Burning Dreams

𝟙.𝟙

It was November 7th and I was journeying in the middle of the Mortmain Mountains. Snow coated the trees and the ground and as I trudged through, I could hear the crunch of it under my boots. It was a truly beautiful sight. The cool air and light blue sky complimented the white of the snow and the dark green of the pine trees. As I looked down at the Hinterlands I felt on top of the world. I could see Caligari Carnival where my sister-in-law worked and I could also see Heimlich Hospital which seemed to constantly be under construction. Everything looked so small. 

This would've been a relaxing trip if I wasn't utterly and hopelessly lost. The Mortmain Mountains looked a lot different in the summer with its luscious green grass and obvious location markers. In the middle of November however, the grass was dead and the markers are covered. I was on a mission. My job was to locate a ceramic sugar bowl. The last known place of the sugar bowl was in the former VFD Headquarters in these mountains. 

The headquarters were the last official remaining VFD building, everywhere else had been destroyed in fires after the schism. An entire organization that had been devoted to helping people split apart, it didn't just affect the organization, friends and families had been ripped apart. It had happened twelve years before I was recruited. No one on any side of the schism was willing to share information on what had happened. It was a mystery to me and anyone after me. All anyone knew was that after the schism, our symbol, which had been a symbol that brought comfort to people, suddenly became a sign of villainy because of the actions of one side of the schism. 

As I walked, I saw something completely preposterous. It was the charred remains of a large sort of compound. Only stone remained, everything else had been burned. There was no furniture or decorations left except the VFD symbol on a wall and soot marks all over the walls. I had been here quite a lot. It was a fundamental part of my teen years and it was gone. I scanned the remains for anything and I found it. A lump in the snow that was elevated a little higher than anything else.  I rushed over to it and quickly uncovered it. A blue and white sugar bowl gleamed in the sun and I smiled. I had completed half of my mission. I still needed to get the sugar bowl to my sister-in-law and I had a feeling that going down the mountain would take a lot longer than going back up. Lucky for me, it did not. I found an old rappel anchor and attached my own rope to it. I secured all of my belongings in my backpack and started my descent down.

When I finally reached the ground it was late. I set up camp. I could continue my journey tomorrow. I put up my tent and a sleeping bag and pulled some branches off of a tree to start a fire. I heated up a potato and some beef stew. After eating, I fell asleep in my tent. I woke up cold. I didn't have time to start another fire so I just packed my stuff and left. I needed to get the sugar bowl to Caligari Carnival. I followed the downstream path for hours of long, cold, and wet walking. 

When I finally made it to Caligari Carnival, I was ushered into my sister-in-law's tent. She smiled at me and hugged me. "Genevieve, I'm so glad you made it."

I smiled back at her, "Kit, how have you been." 

I handed her the sugar bowl while she answered. "I've been pretty busy. Listen, Genevieve, you need to sit down real quick. I need you to listen to what I'm going to say." I nodded and she continued. "Beatrice and Bertrand are dead,"

My jaw dropped. "Where are the children?" I questioned before anything else. 

The next thing that Kit said made my jaw drop even further. "They're at Olaf's."

"As in Count Olaf?" I said. Kit nodded slowly. 

What in the blazes?. 

Bea and Bertrand are dead?

Their children are with Olaf?

THEIR CHILDREN are with OLAF?

"Their children are with Olaf?" I said. Kit didn't bother to answer. 

Who let their children be with OLAF?

"How did they die?" I questioned. 

Kit looked at me for a moment, "...it was a fire."

I looked at her, dumbfounded. I had just lost another family member to a fire. My luck was shot. Fire had claimed my parents, and Bea's parents, and now Bea and Bertrand. "Are the children okay?"

I can't cry

I can't cry

Crying is weakness

I can't cry

Kit shook her head. "You know how Olaf can be." 

I did, and that's why I didn't like the children being with Olaf. I looked at Kit, "is the car here?". She nodded, "alright then, I need to leave to go see the children." She silently agreed with me and I left her. 

I left the tent and located her car. It was a blue Ford Taurus. I walked over to it and started it. I sped out of the carnival and out of the Hinterlands. The moment that I left the parking lot for the carnival I felt hot tears stream down my face. I'm not supposed to cry, I can't. It shows weakness. 

I spent the next half hour crying while I drove to the Last Chance General Store. I got out and picked up a newspaper. The front cover said "Wealthy Family Home Burned Down. Orphaned Children Sent To Live With Third Cousin Four Times Removed." I shook my head. The children should've gone to me. I was their closest living relative. I'm their first cousin, once removed. They call me Aunt Gen. Why are the with Olaf?

I pulled out a map and bought that as well. I located Olaf's residence and started the car again. I drove out of the parking lot and back to the city. Back to my family.