Post by Tiago James Squalor on Jun 29, 2010 7:24:38 GMT -5
Author's Disclaimer: Sorry for the hiatus, I was on my vacations. I hope this chapter will be worth the wait. ^^
As Violet Baudelaire descend into the darkness of the sea trench, the more she felt suffocated. Violet had plenty of air to breathe thanks to the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving's advanced air system, but she felt like she was being suffocated by the circumstances. Violet had tied her hair prior to entering the metallic diving suit, to avoid any problems caused by her hair going into her eyes. Violet's mind was reeling, her thoughts going from the sugar bowl inside the Shivery Shrine to the Mary Celeste, the mysterious ship that lurked near the Anwhistle Aquatics. Amids this chaos of thoughs, Violet's mind also went to her family; Klaus, Sunny, and Beatrice, who had stayed behind inside the underwater dome, in safety, worried sick about their elder sister who ventured again, into the darkness. It was beginning to feel like a trend, and this did not sit well with Violet, not at all.
After a long descent, Violet suddenly felt a solid surface beneath her; she had hit solid rock. It was really dark there, and Violet guessed that she must have been at the bottom of the trench in which the Anwhistle Aquatics was built in. There was nothing that Violet could see ahead of her that would identify as an underwater Shrine that encased a mysterious object that had caused so much misfortune. Violet was not sure why removing the bowl from the Shrine was the chosen course of action, but she had a mission to fulfill, and she went ahead, in the darkness, as fearlessly as she could.
Walking inside the grotto was terrifying, and cold. Violet figured the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving would provide some sort of heat through a heating system, but it appeared the heating system was malfunctioning. It was as if the cold pierced the suit to wrap Violet in a chilling embrace as she treaded the underwater darkness of the Shivery Shrine. When it seemed that Violet would be going on forever, she saw light ahead, and she found it very strange.
'How strange.' Violet said to herself, as she walked towards the light. 'Could it be...' and whatever Violet's question was in her mind, it was answered a minute later. Violet noticed she reached some sort of lake inside the grotto, and the cave was filled with what seemed to be blue crystals. It was when Violet emerged from the lake, that she saw it.
The Shivery Shrine was a grotto famous amongst oceanographers and geologists in that it presented a rare species of bioluminescent algae. Bioluminescent is a portmanteau word here meaning 'a being that gives off light', and algae is latin words that denotes tiny microscopic beings more commonly known as plankton, which served as source of food to a variety of sea life forms. But it wasn't this that grabbed Violet Baudelaire's attention as she emerged from the pool into a grotto where a crucial object was kept. It were the mushrooms. The Shivery Shrine might as well be the Gorgonean Grotto, what with the hundreds, or it could be, thousands of grey mushrooms with black spots, that were everywhere. Everywhere, except a fixed ascending path that was covered in a green powder-like substance.
'Wasabi.' was Violet's guess. Remembering Elizabeth's words, Violet started to climb the rocky green path ahead, with spiraled up towards an altar-like structure incrusted with the same blue crystals that appeared to be sprouting from the rock. Doing her best to keep out of the mushroom-ridden field and on the proper path, Violet only wished her metallic diving suit wasn't so impractical; she could not turn her head without turning around the rest of her body inside the suit. Having blind spots did not please Violet, but she quickly ascended through the green path, towards the altar.
Violet was nervous, as anyone would be, and normally, should be if they were in her shoes - and diving suit. The light given off by the bioluminescent plankton was reflected and refracted by the blue crystals, providing a very efficient - yet eerie - lighting. If the place wasn't infested with the same deadly mushrooms found in the Gorgonean Grotto, it would be likely to be a popular spot for divers from across the world. The grotto was a sight to see, and as scared and nervous as she was, Violet was thankful for the chance to see something so beautiful.
Atop the altar-like structure right in the middle of the grotto, it laid. The blue light shimmered on it's surface, reflecting itself on the nearest crystals that formed a nest-like shape in which it was incrusted. Violet used her right arm and raised it; the suit was heavy, and it seemed a thousand times heavier now. Many times she had heard of that object, yet she hadn't a clue on what it could contain it why it was so important. In that moment, a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Violet thought of all the journeys that small inanimate object had underwent. Thrown out the window of the V.F.D. headquartes, stolen from Esmé Squalor by two volunteers, lost inside a lagoon, taken by taxi out of the city, dropped on the beach, found by Mortimer Montague and kept in his treasury vault, removed from there by Lars Gabriel, and put inside the Shivery Shrine by Elizabeth Anwhistle. Violet Baudelaire did not know all of it, of course, but she did know that her heart was racing like it had never done before, as she used the Vestiments of Ferrous Divings' claws to remove it from it's shrine.
'The sugarbowl.' Violet said out loud to herself, as if trying to convince herself of the veracity of that event. So much time spent wondering on it's appearance and content, and now there it was. Violet held the sugarbowl in a tight grip with the suit's claw, her curiosity burning up inside her, burning. The inventor that was Violet was dying to open it. For a moment, she almost gave in. She almost tried to open it. Many years later, Violet was thankful for the fact that almost like a vision, a mirage, she saw Quigley Quagmire in front of her, frowning with disapproval. The mirage Quigley shaked his head and with a pleading expression, he vanished. Violet was not sure on what to think at that moment, but she snapped out of it. The flame of curiosity inside her was put out; and Violet felt her confidence increase. Resisting the urge to open the bowl was something, after all the confusion that small object had caused.
Violet decided to take a one last good look before putting away the bowl and taking it with her back to the Anwhistle Aquatics. It was like any other sugarbowl, but harder. It could not have been common china, or metal. It would have been broken or rusted if it were either case. It looked like China. Blue floral patterns were painted on it, and it had two wings,, and it was white. All the time it had spent underwater seemed to have influenced it, as Violet spotted tiny barnacles forming on it. The bowl looked almost like an object that could be found inside or around a sunken ship.
Violet put away the bowl and retreated through the green path of wasabi powder, spiralling back towards the small beach and lagoon she had first arrived. With one last look on the Shivery Shrine, and the thousands of small deadly mushrooms it contained, Violet dove back into the dark waters of the lagoon, and she soon found herself back in the darkness.
After exiting the Shrine, Violet used the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving's claws to pull the security line to warn Wayne to pull her up. After a few grim seconds of no response, she felt a pull, and then a stronger pull, and then she was floating upwards to the Anwhistle Aquatics.
Violet Baudelaire felt only relief. She had not contaminated the suit, and she had completed her mission. As she ascended through the dark waters towards the sillhouette against the light of the surface, Violet felt that everything had gone right, and that everything was going to be alright. If you, dear reader, have been reading these dreadful stories that are the lifes of the Baudelaire orphans, you must know better than Violet. Because she had just survived a potentially deadly experience, Violet felt incredibly optimistic. But let's face it, we all know. Violet was wrong to feel optimistic, even if she was in her right. Because when she was taken inside the Anwhistle Aquatics...everything went wrong..
Chapter Seven
As Violet Baudelaire descend into the darkness of the sea trench, the more she felt suffocated. Violet had plenty of air to breathe thanks to the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving's advanced air system, but she felt like she was being suffocated by the circumstances. Violet had tied her hair prior to entering the metallic diving suit, to avoid any problems caused by her hair going into her eyes. Violet's mind was reeling, her thoughts going from the sugar bowl inside the Shivery Shrine to the Mary Celeste, the mysterious ship that lurked near the Anwhistle Aquatics. Amids this chaos of thoughs, Violet's mind also went to her family; Klaus, Sunny, and Beatrice, who had stayed behind inside the underwater dome, in safety, worried sick about their elder sister who ventured again, into the darkness. It was beginning to feel like a trend, and this did not sit well with Violet, not at all.
After a long descent, Violet suddenly felt a solid surface beneath her; she had hit solid rock. It was really dark there, and Violet guessed that she must have been at the bottom of the trench in which the Anwhistle Aquatics was built in. There was nothing that Violet could see ahead of her that would identify as an underwater Shrine that encased a mysterious object that had caused so much misfortune. Violet was not sure why removing the bowl from the Shrine was the chosen course of action, but she had a mission to fulfill, and she went ahead, in the darkness, as fearlessly as she could.
Walking inside the grotto was terrifying, and cold. Violet figured the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving would provide some sort of heat through a heating system, but it appeared the heating system was malfunctioning. It was as if the cold pierced the suit to wrap Violet in a chilling embrace as she treaded the underwater darkness of the Shivery Shrine. When it seemed that Violet would be going on forever, she saw light ahead, and she found it very strange.
'How strange.' Violet said to herself, as she walked towards the light. 'Could it be...' and whatever Violet's question was in her mind, it was answered a minute later. Violet noticed she reached some sort of lake inside the grotto, and the cave was filled with what seemed to be blue crystals. It was when Violet emerged from the lake, that she saw it.
The Shivery Shrine was a grotto famous amongst oceanographers and geologists in that it presented a rare species of bioluminescent algae. Bioluminescent is a portmanteau word here meaning 'a being that gives off light', and algae is latin words that denotes tiny microscopic beings more commonly known as plankton, which served as source of food to a variety of sea life forms. But it wasn't this that grabbed Violet Baudelaire's attention as she emerged from the pool into a grotto where a crucial object was kept. It were the mushrooms. The Shivery Shrine might as well be the Gorgonean Grotto, what with the hundreds, or it could be, thousands of grey mushrooms with black spots, that were everywhere. Everywhere, except a fixed ascending path that was covered in a green powder-like substance.
'Wasabi.' was Violet's guess. Remembering Elizabeth's words, Violet started to climb the rocky green path ahead, with spiraled up towards an altar-like structure incrusted with the same blue crystals that appeared to be sprouting from the rock. Doing her best to keep out of the mushroom-ridden field and on the proper path, Violet only wished her metallic diving suit wasn't so impractical; she could not turn her head without turning around the rest of her body inside the suit. Having blind spots did not please Violet, but she quickly ascended through the green path, towards the altar.
Violet was nervous, as anyone would be, and normally, should be if they were in her shoes - and diving suit. The light given off by the bioluminescent plankton was reflected and refracted by the blue crystals, providing a very efficient - yet eerie - lighting. If the place wasn't infested with the same deadly mushrooms found in the Gorgonean Grotto, it would be likely to be a popular spot for divers from across the world. The grotto was a sight to see, and as scared and nervous as she was, Violet was thankful for the chance to see something so beautiful.
Atop the altar-like structure right in the middle of the grotto, it laid. The blue light shimmered on it's surface, reflecting itself on the nearest crystals that formed a nest-like shape in which it was incrusted. Violet used her right arm and raised it; the suit was heavy, and it seemed a thousand times heavier now. Many times she had heard of that object, yet she hadn't a clue on what it could contain it why it was so important. In that moment, a moment that seemed to last an eternity, Violet thought of all the journeys that small inanimate object had underwent. Thrown out the window of the V.F.D. headquartes, stolen from Esmé Squalor by two volunteers, lost inside a lagoon, taken by taxi out of the city, dropped on the beach, found by Mortimer Montague and kept in his treasury vault, removed from there by Lars Gabriel, and put inside the Shivery Shrine by Elizabeth Anwhistle. Violet Baudelaire did not know all of it, of course, but she did know that her heart was racing like it had never done before, as she used the Vestiments of Ferrous Divings' claws to remove it from it's shrine.
'The sugarbowl.' Violet said out loud to herself, as if trying to convince herself of the veracity of that event. So much time spent wondering on it's appearance and content, and now there it was. Violet held the sugarbowl in a tight grip with the suit's claw, her curiosity burning up inside her, burning. The inventor that was Violet was dying to open it. For a moment, she almost gave in. She almost tried to open it. Many years later, Violet was thankful for the fact that almost like a vision, a mirage, she saw Quigley Quagmire in front of her, frowning with disapproval. The mirage Quigley shaked his head and with a pleading expression, he vanished. Violet was not sure on what to think at that moment, but she snapped out of it. The flame of curiosity inside her was put out; and Violet felt her confidence increase. Resisting the urge to open the bowl was something, after all the confusion that small object had caused.
Violet decided to take a one last good look before putting away the bowl and taking it with her back to the Anwhistle Aquatics. It was like any other sugarbowl, but harder. It could not have been common china, or metal. It would have been broken or rusted if it were either case. It looked like China. Blue floral patterns were painted on it, and it had two wings,, and it was white. All the time it had spent underwater seemed to have influenced it, as Violet spotted tiny barnacles forming on it. The bowl looked almost like an object that could be found inside or around a sunken ship.
Violet put away the bowl and retreated through the green path of wasabi powder, spiralling back towards the small beach and lagoon she had first arrived. With one last look on the Shivery Shrine, and the thousands of small deadly mushrooms it contained, Violet dove back into the dark waters of the lagoon, and she soon found herself back in the darkness.
After exiting the Shrine, Violet used the Vestiments of Ferrous Diving's claws to pull the security line to warn Wayne to pull her up. After a few grim seconds of no response, she felt a pull, and then a stronger pull, and then she was floating upwards to the Anwhistle Aquatics.
Violet Baudelaire felt only relief. She had not contaminated the suit, and she had completed her mission. As she ascended through the dark waters towards the sillhouette against the light of the surface, Violet felt that everything had gone right, and that everything was going to be alright. If you, dear reader, have been reading these dreadful stories that are the lifes of the Baudelaire orphans, you must know better than Violet. Because she had just survived a potentially deadly experience, Violet felt incredibly optimistic. But let's face it, we all know. Violet was wrong to feel optimistic, even if she was in her right. Because when she was taken inside the Anwhistle Aquatics...everything went wrong..