The swarms of powdered-sugar-coated bumblebees buzzed listlessly over the sunset fields. Little streams of chocolate syrup ran through patches of colorful candy flowers. Willy Wonka himself was heard saying: “Damn son! where’d ya find this!?” The Bearded Man was rolling around, laughing uncontrollably as he looked up at the sky. In the clouds, he saw such profound scenes as an angelic mother holding a newborn baby, and he saw that no human creation, no human work of art - from Beethoven to Rembrandt - could ever come even close to the beauty that was all around him. In that moment of pure joy, all of human effort seemed absolutely trivial and laughingly pathetic in comparison. The Bearded Man marveled as his magnificent beard seemed to grow, curl, and twist in front of his very eyes. He could slow down time or speed it up, depending on what he felt like. He didn’t just know, he truly felt deep down that all creatures were connected. He knew that he was experiencing what great men like Socrates had felt before him. He was grounded. On this profound day, when he was younger, The Bearded Man caught his first glimpse of paradise, and he’s been trying to get back there ever since. A place where the good times stretch on forever...