Hello, hello, hello! It's memory number one. A bit weird, but whatever. :P


Content

'Here we are, Miss.'

The taxi juddered to a reluctant standstill, the wind-screen wipers smearing across the glass one last time while in the back of the car, Violet Baudelaire turned away from the window, fishing in her pocket for money.

The cab-driver swivelled round in his seat, throwing Violet a slightly apologetic glance as he held out his hand to her, palm open. Hastily, Violet poured a jumble of coins into the man's hand, hardly watching as his thick fingers closed over the assortment of dull metal disks.

Fumbling slightly, Violet made to open her door, only to be stopped by the cab-driver once more.

'Here – are you all right? You seem kinda … nervous?'

'Oh – I'm fine. Thank you,' said Violet politely, pushing open the door and stepping out into the biting November air.

The cab-door swung shut behind her, and she spun round, watching with faint discomfort as the driver retreated to become a dark silhouette, lost to her now forever just like so many other things from her past.

If she spoke the truth, Violet didn't know what she was doing here. Her siblings saw this as a place of bad luck; they didn't like to come here any more, preferring instead to visit parks and museums, libraries and restaurants, even other beaches. And yet … and yet Violet had felt drawn to this spot ever since they had left the island. She really had no idea why. Her fascination with the place almost scared her, but at the same time, she couldn't get it out of her head. When she closed her eyes to sleep, she saw frothing black waves, the distinct tang of salt fresh on her tongue.

Maybe it was because she and Briny Beach went back farther than she could remember. Ever since she was a tiny baby, her parents had taken her here for treats; later she had been the one taking Klaus and Sunny to the beach. It felt to her like a connection to her parents, a way to keep contact with them. It was, she reflected sadly, turning away from the cab to face the sea, something Klaus and Sunny would never understand. Sure, they had come here with their parents too, but never alone. Not like Violet had.

With a shaky breath, Violet took the first step on to the sand, letting her hair be blown wild by the wind as she walked, upright and confident, towards the shore. The sound of the waves rushing over the rocks seemed amplified to Violet, the world around her merging to become a grey-black blur as she sank down to sit on a rock at the water's edge.

Violet had no idea how long she sat there, alone and cold, staring at the ocean's waves. It couldn't have been too long, though, because the light had not dimmed at all, and the tide had hardly moved by the time he came.

It was the footsteps that first told her she was no longer alone. They came crunching through the sand behind her, a blunt reminder that there was a world outside hers, where other people enjoyed their lives.

The footsteps stopped, and twisting round, Violet looked up into a pair of wide, blue-green eyes, so different from the dull colours surrounding them.

A single tear slid down the curve of Violet's cheek, falling without a sound on to the sand below. Her lips were parted in a gesture of amazement, though no word came out and she made no attempt to break the silence.

'Hi,' said Quigley Quagmire, a jaunty grin lighting up his eyes as he sat beside her.

'Hi,' Violet breathed, completely at a loss for words.

'So … I've found you,' said Quigley quietly, offering Violet a small smile, 'I'm here, just like … just like I said I would be in the telegram.'

Violet broke from her stupor, replying with a laugh, 'That was quite a while ago, Quigley. I think you're just slightly late.'

Quigley chuckled, and reached up to tuck a few strands of hair back from Violet's face.

'But I came.'

Bighting her lip, Violet nodded.

'And I was … I guess I was waiting for you,' as she said the words, she knew they were true. Violet had been waiting for Quigley, waiting for a very long time indeed, and as she thought about it, Briny Beach was just the place where they would be reunited. Kind of ironic, after all that had happened here.

Quigley's face broke into another grin, and he wrapped Violet in a one-armed hug, letting her rest her head on his shoulder as the pair of them sat, annoying the taxi-driver Quigley had waiting for them, and listening as the breakers tumbled around their feet. There would be a time for questions later, for questions such as 'How did you know I would be here?' and 'Why are we letting our feet get wet?' but that time was not now. It was the first time in Violet's life that she had been content to wait for the answers.


There ... meh. It's a bit wierd, but never mind. I expect it'll all get better. :)

Tabs :D