Cliche Challenge Submission
Charlie hadn’t been this excited since he saw the first faint glimmer of gold underneath the wrapper of his winning Wonka bar. On his thirteenth birthday, Mr. Wonka had announced that he would take his beloved pupil on a trip to Loompaland.
‘’Because you can never become a true chocolatier without having travelled the world,’’ he had explained his decision.
Charlie’s parents weren’t too keen on Wonka’s plans, at first, but had finally agreed on the condition that the trip would take place during the summer holidays. Charlie was a patient boy, but now he simply couldn’t wait for the holidays to start. Mr. Wonka had planned the trip all by himself, without involving Charlie. This made the whole journey seem all the more unreal.
The prospect of going somewhere without his family, for the very first time, scared and excited Charlie. He had not yet grown used to working and being alone with Willy. It seemed like every time Charlie thought he understood the man, he would discover a brand new side of the incredible man that Wonka was. Charlie wondered, as he lay in his bed, too restless to fall asleep the night before they would finally embark on their journey, how many secrets and different personalities he would discover during their trip together.
Now, Charlie could hardly imagine what it was like not being able to fall asleep. The journey to Loompaland was a very tiring experience. Mr. Wonka had decided not to go there in the Glass Elevator, as the boy had expected him to do.
‘’Oh my dear boy, that’s a ridiculous plan! We would only forget where we left it. Loompaland is a very big place, you know.’’
Instead, their trip consisted of a long flight to a country near Loompaland. The flight was followed by an enervating sequence of bumpy bus rides, tricky hikes and even a short ride on the backs of a pair of donkeys. They finally reached the edge of the vast rainforest that was Loompaland by a river descent that was, at least, ten times scarier than the worst journey Charlie had ever had on the chocolate river.
After getting their luggage out of the tiny boat and carrying it towards the edge of the forest, Charlie sat down on the damp ground. He was still recovering from the thrilling boat ride. Wonka, on the other hand, was looking around him like a little child in a toyshop.
‘‘This, my dear boy,’’ he said, spreading his arms, ‘’is Loompaland.’’
At the start of his trip, he had swapped his usual dandy-like outfit for an outfit one would expect on a 19th century explorer. Charlie thought the khaki blouse and trousers looked quite good, but, as always, Willy had to wear weird headgear. This time, it was a sun helmet. Charlie looked at the seemingly impenetrable forest, amazed by it’s beauty.
‘’Oh it’s a beautiful place, but don’t let it’s looks deceive you.’’ Wonka seemed to guess the boy’s thoughts. ‘’It’s full of the most wicked and fearsome creatures. That is why you will have to keep close to me at all times.’’ Charlie nodded.
‘’What exactly are we going to do today?’’
‘’Well, it’s already past noon, so I suggest we try and get as far into the jungle as we can before it gets dark. We will have to find a large open space where we can set up our base camp.’’
That sounded fair enough to Charlie. He wondered how Willy had managed to pack everything they could possibly need in two backpacks. Willy lifted his bag unto his shoulders and took a dangerously sharp looking machete from his belt.
‘’Let’s not waste more time. Grab your bag and follow me, but watch where you’re going and look out for my knife. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.’’
Slowly but surely, Wonka slashed his way through the jungle, Charlie tracking him. The boy could not, and dared not, take his eyes off Willy’s back. Already, he had discovered a new side of his mentor. Charlie had never seen him working this hard. Sure, he could work for days on end on a new, spectacular invention, but he never seemed to like any physical exercise, apart from wandering through his factory. Now, he seemed to have no difficulty carrying out his heavy task. Watching the powerful movements of the man’s shoulders underneath the cloth of his blouse made Charlie blush slightly. He could not help but remember how soft those shoulders had felt when he had fallen asleep against them a few nights ago on one of the bus rides. Willy had not seemed to mind Charlie’s head resting against his shoulder though, because when the boy woke up, Willy had one of his arms around Charlie’s shoulders.
After what seemed like hours of listening to the sounds of branches being chopped, the man suddenly stopped. Not expecting this, Charlie bumped into Willy and fell.
‘’Silly boy, what are you doing down there on the ground?’’ Wonka inquired, as he turned round to face Charlie.
‘’I fell,’’ he said, struggling to get up. The weight of his backpack was pulling him down.
‘’That’s not a very clever thing to do,’’ Willy said, smiling, as he helped the boy. ‘’I thought this might be a good place for our base camp.’’
Charlie saw that they were standing at the edge of a clearing, surrounded by some extraordinary large trees.
‘’Yes,’’ Willy said, walking into the clearing, ‘’Yes, this will do just fine. I could use those two,’’ he said, pointing at two large trees facing each other, ‘’and you could use those two.’’
Charlie followed the man’s hand and saw that he was pointing at another pair of trees opposite each other. Before Charlie could ask exactly what Willy wanted them to use the trees for, the man began searching through his pack.
‘’Ah, here it is,’’ he exclaimed after a few minutes.
Charlie looked in amazement as the chocolatier began unpacking something that looked like the biggest hammock Charlie had ever seen.
‘’And now for the other one .. I’m sure I put it in here somewhere.’’ Willy began to frantically search his backpack, to no avail.
‘’Uhm.. Mr. Wonka? Is something wrong?’’
‘’Oh, it’s nothing, my boy, don’t worry about it. I’ll find it soon enough.’’
‘’Find what?’’
‘’Your hammock, of course! I’m sure I packed two of them.’’
Charlie, knowing how stubborn the man could be in situations like this, decided he’d better start unpacking his own backpack. Willy kept searching for the hammock until everything his bag contained lay sprawled across the moist ground. He let out a heavy sigh. Charlie went over to him.
‘’It’s not that bad.. I could just sleep on the ground, make a bed out of leaves and moss or something.’’
Willy looked at the boy’s face, amused. ‘’I’m afraid that’s not an option, Charlie. Haven’t I told you why the Oompa Loompas built their village up in the trees? The most terrible beasts come out at night, feeding on everything they find in their way. I could not let you be eaten by some beast now, could I?’’
Charlie looked up at the smiling man. ‘’So.. you mean we’ll have to share the hammock?’’
‘’I’m afraid so, my dear boy.’’ Charlie noticed a faint twinkle in the chocolatier’s violet eyes ‘’We’d better put it up now it’s still light,’’ Willy said, looking at the hammock.
Charlie agreed and they put the hammock down in between the trees.
‘’I’ll climb up the tree, and then you hand me the rope, okay?’’
Charlie, once again surprised at his friend’s sudden limberness, watched Willy climb until he was about two metres above the ground.
‘’Okay.. if you could hand me the rope now..’’ Willy said, panting a little. Charlie handed him the rope and Wonka tied it firmly around the tree.
He climbed down, and headed over to the other tree. Hanging between the trees, the hammock did look large enough for both of them.
‘’I suggest we try to get some sleep as soon as possible,’’ Wonka said, ‘’You really look like you need it.’’
They had a quick dinner (Wonka had at last perfected his meal chewing gum) and got ready for their first night in Loompaland.
‘’Now .. I think it would be best if I get in here first ..’’ Willy said, standing next to the hammock.
Charlie nodded, feeling silly standing there in his pyjamas. Once Willy had settled, he helped Charlie get into the hammock. Charlie noticed the hammock now seemed a lot smaller than it looked from the outside.
‘’Oh, I only put in one pillow. There wasn’t enough room for two, you see,’’ Willy said, as he saw Charlie looking for his own pillow. ‘’I hope you don’t mind sharing a pillow?’’
Charlie looked at Wonka and suddenly found out just how close he was to him. ‘’No..no it won’t be a problem,’’ Charlie said, trying not to blush.
‘’Okay then! Goodnight, my dear boy,’’ Willy said, resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes.
‘’Goodnight, Mr. Wonka,’’ Charlie replied, not sure where to put his head, as there was only very little space left on the pillow. He put his head down next to Willy’s, and felt the man’s chin brushing his forehead.
The chocolatier seemed to be fast asleep already. Charlie didn’t feel comfortable until he decided he could pretend as though he was sleeping next to his parents. He snuck into his parents’ bed countless times when he was younger and thinking about that made him feel at ease. He felt himself drifting off to sleep, and wrapped his arms around Willy’s body, pulling him closer. As he rested his head against Willy’s chest, Charlie decided he had never been happier. And he knew things would never be the same.
‘’Because you can never become a true chocolatier without having travelled the world,’’ he had explained his decision.
Charlie’s parents weren’t too keen on Wonka’s plans, at first, but had finally agreed on the condition that the trip would take place during the summer holidays. Charlie was a patient boy, but now he simply couldn’t wait for the holidays to start. Mr. Wonka had planned the trip all by himself, without involving Charlie. This made the whole journey seem all the more unreal.
The prospect of going somewhere without his family, for the very first time, scared and excited Charlie. He had not yet grown used to working and being alone with Willy. It seemed like every time Charlie thought he understood the man, he would discover a brand new side of the incredible man that Wonka was. Charlie wondered, as he lay in his bed, too restless to fall asleep the night before they would finally embark on their journey, how many secrets and different personalities he would discover during their trip together.
Now, Charlie could hardly imagine what it was like not being able to fall asleep. The journey to Loompaland was a very tiring experience. Mr. Wonka had decided not to go there in the Glass Elevator, as the boy had expected him to do.
‘’Oh my dear boy, that’s a ridiculous plan! We would only forget where we left it. Loompaland is a very big place, you know.’’
Instead, their trip consisted of a long flight to a country near Loompaland. The flight was followed by an enervating sequence of bumpy bus rides, tricky hikes and even a short ride on the backs of a pair of donkeys. They finally reached the edge of the vast rainforest that was Loompaland by a river descent that was, at least, ten times scarier than the worst journey Charlie had ever had on the chocolate river.
After getting their luggage out of the tiny boat and carrying it towards the edge of the forest, Charlie sat down on the damp ground. He was still recovering from the thrilling boat ride. Wonka, on the other hand, was looking around him like a little child in a toyshop.
‘‘This, my dear boy,’’ he said, spreading his arms, ‘’is Loompaland.’’
At the start of his trip, he had swapped his usual dandy-like outfit for an outfit one would expect on a 19th century explorer. Charlie thought the khaki blouse and trousers looked quite good, but, as always, Willy had to wear weird headgear. This time, it was a sun helmet. Charlie looked at the seemingly impenetrable forest, amazed by it’s beauty.
‘’Oh it’s a beautiful place, but don’t let it’s looks deceive you.’’ Wonka seemed to guess the boy’s thoughts. ‘’It’s full of the most wicked and fearsome creatures. That is why you will have to keep close to me at all times.’’ Charlie nodded.
‘’What exactly are we going to do today?’’
‘’Well, it’s already past noon, so I suggest we try and get as far into the jungle as we can before it gets dark. We will have to find a large open space where we can set up our base camp.’’
That sounded fair enough to Charlie. He wondered how Willy had managed to pack everything they could possibly need in two backpacks. Willy lifted his bag unto his shoulders and took a dangerously sharp looking machete from his belt.
‘’Let’s not waste more time. Grab your bag and follow me, but watch where you’re going and look out for my knife. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt.’’
Slowly but surely, Wonka slashed his way through the jungle, Charlie tracking him. The boy could not, and dared not, take his eyes off Willy’s back. Already, he had discovered a new side of his mentor. Charlie had never seen him working this hard. Sure, he could work for days on end on a new, spectacular invention, but he never seemed to like any physical exercise, apart from wandering through his factory. Now, he seemed to have no difficulty carrying out his heavy task. Watching the powerful movements of the man’s shoulders underneath the cloth of his blouse made Charlie blush slightly. He could not help but remember how soft those shoulders had felt when he had fallen asleep against them a few nights ago on one of the bus rides. Willy had not seemed to mind Charlie’s head resting against his shoulder though, because when the boy woke up, Willy had one of his arms around Charlie’s shoulders.
After what seemed like hours of listening to the sounds of branches being chopped, the man suddenly stopped. Not expecting this, Charlie bumped into Willy and fell.
‘’Silly boy, what are you doing down there on the ground?’’ Wonka inquired, as he turned round to face Charlie.
‘’I fell,’’ he said, struggling to get up. The weight of his backpack was pulling him down.
‘’That’s not a very clever thing to do,’’ Willy said, smiling, as he helped the boy. ‘’I thought this might be a good place for our base camp.’’
Charlie saw that they were standing at the edge of a clearing, surrounded by some extraordinary large trees.
‘’Yes,’’ Willy said, walking into the clearing, ‘’Yes, this will do just fine. I could use those two,’’ he said, pointing at two large trees facing each other, ‘’and you could use those two.’’
Charlie followed the man’s hand and saw that he was pointing at another pair of trees opposite each other. Before Charlie could ask exactly what Willy wanted them to use the trees for, the man began searching through his pack.
‘’Ah, here it is,’’ he exclaimed after a few minutes.
Charlie looked in amazement as the chocolatier began unpacking something that looked like the biggest hammock Charlie had ever seen.
‘’And now for the other one .. I’m sure I put it in here somewhere.’’ Willy began to frantically search his backpack, to no avail.
‘’Uhm.. Mr. Wonka? Is something wrong?’’
‘’Oh, it’s nothing, my boy, don’t worry about it. I’ll find it soon enough.’’
‘’Find what?’’
‘’Your hammock, of course! I’m sure I packed two of them.’’
Charlie, knowing how stubborn the man could be in situations like this, decided he’d better start unpacking his own backpack. Willy kept searching for the hammock until everything his bag contained lay sprawled across the moist ground. He let out a heavy sigh. Charlie went over to him.
‘’It’s not that bad.. I could just sleep on the ground, make a bed out of leaves and moss or something.’’
Willy looked at the boy’s face, amused. ‘’I’m afraid that’s not an option, Charlie. Haven’t I told you why the Oompa Loompas built their village up in the trees? The most terrible beasts come out at night, feeding on everything they find in their way. I could not let you be eaten by some beast now, could I?’’
Charlie looked up at the smiling man. ‘’So.. you mean we’ll have to share the hammock?’’
‘’I’m afraid so, my dear boy.’’ Charlie noticed a faint twinkle in the chocolatier’s violet eyes ‘’We’d better put it up now it’s still light,’’ Willy said, looking at the hammock.
Charlie agreed and they put the hammock down in between the trees.
‘’I’ll climb up the tree, and then you hand me the rope, okay?’’
Charlie, once again surprised at his friend’s sudden limberness, watched Willy climb until he was about two metres above the ground.
‘’Okay.. if you could hand me the rope now..’’ Willy said, panting a little. Charlie handed him the rope and Wonka tied it firmly around the tree.
He climbed down, and headed over to the other tree. Hanging between the trees, the hammock did look large enough for both of them.
‘’I suggest we try to get some sleep as soon as possible,’’ Wonka said, ‘’You really look like you need it.’’
They had a quick dinner (Wonka had at last perfected his meal chewing gum) and got ready for their first night in Loompaland.
‘’Now .. I think it would be best if I get in here first ..’’ Willy said, standing next to the hammock.
Charlie nodded, feeling silly standing there in his pyjamas. Once Willy had settled, he helped Charlie get into the hammock. Charlie noticed the hammock now seemed a lot smaller than it looked from the outside.
‘’Oh, I only put in one pillow. There wasn’t enough room for two, you see,’’ Willy said, as he saw Charlie looking for his own pillow. ‘’I hope you don’t mind sharing a pillow?’’
Charlie looked at Wonka and suddenly found out just how close he was to him. ‘’No..no it won’t be a problem,’’ Charlie said, trying not to blush.
‘’Okay then! Goodnight, my dear boy,’’ Willy said, resting his head on the pillow and closing his eyes.
‘’Goodnight, Mr. Wonka,’’ Charlie replied, not sure where to put his head, as there was only very little space left on the pillow. He put his head down next to Willy’s, and felt the man’s chin brushing his forehead.
The chocolatier seemed to be fast asleep already. Charlie didn’t feel comfortable until he decided he could pretend as though he was sleeping next to his parents. He snuck into his parents’ bed countless times when he was younger and thinking about that made him feel at ease. He felt himself drifting off to sleep, and wrapped his arms around Willy’s body, pulling him closer. As he rested his head against Willy’s chest, Charlie decided he had never been happier. And he knew things would never be the same.