A Series of Unfortunate Events: Valiant and Fortunate Decisions

This Sad Beak

When the murder of crows lifted from the town, one black, feathery horizon was replaced with another, and dark fell. It sifted through the streets, and crept into the houses, covering all in its shadow.

The Baudelaires, however, were tired of living in darkness's domain. They had felt hope, real hope, just that morning, when the sun scolded any who dared to cast too great a shadow. Nighttime wasn't going to take that hope away from them. Such were the events that caused a small corner of dusk's cloak to be lifted by the light of a metal spyglass as the children crept through the otherwise sleeping town.

"This feels like the jailbreak all over again," Klaus sighed.

"If it is, then it will go well," Violet assured him.

"Bayugee!" Sunny squealed, which her siblings took to mean, that would be nice for a change!

Soon the great, stone replica of the vile village's adored crows rose in front of the three tired children. Its beak was sharp and judgy, as if pointing a tell tale finger at them. It was likely that they were breaking at least five of the town's unending rules.

"What do we do now," asked Klaus, who, although he had been able to figure out the notes with startling bookishness, was unsure what to do when faced with the mechanics of the problem. That was his eldest sister's job.

"I don't know, but I'll figure it out, whatever it is," she answered in a confident whisper.

Sunny, who was holding the spyglass, watched silently as Violet tied her hair up with a black, satin ribbon.

The older girl circled the fountain three times in the tense silence that followed. Finally, on the third round, she stopped before the horrible beak.

"I really hope I'm right," her siblings heard her whisper.

"You will be," Klaus told her. It was his turn to reassure. "You're never wrong when it comes to mechanics."

"Go!" Sunny exclaimed, so exasperated that her words were understandable to all. Obviously, she meant, open the statue already!

The three smiled before Violet jumped up and grabbed the terrible beak. A creaking noise raced through the quiet of the Hinterlands, as if running from a pride of starving lions. Then the statue split, slowing, achingly moving apart to reveal none other than the Quagmire triplets. All three of them, actually.

Violet dropped from where she still hung onto the morbid beak, landing in a tumble and dispelling all the fears of the night. Six children who had lost their homes leapt into each other's arms, because they had not yet lost all of their family. The spyglass was left on the ground, so that it would not accidentally blind anyone, but it was shining even brighter with the hope that had instilled it.

"Duncan!"

"Isadora!"

"Violet!"

"Quigley!"

"Klaus!"

"Sunny!"

Greetings were garbled as everyone rushed to say the words they had been waiting for days, weeks, to say.

"We found you!"

"You found us!"

"We found Quigley?"

"We found our brother!"

"We all found each other."

Sobs waddled after the racing creak, still fast enough to get away from the starving lions, one could hope.

What seemed like ages longer, but couldn't really have been very long, the group picked itself off the ground and walked back to Hector's house, where they could escape the vile village and its stupid rules.