The Adverse Days of Ariadne Citrusseed
By Eliza Folly
Chapter One
If you are one of those innocent, happily unbeknownst citizens of the world who enjoys reading about ponies and other pleasurable subjects, I strongly suggest you put down this book right now. Or more notably drop it into a deep, icy lake, and run as far away as possible, take an automobile, bus, aeroplane, boat, I don't mind. Just leave this wretched book and all its sorrow and misfortune to fade into a distant memory. Save yourself from the madness of this world. Do not read any further!
Good. Now I can trust you. As you have braved the first page of this callous book I know you are not afraid to learn of the hardships that are about to befall a young girl. As in this book, there is no happy ending. As for that matter, there is no happy beginning or even a happy middle. That is because from the moment Ariadne Citrusseed's life began, she was doomed to an existence of misery. I devoted my life to researching her all the unfortunate events that occurred in the youngster's lifetime. This cheerless story began in 1969 when a very pregnant Bethany Citrusseed went for a walk along Briny Beach alone to watch the sun set behind the water. Her husband, Christopher was captain of a ship that sailed from Hazy Harbour three days ago. She had not seen or heard from him since.
Bethany Citrusseed was known throughout the city for her intense beauty. Her slightly curled chocolate coloured hair blew softly behind her in the wind; her pale facade held her faultless features in place and her silkily dainty hands rested on the bump created by the small life growing inside her. On this day she wore a long, dark violet dress which billowed at her ankles and black lace-up boots shielded her feet from the sand. She looked out into the horizon and sighed, breathing in the cool sea air. Unexpectedly, she began to feel the small baby kicking and pushing. Bethany knew she was about to give birth. On a beach. Alone. After two hours of agony and pushing, a petite, a word which here means 'tiny', baby girl was born. Although this baby was merely minutes old, you could already make out her tiny button nose, fluffy red lips and tiny ears, much like Bethany's. Bethany Citrusseed cradled her daughter and cried tears of joy as the baby screamed. Although she seemed contented, a small part of her heart was filled with despair for her husband, who didn't see their baby girl being born and was seemingly lost at sea. This may seem not cause for immense sadness, however you haven't seen what happened next in the small girl's life.
As Bethany Citrusseed sat in the sand with her stunning baby girl, she did not notice the lanky shadow that had been cast over her.
"Ahem. May I be of some assistance, my lady?" a man's voice cut through the happiness with a malicious edge. An exhausted Bethany jumped at the sudden intrusion and turned around to see a tall, slender man with only one eyebrow and a large nose looking down on her. He smiled with a wicked look in his eye.
"Uh, it would be of great help if you would call a taxi to take me back into the city please. You see I have just given birth here all alone." She croaked as she tried to stand up with the newborn baby in her arms. The one eye browed man was not usually keen on helping others; however he felt strange feelings towards this beautiful woman in need of some help. He had never felt it before; therefore he was quite baffled by his own actions. His face formed a distorted sort of 'loving' smile and his eyes became less intensely sharp and dark.
"I will drive you home myself. My car is parked just on Lousy Lane. Here" The man offered her his hand and she took it with gratitude in her smile. "You may come back to my mansion, I will allow you to get cleaned up and provide clothes for you and your baby." As Bethany walked back towards Lousy Lane with this stranger, she cradled her baby who was wrapped up in Bethany's shawl. However much he loved this woman, his compassion changed when he noticed he tattoo on her left ankle. His eyes turned colder that a dead man's heart and he frowned with concentrated anger.
She was a member of V.F.D - a secret organisation which would change the life of the child that Bethany was holding. The man tightened his grip on Bethany's hand and waist and began to lead her towards the cliffs of Briny Beach.
"Shall we take one last look at the sunset, my dear, before we depart?" He hissed as the cliff edge drew closer. Bethany, who was by this time extremely tired, was aware of the gentleman's over-kindness and became suspicious of his goal in aiding her.
"Alright, kind sir, I do love the sunset. It helps me relax after a hard day in the city. My husband and I live near Hazy Harbour, where he is captain of a ship named 'Ariadne's Passage' after our daughter." She smiled down at the gurgling baby. The strange man smiled mockingly, masking his new-found hatred for the woman he had fell for just a few moments ago.
"Mhmm, yes, it is most peaceful up here on the cliff top. I am not used to the fresh cool air and thick green grass, as I live deep in the city." He scorned with a vicious edge on his tongue. The two adults stood looking out at the sun dying into the hours of darkness, Bethany's violet dress billowing at her ankles and her bare shoulders shivering in the stranger's icy grasp. Bethany sighed and turned to face the man.
"What is your name, dear man? I want to thank you for your upmost kindness." She smiled as best she could and looked at the male's sharp face.
The ominous chap cleared his throat and his eyes began to boil with evil, "My name is Olaf. Count Olaf." He sneered as he spoke the dreaded words. As the name floated into Bethany's ears she felt her entire world collapse around her. Her arms weakened, her legs became jelly and repulsion of the man whom she trusted. She almost dropped her baby daughter with the astonishment. Olaf snatched the girl from Bethany's grasp and cackled with triumph. Count Olaf was a truly cruel man who only had eyes for luxuriance. He is hated by all of the good V.F.D and has committed many crimes against them. He was a member of V.F.D. too; however there had been a schism, a word which here means 'split', a few years back, and the society broke into two sides, the good side that carried on with the work that the society was created for, and the bad side, who have gone against everything that the V.F.D stood for.
"Ariadne, my baby, give her back! What is wrong with you, Olaf? You are a sick-minded man! My side of V.F.D are searching for you and your troupe of 'actors' as we speak. You will pay for the deaths our friends!" She roared, the icy sea wind biting at her back.
"Ooh, Ariadne. What a beautiful name. I'm sure you and you're husband would have been very pleased, Bethany. Too bad you both will never get to be that happy family." Count Olaf snorted and strode arrogantly towards Bethany, who was at the edge of the cliff. "Goodbye, my dear, beautiful Bethany. If only your loyalties didn't lie on the wrong side. Then we could have been happy together"
"I'd have never loved you, Olaf! I know you sunk my husband's ship! I was searching for you with the others so we could send you to prison where you belong!" Bethany cried over the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks below her.
Olaf took another step so that he was face to face with the valiant young woman. Her face was red and windswept, salty tear trickled down her once flawless face and her eyes were a chocolaty mixture of immense fear and misery. The monstrous man muttered something in her ear then put Ariadne on the grass a few paces away. He returned to Bethany and with a pure evil smile, shoved her over the edge of the cliff to a bitter, watery death. Count Olaf, turned on his heels, and picked up baby Ariadne. In the space of near enough an hour, Ariadne had lost her mother, learned of her father's death and been kidnapped by the most horrifyingly dreadful man the world had ever seen. She began to whimper quietly as Olaf bundled her into the back of an automobile and drove down Lousy Lane towards the city. As the malice Count began to sing along quite badly to an opera song on the radio, Ariadne felt the chill of doom fall over her heart. It made her feel cold and lost in the dark world she had been dropped into.