Please read and review! This is my first story on so please don't be too harsh!
Chapter One
"Violet, how are we ever supposed to find the sugar bowl in a city as big as Venice?"
Klaus Baudelaire and his siblings were sitting on the edge of a fountain outside of the Basilica in the heart of Venice, the Piazza San Marco. He was very much absorbed in a large, faded map of the city he had found on the train he and his siblings had taken to Venice. Violet and Sunny were sitting nearby, taking in their new surroundings. None of their old homes, even their parents' mansion, had ever been as welcoming as the beautiful city of Venice. The hidden canals and crumbling rooftops had sheltered the siblings at night, and the huge winged lions had protected them during the day. But it was getting cold, and all three siblings fervently hoped for a warm place to stay. When Kit Snicket had sent them to Venice in search of the ever-elusive sugar bowl, she had forgotten to provide them with appropriate lodging, or enough money to live comfortably.
"Well, Kit did say that the sugar bowl will have probably ended up in a public place, like a shop, just waiting for tourists to come and buy it. So, I thought we could start our search by checking out as many souvenir and antique shops as possible." Violet borrowed the map from Klaus and studied it closely. "According to the key, shops are represented by a small green square. Look, there's one about three blocks from here. Let's go there first."
"Avanti!" shrieked Sunny in approval. Violet smiled and gathered up their few possessions. Klaus faintly wondered where Sunny had learned to speak Italian.
About twenty minutes later, the siblings were completely and utterly lost. Even with their map, Venice was a very complicated city to navigate. If only Quigley were here, Violet sighed pensively. She had missed her cartographer friend ever since he had been swept away by the Stricken Stream. Looking around for a street sign or another indication of where they were, Violet pulled the map out of her bag, but to no avail. Sighing, she admitted to herself that she had absolutely no idea where they were.
"I have absolutely no idea where we are," Violet confessed, tucking the map back into her bag. "I think that we should ask for help."
Just then, Klaus saw three children, maybe a little bit younger than them, passing by on their left. There was a shy boy about his age, another boy, who looked about six years old, and a very intimidating girl with a long braid, down to her hips. "Excuse me!" he called out, hoping that they understood him.