Though the Baudelaires regret not learning about all the V.F.D. stuff while living with Uncle Monty, Violet points out they were busy with other things while living there. Nonetheless, they fill Quigley on Jacques Snicket’s death and his siblings’ rescue by Hector and current situation in his Self-Sustaining Hot Air Mobile Home so it’s unlikely their brother will reunite with them anytime soon. As speculation turns to where Sunny, Count Olaf, and his henchmen are, they decide that Olaf probably didn’t burn down the V.F.D. headquarters which was done gradually to so no one noticed. Yet, they also see green smoke coming from Mount Fraught via a Verdant Flammable Device. Though they’re not sure whether it’s from a fellow volunteer signaling to see if there are any survivors or if it’s a trap trying to get someone to go up and do terrible things to them. Using a mirror towards the waterfall, Violet lights a green tube to signal back. She then invents crampons of forks and ukulele strings along with a candelabra grappling hook for her and Quigley to scale up the frozen waterfall of Mount Fraught. Meanwhile Klaus decides to stay behind with a new commonplace book Quigley gave him and figure out the Verbal Fridge Dialogue.

I chose CSNY’s “Wooden Ships” which depicts nuclear holocaust survivors and the horrors they face. The wooden ships are their only hope for survival with radiation poisoning killing those who don’t make it aboard. Even by ASOUE standards, it’s incredibly bleak since nuclear annihilation is the ultimate unfortunate event that would kill everyone. In this version, I have Violet, Klaus, and Quigley spot green smoke and plan what to do next.

“Green Smoke”

Sung by Violet and Klaus Baudelaire and Quigley Quagmire

Violet:
Jacques Snicket’s dead hope you understand
While your siblings
Are in Hector’s self-sustaining hot airship

Klaus:
Where is Count Olaf and his crew of degenerates?
They’ve got our sister Sunny
Not sure how she’s doing

Why didn’t we know about V.F.D. with Uncle Monty?

Violet:
We had other things
Though Olaf didn’t start this fire, it was a slow burn
So nobody would ever notice

Quigley:
Green smoke on the mountain at Fraught’s peak
Volunteer must’ve survived and signals to see
Or it may be a trap so we must flee
Signal that we three now see them
Can’t light the Verdant Flame Device
Scoutmaster Bruce had just pinched mine
Thinks they’re not for any child
Do either of you have any ideas?

Violet:
Aaaah …
Here’s the mirror from the caravan
Direct to frozen waterfall and refract
Make our green smoke while we can
Best we must climb, let’s go Quigley

Klaus:
You two go climb
While I stay here and figure this fridge message
With my commonplace book