Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the idea for this fan fiction!
A/n: I hope you enjoy my latest story! As usual, I will try my best to keep Willy in character. Oh, and please review! I love reviews! Flames, however, will be thrown in….yup, you guessed it! The Chocolate River!
Chapter 1: Strange Affliction
Willy Wonka hummed to himself as headed through the Chocolate Room to the Bucket family's house. He was especially cheerful today, for some reason. As usual, he couldn't wait to find out what Mrs. Bucket had made for breakfast (she was, Willy thought, an incredible cook). Eagerly, he knocked on the front door of his "hair's" house. As soon as Charlie opened the door, Willy knew that something wasn't right. Charlie always greeted his mentor with a smile and (more often than not) ideas for what they should invent next (in fact, Mrs. Bucket had to constantly remind them about the "no business at the dinner table" policy!). However, that morning, Charlie was not smiling. In fact, he looked worried. "Morning, Willy," he greeted the Chocolatier (Willy had insisted, from day one, that Charlie call him by his first name, and, finally, Charlie had agreed). "Hey, is that the best you can do?" teased Willy, trying to cheer the boy up. "Not now, Willy!" Charlie said gloomily. "Why don't we go inside? 'Kay?" Willy suggested. "Oh, right!" said Charlie, as though he had just now remembered that Willy intended to eat breakfast with him and his family (not that this event was unusual; Willy did, after all, join the Buckets for breakfast nearly every day).
Once Charlie and Willy were inside, Willy politely took off his top hat and deposited it, along with his cane, in the entryway. Suddenly, Willy realized that he couldn't smell anything cooking. Try as he might, he couldn't detect the usual breakfast smells. He suddenly became very worried. "Didn't your m-m-m-" he stammered (inwardly kicking himself for still not being able to say family-related words). "Mother," Charlie supplied. "Yeah, her. Didn't she make breakfast this morning?" asked Willy. Charlie shook his head. "I'm afraid breakfast this morning will have to be cold cereal," said Charlie. Willy made a face. "Pencil shavings? Yuck!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, but it will have to do," said Charlie.
A few minutes later, Charlie, Willy, and the grandparents were seated at the table (Mr. Bucket had already gone to his job at the Toothpaste Factory, and Willy had no idea where Mrs. Bucket was). "Charlie, I know something's wrong," said Willy as he picked at his bowl of "pencil shavings". Charlie sighed. "Willy, my mother is ill," he said matter-of-factly. Willy wasn't sure how to react. "Oh," he finally managed to say. "She's been feeling tired for quite awhile," said Charlie. "Now she's sick to her stomach as well," spoke up Grandpa Joe. "I can't say I'm surprised, myself. After all, what else can you expect from living in a-" Grandpa George grumbled. Grandpa Joe shot him a Look. "I love puppies!" Grandma Georgina suddenly exclaimed.
"Willy, do you think you could stop in and say hi to my Mom before you leave?" Charlie asked. Willy shuddered. Just the thought of all those germs…. "EW!" exclaimed Willy. "Willy!" Charlie admonished the Chocolatier. Willy looked sheepish. "Sorry," he said. "Please, Willy? It would mean a lot to her," said Charlie. "Oh…all right!" Willy grumbled.
Shortly after everyone had finished their "pencil shavings", Willy reluctantly got up and headed for Mr. and Mrs. Bucket's room. "Mrs. Bucket?" he called softly. "Willy, is that you?" replied a tired-sounding voice. "Yeah," said Willy as he stepped into the room. Mrs. Bucket did not look good. Charlie and the rest of the Buckets hadn't been kidding when they said she was ill. Her face was almost as pale as Willy's own, and she looked very tired. "Um, Charlie told me you're not feeling well," Willy said. Mrs. Bucket nodded. "I'll send for a medical Oompa Loompa immediately," said Willy. Mrs. Bucket shook her head. "I do need to see a doctor, but…." she trailed off. She didn't want to hurt Willy's feelings. "An Oompa Loompa won't cut it, huh?" said Willy. Suddenly, Mrs. Bucket became very woozy. She struggled to get up. "Mrs. Bucket, what are you doing?" Willy exclaimed, sounded panicked. Mrs. Bucket opened her mouth….and promptly threw up all over the Chocolatier.
A/n: To those who don't like cliffhangers, sorry! I wasn't planning on this one at all, but then, well, it sort of wrote itself! Oh, and anyone who can spot the various movie references (from the 2005 version of CATCF, that is) gets a Wonka Bar and a hug from Willy (IF I can talk him into it, that is!):-)
Chapter 2 preview: Mrs. Bucket finds out some very surprising news, and our favorite germaphobic Chocolatier deals with being hurled on.