Author's Note

I do not own A Series of Unfortunate Events.


Damien and Lavender dragged the large pot of water back to the cabin and set it inside, closing the door, locking it, and jamming a piece of wood under the handle to make it harder to enter. They cut another leg from the lion and cooked it before dumping the carcass outside, some distance from the cottage.

"Will the meat keep?"

"Hopefully it'll keep until the morning and we can have some breakfast. We'll have to take the water with us somehow though."

"We can each carry a pot," Lavender said. "But you'd have to walk Phoebs."

"Cando!" Phoebe said.

Damien jammed a piece of wood under the handle to the backdoor and circled the cottage, making sure the shutters were secured. "Let's get some sleep then, and we'll get going in the morning."


"How very nice of you to join us," the hook-handed man said. "I was just thinking how much I wanted to see your pretty face. Have a seat."

Violet could only stare at him. That had not gone how she wanted it to.

"I said have a seat!" the hook-handed man snapped, and shoved her into a chair. Violet looked miserably around the tower room and sighed. She had wanted to rescue Sunny and Noah, and now she was as trapped as they were. The Hook-Handed man pulled out a walkie-talkie and jabbed a button with one of his hooks.

"Boss, it's me," he said. There was a pause, and he looked confused at the walkie. "Me? You know, your henchperson? Hooks for Hands? Yes. Listen, your blushing bride just climbed up here to try and rescue the biting brats."

Count Olaf said something on the other end.

"I don't know. With some sort of backpack airplane drone thing. I don't know, boss. Yes, boss. Yes, boss, of course I understand she's yours. Yes, boss." He turned to Violet. "Count Olaf is very displeased with his bride."


At the bottom of the tower, Indigo knew something must have gone wrong when the rope made from the ugly clothes fell to the ground in a heap at her feet. She picked it up, running it through her hands and looking up at the tower.

Violet was in trouble, and the birdcage with the little twins in it was still swaying in the breeze.

She looked about herself. The backyard was filled with all sorts of rubbish, mostly old beer bottles and broken furniture, but there was a myriad of other things.

"What would Violet do," she whispered, rolling the rope into a coil. "What would Violet do; what would Violet do?"

Violet was smarter than her; that was why Violet was the inventor and she could only fix things, but she had plenty to work with here.

"There's always something," she muttered.

At the foot of the tower, an old umbrella was stuffed in with the rest of the rubbish. Indigo tugged it free and opened it, looking up above her to measure the distance. It was a painfully long way up. Quickly, she tied the handle of the umbrella to the rope, creating a hook on the end.

"Okay," she said, swinging it experimentally. "I hear you Violet. Hang tight."


Klaus was woken by being dragged to his feet. Elias yelled, struggling as he was yanked to his feet. "Gerrof me! Gerrof!"

The Bald Man, who was holding him, cuffed him around the back of the head, shook him, and reached for Sofia, who was curled up on the bed with Loki and Finn.

"Leave that one," said one of the White Faced Women from the doorway. "The boss wants to keep her."

"What for?"

"Sticks and contingencies apparently."

Sofia shuddered, rolling to her feet and rushing to try and grab Kyra before the other White Faced woman could. She was too slow, and the woman yanked her from her cushion and pulled her across the room to the others. When she began to wail she stuffed a rag in her mouth, and Kyra tasted smoke.

"Where are you taking them?" Sofia demanded, frantically trying to get to Kyra and being shoved back time and time again.

"Count Olaf has decided they deserve a treat before the big performance," replied the White Faced Woman in the doorway. "Not you though; you're to stay with your sister. Nasty little brat."

"Let's get going, let's get going," chanted the other.

The Bald Man laughed. "We're going to have such a fun trip."

"Is this all of them?" asked one of the Women.

"I don't know; there's too many of them."

The two women cackled, and the Bald Man pushed the gathered siblings towards the door. One of the Women held Sofia's arm in a tight grip, keeping her away from her siblings.

"No! Don't take them!"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Let go of me!"

"Sofia!"

"Klaus! Elias!"

"Where are you taking us?"

"You'll see."

Quickly, the children were pushed down the stairs and to the filthy entrance hall, where Count Olaf met them.

"Ah, orphans."

"Where are you sending us?" Klaus demanded.

Count Olaf smiled very, very widely. "Out for a trip! Isn't that what good fathers do for their children? Send them on exciting trips?"

"You're not our dad!" Loki snapped.

"Now now Finn."

"Loki."

"I'm going to be the ultimate dad to you orphans. Now, you boys enjoy your trip. Lavender, you are going to stay here." He reached out and took Sofia's arm with his long, bony fingers.

"Don't touch her!" Elias shouted, trying to throw himself at the Count.

Count Olaf only gave him a cheery wave. "Toodle oo now."

The three henchpeople forced the siblings towards the door, and Klaus could only look back over his shoulder as Sofia was led away.

The two Women and the Bald Man forced the remaining five children out the door and into Count Olaf's large, ugly, brown automobile.

"Where are you taking us?" Finn asked bitterly.

"You'll find out."


It was quiet, which made Indigo's task very difficult, but she knew that Violet and her youngest siblings needed her held. Swinging the umbrella back, she threw it as high and as hard as she could.

Clang!

The umbrella clattered as it hit the tower and bounced back to the ground. Indigo froze, waiting to see if anyone would come to investigate. No one did, so she swung the umbrella over her head like a lasso and tried again.

Clang! Clang!Clang! Clang! Clang! Five times the umbrella fell back to the ground. One the fifth it bounced from the tower and hit Indigo in the shoulder. One of the spokes tore through her nightgown and ripped a long gash down her shoulder. She bit her lip to stop her cry and felt at her shoulder, finding warm blood. Drawing in a deep breath, she looked up at the tower and imagined how scared the little twins and Violet must be. Much more scared than her, she thought, and drew back to throw the umbrella again.

The expected clang! never came. Indigo held her breath, but the umbrella never fell back to the ground. She gave the rope an experimental tug, and it stayed firm. She pulled harder, climbing onto it a little, but it held firm. The grappling hook had worked!

Now she just had to get up there to Violet and the twins.