The guys were returning from a gig when they saw a newspaper in front of their front door. Mike had started a subscription so they would have something to fall back on when they couldnt find gigs. Odd jobs always came in handy. Now the boys were ready to pluck chickens, build fences and carve a whole canoe at a moments notice. Unluckily, these jobs werent in the paper this day. It wasnt the job notices that caught Peters eyes when he snagged the comics section from Mike.
"Wow, look at this." Peter said.
"What is it?" He asked. "A job?"
"I don't think the comics would let us work for them. I hear Dagwoods boss is a real slave driver." Micky cracked.
"It says right here on this page next to the funnies, that Willy Wonka, maker of the worlds most famous chocolates and candies is planning on opening his doors to people for the first time ever!" Peter said reading a small article out loud.
"What else does it say?" Davy asked.
"I don't know. It says see page 55, and Mike probably has that." Peter said.
Mike flipped open the section of the paper. He found page 55. "Mr Wonka has planted five golden tickets in each of his Wonka bars. The five people who find these golden tickets will get to go into his factory."
"Wow." Davy said. "Thats pretty neat."
"Yeah." Micky said. "And Wonka bars are your favorite treat arent they Pete?"
"Yea." Peter said slipping off into dreamland. He pictured himself and Willy Wonka hanging out in the factory, learning everything he could possibly could about chocolate. He sighed. "Buts its not gonna happen." Peter said sadly.
"What makes you say that Petah?" Davy asked.
"Well we're really low on money right now, guys, and as much as I love to have my chance to win, we cant afford rent right now, much less a candy bar." Peter sighed again. "Oh well, I hope some well deserving people get their chance to go." He smiled faintly. He moved to go upstairs. "I'm gonna take a nap, ok?"
"All right Peter." Mike said. "But we're gonna rehearse in an hour."
"Okay." Peter said climbing their spiral staircase.
"Wow, Peter is really down." Micky said.
"Willy Wonka is one of his idols." Mike said. "He ate all of his candy when he was a kid, even the stuff that made him break out."
"I remember that picture." Davy said. "I thought that was poison oak."
"I wish there was something we could do to help him." Micky said.
"Well we can't help him win the contest, just about everybody everywhere will be buying them there wonka bars." Mike said.
"I have an idea." Davy said. "Its not big, but it'll be enough to make Petah happy." Davy said gesturing to the guys. They got into a small huddle. "Heres what we do."
A week later
Before Davy and the others could put his plan into action, lady luck kissed the group with a few good gigs. At the last one, on a friday, a strange occurence happened. As they guys played on the bandstand, it seemed like the teens in the audience were spending more time ripping open their Wonka bars looking for the fabled golden ticket. Two had been found already, so three were left to go. Tables were overflowing with the chocolate. Mike shook his head as he finished "Sweet young thing."
"Such a waste, none of that is even being eaten." Mike said.
"Yeah, what we should do is gather a whole bunch of them up and we could eat for weeks." Micky said.
After the last song was played, the teens left, taking their chocolate with them.
"Oh well," Mike said. "I guess we get whatever we can sneak out of the vending machine."
Peter was putting away his guitar. Davy reached into his tambourine and whipped out a wrapped package. He handed it to Mike.
"Petah." Davy said. "Would you come over 'ere for a second?"
"Okay." Peter said resignedly. Peter set his guitar down. He walked over to the guys. Mike held out a wrapped package to him.
"A present?" Peter asked him, becoming a little confused. "But my birthday is not for another year or so."
"We know. But since we thought you been doing such a great job...at uh...keeping up your end of the bargain in the new uh. Well for being you." Mike said as he struggled for a reason.
"Just open the bloody thing!" Davy said cutting Mike off at the last minute. Mike usually didnt like Davys cutting him off like that, but he was suddenly relieved that he did.
"Okay." Peter said. "I wonder what it is."
"Its not a girl," Micky said.
"Awhhh." Davy said. Micky stepped on his foot. "It's really not a girl."
Peter looked at Davy for a minute then unwrapped his gift. "A Wonka bar!" He said looking at it. "But I thought..."
"We couldnt afford it?" Mike asked. "We all chipped in."
"We thought you deserved a chance mate." Davy said.
"Go on, open it." Micky enthused. "Im dying over here!"
"Okay." Peter said turning over the bar. He carefully peeled open th wrapping. He began to remove it from around the bar. "I can't look."
"You gotta Petah." Davy said.
"You look Davy, then." Peter said closing his eyes. He finished unwrapping the bar. Davy looked at it, was silent.
"I'm sorry mate." Davy said.
Peter opened his eyes.He looked down and saw an ordinary Wonka bar. "Oh well. You guys want a chunk?"
"It's all yours Peter." Mike said.
"Sorry Peter, I really thought this would be the one." Micky said patting him on the shioulder.
"I know. Theres always next time." Peter said. The gang packed their instruments in the car. They were pulling away from the club when an announcement came over the radio: Another golden ticket had been found. Mike looked over at Peter sadly. He sighed and nibbled on his bar. It was a quiet ride home.
Two days later
Peter walked along the boardwalk on the beach by himself. He was unhappy. Once in a lifetime chance to meet Willy Wonka and he blew it. Well he didnt blow it, thats what Mike told him, but he couldnt help that if he didnt take a chance and buy a Wonka bar when he was in the store the other day, then he might have had a chance to win. But it was over. The contest was over, someone had found the fifth ticket. All Peter could hope for, he told himself, was if Willy decided to ever do it again. He sighed as he decided to head back home. He walked by his favorite candy shop. He checked his pocket. He had just enough for a Wonka bar! He thought for a moment. Even though he had no chance of winning, he was gonna get one this time. Peter walked in the door.
"Hey Peter." The man behind the counter said. "What can I do you for?"
"One Wonka bar please?" Peter asked. Normally the bars were on the shelf by the door but since the contest, he had to keep them behind the counter to stop them from being stolen. That and he never had a chance to restock them quickly enough.
"Still trying to win that contest, eh?" He asked him.
"Theres a new contest?" Peter asked.
"No, the same one." He said. "That fifth ticket is still out there!"
"But how can that be?" Peter asked. "It was found wasnt it?"
"Didn't you hear?" The man asked. Peter shook his head. "The man made a phony ticket, so there is one more out there." He said. He pointed to the door. "Here they come again. Heres your bar. You better get out of here before you get trampled, boy." He handed Peter his Wonka bar.
"Thanks!" Peter said bolting out the door with his candy bar. He ran for a block or so then stopped dead in the street. He turned the bar over and carefully opened the back. He peeled the foil part back carefully, trying not to tear what might be there. He looked at it as he slowly revealed it. A sliver of gold greeted his eyes. He peeled it back quickly, not believing what he saw. He took out the bar and unwrapped the golden ticket that was around it. It was the golden ticket. There was some writing on it that confirmed it! He wasnt dreaming!
"Hey look! That guy found the golden ticket!" One man said.
"Let me see!" Another one cried out.
A girl who was in the crowd trying to get into the candy store cried out to Peter. "Peter! Run right home! Don't let anyone take that from you!"
Peter nodded to the girl and ran off. He would have normally ran back over the boardwalk to get home but he had no idea who he would run into on the way back. He decided to take a secret way back, under the boardwalk.
Peter ran so quickly, he found he was soon out of breath. As he dashed under the boardwalk he almost ran into another man.
"Excuse me mister, I gotta get home!" Peter apologized.
"You found the golden ticket, havent you Peter?" He asked.
Peter stared at the man. How did he know his name?
"I bet youre wondering how I know your name." He said.
"He IS good." Peter thought.
The man pointed at a Monkees concert poster that had his name on it. "Oh." He laughed.
"I am Mr Slugworth. If you can get me something from Wonkas factory I can make it worth your while." He said. "I guarentee it."
Peter stepped back. Betray Willy Wonka? Never! "I'm sorry, sir I've got to get going." Peter said backing away. He turned and started running again. All the way home he couldnt get that mans look on his face, out of his mind.
Home
Peter bust through the door like a cannon. He ran around the pad, jumping on all the cushions of the chairs, and the couch. He hugged Micky and Davy but stopped at Mikes feet. He held up to hands and grabbed Peter.
"What's up Peter?" He asked briefly delaying the hug that was surely coming his way next.
"Must be the carnivals in town." Micky said brushing his coat off. "What have you been eating? It's all over me."
"Well.. you see...I was out walking....and " Peter said trying to catch his breath.
"Whoah. Slow down shotgun. Catch your breath, THEN tell us." Mike advised.
Peter took a minute or two to come his heaving lungs. After seeing that weird man in his fave shortcut, he decided he had to get home quickly. He had never run that fast in his life!
"I was out walking so I stopped and Treats 'n Stuff." Peter said. "On a lark I decided to get a Wonka bar."
"But Petah." Davy said. "They just found the fifth one."
"I thought so too." Peter said sticking his hand in the pocket. "But Mr Richmond told me that the fifth ticket was a fake."
"Rotten jerk, trying to buy his way into the factory with a fake ticket." Micky said.
"If that is true," Mike said. "the fifth ticket is still out there."
Peter looked at Mike. As a wide smile crawled across the lips of his friend, Mike quickly determined why Peter was so much more excited than usual.
"YOU have the ticket??" The guys said together.
"Uh huh!" Peter said.
"The real one?" Micky asked.
"I always thought Peter would win." Davy said. Micky looked at him. "I did!"
"See for yourself." Peter said pulling the golden ticket out of his pocket. He gave it to Mike who ran over it with a fine toothed comb. He then put the comb away and actually read it.
"This is the real ticket. If it was a fake like that then it wouldnt have all this fine print." Mike said. "Legal stuff."
"Whats the fine print say Mike?" Davy asked.
"I cant read this, its too fine." Mike said with a low chuckle.
"That aint 'fine' then is it?" Micky asked.
"According to the print I could read, Peter has to be at the factory a week from today at noon with the ticket in order to go inside." Mike said as he handed the ticket back to Peter. "In the meantime I wouldnt want to lose that."
"I'll keep an eye on it." Peter said.
"Good, at least that eye will have something to do, we haven't gotten a gig offer today yet." Micky said.
"I 'ave a question." Davy said. "Who gets to go with him?"
"The tv interviews on the other winners hinted that only one other person gets go with him." Micky said, remembering the one with this really whiny girl with a rich father.
"I want you all to go with me." Peter said with a sad look on his face. "Man if I knew I had to choose something like this, then I don't want to be the winner at all." Peter thought. "Maybe you guys can figure this out."
"Rock paper scissors." Mike said. "One two three, shoot!" He said. Micky had paper, Davy had rock and Mike had scissors. "Rock beats paper and scissors." Mike said. "Davy gets to go."
"But I have a date that day!" Davy said. "Well several."
"You can bring her some chocolates." Mike said.
"Ronnis allergic, Laurens diabetic, and Marla and Marilyn will say I'm makin' them look fat."
"Geez, whatever happened to just flowers?" Micky asked.
"While you two tour the factory, Mick and I can look for work." Mike said.
"How about two out of three?" Micky asked. Mike shook his head.
"I can hardly wait." Peter said. "I can smell that chocolate already."
"Its you, you got a Wonka bar melting in your pocket." Davy said.
"Oh man." Peter said. "And its my turn on laundry this week!"
