25 The Great Glass Lift
‘I’ve never seen anything like it!’ cried Mr Wonka. ‘The children are disappearing like
rabbits! But you mustn’t worry about it! They’ll all come out in the wash!’
Mr Wonka looked at the little group that stood beside him in the corridor. There were
only two children left now – Mike Teavee and Charlie Bucket. And there were three
grown-ups, Mr and Mrs Teavee and Grandpa Joe. ‘Shall we move on?’ Mr Wonka asked.
‘Oh, yes!’ cried Charlie and Grandpa Joe, both together.
‘My feet are getting tired,’ said Mike Teavee. ‘I want to watch television.’
‘If you’re tired then we’d better take the lift,’ said Mr Wonka. ‘It’s over here. Come on!
In we go!’ He skipped across the passage to a pair of double doors. The doors slid open.
The two children and the grown-ups went in.
‘Now then,’ cried Mr Wonka, ‘which button shall we press first? Take your pick!’
Charlie Bucket stared around him in astonishment¹. This was the craziest lift he had
ever seen. There were buttons everywhere! The walls, and even the ceiling, were covered
all over with rows and rows and rows of small, black push buttons! There must have
been a thousand of them on each wall, and another thousand on the ceiling! And now
Charlie noticed that every single button had a tiny printed label beside it telling you
which room you would be taken to if you pressed it.
‘This isn’t just an ordinary up-and-down lift!’ announced Mr Wonka proudly. ‘This lift
can go sideways and longways and slantways and any other way you can think of! It can
visit any single room in the whole factory, no matter where it is! You simply press the
button… and zing!… you’re off!’
‘Fantastic!’ murmured Grandpa Joe. His eyes were shining with excitement as he
stared at the rows of buttons.
‘The whole lift is made of thick, clear glass!’ Mr Wonka declared. ‘Walls, doors,
ceiling, floor, everything is made of glass so that you can see out!’
‘But there’s nothing to see,’ said Mike Teavee.
‘Choose a button!’ said Mr Wonka. ‘The two children may press one button each. So
take your pick! Hurry up! In every room, something delicious and wonderful is being
made.’
Quickly, Charlie started reading some of the labels alongside the buttons.
THE ROCK-CANDY MINE – 10,000 FEET DEEP, it said on one.
COKERNUT-ICE SKATING RINKS, it said on another.
Then… STRAWBERRY-JUICE WATER PISTOLS.

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