A Series of Unfortunate Events
The Menacing Mountains
Part 2
"I hope Quigley's alright." Isadora said as they made their way to the library.
"I hope so too." Duncan said quietly.
"He will be." Violet said reassuringly to the two triplets.
Isadora Quagmire gave Violet a thankful smile.
"Violet's right. Count Olaf can't touch him-" Klaus said as they pushed a set of doors open, the sign above reading 'Library'. His sentence however was cut short as he let out a small shriek.
"Well, well, well. Hello orphans." Count Olaf said from behind the five children who turned quickly to face their enemy.
They were about to scream, scream until their lung collapsed or before someone came to rescue them but it was far too late for that. Suddenly hands grabbed them from behind and dragged them back into the library, and everything went dark.
"You won't get away with this." Violet said as she was being pulled along a bleak white corridor that ran under the V.F.D and down the mountain.
"I already have stupid child." Count Olaf said with a chuckle as he walked in front, twisting a knife along the edge of his fingertip.
"The V.F.D will realise your missing and they'll find you. They always do." Duncan said, struggling just behind Violet as he too was being pulled along by one of Count Olaf's associates.
"No the won't." Count Olaf said smugly.
"And why not?" Klaus said, fighting to get away from his capturer.
"Because they didn't catch me in the first place. You see Klaus, when dear Jacqueline received your little message she did have time to prepare for my arrival. But once I arrived and a fight broke out one of my aliases slipped away unnoticed and later freed me and my acting troop just in time to find the library where I successfully kidnapped you all! Now isn't that just a lovely story, for me." Count Olaf said with a wicked grin. "And they won't realise I am gone until it's too late."
"Your an evil man." Isadora hissed, but exclaimed in pain as the two, frail looking, old ladies who were pulling her down the corridors twisted her arms behind her back.
"Don't hurt her!" Duncan exclaimed which only made the two twins laugh hysterically.
"Calm down orphans. No need to get so melodramatic." Count Olaf said.
Minutes passed that felt like hours, and eventually they saw a iron door at the end of the long corridor, the sound of whistling winds coming from outside of it.
"This way orphans." Count Olaf said, twisting the large handle and pushing the heavy door open to reveal a terrible blizzard, the sky blocked behind a heavy, brutal snowfall.
"Perfect weather for some skiing I think." Count Olaf said turning around, the familiar glint of wickedness in his eyes.
"That's ridiculous!" Violet shouted over the loud winds.
"It is the exact opposite of ideal skiing weather!" Klaus shouted, his hair whipping as he was shoved out onto the cliff edge. "And we are too high up!"
"No Klaus! I would say we're too low down!" Count Olaf said lifting his head slowly, his bellowing laugh echoing off the cliffs as the five orphans turned their heads slowly to see a steep path upwards, snaking up the mountain peeks and out of view, a rickety ski lift trailing up beside the menacing pathway, the iron rusted and peeling, the handle bars either missing or bent out of shape.
"Now orphans, lets get a move on!" Count Olaf said, pulling on a thick jacket and boots that he pulled out from an old, broken, ticket booth, seemingly used for the abandoned ski lift. An old shack stood at the bottom of the ski lift that was probably used to operate the lift.
So they began their expedition up the perilous mountain, Violet, Sunny, and Isadora in flimsy dresses and tights, and Klaus and Duncan in trousers and thin shirts and blazers.
"Do you think we can make it?" Klaus asked Violet.
"I don't know." Violet answered miserably.
"Schrödinger's cat?" Klaus said comfortingly.
"Schrödinger's cat." Violet said with optimism.
The uphill climb up Mortmain Mountain is an unsafe and almost impossible trek that even the most skilled and experienced hikers would quiver at the thought of travelling up it. It is as menacing as it is beautiful, but just because things seem beautiful from a distance, that is not always the case once you see it up close. Like a ballerina that seems beautiful from afar but upon further inspection has blistering toes and sore feet. Or a dog you meet on a deserted road that once seen up close is actually a wolf that will rip you apart limb from limb. Or a gorgeous woman in a dragon fly costume who seems safe and welcoming, but up close is actually dangerous and unstable. Each scenario more painful then the last.
As the children and Count Olaf approached the top of the mountain the sun was beginning rise, a sure sign that the V.F.D would be out searching for them and that maybe the worst of their journey was over.
"This way orphans!" Count Olaf screamed over the roaring winds. He had given up half way up the mountain and had instead selected the hook handed man to carrying him up the mountain as he yelled orders at them.
"I just hope Jacqueline is on her way to save us. I- I don't think I can bare this cold anymore." Klaus said, his teeth chattering as he clutched Sunny close to his chest to shield her from the cold.
"Let me hold her Klaus." Violet said taking the toddler off his hands.
"And I hope they come soon too. And maybe if your too cold you can just ask Isadora to talk to you. That always seems to make your cheeks red." Violet said with a grin.
"What- I- I- You like Duncan!" He said hiding his blushing face as he faced the other way.
"Let's drop this." Violet said quickly, her cheeks now glowing red.
"What were-were you talking about?" Duncan said, his teeth chattering as he spoke.
"Nothing!" They both proclaimed.
Just then they all heard a thud and upon turning around they found Isadora, lying in the thick snow.
"Isadora!" They all shrieked making Count Olaf order them to turn around.
"Isadora?" Klaus said skidding to his knees beside her, shaking her arm. "She's unconscious!"
"Well pick her up boy! We're nearly there, and a sleeping brat is the least of my worries." Count Olaf screamed before turning and continuing up the mountain.
So Klaus quickly pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around Isadora before picking her up and slowly carrying he up the mountain.
"Here Violet." Duncan said pulling off his blazer and wrapping it around Violet's shoulder.
"No Duncan, now you'll freeze!" Violet said trying to give it back.
"No, we can't have you collapsing too, we need your brains to get us out of here once we get here and if your unconscious that would be pretty impossible." Duncan argued. "And my shirt has sleeves, your arms are bare."
Violet smiled at him sweetly, her hair whipping around her face, her hair covered in snow.
"Hurry up orphans!" Count Olaf yelled.
Soon after the mountain became less steep and eventually the ground became flat. A small wooden shack was then visible, the old rotting door almost falling off the hinges. It was small, with just a small porch covered in snow and a crumbling chimney pocking from the uneven roof. As the trudged closer they saw firewood pilled against the side and after Count Olaf kicked the door open they found a set fire and three old, moth eaten couches.
"Home sweet home orphans." Count Olaf said, the sound of the wind and snow just outside the rickety shack. "Now, go to your rooms."
"What room! There only is one!" Klaus exclaimed angrily.
Count Olaf smirked at the boy before walking backwards and reaching one hand up and pulling a small string on the room down, a rope ladder dropping down.
"Home. Sweet. Home." He said his infamous wicked laugh escaping his lips once more.
"It isn't fair." Klaus said as he sat, hunched over on the hay in their attic room. He sat, leaning against a large window, in the shape of the eye that had been plastered all over his life recently, and hugged his knees, staring out at the bitter storm.
"I know Klaus." Violet said quietly as she added some more hay to her makeshift bed.
"They can't just lock us up here for hours." Klaus said angrily.
"I know Klaus." Duncan said, flipping through the pages of his most recent journal.
"They can't just keep us here like animals while they prepare a plan to steal our fortunes." Klaus exclaimed.
"I know Klaus." Violet sighed, wrapping Duncan's blazer around Isadora's small body.
"We've gotten out of worse things then this." Klaus said turning to face Violet. "We can get out of this."
"I don't know, this is pretty bad." Violet said thinking about their past experiences.
"Worse then being stranded on a lake infested with carnivorous leeches, worse then dangling over a pit of starving lions, worse then being trapped in jail about to be burnt at the stake?" Klaus said with raised eyebrows.
"Ok maybe not." Violet said, Duncan looking at them both with shocked eyes. "But we have no safe way down the mountain. We can't just walk down, that takes hours and besides the storms getting worse."
"Yes, but maybe we can be prepared, steal Count Olaf's coats and boots, make our way down. It could work!" Klaus said hopefully.
"Alright Klaus. We'll leave, but I need time to think. I need a ribbon." Violet said sitting in front of the large window.
"A ribbon?" Duncan asked as Klaus scrambled to his feet.
"Yes a ribbon! It's how she thinks." Klaus said, pulling apart they hay, quickly braiding a small band and handing it to Violet.
"Thank you." Violet said, tying her hair back into a lose ponytail. She then sat in front off the window, her eyes closed, the silence creating blueprints in her mind.
"What's she doing?" Duncan whispered to Klaus who shushed him harshly.
"Thinking." Klaus whispered back, his voice barely heard.
"The ski lift." Violet said, her eyes shooting open, jerking her head back towards the boys. "I figured it out."
"What do you mean you figured it out?" Klaus said crawling over to the window.
"The ski lift, mother and father always said they would take us skiing, but they never did. Klaus have you read any books on ski lifts?" Violet asked.
"Of course. There was a intricate summary of its structure in the boring book of transport." Klaus said happily.
"How did you find it?" Violet asked.
"Surprisingly interesting." Klaus answered.
"Not the book, the structure." Violet said.
"Oh, it was very intricate, but I'm sure I could remember some of the instructions." Klaus insisted.
"And I can fix the motor." Violet said standing up slowly. "And Sunny can bite away any rust."
"What about us?" Duncan said angrily.
"You need to stay here with Isadora, try to wake her up and if you can't wake her before we return we'll just have to carry her onto the lift." Violet said.
"How will you make your way to the ski lift? There should be a motor up in the control booth at the top, but with Count Olaf here I don't know how you'll get out!" Duncan said.
"The window of course." Violet said with a smile as she tightened her ribbon.
"The window?" Duncan cried.
"Yes the window." Klaus said peering out the window at the ground below. "The snows deep and should feel like a pillow."
"We should be finished by nightfall, then when Count Olaf's asleep we'll leave." Violet said picking up a rock and knocking out a side panel of glass, taking it out carefully and setting it to the side.
"You'll need these." Duncan said taking the blazers covering Isadora and handing them to the Baudelaires.
"Thank you. But you need to keep her warm, and as far away from the open window. now make her a bed of hay down there and jeep her there until we come to get you." Violet said pointing to the far end of the room. "We won't leave you behind this time, we promise."
"You never left us behind. You needed to look after yourselves and we needed to look after us. We did what we needed to do." Duncan said sadly.
Violet and Klaus said goodbye, picked up Sunny and jumped from the window into the soft snow below. Once out they raced over to the mounds of snow and back onto the steep mountain, the view now in front of them, making Klaus slightly queasy.
"Look!" Klaus said pointing ahead.
"The storm, it's clearing." Violet said shielding her eyes and looking out at the parting clouds as the warm pink and orange sun began pocking out.
"Duck!" Klaus hissed, pushing Violet and Sunny behind the control booth as two of Count Olaf's henchmen came trudging up the mountain, their arms full of food.
"Looks like we have some time. They wouldn't have brought all that food for no reason." Violet said happily.
"We can't be sure of that. We need to get this lift working as soon as possible." Klaus said and with that they climbed into the small booth.
Violet grabbed an fallen wooden plank and pried open the motor, smoke and dust flying out into their faces.
After a few moments Klaus asked;
"Can you fix it?"
"Yes, but I'll need tools. A spanner, a long chain, and some spare bolts." Violet said looking around the small booth.
"Spanner, bolts, no chain." Klaus said handing her all the items he could find.
"Um..." Violet said, the cogs in her mind turning. "Ah!"
She quickly turned and started pulling apart the black leather seat they were sitting on, ripping a thin cord off the back.
"Chain!" She said snapping it to test it's strength.
"I hope this works." Klaus said anxiously.
"It will work." Violet said, working quickly at the intricate machinery. "It has to."
Hours passed and finally the motor was ready, and the storm had almost passed. The night was cold but peaceful, it brought Klaus, Violet, and Sunny some reassurance that in this world that was so harsh, there was always calm. Some could say the calm before the storm but in this case it was the calm after the storm. Or so they thought...
"What do you suppose Count Olaf's plan is?" Klaus asked as they made their way quietly back to the cabin.
"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess I would think it has something to do with five orphans mysteriously falling to their deaths from a very high cliff and their corpses being eaten by hungry wolves." A voice from behind them said, making Violet and Klaus jump.
"No." Violet said softly.
"No? No?" Count Olaf said with a chuckle.
"No. Your plan is not going to work. I'm tired of running," Violet said stepping forward, Count Olaf and his associates backing away slowly. "I'm tired of you plots, and most of all I'm tired of you Count Olaf! You've been tormenting us for too long, and it ends now!"
A few moments passes of Violet looking at them, her eyes full of rage, before they burst out laughing.
"Nice speech orphan, but I don't think that's really up to you." Count Olaf said with a smile. "Henchmen, put the tree brats back in their rooms and don't- Wait, where's the boy and baby brat?"
Violet looked smugly into the face of her kidnapper, folding her arms as her looked around for any sign of Klaus or Sunny, but they were gone.
"Find them! I want that boy and that baby dead!" Count Olaf shrieked.
"Actually boss she's more of a toddler-" The bald man started.
"Go!" Olaf screamed. "And your coming with me!"
Count Olaf grabbed Violet's arm and violently pulled her back into the cabin.
"Hello darling- oh you found her!" Esme said from the sofa where she was lounging.
"Yes I found her, no thanks to you." Count Olaf grumbled.
"What was that?" Esme sang threatenly.
"Nothing darling!" Count Olaf said with a fake smile as he pulled Violet up the rope ladder and back to the attic room. "I may not have all of you but three better then none-"
Count Olaf stopped however when he saw no orphans in the room but Isadora who was about to jump from the window.
"Nooo!" Olaf shrieked, running towards her.
"Goodbye Olaf!" Violet shrieked, stomping on his foot which made him holler in excruciating pain, giving Violet just enough time to jump along with Isadora, landing safely on the soft mountain snow.
"Come on!" Klaus said grabbing their hands and pulling them up to their feet, as Duncan and Sunny raced towards the ski lift in the distance.
They ran through the thick snow, the hems of their trousers and tights damp with snow, their victory seemingly so close.
"Get them!" Came a shriek from behind them and soon they were being chased by a very angry Count, five wicked henchmen, and one very irritated blonde woman as they raced towards the ski lift.
Once they reached it Violet scrambled into the control panel and told the to get in place.
"Quagmires! Get ready!" She said just as one seat approached them and they jumped on, clutching to the edges as it seemed had no safety bar.
"Come on!" Klaus said, pulling her out and onto the ramp, a seat scooping them up, almost knocking them off but they just managed to stay on.
"We did it!" Violet exclaimed, turning to see Count Olaf sinking to his knees and screaming after them.
"No. You did it." Klaus said to his sister.
So as the three Baudelaire children sat in that crumbling ski lift, the stars appearing overhead they truly thought this could be their finale adventure, their finale encounter with the terrible Count Olaf, but they couldn't have been more wrong. Their trouble was only just beginning.