| “ | Never go in there, Snicket. It is a wild and lawless place, not fit for man or beast. | ” |
The Clusterous Forest is what appeared to be a kelp forest just outside of Stain'd-by-the-Sea.
Description[]
The Clusterous Forest was created when water was pumped from the valley surrounding the town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea. Instead of the underwater foliage withering due to the absence of water, they instead adapted over time to grow on land. The seaweed now creates a forest several miles in the area.
It has a frightening look that is described as being more like an endless mass of shrubbery. The flashy sea-plant leaves still move and twist around each other as if they are still underwater. The forest smells strongly of salt, fish, and the sea.[1]
It also has the distinct sound of the underwater life rustling about with the wind. This sound is known to vary with the weather and the distance a hiker is from it, but is always rustling no matter what. It has been compared to that of a faint rustling of a heater since they can both vary.
Flowers that attract tiny birds bloom on the seaweed; unfortunately, they would be unfortunate enough to land on the stems and get stuck on the seaweed. They would stick until they starved to death. After a few weeks, their bare skeletons could still be seen, stuck to the seaweed.
Hangfire notes that he spent a long time there, and that he doesn't find it a terrible place. He describes it as a collection of plants that have found a way to adapt and flourish despite the absence of seawater. Indeed, though it looks lawless, there is a small path though it, which Lemony Snicket takes to leave town.[2]
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