Chapter 12 30

30 Charlie's Chocolate Factory This remarkable glass elevator hovers high above the town.In the elevator are Mr. Wonka, Grandpa Joe and Little Charlie. "How I love my Chocolate Factory," said Mr Wonka, looking down.He was silent for a moment, then turned and looked at Charlie with a very serious expression on his face. "You love it too, Charlie?" he asked. "Oh, of course," exclaimed Charlie, "I think it's the sweetest place in the world!" "I'm glad to hear you say that," said Mr Wonka, looking more serious.He was still staring at Charlie intently. "Yes," he said, "I'm really glad to hear you say that. Well, let me tell you why." Mr Wonka turned his head to one side, and a few smiles of delight flickered in the corners of his eyes He said, "You see, my dear boy, I have decided to appoint you as my agent in all this. And when you are old enough to run this factory, it will be yours entirely."

Charlie stared at Mr. Wonka dumbfounded. Grandpa Joe opened his mouth wide as if to say something, but no words came out. "This is by no means a joke," said Mr Wonka, laughing heartily. "Isn't it nice that I'm really ready to hand it over to you?" "To him?" asked Grandpa Joe eagerly. "You must be joking." "I'm not kidding, sir. I'm dead serious." "But...but...why do you even want to give your factory to little Charlie?" "Listen," said Mr Wonka, "I'm an old man, much older than you think.I can't manage it all forever.I have no children and no family.Who's going to keep this factory going when I'm too old to run it? Somebody has to keep it going—even for the Oompa-Loompas.Don't forget, there are thousands of smart people who would do anything to get into this factory and take it away from me, and I don't need such smart people.I'm not looking for an adult at all.A grown man won't listen to me, he won't study hard, he just wants to do it his way and not my way.So I must find a child.What I need is a well-meaning, intelligent, sweet kid so I can pass on all of my most precious candy-making secrets to him--while I'm still alive. "

"So that's what you're giving out the Golden Tickets for!" cried Charlie. "Exactly!" said Mr Wonka. "I decided to invite five children to my factory, and when the day of visiting the factory is over, whoever I admire the most will be the winner!",' . "But, Mr. Wonka," stammered Grandpa Joe, "are you really going to hand over the whole of this huge factory to little Charlie? You're not kidding, after all..." "There's no time for arguments!" cried Mr Wonka. "We must get the rest of the family right away—Charlie's father and mother and the whole family! They can all live in the factory from now on." They'll all help run the factory until Charlie grows up to run it by himself! Where's your house, Charlie?"

Charlie looked through the glass floor at the snow-covered houses below. "It's right there," he said, pointing, "it's the little cottage on the edge of town, the tiny tiny cottage . . . " "I see it!" cried Mr Wonka, and he pushed a few more buttons, and the lift went straight down towards Charlie's house. "I'm afraid my mother won't come with us," said Charlie sadly. "why?" "Because she won't leave Granny Josephine and Grandma George and Grandpa George." "But they must go together." "They can't," said Charlie. "They're all very old. They haven't gotten up in twenty years."

"Then we'll take them with the bed," said Mr. Wonka. "There's enough space in this lift to put the bed down." "You can't get that bed out of the house," said Grandpa Joe. "It can't go through the door." "Don't worry!" cried Mr Wonka. "There's nothing you can't do! Just wait and see!" The elevator was already circling over the Bucket cabin. "What are you going to do?" Charlie asked aloud. "I'm going to go straight down and get them," said Mr Wonka. "How to get down?" Grandpa Joe asked.

"Through the roof," said Mr Wonka, pressing another button "No!" Charlie exclaimed. "Stop!" Grandpa Joe yelled. With a bang, the elevator went straight through the roof to the room where the old people lived.Broken tiles, wood chips, cockroaches, spiders, bricks, and plaster fell on the three old people who were lying on the bed. They all thought the end of the world was coming.Grandma Georgina fainted, Grandma Josephine dropped her dentures, Grandma George covered her head with a blanket, and the Bucketts burst in from the next room. "Help!" Grandma Josephine yelled.

"Don't worry, dear wife," said Grandpa Joe, stepping out of the elevator, "it's us." "Mother!" cried Charlie, throwing himself into Mrs. Bucket's arms. "Mother! Mother! Let me tell you what's going on! We're all going to live in Mr Wonka's factory, and we're going to help him run the factory, which he's entrusted to me, and... And... and..." "What are you talking about?" asked Mrs. Bucket. "Look at our house!" cried poor Mr. Bucket. "It's all wrecked!" Mr. Wonka jumped forward, shook hands with Mr. Bucket enthusiastically, and said:

"My dear sir, I am very glad to see you. Don't worry about your house, anyway, you won't need it from now on." "Who is this crazy man?" cried Granny Josephine. "He almost killed us. " Grandpa Joe said, "This is Mr. Willy Wonka." Grandpa Joe and Charlie took great pains to explain to everyone the events of the day in great detail.Even so, they refused to take the elevator and fly back to the factory. "I'd rather die in my bed!" cried Grandma Josephine "Me too!" cried Grandma Georgina. "I'm not going!" declared Grandpa George.

So Mr Wonka, Grandpa Joe, and Charlie, despite how much they screamed, pushed the bed into the lift, and then they pushed Mr and Mrs Bucket in, and then they got into the lift too.Mr Wonka pressed a button and the elevator doors closed.Grandma Georgina screamed, and the elevator lifted off the floor and shot through the hole in the roof with a whoosh and into the open sky. Charlie climbed into bed and tried to comfort the three old men, who were still terrified.Charlie said, "Don't be afraid, this elevator is very safe. We're going to the most wonderful place in the world!"

"Charlie's right," said Grandpa Joe. "Is there anything to eat when we get there?" asked Grandma Josephine. "I'm starving! The whole family is starving!" "Eat?" asked Charlie aloud, laughing. "Oh, just wait and see!" The End