A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Creepy Curse
A/N: I do not own Silent Hill or Lemony Snicket...I'm sure if I did own Lemony Snicket, I would be violating certain freedom laws and such. The shortness of the chapters is intentional, so deal.
Chapter Two
Mr. Poe dropped the children, and their sparse luggage, off at a restroom near the observation deck. The children looked around, curious of their location. Violet noticed a parked car near the restroom, its driver-side door open. She was thinking of an invention that would automatically close your car door so that it could not be left open. Klaus was looking out onto the large gray lake, thinking about what he has read about lakes and their marine-life. Sunny was admiring the tall, thin trees that framed the lake and thinking about how she would love to chew on them.
The children were startled when a man, only about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, emerged from the restroom and spoke loudly.
"You must be the Baudelaire children!"
"Yes," Violet replied politely. "I am Violet, this is my brother Klaus and our sister Sunny."
"I'm James Sunderland...did Mr. Poe leave so quickly?"
"I'm afraid he did."
"That's too bad. Anyway, you guys can leave your luggage in my car. I have to take a short trip into Silent Hill, so you're welcome to come along."
"What's in Silent Hill?" Klaus asked.
"Well, I got this letter from my wife, Mary, saying she would be here."
The weight of their entire situation began to lift from the orphans. A mother AND a father for a guardian? It was too good to be true.
"But it's too good to be true," James sighed. "She died three years ago. But the dead can't write letters, can they?"
Klaus thought back to every book he had read about death. "No, I don't believe they can."
"Well, it's weird anyway, so I thought I'd check it out. What do you say?"
Violet and Klaus looked at each other, then turned to Sunny. It sounded more interesting than waiting in the car. Besides, what's the worse that could happen in a foggy, creepy and supposedly ghost-infested resort town?
"Sure, we would love to come," Violet replied, picking up Sunny while Klaus placed their luggage in James' car. They followed James down a long staircase that led to a wooded trail.
The path had an ominous feeling to it, the word "ominous" here means, "kind of creepy and disturbing." The trees loomed above them and the water rocked violently against the shore. The fog was ever thickening. Violet held Sunny tight and walked close to Klaus. James walked ahead of them on the path.
"I don't know about this," Violet said nervously. "This place seems really...I don't know..."
"Ominous?" Klaus suggested.
"Yes, that. And what if Count Olaf shows up? In a place like this, he could be anywhere."
"That's Toluca Lake," James said, pointing toward the lake, trying to make conversation. "There's a hotel and amusement park on the other side, but they are both closed."
"I think I read once," began Klaus, "that there was once a prison underneath the lake during the Civil War."
"Really? I didn't know that."
"What do you do for a living, Mr. Sunderland?" Violet asked.
"Please, call me James. I'm not sure...Since Mary died it's been a blur. I just remember her, nothing else. I'm not even sure if that was my car."
Violet gave Klaus a restive look, "restive" meaning, "unsure about the mental condition of their new guardian." Klaus shrugged his shoulders. They had little choice but to follow James into SIlent Hill.
Eventually the wooded path led the group to a rusty gate. The rusty gate eventually led them to a dismal graveyard. The children walked close together as they proceeded past the broken tombstones.
"Excuse me, I..." James began to say. The children squinted into the fog to see who he was talking to. They could see the outline of a young woman. She seemed to be searching the tombstones for a name.
"I, I'm sorry...I, I...I was just...looking for my mama. I thought she was here, but I guess they moved her to a sunnier location."
"Bulu!" said Sunny, which probably meant something like, "I don't blame her. The fog here is really creepy."
"Oh!" The young woman exclaimed. "What a cute baby! What's she saying?"
"She said she doesn't blame your mother for wanting to move because of the fog," Violet answered. Although the rest of the world couldn't, Violet and Klaus understood Sunny perfectly.
"I'm Angela by the way," the girl said. "Are you new to the area?"
"I'm James," said James, introducing himself. "This is Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. They've been put in my care."
"Where are your parents?" Angela asked.
"They died in a horrible fire," Klaus replied.
Angela looked around the graveyard. "Do you think they are here?"
"No," Violet replied. "They were buried closer to where we lived."
"I mean their spirits, dear...Could they be here?"
James gave the children a confused look and ushered them to the other side of the graveyard.
"It was nice meeting you, Angela! Say 'Hi' to your mom for me!"
"Thanks! I hope you find who you're looking for!"
AFF: Thanks for my first review on this story! You should read the Lemony Snicket books if you get a chance. They are children books but the style of writing is hilarious! As for writing a pleasing story for me, you already have. I love your James story and your PH inner monologue. Now I feel like talking about this story: The point of the Snicket books is that the orphans are constantly being taken to different guardians and the evil Count Olaf shows up in disguise wanting to steal their family fortune. When I started this story, I thought, "Who could be their guardian in Silent Hill?" and I thought James would be perfect. God love his character, but he's the last person I'd want taking care of my kids. Anywho, just a little background info. I love to babble. glomp
