19 The Inventing Room – Everlasting¹ Gobstoppers and Hair Toffee
When Mr Wonka shouted ‘Stop the boat!’ the Oompa-Loompas jammed their oars² into
the river and backed water furiously. The boat stopped.
The Oompa-Loompas guided the boat alongside the red door. On the door it said,
INVENTING ROOM – PRIVATE – KEEP OUT. Mr Wonka took a key from his pocket,
leaned over the side of the boat, and put the key in the keyhole.
‘This is the most important room in the entire factory!’ he said. ‘All my most secret
new inventions are cooking and simmering in here! Old Fickel-gruber would give his
front teeth to be allowed inside just for three minutes! So would Prodnose and
Slugworth and all the other rotten chocolate makers³! But now, listen to me! I want no
messing about when you go in! No touching⁴, no meddling⁵, and no tasting! Is that
agreed?’
‘Yes, yes!’ the children cried. ‘We won’t touch a thing!’
‘Up to now,’ Mr Wonka said, ‘nobody else, not even an Oompa-Loompa, has ever been
allowed in here!’ He opened the door and stepped out of the boat into the room. The
four children and their parents all scrambled⁶ after him.
‘Don’t touch!’ shouted Mr Wonka. ‘And don’t knock anything over!’
Charlie Bucket stared around the gigantic room in which he now found himself. The
place was like a witch’s kitchen! All about him black metal pots were boiling and
bubbling on huge stoves, and kettles were hissing⁷ and pans were sizzling, and strange
iron machines were clanking and spluttering, and there were pipes running all over the
ceiling and walls, and the whole place was filled with smoke and steam and delicious
rich smells.
Mr Wonka himself had suddenly become even more excited than usual, and anyone

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