled a laugh as a squirrel sent Mr. Salt tumbling down the chute.

Suddenly an oompa loompa appeared beside us. Willy kneeled down as he whispered something in his ear.

"Really? Oh Good!" He said "I've just been informed that the incinerator's broken so there should be about three weeks of rotten garbage to break their fall!"

"Well, that's good news" said Mr. Teavee.

"Yeah well, let's keep on truckin' " said Willy.