a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fanfiction by Dejana Talis -not to be used without permission- Written for genre_challenge, April 2006 (Angst) Buildings (Candy Shop). Staring through the window of the candy shop, Charlie could almost forget it was winter. The cold wind cut right through his threadbare clothes and blew the snow in small drifts against his ankles, but it didn’t matter. Charlie stood beside the brightly-lit window of the store and stared inside with his eyes so wide it felt as if they would pop right out of his head, and ignored the chill. It was beautiful inside, all light and warmth and color, the round disc of each lollipop shining through its plastic wrapping and the multi-hued wrappers of more candy bars than he could count glinting on every shelf. He liked to imagine what each one might taste like, if it would be bitter and tangy or so sweet the flavor lingered on the tongue for hours. Each day he watched child after child wander into the store and emerge with some tasty treat. Sometimes they would eat some of the candy right inside the store, but each one of them always had something to take home in a brown paper bag. For these children, shopping in the candy store was a part of everyday life, something to do with one’s spare change. For Charlie, it was an elite privilege, a magical adventure he could only dream of taking part in. It was both agonizing and invigorating to watch them. Every day he hoped one of those children might offer to share their treasures with him. No one ever did. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its associated characters and canon are the property of Roald Dahl.