Erica's POV:
I walked out the ice cream parlor after I bid my new friends' goodbye. The coldness greeted me as I started walking serenely into the road which leads into my temporary home. The sky's horizon is turning into a hue of orange which tells that the sun will be setting in just a few minutes. As I walked into the familiar roads, I walked past the Chocolate Factory and came to a halt and admire.

'I wish that someday, I'll be able to go inside there with Charlie and meet our idol, Mr. Willy Wonka.' I thought with a sigh as I gazed at the factory, wondering what it's inside. Letting out a carefree sigh, I then continued walking until I reach home. Once I had entered, my family greeted me warmly, I kissed them on the cheek before greeting them back.

"Hi Charlie, kiddo." I said to my cousin before kissing on top of his head. "Hey, Erica." Charlie responded with a bright and sweetest smile. "How's your first day of work, sweetie? Did it went well?" Aunt Bucket asked while adding some herbs into the pot. I nodded in excitement before telling about my job. "That's great, sweetie." "Yeah, it was, Aunt Bucket." I said before sitting beside my cousin into the table. "What are you working on there, Charlie?" "My homework." He said, completely engrossed by it. I smirked and then started ruffling his hair. "Stop it, Erica! I can't focus." He giggled slapping my hands away. I just laugh and kisses his head once more.

Moments later, the door swung opened and Uncle Bucket entered and he closed the door immediately, precenting the snowflakes which being blown by the strong wind to dust around the floor. "Eveing Buckets." He greeted. "Evening." Our grandparents said in unison. "Hi, dad/Uncle Bucket." Both Charlie and I said in unison along with bright smiles, making Uncle Bucket smile too as he walks over Aunt Bucket, busy cooking our dinner and then gave each other a sweet kiss, making us smile.

"Soup's almost ready, darling." Aunt Bucket said in a sweet tone. "Don't suppose there's anything extra to put in, love?" Uncle Bucket just shook his head but in a disappointingly way. "Oh well, nothing goes better with cabbage than cabbage." She said before cutting the cabbage in half as she looks at me with a smile, and I always gladly return it.

Uncle Bucket then joined Charlie and me into the table and started delving into his pocket and said, "Charlie, I found something I think you'll like." Before putting some grotesque shaped toothpaste caps onto the table. Uncle Bucket told me he works at a toothpaste factory, but the money he's earning are not enough for their everyday living, that's why I want to help.

Charlie's eyes suddenly filled with delight and joy as he grabs one of the caps. "It's exactly what I need!" He said, and then stood from his seat and convey his sculpture imitation of the Chocolate Factory using just toothpaste caps, which is amazing how he spends his time and days building it. Charlie then put the last missing piece to his amazing work of art. "What is it, Charlie?" Grandpa Joe curiously asked.

"Dad found it, just the piece I needed." Said Charlie showing his wonderful sculpture. "What piece was it?" "A head, for Willy Wonka." Charlie replied with a proud smile etched across his lips. "That's wonderful!" Grandma Josephine said as they nodded in agreement staring at the sculpture. "It's quite a likeness." Commented Grandpa Joe. Charlie looked at him, "You think so?" He asked.

"Think so? I know so. I saw Willy Wonka with my own two eyes. I used to work for him, you know." Said Grandpa Joe, making me look up sharply, stood up and stood beside Charlie.  Already interested how grandpa's story will go with our idol and hero. "You did?!" I exclaimed. "I did." Said Grandpa Joe. "He did." Added Grandma Josephine. "He did." Grandpa George added as well. "I love grapes." Said Grandma Georgina who doesn't have any clue what we were talking about, making Charlie and I giggle. That's why I like Grandma Georgina making me giggle as always.

"Of course, I was much younger man those days." Said Grandpa Joe, starting the story as we all listen distinctly. "Willy Wonka began with a single store on Cherry Street. But the whole world wanted his candy. The man was a genius! Did you know, that he invented a new way of making chocolate ice cream so that, it will stay cold for hours without a freezer? You can even leave it lying in the sun on a hot day, and it won't go runny." "That's impossible." Charlie commented as I nodded vigorously.

"But Willy Wonka did it." Said Grandpa Joe smiling remembering those days he had with Mr. Willy Wonka as he continued, "Before long, he decided to build a proper chocolate factory. The largest factory in history. Fifty times as big as any other." "Wicked." I muttered imagining being inside. "Grandpa, don't make it gross." Charlie suddenly said, making me giggle, knowing what he was talking about. "Tell them about the Indian Prince. They'd like to hear about that." Grandma Josephine said, changing the subject.

"You mean Prince Pondicherry? Well, Prince Pondicherry wrote a letter to Willy Wonka and asked him to come all the way to India and build him a colossal palace entirely out of chocolate." Said Grandpa Joe which make my jaw dropped. A palace? Made of chocolate? Sounds like a very delicious place to live in and just eat every piece of it. Grandpa Joe continued on, "True to his words, the bricks were chocolate and the cement holding them together was chocolate. All the walls and ceilings were made of chocolate as well. So were the carpets and pictures and the furniture." And that's I felt my mouth watering.

"But Mr. Wonka was right of course, that the prince would want to start eating his own palace because it just won't last and stand eternally, but he refuse to. Soon after this, there came a very hot day with a boiling sun and the whole palace had melted and turned into a steaming hot chocolate drink. The prince, of course, had sent an urgent telegram requesting a new palace, but Willy Wonka was facing problems of his own. All the other chocolate makers, you see, had grown jealous of Mr. Wonka. They began sending in spies to steal his secret recipes. Ficklegruber started making an ice cream that would never melt. Peodnose came out with a chewing gum that never lost its flavor. Then Slugworth began making candy balloons that you could blow up to incredible sizes. The thievery go so bad, that one day, without warning, Mr. Wonka told every single one of his workers to go home. He announced that he was closing the factory... forever." That made me shook my head.

"Those despicable thieves." I said in disgusted. They're the main reason why Mr. Wonka had closed his factory. It wouldn't be closed forever if they didn't steal those recipes, all because they were jealous. But then, I remembered when I'm on my way home from my first day of work and halted to admire the factory, I noticed that there were smokes coming out from the chimney.

"But I don't think the factory is closed forever. It was open now." I said, shoving another spoonful of cabbage soup in my mouth while Charlie nodded in agreement. "Ah, yes. Well, sometimes when grown-ups say 'forever' they mean a 'very long time'." Aunt Bucket clarified to the both of us as we nodded in understanding. "Such as, I feel like I've eaten nothing but cabbage soup forever." Grandpa George grumbled as I lowered my head and fought the urge of laughter escaping. "Now pops." Uncle Bucket cautioned.

"The factory did close forever, Erica and Charlie." Said Grandma Josephine. "And it seemed like it was going to be closed forever." Said Grandpa Joe. "Then one day, we saw smoke rising from the chimneys. The factory was back in business." "Did you get your job back?" Charlie asked, "No... no one did." Said Grandpa Jose, his smile fading. Then, silence filled the room in just a few moments. "But there must be people working there."

"Think about it Charlie and Erica, have you seen a single person going into the factory, or coming out of it?" Grandma Josephine asked. "No, the gates are always closed." Charlie said. "Exactly." Said Grandpa Joe, putting his empty bowl on the bed table. "But who's running the machines then?" I asked this time as Charlie nods. "Nobody knows Erica and Charlie." Aunt Bucket said, "It certainly is a mystery." Uncle Bucket added. "Hasn't someone asked Mr. Wonka?" Charlie asked.

"Nobody sees him anymore. He never comes out. The only thing that comes out to that place, is the candy already packed and addressed." Said Grandpa Joe, then smiled which makes me smile too. "I'll give everything just to see the factory one more time and to see what it had become inside of that amazing factory."

"Well, you won't because you can't. No one can. It's a mystery, and will always be a mystery. That little factory of yours Charlie is as close as any of us is ever going to get." Said Grandpa George, making it gloomy. I just sighed in sympathy how Grandpa Joe almost teared up by the thought of the factory.

"Come on Erica and Charlie. I think it's time we let your grandparents get sone sleep." Aunt Bucket said. "Yes, mum/Aunt Bucket." Charlie and I said in unison. We tell them good nights with a hug and kiss on their cheeks. Grandma Georgina told us that nothing's impossible which gives more hope to the two of us.

"Goodnight Charlie." I said hugging him before giving him a kiss on the top of his head and proceeded on ruffling his hair. "Goodnight, Erica." He responded before making his way into his room up in the attic. "Goodnight, Uncle and Aunt Bucket." I said as they both kissed the top of my head and both said goodnight to me.

I entered my room and quickly changed into my pajamas before flopping down into my bed and covered my body with my white duvet, facing the window and stare at the factory. 'Don't worry, guys. Dreams do come true.' I thought before closing my eyes, looking forward to the new day ahead tomorrow.