A/N: I do not own, so do not sue.
The Broken Vase
Reaching out with the key she had received from Mr. Poe, which he had in turn received from Minny Massey, the owner of the house they were about to enter, Violet could feel her siblings eyes on her. It was weird to be entering such an alien house by yourself, without the owner to show you about after greeting you at the door. No, the building was not extraterrestrial by any means. "Alien" is another term for something you do not know or understand at all--- something strange, and this is just how the Baudelaire children felt about to enter a place that they had never seen before, and could not touch anything, with a key that looked anything but normal.
Catching a reassuring look from Klaus, Violet nodded her head and turned the key in the lock. It fit perfectly and they didn't have to wait long for a click that allowed them to enter. Lowering Sunny to the ground between them, the eldest children gathered their suitcases and pushed the door open before stepping inside.
If they had thought the outside was anything at all, it was nothing compared to the elaborate decorations on the inside of their new home. Everything, from the paintings of oddly contorted objects that were hung on the walls, to the curious sketches of different contraptions that littered random desks, was smotheringly detailed. Moving closer to the center of the entry room, they peered about them taking in the beautiful vases and furnishings.
Approaching the staircase before them that ran up the far left wall and turned to go along the back and then the right, Klaus pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, while his eyes traced the intricate carvings that had been etched into the banister. Elaborate swirls and crosses, swivels and diamonds had been marked into the wood covering almost every inch.
Violet, in the other corner of the room had passed through an entry way into what she assumed to be the dining hall. Not lavishly big, it held a decent sized chandelier and a dark wood cabinet full of beautifully made statues and silhouettes.
Turning the opposite way, Sunny headed into the room on the left, her eyes taking in many musical instruments and framed art. The parlor, she assumed; and as young children often do, struggled not to touch any of the instruments that lay out in the open.
Once done with their exploring, the three met up in the entry hall again and peered past the stairs on the right. There was a hallway that went under them, curiously lit with candles that hung on the walls. Fake candles, but candles none the less; just enough to give it a mysterious air. With a small gulp, Violet led the way down the hall, passing a door or two, of which they doubted their rights to go inside. They had been told not to touch ANYTHING, and the only door that had been open in this hallway was the kitchen, which was connected to the dining room, and it was through this way that they traveled back to the entry way and then to the stairs.
It is now that I must say, had the children passed through the closed doors down that spooky hallway, the temptation of touching would have been too great. So, fortunately, they did not enter, however unfortunately, they were still miserable, sure that the woman that lived here new nothing about them nor wanted to.
Staring unpleasantly up the winding stair before them, the children paused, looking darkly at one another. Violet took Sunny's hand, Sunny took Klaus' hand and the three orphans started their long walk up the stairs, leaving their suitcases by the door.
An hour or so passed as the children became accustomed to their new home, pacing the floors, admiring the handy-work that went into every nook and cranny of each open room, and searching out probable bedrooms. They only found one closed door upstairs, which they assumed was Ms. Massey's and left quite well alone. But other then spare rooms, the only place of any interest was the upstairs gathering room which held a pool table, a mini bar and what was more than likely a game closet.
No library, no place for invention, and nothing to touch, let alone bite, the poor Baudelaire orphans returned to the head of the stairs, weary from travel and disheartened at the absence of their guardian.
"It's been forever and she's still not here," Klaus commented.
"Gah!" Sunny agreed.
"I only hope Count Olaf didn't cheat us out of a fortunate situation," Violet mused, pulling on the hair ribbon in her pocket. She was itching to invent something but without the ability to touch, there was only so much one could do.
Klaus nodded as they descended and sat down on the bottom stair, "I hope not…"
He then added hesitantly, and with a mite of sarcasm, "We ARE allowed to sit down right?"
Catching Violet halfway in the middle of a shrug, all three children were very surprised when they heard the front door swing loudly open and hit the wall with a thud. All eyes were now on the woman who stood in the threshold. Now, if I may remind you, Minny Massey was thought to be, by the Baudelaires, a quite short, possibly stocky, and very strict woman. This miscalculation led to even more surprise when a long and shapely pair of legs walked into the front hall. Legs, as everything above it was covered with enormous grocery bags, were all that the siblings could see.
"Hello? Baudelaires? Are you here yet?" a smooth and silky voice called out from behind stacks of toast, jellies and cream.
"I was told by Mr. Poe that I should have expected you an hour or more ago and I am dreadfully sorry that I am late, as I stopped by to pick up some things, but…." the soft and relaxed voice paused for a moment as the legs took their time to stumble over the entry way and then kick the door shut behind them. "Oh dear Lord, I hope I'm not talking to myself again!"
Picking up her cue, Violet snapped to and quickly said, "Oh! No, Ms. Massey! We're here!"
Both she and Klaus hurried to the very tall woman and reached out for the bags she carried. Taking one each, Minny was now left with two to carry and, as a result, they could now see her face properly. The rest of her was just like her legs: very long, and very slender. Even her auburn hair, tied back in a messy braid, reached the middle of her back. Her face was pale and thin with bright green eyes that matched her curtains and lips the color of her bricks, and the look that was placed upon it matched her voice exactly.
"Hello, dear Violet! Oh, and Klaus… and Sunny!" Minny smiled cheerfully. "How was your trip?"
"Oh, it was lovely, thank you," Klaus replied, too polite to mention the sickening hours they had spent in the car.
"Beeth," Sunny scowled, meaning "Speak for your self."
Minny noticed Sunny's look of discontentment and frowned, "Oh, whatever is the matter, Sunny?"
"We've all been in the car all day, Ms. Massey. Sunny hasn't really bitten anything besides a seatbelt since this morning…" Violet explained hurriedly.
"Meeh," Sunny added, probably translating to "And it tasted nasty!"
Minny Massey appeared shocked for a moment before setting down her bags of groceries and kneeling beside them. Even kneeling, the children noted that she was a little over their height. Proceeding to dig through the paper bag, Minny's face grew triumphant and she pulled out a big rubber cube that appeared to have dice spots on it.
"Here you go, darling," she handed the toy down to Sunny who gripped it tightly in her small hands.
"Bought this just for you this morning. I had an inkling you'd be a biter," Ms. Massey winked. "Come Baudelaires. It's time to make dinner."
This time, it was the children's turn to appear shocked. They hadn't expected Ms. Massey to be so… normal, much less take an interest in what they did during their free time. Following her silently, they headed down the mysterious hallway and through the kitchen door. Helping Klaus and Violet set their bags on the counter, their guardian's head shot up at a surprising sound.
A loud 'smash,' that had originated- or began in- the mysterious hallway, echoed into the kitchen. Violet and Klaus glanced worriedly at each other and then up at Ms. Massey. They were pretty sure Sunny had been the crash maker, meaning she had touched something. Both children looked up at Minny, unable to read her expression, though they could tell it was not happy. Following her out into the hallway, they found the sight that they held before them was not so pleasant.
"Sunny!" Ms. Massey let out a startled cry, spotting one of her intricate vases lying, shattered, on the floor.
A/N: There's the second chapter. Let me know what you think of Minny. Anyway, you requested, so I wrote it. Hope you like!
