Disclaimer: We own neither Willy Wonka nor Oompa-Loompas. Thank you.

Author's Note: Written in response to the request of valued reader JOHNHAMMOND1993. Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoy it!

It was probably curiosity that had driven Lily Small to join the Girl Scout troop in her neighborhood. But now, as she trudged at the end of the group, hauling a heavy wagon full of cookie boxes from door to door...she couldn't help but feel a pang of regret. It was a frosty-cold morning, the cobblestone pavement flecked with bits of ice from last night's rain. Lily could feel the cold through her shoes - the hard, close-toed kind that were part of the troop uniform - but she didn't dare complain. The troop leader, whose name was Samantha Potts, did not take kindly to complainers. She was known to discourage complaining with harsh words...and sometimes with her fists. the other girls in the group (there were three of them) were not as mean as Samantha, but they all treated Lily with the same indifference as one would treat an old shoe.

There were normally ten girls in the troop, but the other five had not come along because their mothers did not want them to catch the cold. Samantha was smart enough to not argue with mothers, so she had gone out without telling her own mother, and "convinced" the other girls who were now with her to slip away from home as well. These were the girls who had gone:

Samantha Potts, the rude and bossy troop leader; Ginny Staves, a girl who was always snacking; Amanda and Andrea Thripp, the twins who were usually arguing; and of course Lily Small, the youngest and most conscientious girl in the group.

They spent most of the early morning knocking on doors and looking for customers to buy their cookies, but either it was too early or the weather was too cold. Most people did not seem interested in buying Girl Scout cookies today. It probably didn't help that Samantha talked too loud, almost shouting, whenever someone opened their door. Amanda and Andrea, the twins, didn't make the situation any better as they bickered over who would be the one to handle the money...not that there was any money to handle. Ginny could have said something to help, but her mouth was filled with a Thin Mint that she had sneaked from one of the boxes in the wagon.

Lily said nothing, and only followed the group from house to house, pulling the wagon behind her.

By mid-morning, they had come out of the neighborhood and found themselves on a deserted street. On one side there was a series of office buildings, the kind that all look identically cold and sterile and unwelcoming. On the other side, where they were standing, was a tall, brick wall that was broken only by the bars of an imposing iron gate. Through the gaps in the gate, the girls could see an equally imposing factory...the factory of Willy Wonka! It had reopened a month ago, after lying closed for ages. But now no workers could be seen or heard within the factory walls. The only sound was a distant rumbling of machinery, and the crunching of of an occasional car passing on the street outside. It was spooky. It looked haunted. But like moths drawn to flame, all five of the girls felt an irresistible pull that bid them to stand in front of the gate, hold onto the chilly, wrought-iron bars, and peer in. After a long moment of staring, Samantha snickered nastily, startling the other girls.

"What's that for?" Amanda snapped, hiding her startled expression with a scowl.

"Yeah, what's so funny?" Andrea asked.

"Just that you're all standing here like scared little babies," Samantha said, smirking in Lily's direction. "But there's no reason to be scared."

"But what about the ghosts?" Ginny mumbled, spraying the crumbs of a coconut cookie from her mouth. "My mum said this place is haunted."

"Don't be stupid," Samantha retorted. "There's no such thing as ghosts. The telly might make you think so, but it's only a bunch of smoke and mirrors and special effects."

"Then who's running the factory?" Andrea asked "No one ever goes in."

"And no one ever goes out," Amanda said.

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Obviously it's all run by machines. Someone has taken over the factory and made it all automatic to cut down on cost."

"What about Willy Wonka?" Lily asked quietly.

Samantha turned quickly to look at her, like she was surprised that Lily had spoken at all. "What was that, shrimp?"

"You said someone took over, but what if it's Willy Wonka come back? My parents told me lovely stories about him. It would be wonderful if he was here again."

Samantha sneered at her. "Of course you would think that - you're not grown up. So you wouldn't know. Willy Wonka is dead. My parents say he was murdered by Ficklegruber, and that all his recipes and belongings were cleared out. In fact, it's probably Ficklegruber that's running the factory now."

"Or Willy Wonka's ghost," Amanda quipped, and she shared a dark laugh with her twin.

Samantha sighed impatiently. "Didn't I just explain to you that there are no ghosts? And here...I'll prove it to you. I'll climb over the gate and go knock on the door. Someone will probably come out and yell at me, but I'll just say I got in by accident through some back door."

"I don't believe you," Amanda said.

"But go on and do it if you're so brave," Andrea added, giving Samantha a taunting grin.

Samantha grimaced. "Fine." she shoved the clipboard she had been carrying into Ginny's grimy hands. Then she grabbed onto the rungs of the gate. She hoisted herself up and up, then climbed over and down. she dropped lightly onto the cobblestone walkway on the other side, pausing to adjust her belt and coat. The other girls watched tensely as she approached the door. It was red and wooden and looked like it hasn't been used in ages. Samantha seemed to hesitate as she raised her hand to knock. But then she did, and she yelped in surprise when the door swung open slightly, like it had been left ajar. Samantha waved urgently at the other girls.

"Get over here!" she hissed. "The door is open!"