Series of Unfortunate Events
The Menacing Mountains
Part 1
For Beatrice -
When we first met, you were pretty, and I was lonely.
Now I am pretty lonely.
The road to secret V.F.D headquarters was a long and treacherous path, riddled with peculiar and questionable objects. Such as the empty bottle with a perfectly assembled ship beside it that would suggest that it had once belonged inside said bottle but had somehow made its way outside of the bottle.
Or suspicious picture frame made of bamboo shoots, the picture inside of a small boy clutching a teddy bear.
Or the multiple remains of once elaborate costumes littered up the winding road that led to the place that so few knew about. But the Baudelaire children were not one of these people.
"We have to make it there before Count Olaf can carry out his terrible plot." Violet Baudelaire said as she tied her hair up with a piece of thread that her brother had given her only hours before.
"It would help if we knew what this he what up to this time. And why he would willingly go to the one place supposedly swarming with people who want him dead." Klaus said, dusting himself off after the daring jump they had made from the wagon that had just tumbled off a very high cliff.
"And why he took Sunny." Violet said with sorrowful eyes before turning around and scanning the surroundings for tools to use to make their journey up the steep hill slightly easier.
"Look." She said, walking over to a torn piece of cloth and the empty ship in a bottle. "Find the biggest piece of fabric you can find. Preferably one with no holes."
Klaus set to work, picking up various items that could met the criteria that Violet had listed. Violet began to shredding cloth to make three small ropes. Then she smashed the bottle, just the top so the end could become a basket.
"Here." Klaus said, handing a large piece of pink cloth to Violet that strangely resembled the clothing they had seen at a lumber mill and inside of a fortune tellers tent.
"Perfect." Violet said smiling. For the next few minutes Klaus gazed in awe as Violet made two simple materials into a small air balloon.
"That's amazing Violet but how will this help us get up to the headquarters. We can't exactly fit in such a small contraption." Klaus questioned.
"Yes but we can use it to send a message." Violet said lifting the picture of the young boy in the bamboo frame. She then ripped it apart, scribbling a message down with a ash covered rock she found nearby.
"Now what? How will we send it up there?" Klaus asked.
"With this." Violet said pulling out a lighter. "I got it from Court Olaf when he made us burn down Olivia's tent. I thought it might come in handy and stop Count Olaf from burning anything else in the heat of the moment."
"Heat of the moment? Seems fitting seeing as you were talking about a lighter used for creating heat." Klaus said with a small smile.
"Yes, it is fitting. Now lets send this message. We need to warn them Count Olaf is arriving." Violet said, adding the finale pieces to her device before sending it off, the message securely in place.
"Let's go. It's a long climb and we need to reach them before sundown. I wouldn't want to be stuck in the freezing mountains in the dark." Klaus said before they set off on their seemingly doomed voyage.
Hours later, as the sun was beginning to set Violet and Klaus became fearful that they wouldn't need to worry about Count Olaf for long, that the bitter winds and freezing temperatures would surely kill them before Olaf.
"I'm beginning to be get fearful that we won't need to worry about Count Olaf for long, the bitter winds and freezing temperatures will surely kill us before Olaf will." Violet said, her teeth chattering in her head.
"Nonsense." Klaus said with fake confidence. "Studies have shown that a person can live for hours in this temperature. Of course that was tested on grown adults and not children..."
"Wait-" Violet said looking ahead.
"I see a light! We must be close!" Violet said pointing towards a warm light in the distance.
"We made it. I just hope they got our message." Klaus said, both him and Violet shared an anxious look before travelling onwards to their unfortunate fate.
As they approached the light they began to see a large, gleaming mansion, with the notorious symbol of V.F.D overhead.
Despite their minds telling them to not get their hopes up, they began running towards it, this beam of warm hope in an otherwise cold world. Could all their answers be solved? Could this finally be the end of their search for a loving guardian?
As they approached the front doors, Violet was hesitant to knock.
"What is it?" Klaus asked, sensing Violet's hesitation.
"This might be the end. The end of all the unfortunate things that have been happening to us. This might be all the answers we need." Violet said facing her brother.
"Yes. And it might be the beginning of another set of terrible and formidable events. But we won't know until we knock on this door." Klaus said.
"Like Schrödinger's cat." Violet said with a smile.
"The cat is neither alive nor dead." Klaus said.
"Until you open the box." Violet said, and after a deep breath she raised her hand and gave the door three loud knocks.
Movement could be heard inside and after many loud and unsettling noises that sounded like turning looks the door creaked open and inside stood Jacqueline.
"Baudelaire's. We knew you would be arriving." She said with a smile.
"You did?" Violet said shocked.
"Yes. Now come in." Jacqueline said pulling them through the doors and into the large and dishevelled hallway. "My name is Jacqueline as you know. Sorry for the mess but we had some unpleasant visitors. But I'm sure you know all about that."
"Count Olaf." Klaus said quickly.
"Yes Klaus Baudelaire. But no need to worry now, he is being dealt with and your baby sister is safe upstairs in your rooms. Your message helped, it gave us time to prepare for his unannounced visit. We would have sent someone down the mountain to fetch you but we needed all the help we could get to capture Count Olaf."
"Just like that? It's over?" Klaus said a little unsettled. For so long they had ran from Count Olaf and yet in a matter of minutes it seemed that the villain that had haunted them for months was just gone. It seemed surreal, it seemed unthinkable, it seemed too good to be true. And they didn't know anything of what was being done with him in that very moment, it seemed a bit unfair that they had not been the ones to finish him off, but maybe that was a blessing in disguise.
"No, not over. Never over. Our work is never done and am sure Count Olaf will escape once again, but for now it has stopped, at least for a while." Jacqueline smiled at the two children. "And you needn't worry, you three will never have to worry about guardians or plots ever again. You may lie here until further notice, now come along. We have a surprise for you just upstairs, just arrived this morning." Jacqueline said with a familiar glint in her eye before turning around and striding up the stairs.
"Well, are you coming?" She said noticing the children were not yet behind her.
"Jacqueline?" Violet said, her eyes beginning to prick with tears at the realisation that something was not right.
"Yes Violet?" Jacqueline said with worried eyes.
"Did one of our parents survive the fire?" Violet asked.
A few seconds passed, Jacqueline not meeting the children's eyes. She then descended down the stairs again to face the children.
"The world in a dark and bitter place Baudelaire's. And your parents were part of something that fought to end the darkness, something bigger then you, or me, or them. But sadly not all darkness can be fought, and to answer your question Violet, no. Your parents did not survive the fire."
A small sniff came from Violet, and tear began forming in Klaus' eyes.
"But children you did. And you must remember, you will always have people who love you, even if they seem a million mile away." Jacqueline said. "But sometimes they are closer then you think."
Moments later after silently making their way up the grand stairs and down many maze like corridors they found themselves outside two large doors.
"It's good to have you here Baudelaire's." Jacqueline said before pushing the doors open to reveal something the children wanted more then ever in that moment.
"Quagmires?" They said.
"Baudelaire's?" They said back.
"Klaus!" Isadora said rushing forward, almost knocking the boy over with a hug.
"Violet!" Duncan said rushing forward, Violet meeting him halfway.
"We thought we would never see you again!" Violet said to the two triplets and Sunny who was sitting on the bed.
"We thought the same." Isadora said letting go off Klaus who now had bright red cheeks and a smile he was trying to hide.
"How did you get here? Why did you come here?" Violet asked smiling broadly.
"We were in the hot-air mobile home when we began to lose air the balloons." Duncan explained.
"And then we had to land." Isadora continued.
"And Hector fainted-" Duncan said.
"And we met Jacqueline investigating a burned down hospital because we thought Hector had a concussion and wanted to get him to a doctor-" Isadora said.
"And she explained what had happened-" Duncan added.
"And so she brought us here this morning." Isadora finished.
"Wow." Klaus said staring at Isadora with wide eyes. Violet stuck her elbow violently into his chest.
"Well we've had quite a journey as well." Violet said, spending the next ten minutes comprising their long story into a condensed version as to not take up too much time.
"You know what this means." Duncan said after the story was over.
"What?" Klaus asked.
"If it wasn't your family members that survived the fire, then it must be one of ours." Duncan exclaimed.
"Olivia did say that Jacques theories were never wrong." Violet said, happy for the Quagmires that they had a chance of reuniting with a loved one, but yet some envy grew in the back of her and Klaus' minds, wishing it could have been one of theirs.
As the Quagmires and Baudelaires pulled the door of the bedroom open Isadora took hold of Klaus' hand and Duncan took Violet's.
"In case we get lost." Isadora said quickly.
"These are maze like corridors." Duncan said.
So the children made their way through the maze like corridors, twisting and turning until they finally arrived at the staircase. They made their way hastily down the steps and into the hallway that had previously been dishevelled and messy but was now clean and mended. They travelled through yet another corridor before bursting through a set of double doors.
They found them selves in a large, bright room with windows along every wall, facing out towards the mountains, snow pilling up along the vast landscape, the remains of a burnt carnival, crumbling hospital, and crow infested town among the large horizon.
"Children?" Jacqueline said, standing from the head of a large dining table where many notable people sat, many people from the few images and recordings they had from the V.F.D.
"Jacqueline we need to tell you something." Isadora said, her hand still grasping onto Klaus's as she approached the table, squeezing his hand for reassurance.
"We believe someone survived the fire that destroyed our home." Duncan said his hand too still grasping Violet's hand.
"We know Quagmires." Jacqueline said calmly.
"And you should believe them because we have evidence-" Violet began quickly.
"We know Violet." Jacqueline said calmly once again.
"And it may not be much evidence but- wait what?" Klaus said realising what Jacqueline had just said, letting his hand fall from Isadora's in disbelief, as did Violet's from Duncan's.
"I understand children that you have had so many adults refuse to believe you all, and I understand how frustrating it can be, but trust me, anything you tell us we will believe until we have reason to believe otherwise." Jacqueline said placing a hand on Klaus' shoulder.
"Really?" Klaus said sceptically. "What if I told you that pigs could fly higher than they could jump?"
Isadora, Duncan, and Violet let out a small chuckle at Klaus' statement.
"I have never not scene a pig fly higher than they can jump Klaus Baudelaire so until I see proof they cannot indeed fly higher than they can jump I will believe your obscure theory." Jacqueline said with a smile.
"So you don't just think we're silly children with crazy thoughts and theories?" Duncan said stepping forward.
"You have never been wrong before, so why doubt you now?" Jacqueline said.
"And as for a survivor of the fire, that is true. Quigley Quagmire is being located and shall eventually be retrieved." Jacqueline said as she returned to her chair.
"Quigley's alive?" Isadora exclaimed.
"He is indeed, we have reason to believe he escaped through a small gap behind a bookcase." Jacqueline said, sitting back comfortably.
"Of course." Duncan said.
"Our old escape route." Isadora said with a sad smile.
"We used that route to escape when it was too late to play outside." Duncan said a sad smile now on his lips as well.
"Exactly. Now we need you four children not to leave the confines of this property. We don't want any more unpleasantness in your lives." Jacqueline said. "Now may we finish our meeting?"
The children suddenly became very aware that their sudden outburst had seemingly interrupted a very important meeting.
"Yes, of course." Klaus said, pushing his glasses further up his nose as they turned and left the room.
"Oh and children?" Jacqueline said, making them turn before shutting the doors. "The library is the third door on the left."
The children smiled fondly, the thought that not all good was gone from their lives, but sadly these thoughts were very, very, wrong.