Chapter 8: Knock, Knock
Back in the Age of Chivalry women were treated with respect – a phrase here which does not mean, "they were respected", merely that they were treated as if they were. In this age there were knights who would behave with good manners toward women and made sure they were quite happy and well treated. Since that age has come to pass the idea of chivalry was deemed "dead". Klaus was living proof this was not true.
Klaus was already out the back door before Violet and Sunny could even get over the shock of seeing their caretaker limping in pain on a leg sparsely peppered with blood. He had already taken the boxes from Aunt Blaine's arms and lent his body for her support before his sisters had even managed to get out the door to see what they could do to help. And by the time they reached Aunt Blaine, Klaus had her well taken care of, leaving them with absolutely nothing to offer her as help.
"Are you okay?" Violet asked the limping woman in terrible pain.
"Yeah, I'm all right," she lied through gritted teeth as she fought the urge to gasp at the surge of agony when she stepped lightly up the stairs on their way toward the back door.
"Is there anything we can get you?" Violet attempted to offer whatever help she could while feeling completely useless to everyone at the moment.
"No, no," she said as Klaus steered her into the doorway which opened up into the kitchen. Then something struck her as a good idea, "Actually, you may want to call the hospital and have them come down here. Just to pick up the vials of frog delirium we're going to make, of course."
"Uhmm . . . okay," Violet said, which probably meant, "You should just admit you're in pain and let us help you, but I'll play along for now." Sunny tried to translate for her but failed to get the point across for some reason.
"OOK!" Willis yelled at her. I'm guessing it meant something along the lines of, "Just let us help you!"
"Oh, Willis," Aunt Blaine looked at him with a tired expression, "What are you talking about? I'm perfectly fine."
"What happened Aunt Blaine?" Klaus asked as he helped their caretaker into a chair in her lab. "Did that creature bite you?"
She laughed, "What? No. Don't be ridiculous, those creatures are so scared of vorpal blades that a little boy could frighten one to death if he had one."
"Then what happened to your leg?" Klaus asked again, trying to figure out how serious her injury was.
"Well," she said looking a bit chagrined, "I kind of got distracted while walking back here and twisted my ankle."
"But your leg's bleeding," he pointed out.
"Yeah," she admitted, "fell on a branch. Kind of hit some bad luck today, I guess."
"Ya," Sunny said, which most likely meant, "Welcome to our world."
Violet entered in the room. "They said they were on their way, Aunt Blaine."
"Oh, dear," Aunt Blaine said. "Better get working quickly or they'll show up before we have any vials made for them. Klaus could you . . . "
When the knock finally came at the door Aunt Blaine saw the Baudelaires jump in startlement and chided them for it, "Honestly children, it's just the door. I realize that seeing that slimy creature for the first time can be terrifying, but there is no reason to jump every time there's a sudden noise."
The Baudelaires did their best to look embarrassed but they were far too nervous to make it look realistic.
"Violet, would you get the door please? I'm kind of hampered at the moment," Aunt Blaine asked her and gestured toward her twisted ankle.
Violet slowly nodded and made her trek toward the front door. Inside her head, panic rose to extreme levels as one word repeated itself over and over: Olaf.
She looked out the peep hole and saw . . . a stranger. Violet let out a relieved sigh and opened the door for him.
"Hello," he said, "You must be the child who called us, right?"
Violet nodded, only slightly upset at being called a child at age fourteen.
"Well, could I see your 'Aunt Blaine'?" he asked her and she got the idea that he was quoting her from the phone call.
Violet waved for him to follow and lead him to the lab where Aunt Blaine was just closing another vial.
Aunt Blaine smiled at the man, "Ah Julius, good to see you again."
He smiled back with a twinkle stirring in his eyes, "And as always, it's good to see you, too."
"I imagine you'll be wanting these," Aunt Blaine said sticking the just finished vial in a rack two-thirds full of vials just like that one. She picked up the entire rack and carefully handed it to him.
He took it gratefully and looked over at Aunt Blaine, "Is something wrong with your leg?" He could see the dried blood on it naturally assumed it was far worse then it actually was.
"No, no," Aunt Blaine shrugged off his sympathy, "I just tripped in the forest."
"You should come with me and have the doctors give a look at it just in case. I've seen people break their arms from less, you know."
"Yeah," she said with a smile, "but those people are senior citizens with brittle bones. I like to believe I'm still perfectly healthy."
"Besides," he said, "It'll be about time the hospital repaid you for your kindness."
She frowned, but after looking into his pleading face she finally sighed, "Fine, if it eases your mind I'll go with you." She looked over at the three orphans and said, "You three can fend for yourselves for an hour or two, right?" she asked and started out before they had a chance to give an answer.
So they made their way out of the cottage and Aunt Blaine seemed to be limping considerably less then she did when she first got there – it was pretty much already fine to walk on. The children got the distinct impression that what limp there was in her gait was more of an act then anything else.
They walked out of the door together and the the door shut behind them with a click from the lock. The Baudelaire orphans suddenly realized something moments after the door shut; they were alone. Alone with Count Olaf somewhere close by. The children huddled together and William Harrison came over to help comfort the frightened orphans.
Two minutes later – just when they were beginning to believe they were being silly for acting so scared – there was a knock at the back door.
Author Notes: Please review and whatnot, do not be afraid to chide me for my grammer mistakes and bad wordings. Feel free to correct me, it's the only way I'll get better, y'know. Well, I'll get the next chapter out sooner or later; most likely sooner then later though (spring break tends to give me a lot of extra free time).
Next, the Baudelaires will have no more time to frollic
because the man behind the door sends them into panic.
Will Violet find a way out of the situation
with an excellent and well-thought solution?