Author's DIsclaimer: Finally, here is Chapter Five. I hope it does justice to your expectations after this creative-block-induced hiatus. I hit a break, and I'm in writing motion, guys. ^^
Chapter Five
You can tell a lot about a commercial establishment from it's customers. In France, they have an expression for steady customers:
les habitués. And if Violet thought the Bazaar was strange and unusual just by it's location and it's staff, she soon learned that the
habitués of Burton Bazaar were just as strange as unusual as the Bazaar itself. Strange women with theatrical make-up which reminded her of the white powder faced women of the late Count Olaf's theater group, Agatha and Christie, dark-skinned foreigners with strange clothes and exotic jewelry who reminded her of the gypsies from the stories her mother told her before bed, people dressed all in black, and all kinds of strange people, looking for stranger things to buy or sell.
'Oh, Master Burton, how fortunate of me to run into you.' said a tall man with a tall top hat and strange dark glasses and a cane. His shoulder length, dark hair was perfectly straight and he smelled of candy. By his side, a brown-haired boy with freckles carried a box filled with all kinds of candy and chocolates. 'Have you talked to your lovely grandmother about my proposal?' 'Willy, not right now. I'm showing this lovely young lady around the Bazaar.' Augusten said. 'Ah, I see.' The man named Willy smiled. Violet saw his perfectly aligned white, flawless teeth. She had never seen more perfect teeth, ever, in her entire life. 'I do hope your grandmother will consider opening up a candy shop here at the Bazaar. I noticed a worrying lack of sweetness in the lives of the average customer of Burton's Bazaar. Haven't I, Charlie?' The boy beside him nodded nervously. 'Well, I'll talk to her about it.' Augusten said, trying to get rid of the man, almost as if the smell of candy was foul to him. 'That's what you said last time. Let's go, Charlie, we can still sell what we have here in this box.' And walked away, with his cane, humming an annoying tune, leaving behind him a cloud of the intoxicating smell of candy, and the boy walking close behind him. 'That's Willy. He's a bit loose around the edges, or something. He's been wanting to put up a candy shop here for the longest time.' Augusten said, taking hold of Violet's hand. She blushed, but her blushing passed unnoticed, as Augusten looked forward.
Violet noticed Ed in his shop not very far away. He carried an enormous, purple prop octopus, trying to get it to sit still on a chair, to no success. The octopus kept toppling over and falling on the wet cobblestone of the Bazaar's patio. He wore an old-fashioned, but pretty purple dress and a large hat to go with it, and had his blonde wig on, as well as fake fingernails painted with purple nail polish. Violet noticed he had shaved, and looked, more than ever, like a proper woman of the high society, if it weren't for that fact that he was actually a man.
Nearby where Violet and Augusten stood, there was a wooden bench. 'Let's take a sit, shall we, Violet?' Augusten said. The bench was wet, but Augusten removed his own scarf and laid it on the bench for Violet to sit on. 'Thank you.' Violet said as she sat down, observing the passing customers of Burton's Bazaar. 'I only wonder how I never heard of this place. It's wonderful!' She said, thrilled to be there, in such an interesting and vibrant locale. Augusten smiled, looking at Violet behind his dark, round glasses. 'Thank you. It's always nice to have such a high class lady such as yourself praise our endeavor.' Augusten said. 'High class? I don't feel so high class as of late.' Violet replied. 'Well, you certainly make an impression, Violet.' Augusten smiled. He removed his dark glasses, revealing a pair of gray eyes which contrasted with his golden hair. He was very attractive, and Violet was not immune to this. Of course, Violet being Violet, she shunned that thought and her mind went to Quigley Quagmire. Violet had no means to know whether or not Quigley was alive, and if he was, if he was, too, waiting for her, like she did for him. That thought was unpleasant, almost as if Violet was not sure that Quigley would wait for her, but she liked to think that he would.
However, there was Augusten, sitting next to her. It was the first time ever anyone had come so close, and it was a warm feeling that Violet never thought she would feel again. This beautiful moment was interrupted, like many of them are, by the arrival of four people at the Bazaar. Augusten was talking, but Violet went deaf when she saw who it was that had arrived, as she looked behind, towards the entrance of Burton’s Bazaar. The group of four arrived at the Bazaar, and while some people were oblivious to their arrival others took time to notice and comment on them with others.
Carmelita Spats led the way, this time donning a dress with an interesting design; diagonal purple stripes on white, converging on a v shape which made Carmelita seem taller, which she was. She walked with a pair of big platformer shoes, the heels shaped like hearts, and too, were stripped with white and purple. She held a purse in the same fabric of her dress and swung it around in circles as she walked through the Bazaar; her fiery red hair tied up in two pigtails at either sides of her head. Behind Carmelita, Natalie and Nathan Finch walked, only this time Natalie’s outfit was simply
absurd; it was an umbrella-like dress. Her long blonde hair cascaded down, shaping itself like the upper umbrella. Natalie wore long sleeves that ended on her middle fingers, and black tights under it all. Nathan on the other hand used an umbrella with a metal tip as a walking stick; he wore a black pinstripe suit and a top hat with a silk scarf dropping down from it behind him. Behind Carmelita, Nathan and Natalie there was Cindry Fulfillment. This time Cindry donned a purple dress and had a purple hair ribbon on her head, much to the likeness of Violet’s own hair ribbon. Cindry had the same blank expression she had back at Old Oaks Orphanage, and it shocked how much she seemed to be distant from the person she had been, the friend that the Baudelaires seemed to have lost. This time though, Violet saw no sign of Esmé Squalor or Felix Casanova, and wondered if they both were already inside Burton’s Bazaar.
‘Augusten, can we please go back to your grandmother’s house? I need to speak to Klaus and Desmond.’ Violet asked. She didn’t want to alarm Augusten, so she didn’t say a word about Carmelita, the Finch siblings and Cindry to him. Instead, Violet waited until she was inside Helena Burton’s home, where she found Desmond Fulfillment and Klaus, conveniently enough, in the library, where they had been discussing horror literature with Lydia.
‘Klaus, sorry to interrupt, but I have distressing news. Where are Sunny and Beatrice?’ Violet asked upon entering the library. ‘In the kitchen, with Helena. Anything wrong, Violet?’ Klaus answered, then asked. Lydia, being a very perceptive person, closed her copy of
The Handbook for the Recently Deceased, and left the room. Augusten showed Violet to a comfortable armchair, as she was particularly nervous. ‘What happened? You’re as pale as candle wax.’ Klaus asked. ‘Well, I just saw Carmelita Spats, the Finch siblings and Cindry arrive at the Bazaar. But no sign of Esmé or Felix.’ Violet said. Desmond was particularly stricken. ‘Cindry is
here? At the bazaar?’ He asked. ‘Yes.’ Violet confirmed. Desmond started to pace around nervously through the library, his hands put together, with the eyes closed. He opened them. Desmond went to a window and peered through the curtains. ‘There they are. They are coming here!’ Desmond was very nervous. His daughter was within one of the safest places she could possibly be, but in the least safe companies she could keep, and those two canceled each other out. The air in the library was very tense. Desmond was sweating and staring at the wooden floor, practically incapacitated head to toe. Augusten on the other hand, was very level-headed. ‘We need to keep calm. Desmond, you need to get yourself together. Yes, Cindry is within arm’s reach. But if we want to get her back from that crew of villainous teenagers, we must keep calm at all times.’
As soon as Augusten said ‘times’ the doorbell of Burton’s House rang. It was a loud metallic sound not unlike many other doorbells, but different. More ominous. Because this time, they knew
exactly who was ringing that bell.