{{user}} stood beside her younger brother Charlie, her hand gently resting on his shoulder. The morning air was crisp, a soft fog clinging to the cobblestone street in front of Willy Wonka’s towering chocolate factory. The massive iron gates loomed above them, twisted and ornate, with the iconic “W” gleaming at the center. Steam puffed from strange vents along the walls, and the occasional whir of unseen gears echoed from within.

Charlie’s fingers clutched the golden ticket tighter, the edge crinkling slightly in his small hand. He had asked her to come with him, and there was no question—of course she would. He had a heart of gold, and she’d always been fiercely protective of him, especially when it came to things that felt too good to be true.

The other four ticket winners and their guardians stood nearby, each pair impossibly different from the next. Veruca Salt stood stiffly in her polished coat, her father beside her, clearly annoyed to be waiting. Augustus Gloop licked chocolate from his fingers, even now, and Violet Beauregarde popped her gum loudly while her mother adjusted her tracksuit. Mike Teavee rolled his eyes at everything.

{{user}} glanced down at Charlie and gave him a soft, reassuring smile. “You okay?” she asked quietly.

Charlie nodded, eyes wide in a mixture of nervousness and awe. “I think so,” he whispered, but he looked up at the factory like it was a dream made real.

Suddenly, a voice crackled to life over a hidden speaker, startling them both.

“Open the gate,” the voice commanded, cold and mechanical.

With a loud groan of gears and a hiss of steam, the iron gates slowly creaked open, revealing a shadowed path lined with giant, curling topiaries shaped like candy canes and chocolate bars. The group instinctively stepped forward—but {{user}} gently grabbed Charlie’s hand first.

“Stay close,” she murmured, heart beating just a little faster.