Thanks to: Daisy Aiken, dqc, and Nny11.
Chapter given PG-13 rating for brief use of the 'H' word (As some would say).
"Kapeesh." Sonny stated, being at the age where one usually talks in incomprehensible words. "Kapeesh." She repeated. This, of course, could've meant: The water is cold; it also could've meant: I don't like this beach/bay; of course, it could've meant nothing at all, but Claus and Daisy assumed it meant: Who the hell is that creepy figure coming out of the mist?
"I wonder who it is?" Daisy – well – wondered.
"Aah!" Claus gasped, "It must be the evil MistMan from the SuperPeoples series! He's going to use his super powers at turn us into mist!" Claus frantically clutched his sister's hand, "I don't want to be watteeeerrrrr!"
"Gabring." Sonny added drily. This, they assumed, meant 'it's actually our financial advisor'.
"Mr. Pope! Good evening!" Daisy delightedly cried.
"Is it evening? Good heavens! I thought it was morning…but you can't quite tell with the weather here, eh? Eh? E-COUGHCOUGH! HRRUUUGH! HRRRUGH! KA-CLECK! KAKAAKAKAKH!" Mr. Pope, a tall plump man with a monocle said, breaking out into his daily routine of coughing. "KAKAKAKAKAAHHHHHH!" he gasped, as the children looked on, wincing. They were used to such happenings, seeing as Mr. Pope had gone to their estate for dinner a few times, and often coughed. VERY often. "KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHGRRREEEECK!" he croaked, "KEKEKEKOOOOOK!" he creaked, and at last, with a big "KAAAAHCK!", he stopped coughing.
"Are you all right?" Daisy timidly asked.
"Gahd?" Sonny kindly said, repeating Daisy's words in her own way.
"Yes yes…quite…"
"I don't mean to be rude," Claus started, "But what are you doing here?"
"Oh dear…" Mr. Pope sighed, "Children, I have come to inform you of a seriously unnerving event."
A silence swept the Baldilaires, what could've happened? They all wondered.
"Your parents…were killed in a fire that burned down your whole estate."
A second silence that never quite started, as the first one never quite ended, swept the Baldilaires.
You can never know how it is to hear this kind of news, unless – of course, and most obviously – it's happened to you before. The first thing that probably comes to mind is:
Is this some sort of sick joke?
And you ask if it is.
And they say 'no'.
The next thing that happens, is a horrible gut-wrenching feeling of loss. It feels like a dagger in your side, your world seems to stop, and each breath you take makes it all worse.
Of course, I don't know this, I'm just assuming that's what it feels like. But back to the story – Sonny, Claus, and Daisy were each feeling the above. Horrible, and miserable. Daisy started crying, and Sonny followed suit. Claus, obviously disturbed, asked a silly question.
"Why, Mr. Pope, is this 'unnerving'? I'd say it's more unfortunate."
"Well…your parents were on a double date with two other people on a double date and ended up going out to dinner with two other double daters, ending up on a quadruple date, and adding the 6 other couples that joined, a dodecadate."
"But if you added two, plus two, plus two, wouldn't that make six people? Three couples? Not four?" Claus interjected angrily.
"There's no time for silly questions!" Mr. Pope simply said, "I'm going to take you to your closest relative's house, soon. First of all, you'll stay at my house. You'll love it there, and my two twin daughters."
A third silence swept the Baldilaires, and they noted that each silence was heavier, and sadder.
"Come now…" Mr. Pope said in a quieter and kinder voice. He put a hand on Claus' shoulder, and brought him along to his car, just outside of Sunny Bay. Daisy picked Sonny up, and carried her to catch up with Claus and Mr. Pope.
The Baldilaire children - now the Baldilaire orphans - sat down in the car quietly, and wondered what would become of them now.
A fourth silence set the scene, but was soon interrupted by Mr. Pope's cries of: "HRUUUGH! KHAKHAKHAK! CUKCUKCUK! CAK! COUGHCOUGHCOUGH!"
A/N: I don't think that was as long as the last chapter? But anyways, I really hoped you liked this one.
– Melissa Brandybuck