13 How Wonka-Vite Was Invented
'I haven't been out of this bed in twenty years and I'm notgetting out now for anybody!' said Grandma Josephine firmly.
'Nor me,' said Grandma Georgina.
'You were out of it just now, every one of you,' said MrWonka.
'That was floating,' said Grandpa George. 'We couldn't help it.'
'We never put our feet on the floor,' said Grandma Josephine.
'Try it,' said Mr Wonka. 'You might surprise yourself'Go on, Josie,' said Grandpa Joe. 'Give it a try. I did. It waseasy.'
'We're perfectly¹ comfortable where we are, thank you verymuch,' said Grandma Josephine.
Mr Wonka sighed and shook his head very slowly and verysadly. 'Oh well,' he said, 'so that's that.' He laid his head onone side and gazed thoughtfully at the three old people in thebed, and Charlie, watching him closely, saw those bright littleeyes of his beginning to spark and twinkle once again.
Ha-ha, thought Charlie. What's coming now?
'I suppose,' said Mr Wonka, placing the tip of one finger onthe point of his nose and pressing gently, 'I suppose …because this is a very special case … I suppose I could spareyou just a tiny little bit of …' He stopped and shook his head.
'A tiny little bit of what?' said Grandma Josephine sharply.
'No,' said Mr Wonka. 'It's pointless. You seem to have decidedto stay in that bed whatever happens. And anyway, the stuff ismuch too precious to waste. I'm sorry I mentioned it.' Hestarted to walk away.
'Hey!' shouted Grandma Georgina. 'You can't begin somethingand not go on with it! What is too precious to waste?'
Mr Wonka stopped. Slowly he turned around. He looked longand hard at the three old people in the bed. They looked backat him, waiting. He kept silent a little longer, allowing theircuriosity to grow. The Oompa-Loompas stood absolutely stillbehind him, watching.
'What is this thing you're talking about?' said GrandmaGeorgina. 'Get on with it, for heaven's sake!' said GrandmaJosephine.
'Very well,' Mr Wonka said at last. 'I'll tell you. And listencarefully because this could change your whole lives. It couldeven change you.'
'I don't want to be changed!' shouted Grandma Georgina.
'May I go on, madam? Thank you. Not long ago, I was foolingabout in my Inventing Room, stirring stuff around and mixingthings up the way I do every afternoon at four o'clock, whensuddenly I found I had made something that seemed veryunusual. This thing I had made kept changing colour as Ilooked at it, and now and again it gave a little jump, it actuallyjumped up in the air, as though it were alive. "What have wehere?" I cried, and I rushed it quickly to the Testing Roomand gave some to the Oompa-Loompa who was on duty thereat the time. The result was

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