24

Veruca in the Nut Room

Mr Wonka rushed on down the corridor. THE NUT ROOM, it said on

the next door they came to.
‘All right,’ said Mr Wonka, ‘stop here for a moment and catch
your breath, and take a peek through the glass panel of this door.
But don’t go in! Whatever you do, don’t go into THE NUT ROOM! If
you go in, you’ll disturb the squirrels!’
Everyone crowded around the door.
‘Oh look, Grandpa, look!’ cried Charlie.
‘Squirrels!’ shouted Veruca Salt.
‘Crikey!’ said Mike Teavee.
It was an amazing sight. One hundred squirrels were seated upon
high stools around a large table. On the table, there were mounds
and mounds of walnuts, and the squirrels were all working away
like mad, shelling the walnuts at a tremendous speed.
‘These squirrels are specially trained for getting the nuts out of
walnuts,’ Mr Wonka explained.
‘Why use squirrels?’ Mike Teavee asked. ‘Why not use Oompa-
Loompas?’
‘Because,’ said Mr Wonka, ‘Oompa-Loompas can’t get walnuts out
of walnut shells in one piece. They always break them in two.
Nobody except squirrels can get walnuts whole out of walnut shells
every time. It is extremely difficult. But in my factory, I insist upon
only whole walnuts. Therefore I have to have squirrels to do the job.
Aren’t they wonderful, the way they get those nuts out! And see
how they first tap each walnut with their knuckles to be sure it’s not
a bad one! If it’s bad, it makes a hollow sound, and they don’t
bother to open it. They just throw it down the rubbish chute. There!