Chapter 3: Exploring

When someone says they are going to give you the "grand tour" you naturally assume they are going to take you on a complete tour of their house and show you every individual room. You also assume that taking such a tour will take more then the sum total of thirty-five seconds. Not so with their new caretaker.

"Allow me to give you the grand tour," their new caretaker said. "My lab is over there. My room is there. That is your room. The bathroom is down that hallway along with the library. The kitchen is down the other hallway and the backyard is out the door at the end of the hall," she said pointing in all the appropriate directions.

"Ma'am," Violet said, "what do you want us to call you?"

"Oh dear," she smiled, "you don't even know my name do you?"

The Baudelaires shook their heads.

"Well, my name is -" she started, then got cut off by the phone. "Hello? Yes. Okay. Where? I'll be right there." She looked at the children in embarrassment, "I'm sorry, I really have to go right now. There was a mange infested fox sighted about a mile from here which I've been trying to catch up to for over a week. I'll tell you what, I'll make it up to you and take you all out for dinner tonight." And as quick as that she was out the door before any of the children could get a word in edgewise.

"What was her name again?" Klaus asked.

"Dno," answered Sunny, which probably meant, "She didn't tell us."

"Well," Violet said with a smile, "lets explore!"

They all went different directions.

Klaus went to check out the library which looked like any other library. Books, shelves, the works. He quickly looked over the books and saw that most of them were about physical science and biology. "She must be some sort of - " Klaus said then looked behind him; no one was there. Where did they go? He could have sworn they were right behind him.

He heard a scream and immediately went to go find its origin; it sounded like Sunny.

Violet went to check out the lab which looked like any other lab. Microscopes, test tubes, the works. She looked over some vials in one of the refrigerated containers in the back of the room and whispered the contents to herself, "Grimm River Sample, Mud Sample, Vial of Frog Delirium, Fox Blood." She stopped reading the vials' labels and said louder, "She must be some sort of - " and stopped; no one was there. Where did they go? She could have sworn they were right behind her.

She heard a scream and immediately went to go find where it was coming from; it sounded like Sunny.

Sunny went to check out the kitchen which looked like any other kitchen. Counters, dishes, the works. She opened the refrigerator and saw various meats of all different kinds with different labels on them. Unfortunately, she couldn't read them. "Asiss-" she began then stopped when she looked behind her. She stared at it for several seconds then finally worked up the nerve to shriek, and did so.

The other two Baudelaires came into the room with anxious faces and saw she was all right. Slowly, ever so slowly, they followed her gaze and when they landed on what she was looking at, they yelped.

It yelped back.

They jumped.

It jumped.

They stared.

It laughed.

The Baudelaires looked at each other with frightened faces, then once again slowly looked back.

It grinned wickedly.

When you are shocked into such a state of disrepair that the orphans were in at this moment, you might suffer from a palpable lack of intelligence. The orphans were no different. The stared dumbly at the creature that excited their senses and frightened them out of their wits while is grinned at them. It wasn't even as if it were scary looking or that it was going to attack them. It was more because they didn't know how it got there or what they should do. So, it is with this in mind that we should forgive Violet for stating the obvious, because I'm sure it felt like a sudden rush of inspiration to her at the moment, much like the feeling she gets every time she comes up with a brilliant invention. "It - it - it's a monkey."

Author Notes: All reviews are welcome! Good, bad, ugly; just as long as I get some sort of feedback. Please, please review! This was also my favorite chapter so far.

The next chapter brings back old enemies.

So don't read on, I beg you, please.