Chapter Twelve
Parades are always a fun event to attend. The crowds gather to see the floats, and the people who stand on top of them, often dancing and singing and sometimes even engaging in musical numbers for no aparent reason. There are several kinds of parades. 4th of July parades, funeral parades, parades with cars, parades with floats, but until this day, there had never been a Halloween – or Hallow-In - Parade. An enourmous crowd had gathered on the Dragon’s Fountain to wait for the parade to kick off – an expression which here means ‘to start – and the crowd included both adults and children from Dark Avenue and Bright Avenue, and they all donned Halloween costumes, but the children were the same sugar-overdosed devils, running around and demanding candy from strangers. Those who didn’t have candy or refuse to surrender theirs were promptly thrown, costume and all, inside the Dragon’s Fountain. As Violet, Klaus, Sunny and Beatrice Baudelaire arrived at Dragon’s Fountain with Desmond and Cindry Fulfillment and Audrey Addams, several adults had already been thrown inside the fountain, and the rest were too scared of the trick-or-treaters, and had already surrendered their candy to them. The children ate the candy while the adults shivered and waited patiently for the parade to begin.
‘This is madness…This has to stop.’ Desmond Fulfillment said, as he analyzed the situation. But what could they do, against an army of sugar overdosed trick-or-treaters who feared nothing, and had super strength and never got tired from all the sugar in their veins? The Baudelaires and the Fulfillments had already tasted their wrath, and they could only remain vigilant, camouflaged among the crowd.
‘It’s her! It’s the Candy Queene!’ Said one of the trick-or-treaters. ‘Give us more candy!’ Shouted another. ‘Yes! More candy!’ Yet another shouted. Soon, the trick-or-treaters began chanting ‘Give us candy! Give us candy! Give us candy!’ when a loud cry of ‘SILENCE!’ interrupted the chant. From behind the Dragon’s Fountain, appeared the Candy Queene, or Esmé Squalor, and when the Baudelaires took a good look at her costume, their first comment was ‘I guess she has topped herself.’ Said Violet Baudelaire. And that she did. Esmé Squalor wore a tiara that had pieces of candy as opposed to gems, and her hair still had the same beehive hairdo and many candy blue streaks. Esmé wore a long evening gown that was stripped with white and candy red stripes, and a cotton candy boa, with lollipops and pieces of candy stuck to it, and a necklace of candycorn. There were swirling glittery patterns on Esmé’s skin drawn out with pink sugar. ‘What I wouldn’t give to throw her in an ant farm.’ Audrey said, when she saw Esmé. If she were to be thrown in an ant farm, the Baudelaires thought, Esmé would have proven a savory meal for the ants, but the nearest ant farm was many nautical miles away still, and it had been destroyed prior to this dreary tale’s beginning.
‘Listen!’ Esmé said as she went to the front of Dragon’s Fountain. ‘The Parade has already begun. Come to Bright Avenue, our floats are already in place! There, the children can ride with us on the floats, and they’ll get
lots of candy! Come, people of Thriller Park, Dark Avenue and Bright Avenue! Come to this Parade that you will
never forget!’ Esmé finished her short speech and everyone cheered. The people began heading out of the park, as there was an exit to Bright Avenue nearby. The Baudelaires couldn’t see Esmé anymore, as the crowd blocked their sight, and they, along the Fulfillments, had no choice but to follow them.
Bright Avenue was a long Avenue that looked almost entirely not like Dark Avenue. Sure, the buildings were just as tall and impressive, but as opposed to Dark Avenue, they were made of a bright colored stone that sparkled when light hit it in the right angle. There were many plasma advertisement screens advertising the Hallow-In with several soda and candy ads thrown in, shining in bright colors. The Avenue had some Boggly trees, too, like those of Boggly garden, and the trees were covered in lamps, and there were many light poles with Jack-o’-lanterns on top, filling the Avenue with the colors of Halloween. Crowds filled either sidewalk while they waited for the parade to begin, and when the Baudelaires arrived at the place where the floats first left, they noticed that an army of guards stopped people from invading the street. The floats were several, but they all looked the same except Esmé’s. She was climbing her float as the Baudelaires arrived, and they noticed how magnificent it was. A throne covered in candy sat atop a Halloween cake-like structure, with several enormous orange platforms that looked like flowers were attached to the float all around it. Natalie, Nathan and Carmelita were already on the float, as Esmé grabbed a microphone and her voice was magnifed and heard through all Bright Avenue.
‘Children of Dark and Bright Avenues! Come with me! Join me and your Hallow-In will never end! Your parents want to feed you vegetables? To make you wear normal clothes, or school uniforms? For you to go to school at all? Come with me and you’ll never have to eat vegetables, wear normal clothes, or go to school ever again!’ The children of Bright and Dark Avenues were let into the street by the guards, and they roared in pure bliss as they climbed onto the orange platforms. Desmond tried to invade the street, but a guard punched him in the face. ‘Dad!’ Cindry ran to her father. Desmond lost his glasses, and the Baudelaires saw them crushed under the foot of a trick-or-treater. ‘No trespassers or adults on the street!’ Said the guard who punched him. Cindry got up and kicked the guard on the ankle, and pushed him, and he fell down. ‘Come! Let’s stop this!’ Cindry and the Baudelaires invaded the street, undistinguishable from the mass of trick-or-treaters that fought to gain a place on the float that belonged to Esmé Squalor, while others merely climbed on the orange platforms of the rear floats. There were so many floats. ‘Cindry! This is pointless!’ Desmond shouted from the crowd on the sidewalk. ‘It isn’t! I must do something!’ Cindry removed what Klaus perceived to be a shard of porcelain, from a plate. ‘I still break a dish every now and then!’ She said to Klaus, blushing. Cindry crouched near the side of Esmé’s float and peeked under it. ‘I can see a lot of mecanisms and gears! Maybe if I get this in there, they’ll stop and the float won’t advance!’ Cindry then took her porcelain shard and threw it in. A loud noise was heard. ‘Wait! What was
that?’ Esmé’s voice was heard. ‘Natalie, Nathan. Go check.’
The float was stuck, but Esmé never even bothered herself. ‘The children are already on the platforms. Carmelita, push the button, will you?’ Violet saw as Carmelita pushed on some sort of control pad, and a louder noise came out from under the float. The children on the platforms then were distracted by the piles of candy on the platforms themselves and never bothered themselves to check what was the noise. To the Baudelaire’s great horror, however, the platforms of the rear floats began to close, entrapping the children inside. The orange color of the platforms was because they were actually enourmous pumpkins, with gold bars where the Jack-o’-lanterns eyes, nose and mouth were carved, to keep them from leaving the inside. Sadly, Cindry’s efforts were worthless; the platforms on Esmé’s float closed just as well, and Natalie and Nathan Finch appeared. ‘You.’ They said in unison as they saw Cindry. ‘Oh. Baudelaires. Cindry. It was nice of you to attend my parade.’ Esmé Squalor said atop her throne on the float. ‘But I have to go somewhere, you see. And
she will be coming with me! Carmelita!’ Carmelita pressed another button on her control pad and a huge mechanical arm ripped it’s way out of the float. ‘No! Cindry!’ Klaus shouted, but Nathan pushed him, and he fell. Natalie pushed Violet, and knocked over Beatrice and Sunny. The mechanical arm grabbed Cindry, and pulled her upwards. From outside Esmé’s throne, a golden cage in the shape of a pumpkin appeared. The mechanical arm deposited Cindry inside. ‘Nooo!’ Cindry screamed and fought, but there was nothing she could do. ‘Natalie, Nathan, Carmelita. It is time.’ Esmé said. Then, a thundering sound was heard. When the Baudelaires looked up, several enormous helicopters were descending from the sky above, with grappling hooks hanging beneath them. Upon seeing the hooks, the Baudelaires immediately figured out Esmé’s plan. ‘This is a mass recruitment! Not unlike the one atop Mt. Fraught, in the last False Spring!
They will be very much pleased with me! All will be forgiven!’ Esmé said to her teenaged minions. ‘Soon, Baudelaires, I will have you right where I want. Then I’ll have the sugarbowl, and you will pay for everything! You will pay for your mother’s crimes! All of them!’
‘Her crimes?! She was a noble volunteer! She was your sister! You are the one who commits crimes! You are a villain, Esmé, and nothing can change that!’ Violet shouted. The helicopters lowered, and the grappling hooks attached to the hooks on top of the pumpkin cages, on all of the floats. ‘A villain I am, yes! I commit crimes. I wear lavish
in outfits. To some people, I may be a monster…But every monster has it’s creator, Violet Baudelaire. And your mother…
Beatrice…She was one of my creators. She created me. She betrayed me and then rejected me when I most needed her. For that I’ll never forgive her… And I’ll never forgive you, your brother and your sister for being born!’
‘What does that have to do with anything?’ Klaus asked. Esmé did not answer. She climbed onto her throne and shouted upwards. ‘Now!’ A new grappling hook descended. It latched onto Esmé’s throne, where she was sitting. Carmelita, Nathan and Natalie standing beside her. Cindry, on the other hand, was being lifted into the helicopter. A hooded figure held onto her, and she cried out Klaus’ name. ‘Cindry!’ Klaus cried in return. The helicopter then began ascending, and the platform of Esmé’s throne was ripped out of the float. The other helicopters began ascending too, taking the pumpkin trap cages with them. The adults of Dark and Bright Avenue screamed in terror as they saw their children being taken away from them. A few dozen children still remained thoug, and enraged, they began tearing through what remained of the floats, and a true riot began. ‘Violet! Klaus! Take your sisters! Here!’ Audrey Addams appeared out of the rioting crowd. ‘These are your things! I brought them as a precaution!’ The Baudelaires couldn’t see Desmond. ‘Where is Desmond?’ Violet asked. ‘There’s no time! You must go to 667 Dark Avenue right away, Baudelaires! Follow Desmond’s last advice! Please! It’s your only chance of ever seeing Cindry again!’ Audrey said, and then ran off. The Baudelaires were faced with the hardest decision they had ever to make; follow Audrey back to wherever Desmond Fulfillment was, or go back to Thriller Park? Or should they really go according to Desmond’s advice and go to 667 Dark Avenue? There was no able time to think, as the rioters were increadingly enraged, and fought one another, all under the effect of sugar-induced hyper-activity. ‘Let’s go!’ Violet saw a bus on an adjacent street. It had the number 667 on it, and the Baudelaires knew where it was bound.
‘Violet! But…Audrey and Desmond!’ Klaus said, as they made their way, avoiding the rioters. ‘I know! But we must find somewhere safe right now Klaus! That bus is our only chance!’ Violet Baudelaire and her siblings then arrived just as the bus was about to leave. When the door opened – which relieved the Baudelaires, who, for a moment, thought the bus would leave them – and the Baudelaires saw the driver, their hearts were comforted – at least a bit – that the driver was no villain. Only an androgynous-looking, mysterious dark glass-wearing, individual with a purple scarf covering the lower half of his, or her face.
‘I knew you’d make the right decision. Quick, enter. We’re bound for Dark Avenue, and we have a long way to go if we want to avoid the riots.’ He, or she said. The Baudelaires could not quite make out the voice. Whether it was male or female, Klaus knew it was the same person whom had approached him and Cindry back in Boggly Garden. ‘Who are you?’ Klaus asked, when he and his sisters were already sitting inside the bus, as they drove away from Bright Avenue and it’s riots. ‘I am sorry that your friend was taken again. But at least now you’re safe. I’ll take you to the safest place I know. 667 Dark Avenue.’
‘With our previous experiences, we’d hardly call 667 Dark Avenue a safe place.’ Violet said, holding Sunny in her arms. ‘I don’t blame you. But you see, a place is as evil as it’s owners. When
you lived at Dark Avenue, so did Esmé, wasn’t it? No wonder you have terrible memories of the place.’ The stranger said. ‘We have good memories too. Jerome lived with us.’ Klaus said, holding Beatrice in his arms. ‘Oh, yes. Jerome.’ The stranger said it with a tone of sadness in his voice and then became silent. The Baudelaires took it as an invitation to stay silent, and they did. And while the stranger drove away from Bright Avenue, in the mad parade that was the city’s traffic, the Baudelaires wondered where Jerome Squalor was. He was at Hotel Denouement when it burned, but they had no idea if he survived or if he died there, like others did. They wondered if Jerome would be at 667 Dark Avenue, waiting for them. They wondered if they would ever see him again. Him, Cindry, and all the noble volunteers they had met and lost in the parade of unfortunate events that was their lives. All the Baudelaires could do was fight tooth and nail to arrive alive at the end of this parade, if there ever was to be one, and this was no hard decision at all.