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Post by Hermes on Jul 3, 2011 13:34:08 GMT -5
Brilliant! The end, with the Baudelaires showing themselves to be real volunteers, is very moving.
So what is Esme planning? Does she mean to kidnap all the children in Dark and Bright Avenues? The Hamelin refernces rather suggest it.
I also just realised where the names of the shop assistants come from - interesting!
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jul 4, 2011 15:16:48 GMT -5
I also just realised where the names of the shop assistants come from - interesting! I wasn't able to place them, so I Googled. You are SO GOOD at coming up with names for your characters, Tiago! ^^
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Jul 5, 2011 13:43:15 GMT -5
Chapter Five In the middle of the night, Klaus heard a soft knock on the door of his room. He was alone, as Violet had prefered a separate room for her, Sunny and Beatrice. ‘Klaus?’ Cindry Fulfillment’s voice was heard. Klaus got up from his bed, thanking the heavens that he was fully clothed – in purple stripped silk pijamas – Blushing, he opened the door. Cindry was in the hallway. ‘Cindry? Anything wrong?’ Cindry did not say a word. She hugged him. ‘I…I missed you.’ She said. ‘I missed you too.’ Klaus said. ‘Close the door.’ She told him, and she sat on the bed. ‘What are you doing?’ Klaus blushed. ‘Don’t worry. We won’t do anything weird, Klaus.’ Cindry smiled. She hadn’t smiled in quite a while. Seeing her smile was all Klaus ever wanted. ‘Sit.’ She told him. Klaus sat on the bed. ‘Your glasses…They’re askew.’ She straightened his glasses. ‘Your hair is messy.’ She put her hands on his head and tried to straighten his hair. ‘I have awful bed hair sometimes.’ Klaus said. Cindry giggled. Klaus’ heart was thumping so loud he thought she might hear it. ‘Tomorrow, before this weird parade thing…See, there’s this place here in the park.’ She looked through the window just beside Klaus’ bed. The park was silent and the lights of the buildings of Bright Avenue were distant. ‘There is a place here called the Boggly Garden. It’s beautiful. I want you to go there with me tomorrow. I want you to see it. It’s my favorite place in the whole word.’ ‘I’ll go with you wherever you want to go.’ He said. Cindry blushed. ‘I’ll remember that. Now I have to go. My dad still checks on me at night, to see if I haven’t been kidnapped. If he sees my bed empty, he might freak.’ Cindry stood up and walked towards the door, and stopped midway. She turned back and hugged Klaus again. When the hug was done, she kissed him. A lifetime seemed to have passed when she removed her lips from his and went out; but they were merely seconds. Klaus went to sleep with a smile and a sweet minty taste in his mouth. The next morning, the Baudelaires joined the Fulfillments for breakfast. Audrey was already at the table. The three salesgirls had already eaten breakfast and were working at the store. Their breakfast time was earlier than the Fulfillments’. ‘Did you get a good night sleep, Klaus?’ Violet asked him, not without a smirk of knowledge. Klaus’ eyes widened. His eyes went straight to Cindry and to Desmond, who eyed him with the same smirk on his face. It was too embarrassing. ‘I slept, what of it?’ Klaus poured himself some coffee nervously. The meal went without further embarrassment, that has to be said. After Desmond and Audrey had retired, Violet took Sunny and Beatrice upstairs. Cindry and Klaus were left alone. ‘Come. I’ll take you to the garden.’ Klaus and Cindry walked out of the house, and passed by the Vampire’s Fountain and made a turn left before they arrived at the Dragon’s Fountain. ‘Boggly Garden is this way. It’s the most beautiful place, Klaus. You have to see it.’ They walked a few minutes, hand in hand, through a cobblestone pathway between a grove of trees. The autumn wind was blowing and the leaves were falling, in shades of red, orange and gold. It reminded Klaus of the autumn after Sunny was born. It seemed like a thousand years had passed since his parents were alive and he and his sisters never suspected the impending doom they were to face. It saddened him, but being with Cindry was the happiest Klaus had been in quite a while, so he decided to not dwell on the ended happiness of the past, and enjoy the present happiness he had – which I’m sorry to say, didn’t last long – and as he walked with Cindry in the park, hand in hand, Klaus saw a ghostly white glow in the distance. ‘There is the garden.’ Cindry said. As they approached it, Klaus was filled with amazement at the ghostly white grass and trees, and the black trunks. He had never seen such unusual plants, not even in the Verdant Forest Dome, back at Jupiter Island, a V.F.D. botanic and entomologic research facility. The garden was surronded by a black metal fence, which seemed to contain the spread of the ghostly white plants inside. The crisp, greyish blue autumn sky was a pleasant contrast with the monochromy of the garden – ‘monochromy’ is a word which here means ‘absence of other more expressive colors’ – and after they ventured further into the garden, Klaus discovered a circle of black-trunked trees guarding a dark, deep blue pond covered in white lilypads. A small waterfall poured into the pond from a hill of black rocks. It was a peaceful, beautiful place, and Klaus wanted to absorb all the details. ‘Here.’ Cindry drew Klaus to a stone bench nearby the pond, and the two sat down, gazing at the water. ‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s my favorite place in the park. I always came here with my dad, but he told me: Cindry, one day you’ll want to bring someone special to this place, like I did, and like every Fulfillment has done for as long as we’ve lived here.’ Cindry smiled. ‘And I brought you.’ Cindry kissed Klaus, and it’s not my business to discuss their kiss, but only to state that they did so for what seemed like an eternity, yet it was only a few minutes. ‘I was afraid I would never see you again, after the Casino.’ She said. Before Klaus could say anything, the two of them heard a noise behind them. A chill ran down both of their spines, and as they looked back, there was someone behind them. ‘Woah!’ Klaus jumped from the stone bench, and so did Cindry. ‘Who are you?! Get away from us!’ Cindry shouted. The person didn’t say a word. He, or she, was dressed in a rather androgynous manner – which is an expression that here means ‘in clothes that could be worn by a man or a woman – so they had no idea if it was a man or a woman. The face was concealed by a purple scarf, and enormous black sunglasses. He, or she, wore a fedora hat, and a trenchcoat with big black buttons, and black pants, and shoes that had heels, but didn’t look like a woman’s shoes, but at the same time they were shoes that a woman could wear if she wanted to look androgynous. ‘Don’t be afraid. I mean you no harm.’ Said the person, whoever it was. His/her voice was muffed by the scarf he, or she was wearing, and they couldn’t quite place it as a male or female voice. ‘I know who you are.’ He, or she said. ‘I came here to help you. Here.’ The person removed a black envelope with a purple wax seal from their pocket. ‘ ‘What is it?’ Klaus wasn’t about to accept anything from a complete stranger, specially one that dressed in such androgynous, misleading, secretive manner. ‘Information is a powerful thing, specially in the life of a volunteer. I’ve been watching you, Klaus Baudelaire.’ Said the stranger. ‘This information will help you after you’ve left the park, which if you’re clever enough, you will do very soon.’ Klaus took the envelope from the stranger’s gloved, androgynous hands. ‘Don’t open it yet. Also, take this.’ It was a small velvet pouch with a purple, thin ribbon tying it closed. The contents tingled when Klaus touched it. ‘Four small tokens of my apreciation. Now, I have to go. Forgive my intrusion. I know how suspicious you must be, but I had to come. The world is quiet here.’ The stranger touched his or her hat in a respectful manner and nodded, and disappeared between the black trunks of the boggly trees. ' The world is quiet here', Klaus repeated. He untied the ribbon and dropped the contents of the pouch on his hand. Four golden brooches. Their shape was strange, but the four were identical. They looked like a bespectacled face with a pointy, straight nose. They felt familiar, somehow. Klaus put them back inside the pouch and tried to break the envelope’s seal. ‘No.’ Cindry said. ‘It’s best you wait til we get home. Who knows who else is lurking in these bushes.’ They looked around, the ghostly white bushes silent as a crypt. Klaus had never realized how eerie the Boggly Garden was until now. ‘Let’s go. I’m cold, all of a sudden.’ As they walked back towards the Fulfillment family’s home, Klaus pondered on what had just happened. A mysterious, but somehow not intimidating stranger offering information and four golden brooches was an unusual occurrence even in the life of a Baudelaire, which was a life filled to the brim with unusual occurrences. Once, a stranger offered them a ride away from Hotel Denouement, in their darkest hour. They were tempted to accept, and Klaus never forget the smell of the stranger’s cigarrette, or how his face was concealed in the shadows, the pale light of the cigarrette casting a grim, reddish light that reflected at the man’s eyes. A chill ran down Klaus’ spine. This new stranger, however, was shorter, and not as bulky built. It could be a man or a woman, many names occurred to Klaus, but if this was someone they had already met, why not reveal themselves? Klaus’ mind was reeling with questions, as I’m sure now you, dear reader, must also be. But worry not. Your questions will soon be answered, for this story approaches it’s end, and many things you’ve been wondering will become clear, like the waterfall that poured into the deep eerie pond of Boggly Garden.
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Post by Dante on Jul 5, 2011 13:51:22 GMT -5
Was it terrible of me to expect them to arrive at Boggly Garden and find it destroyed? To still expect this to happen in the future? But you've done something quite remarkable with this chapter, Tiago; it has a very alien atmosphere. I think it's the isolation of Boggly Garden from the troubles elsewhere, and the facelessness of the stranger and the way they're actually helpful rather than menacing. I'm very impressed; this chapter's been a delight to read.
A bespectacled face with a pointed nose... could it be that insignia...? If it is what I think it is, I'm very intrigued as to the direction you're taking this in.
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Post by Hermes on Jul 5, 2011 15:01:33 GMT -5
This is really moving. I'm guessing Boggly Garden is one of the places where the world is quiet.
I think I may know who the stranger is - but I must admit I've no idea about the brooches. One for each Baudelaire, I guess - but the insignia remains a complete puzzle to me.
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Jul 5, 2011 18:48:17 GMT -5
Chapter Six The moment before opening a piece of correspondence is always exciting. You’ve just received and you’re eager to read the news they contain. Of course, it is often in the few starting lines that some people succumb to instantaneous sadness, when they happen to receive bad news. Reading the news many times over doesn’t do anything to diminish the ominousness of the words. But it also happens that sometimes one receives a piece of correspondence that is so cryptic, so hard to decipher, that one just gives up and goes to read a book instead, instead of wasting time on cryptic messages written by some prankster friend. The later was certainly the case with the cryptic, hard to decipher black, fancy envelope with the purple seal that Klaus Baudelaire was handed in the Boggly Garden by an equally as cryptic, hard to decipher stranger in androgynous garb. ‘I don’t understand.’ Said Violet Baudelaire as she examined the fancy stationery in which the so-called letter had been written. ‘This looks exactly like the letter we received, the one that drove us to Funeral Factory Fulfillment Ltd.’ Klaus nodded in agreement. ‘But this is either a joke or a Hallow-In trick.’ The fancy stationery that was inside the letter contained but two cryptic, hard to decipher lines in fancy handwriting. Two lines the Baudelaires knew very well, but given the circumstances they had no idea what to make of them.
667 Dark Avenue The world is quiet here. Desmond Fulfillment took the paper in his hands and examined the two cryptic, hard to decipher lines. ‘This person, was it a he or a she?’ He asked. ‘I’ve told you’ Cindry said, exasperated. ‘We couldn’t tell. They had enormous sunglasses on, and a purple scarf covering the lower half of their face, and a hat casting a shadow on top of it all.’ Audrey took the paper. ‘Did you smell it? It’s scented.’ She said. ‘It’s a perfume that smells like wine and wood.’ Violet took the paper from Audrey. ‘So this person said that if we were clever, we’d leave Thriller Park soon? But how soon? Before the parade? I don’t think so. We need to make sure those children go unharmed, and I don’t think I need to remind any of you who used to live at 667 Dark Avenue.’ Violet did not indeed need to remind anyone. Esmé Gigi Geniveve Squalor, their half-aunt, ex-guardian and sworn enemy, had once lived with the three Baudelaires and her husband, Jerome Squalor. ‘If this person claimed to be watching us, they must know what we went through at 667 Dark Avenue. They can’t honestly expect us to go back there, of all places. It’d be the same as inviting us to take a dive in Lake Lachrymose.’ Violet said. ‘I agree, but this person, I felt sort of a familiar feeling when we met. Like I had seen him, or her, before. I can’t quite place it, of course, but it’s there. It’s not a feeling I’ve felt for any of our enemies, I can tell you that.’ Klaus said. ‘It can’t be a volunteer. Why not come here, why follow Klaus and Cindry to the Boggly Garden? It doesn’t make sense to me.’ Desmond Fulfillment said. ‘Still, I think…If anything happens, that’s where you should go.’ Audrey said, examining one of the four golden brooches. ‘If anything happens at the parade, if things go wrong…Go to 667 Dark Avenue, Baudelaires. There you’ll find answers, if anything. I know it. It would be the same as me going back to Addams Asylum, or Desmond going back to Paltryville.’ Desmond put his arm around Audrey. ‘Don’t be like that, honey. Nothing’s going to happen. We’ll go and keep those kids safe, and end this whole Hallow-In thing. You’ll see.’ Desmond smiled, kissed Audrey on the cheek and left the room. Audrey soon followed and the Baudelaires were left alone with Cindry, the cryptic, hard to decipher letter and the four golden brooches. ‘I’d like to have one of these. They are gorgeous, I think.’ Cindry was gorgeous too, in her blue dress full of frills and lace. ‘You can have one, if you want.’ Violet said. ‘Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that. I think these are meant for you guys, and you guys alone. If what’s-his-face wanted me to have one, he would have given me one.’ It was a curious manner in which Cindry said the stranger was a ‘he’, when everyone else was unsure. Then, everyone realized Sunny and Beatrice had fallen asleep. ‘Aaw! They’re so cute. I wish I had a sister, or a brother.’ Cindry said. ‘Maybe you will have.’ Violet said. ‘I have a feeling I’ll never have a real brother.’ Cindry replied. ‘Why do you say that?’ Klaus asked. ‘You saw my family tree, right? Everyone in my family had two siblings. It was an unconscious family tradition to always have three kids. But my dad only had me. And my mom disappeared. So even if my dad marries Audrey and has kids with her, I’ll still be alone.’ Cindry stood up. ‘I’m going to choose my costume for tonight, you guys want to come?’ Violet got up and went to the sleeping Sunny and Beatrice. ‘We’ll just put them in bed and we’ll come, alright?’ She said while grabbing Sunny, and Klaus grabbed Beatrice. The two elder Baudelaires then took the two younger Baudelaires to their room. When the younger Baudelaires’ heads were finally laid on their respective pillows, they heard multitude of large noises, and screams coming from the shop. Fearing the worst, Klaus and Violet ran down the stairs to the shop. When they saw what was happening, they realized how far the Hallow-In had went. Ten, fifteen, twenty Halloween costume-clad kids were raving around in Desmond’s shop, knocking over the stacks of costumes and the buckets of candy, throwing around rolls of toilet paper and eggs, and the Baudelaires noticed that the three salesgirls, Farrah, Kate and Jackie, had been tied and were on the floor while four kids danced around them, laughing mad. Desmond, Audrey and Cindry were barricated behind the counter while the skull teenagers orchestrated the madness. ‘Look who we have here!’ Said the pink-blonde skull girl, pointing at Violet and Klaus. ‘None of you are in Hallow-In costumes!’ Said the skull boy, pointing at them too. ‘And now it’s time you learned your lesson, candysniffers!’ Said the red-headed skull girl. ‘Trick-or-treaters, on three!’ The three skull teenagers shouted in unison. ‘One…two…THREE!’ Ten of the Halloween costume-clad minions surrounded Violet and Klaus, and began tying them together, and covering them in flour, laughing and screaming. ‘What the…’ Violet said, as the kids raised the two Baudelaires and began carrying them outside the shop. ‘Stop this! Put us down!’ Klaus protested, blind behind the layer of flour that covered his glasses. Violet and Klaus Baudelaire had been pranked before on Halloween. But this was different. They had never been restrained, lifted and carried by a mob of sugar-overdosed trick-or-treaters who chanted and laughed, on the orders of three skull teenagers. ‘Non-Hallow-Iners are to be punished!’ Said one of the trick-or-treaters, while they were being carried. Violet and Klaus had no idea where they were headed, as all they could see was the inner area of a circle of Halloween costume-clad kids and the sky above. ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!’ The kids laughed, and Violet and Klaus were becoming truly scared. ‘If this is your idea of a Halloween trick, let me just say it’s-‘ Klaus was interrupted, as he and Violet were suddenly underwater. They fought to get out of the ropes as well as to find their way back to the surface, but the kids kept pushing them back inside the water. ‘HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!’ The kids laughed, while Violet and Klaus choked and gasped. Just about when they were about to drown, they heard a voice. ‘STOP IT!’ Then, Violet and Klaus could finally breathe, and when they opened their eyes they realized where they were. The Vampire’s Fountain. ‘That’s enough! We don’t want them to drown, else the Candy Queene might become infuriated!’ The pink-blonde skull girl scolded the trick-or-treaters. ‘You’ve had a taste of justice, and so have your little friends. You’ll come to the parade, in Hallow-In costumes, or you’ll suffer more!’ Said the skull boy. ‘Yes, we’ll make you suffer! And stuff!’ Said the red-headed skull girl. ‘All of you! Retreat!’ The pink-blonde girl said, and the trick-or-treaters dispersed, running in all directions. ‘Stop this act! We know damn well who you three are, you insane psychopaths!’ Klaus had had enough. ‘You’re Natalie and Nathan Finch and Carmelita Spats!’ Violet had had enough too. ‘And we will be at this parade, yes. We’ll be there to put a stop to you and Esmé Squalor. Yes, we know she is the ‘Candy Queene’ too.’ ‘She’s mad! She’s confusing us with some other people!’ Natalie Finch said, behind her skull girl disguise. ‘She also thinks our Candy Queene is some woman named Esmé Squalor!’ Nathan Finch said, behind his disguise. ‘And that they can put a stop to us! Ha!’ Said Carmelita Spats, behind her disguise. ‘We’ll teach you another lesson to day, Baudefools!’ Natalie said. ‘And it is a lesson you’ll never forget!’ Nathan said. ‘Never!’ Said Carmelita, and the three ran away. ‘Klaus! Violet!’ Desmond, Audrey and Cindry were coming, all covered in toilet paper, eggs and flour. ‘Are you alright? Did they hurt you?’ Cindry asked, her blonde hair sticky with yellow egg yolk. ‘They almost drowned us!’ Klaus said, while Audrey and Desmond helped him and Violet out of the fountain. ‘That’s it! We have to stop them tonight. Whatever we do, we must stop them!’ Violet knew. Klaus knew, and so did Cindry, Desmond and Audrey. They knew they had to do it, and this wasn’t some cryptic, hard to decipher line on a paper. It was real, and it was happening.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Jul 5, 2011 19:19:46 GMT -5
Oh, I liked that last sentence best of all, I think, as I'm really keen on things like imagery. The fact that you made it the closing line of the chapter just makes it all the more impressive and powerful. There is something very charming and innocent about Cindry coming to see Klaus in the early morning hours (of course her intentions weren't for them to do anything weird! XD). And purple-striped silk pajamas? My, but Desmond is certainly generous to his guests, isn't he? Though I suppose it doesn't hurt when said guest is also his daughter's boyfriend. ;D I liked, as well, Cindry's mention of how Desmond stops by her room at night to make sure she's safe and sound in her bed. He's such a wonderful and loving father. The description of Boggly Garden very well written, and I love the idea of all the Fulfillments taking their significant other there when they first began courting. They are such a romantic family, aren't they? Such a realization brings to mind the question as to whether or not the ever-so-dashing Carlo is actually a Casanova. After all, blond hair isn't common just among that particular family, is it? Okay, okay. I'm obviously reading waaaay too much into this, aren't I? I'll stop. The introduction of the androgynous stranger came as a much unexpected - though no less welcomed - surprise. I enjoyed the comparison between him/her to that of the cab driver, whom I've always believed to be Lemony Snicket, in TPP. It is very reassuring to know that our questions (along with Klaus') will soon be answered, as I am very eager to learn the identity of the Mr. or Mrs. Androgynous. As for the brooches, I haven't a clue what they resemble. Which, of course, will make it twice as fun when we find out! *Edit* Oh, my! But I just noticed you posted Chapter Six! How smashingly convenient! I'll go ahead and read it right now. *Edit 2* Indeed, that was a truly suspenseful chapter! An unusual note AND a near death experience both make for high-rising tension. I must admit, though, that I did chuckle a bit during the scene where the sugar-induced trick-or-treaters were circling the three salesgirls. XD The Fulfillment tradition of having three children is such an inventive and beautiful idea. Cindry's concern of being alone, despite what happens in the future between Desmond and Audrey, is sad, but at the same time realistic. My mom never remarried or became involved with anyone after my dad died. Even so, I can imagine how a child might not feel the same connection to a sibling half related to them as they would their parent, when that elder child is still mourning the absence of a mother or father who is no longer with them. To have the Baudelaires' near drowning take place at the Vampire's Fountain was a brilliant idea, as we all know how deadly such creatures of the night are. ^^ I had no idea where they were, at first, and was about to start picturing a giant apple bobbing barrel - which I blame on my recent viewing of Agatha Christie's Poirot Hallowe'en Party. Also, I thought at first that the person shouting at the kids to leave the Baudelaires alone was the androgynous stranger, and then Esme, before it was revealed that it was actually Natalie. ‘And now it’s time you learned your lesson, candysniffers!’ Said the red-headed skull girl.OH, MY GOD. But "candysniffers" is the best insult since "saladsniffers"! *clears throat and attempts a Yoda impression* Such cleverness and wit have you, Tiago! I look forward to the next chapter, and in learning what - and who - awaits the Baudelaires upon their return to 667 Dark Avenue, in whatever chapter that may be.
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Post by Dante on Jul 6, 2011 1:57:32 GMT -5
If your aim was to make the Hallow-Iners truly despicable, you succeeded. Now there are some kids who could do with kidnapping and being used as slave labour. Maybe I'm being a bit hard on some impressionable, practically-drugged youngsters who are being manipulated, but I've never had much sympathy for crowds. I agree with Emma, though, that Cindry's feelings about having siblings are very well-realised.
Edit: But on another note, I'm even more sure now that I know what that insignia is.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jul 6, 2011 6:28:10 GMT -5
Last three chapters (I'm behind): Brilliant, beautiful, and positively gripping, in that order. I've not a clue what the insignia might be, but I do have a suspicion for the stranger. The Hallow-In participants (which, by the way, I've just worked out the pronunciation of; clever) are brutal, so good on the Baudelaires for taking action. Drowning feels, somehow... symbolic?
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Post by Hermes on Jul 6, 2011 9:34:13 GMT -5
Yes, terrifying! An interesting example of crowd pyschology.
I, too, am now becoming more certain of who the stranger is, and I think I have worked out the insiginia. I was interpreting the bespectacled face and long nose too literally before. Yes, like Klaus I have a vague memory of having seen it before - but where? As Dante says, it will be very interesting to see where you're going with this.
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Jul 6, 2011 12:00:39 GMT -5
Chapter Seven
After a catastrophe, all left to do is pick up the pieces, and this is what everyone at Creepy Costumes Halloween Store was doing after all the madness earlier. Desmond went through how much he had lost in damaged goods, while Cindry helped throwing out damaged goods, and Audrey swept the wooden floors. Farrah, Jackie and Kate washed the few costumes that weren’t totally ruined, and a sad silence had taken over that once joyful place. Desmond was particularly apalled, as he had never seen such sugar-induced savagery and vandalism, and it was his home and shop that had been damaged. Violet, Klaus and Sunny knew very well how it felt to have your home defiled, only theirs was defiled by fire, which is far worse than egg, flour and toilet paper. ‘Thanks for doing this, Baudelaires.’ Desmond said, after Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice were done helping with the cleaning and fixing. ‘In all my years as founder and manager of this store I’ve never faced such an upheaval. You can go upstairs and read, or something. We’ll finish down here. Cindry, go with them.’ Cindry accompanied the Baudelaires upstairs. ‘Want to see our library?’ Cindry asked. The Baudelaires smiled, their first smile in hours. Libraries were the Baudelaires’ cup of tea – an expression which here means ‘the Baudelaires enjoyed libraries and the pleasures they had to offer’ – ‘Thank you, Cindry. We’d love to.’ Cindry led them down the hall towards a big set of double doors, and opening them, revealed the Baudelaires the Fulfillment Family Library. The Baudelaire orphans had seen many libraries. Their own library, consumed by a fire. A reptile library, a grammar library, a severely book-deficient library, and a library about fashion trends. A secret library, and even a library hotel, but none of this libraries were as messy as the Fulfillments’ library. I can start by describing it as hundreds of piles of books, and many loose papers and documents, photographs, scattered all around the room in no particular order. It would be a nightmare to research anything in there. If one climbed the piles of books, one could reach the second story of the library, where more unorganized piles of books laid, towering above, and reminding the Baudelaires too much of the towering piles of dirty dishes at Funeral Factory Fulfillment Ltd. ‘I know it’s messy. But that’s my dad. If this was a normal library, he says, it wouldn’t be fun.’ Cindry said. ‘One could argue that libraries are not supposed to be fun, at least if this is what the definition of a fun library is.’ Klaus said, holding back his laughter. He did not want to offend Cindry. He picked up a copy of a book titled Colonel Sassacre’s Daunting Text of Magical Frivolity and Practical Japery and put the book down when he realized it was a book about practical jokes among other things. He noticed another book titled Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious and decided to stay away from it. ‘Quite a peculiar selection, your father has.’ Violet noted. And it was. Just about every book in Desmond’s library was about jokes, pranks, comedy, or satire. While they did make for interesting reads, after all the trick-or-treating ruckus of earlier they were not in a mood to read such books. ‘Well, if you’re not into my dad’s crazy book taste, there’s always this one.’ Cindry grabbed a heavy leatherbound book from a pedestal and laid it on the table. The cover was richly decorated in a depiction of a coat of arms. A shield shape with a circle in the middle, divided into two differently colored halves, one a light-brown-ey, yellowish shade of caramel brown-orange, and the other a nice and not at all nauseating shade of faded lavender, the same colors used in the background, only reversed, with a rich golden frame and two aspen branches on either side of the shield. Beneath the coat of arms was the book title:
Fulfillment Family With descriptions of family members and their lives[/center][/size] ‘This is my family’s coat-of-arms. Our sigil, or so my dad says. This is the story of my family, with descriptions of family members.’Cindry said. She opened the book, and began reading with her soft voice. ‘Herein is the history of House Fulfillment and it’s members; marriages; deaths; sons and daughters, as registered through the generations by the members themselves, often in a whimsical manner as customary in the spirit of light-heartedness.’ Cindry smile. ‘Even in books, my family’s a bit crazy.’ She laughed. Ferdinand I Fulfillment – Born in this city, married Fern at eighteen. Always said he wanted to have thirteen sons, but that three was all his wife was agreeing to have. His sign was Sagittarius, and his hobby was to hunt foxes in the park, even though there were no foxes at the park at the time. Died from an injury suffered when he was hunting on the day of his 67th birthday. ‘Everyone said he was a bit of a loon.’ Cindry observed, as she finished reading. ‘He does sound like a piece of work.’ Klaus agreed. The picture of Ferdinand I was of a man in his forties, with blonde hair and an admirable manly mustache, with a thick neck and strong built. ‘Let’s look at another one.’ Cindry said, flipping the pages and stopping at random. Fred Fulfillment – Second son of Ferdinand I Fulfillment. Fred was a sculptor, and he sculpted and built several fountains in Thriller Park. His magnum-opus is generally agreed to be the three-headed dragon fountain. Fred married and has two daughters and a son, which he named after his sister Danielle, with whom he had a close relationship. He died when he slipped and banged his head on one the fountains in the winter of his 50th year. The picture of Fred Fulfillment was of a thirty-something man with light-brown hair and green eyes. As Cindry read more about her family, the Baudelaires realized something. They didn’t know much about their own family name, Baudelaire, and the ones that came before them. Their grandparents were long dead before any of them was born, and their parents were both only children. They didn’t know if the Baudelaire family had a coat of arms, or a book detailing the family history. They didn’t have aunts or uncles, or cousins. Well, they did have a half-aunt and the Anwhistles were distant relatives on their mother’s side but even so, they didn’t know to what extent. Was the Baudelaire name going to die with them? Would they ever find peace and marry, and have children? they wondered. ‘…And there’s Flora Fulfillment, who was an icthyologist and disappeared at sea. And her aunt Danielle, who planted the trees of Boggly Garden, and worked as a botanist in some sort of botanical volunteer facility, and Danielle’s son, my great-uncle David, who was a sailor and lived a great deal of his life at Damocles Dock, before coming back home. He never married, because he couldn’t, apparently.’ Cindry said. Hours passed, and the Baudelaires learned many things about many a Fulfillment, including the second Ferdinand – not Cindry’s uncle, but a distant uncle-cousin of some sort – who climbed Mt. Fraught and lost two fingers to frostbite, and Vanessa Fulfillment, who as skilled in mathematics as she was in poetry, and Freya Fulfillment, who went to live in Norway and came back pregnant with her son Noel and her norwegian husband Bjorn, and then moved again to the north. It was very pleasant to learn about the interesting lives of the Fulfillments, but as they climbed their way back to their rooms after Cindry decided she wanted to take a nap the Baudelaires knew that if they could choose, they would know more about their own family, not someone else’s.
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Post by Dante on Jul 6, 2011 13:13:48 GMT -5
It's nice to have a bit of a breather after that hectic previous chapter. What an intriguing selection of books, although that doesn't sound like a very stable method of reaching the second floor. Hasn't anybody told Desmond about stairs?
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Post by Hermes on Jul 6, 2011 13:52:39 GMT -5
What a lovely change of mood from the last chapter! I'm interested to see where the end might lead; are the Baudelaires going to be exploring their family history a bit more?
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Jul 6, 2011 14:00:00 GMT -5
Thank you! The book titles are actually references to a webcomic I like called Homestuck. ^^ And there are stairs in Desmond's library, but the stairs are hidden behind towering piles of books. XD ^^
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Post by Christmas Chief on Jul 6, 2011 15:41:07 GMT -5
It would be nice to learn more about the Baudelaires' family history. But I think you've heightened my already paranoid condition, Tiago; the calm of this chapter has only made me more nervous about what's to come.
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