Author Note: I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter for your positive feedback. Acknowledgements are at the bottom of the page! Let me know what you think of this chapter.
The Formidable Flames
In many fairy tales, it is customary to begin with the cliché phrase, "once upon a time." Throughout your life, you will most likely hear a tale that starts with these four words, no matter who is telling it – whether that person is a loving parent, a friendly neighbor, or an escaped convict who happens to live in your basement.
Fairy tales also share another trait – their endings. At the conclusion of every fairy tale, all of the characters live happily ever after… sometimes even the villains, who have been taught by the forces of good that life is far more enjoyable when one is not trying to inflict physical and emotional pain upon others. When the story has reached its finale, the teller will often recite, "And they all lived happily ever after," to signify that all of the conflicts in the account were resolved, and that each character reached his or her proper fate.
You may have noticed that this story in particular does not begin with "once upon a time." I will warn you now – this is not a fairy tale, and it will not end happily ever after for everybody. I regret to inform you that often in reality, good does not overcome evil, and the villains often achieve their twisted goals.
This tale is a dreadful one, so I suggest you close your eyes immediately to block your vision from the words that follow. Continue to read only if you wish, but be prepared to abandon this story at any time that you feel it has become too distasteful.
We shall start with a few introductions, beginning with the teenage inventor. Her name was Violet Baudelaire, and at fifteen years old, she was talented in building new contraptions and using science to the advantage of humankind. Whenever her mind was focused most on inventing, she could be seen tying her dark brown hair into a ribbon on top of her head. Though a very pretty girl, Violet did not let the benefit of her looks become her only strength.
Next in the family was a thirteen-year-old brother named Klaus. Quite interested in reading, he could often be found his nose in a book, and he retained information very well. Klaus remembered nearly everything he read, and the topics were various ones at that.
They lived in an elegant mansion with their father, a highly esteemed man, and their mother, who was pregnant to soon give birth to a baby girl. The Baudelaire family was one of the wealthiest in the kingdom, second only to the royal family. Their lives had always been rather fortunate; though this happiness would all eventually come crashing down… as this is, by no means, a fairy tale.
We will start the story from the beginning, when the unsuspecting siblings stood at the shore of Briny Beach, as was customary on a day like today. While the right-handed Violet skipped rocks across the water, Klaus examined the fish and plant life in the shallow areas.
"What a day," Klaus noted, looking up as the sun began to set. "It feels like nothing could ever go wrong."
Violet nodded. "I know what you mean," she agreed, "but we should probably start heading home soon. It's almost time for dinner."
The two siblings gathered their things and began to walk home. Approaching them, however, was a man they knew well. They exchanged glances. "Poe," Klaus whispered in warning to Violet as they continued toward him. "Get ready."
Sir Arthur Poe was not only the royal bank adviser, but a casual friend of the Baudelaires as well. He came over for enough of their dinner parties for Violet and Klaus to know that he had a rather exasperating – a word which here means "so frustrating that it causes people to want to rip their hair out" – habit of coughing. It is, however, impolite to dislike a person for his or her habits, so Violet and Klaus often tried to ignore the cough as best as they could.
"Hello, young Baudelaires," Poe greeted them with a cough.
Violet extracted a fan from her belongings, and covered her face, pretending to do it out of modesty, when really she was just trying to avoid his cough. "Good day, Sir Poe," she greeted him in the most well-mannered tone she could muster.
"Yes, good day," Klaus repeated in the same tone. "How do you do?"
"Not so well, I'm afraid," Poe replied, pulling out a handkerchief as he coughed once more. "You'll have to come with me so I can explain everything to you."
"Explain?" Violet looked at Klaus, but he did not know what Poe was talking about, either. "Explain what?"
"There has been a fire." Poe heaved a sigh. "Violet, Klaus…"
Violet and Klaus braced themselves.
"… It grieves me to inform you this, but …"
The Baudelaire siblings gulped in anticipation, not prepared for the news that was about to come their way.
"Your parents are dead."
Acknowledgements: I would like to thank Curry Curran, Rock Not War, BlackCat69, Em Quagmire, LoStNoBoDy?, Soycaliente, Swanwhite2, and Phish Tacko for your kind reviews on The Injurious Introduction. I hope you enjoy the chapters that follow!
