Fandom: A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Name: The Stupendous Start (Part 1 of the A Continuation Of Favourable Episodes series)
Summary: The three Baudelaires are smart, charming children. Everything seems to go their way, as if they had all the luck in the world. One day their parents decide to send them to live with a relative by the name of Count Olaf, a mysterious man whom they'd never previously heard of. Before they know it, they arrive at his doorstep expecting a peaceful summer, but instead they get a wild adventure…
Disclaimer: I do not own A Series Of Unfortunate Events, it is in fact owned by Lemony Snicket, a man who writes great stories, and has literally no chill.
Hello, reader. This story is full of wondrous things, things such as handsome, wealthy young men, loving families, splendid productions, and delicious dinners. To endure this tale would not be hard, but would make you finally feel at peace, especially after reading a fairly stressful tale told by another individual name Lemony Snicket. I present to you, A Continuation Of Fortunate Episodes, part one—The Stupendous Start:
The three Baudelaires were charming, bright children. They lived with their mother and father in a beautiful mansion, catered to their almost every need. The children spent their time reading, enjoying themselves with their family, or practicing their hobbies. Today they sat at their favourite place in town, Briny Beach. Their parents had given them permission to ride the Rickety Trolley down to the beach, and the children had gladly accepted.
Violet, the oldest, was an inventor. She loved building things; creating knickknacks. Those who knew her well recognized her familiar habit of tying up her hair with a purple ribbon when her inventive thoughts started to flow. Violet was fourteen years old.
Klaus Baudelaire was the second child, as well as the only boy. He loved to read. In fact, Klaus had probably read nearly every book in his parents' library, despite being only twelve. He could remember millions of facts and recall thousands of stories. His thirst for knowledge only grew every day, which was why he often came to Briny Beach to study animals.
Sunny Baudelaire was the youngest, only a baby. Sunny couldn't quite speak yet, instead she made blubbering sounds only her siblings could transfer into words. Sunny showed a liking for biting things with her four sharp teeth, a somewhat unusual habit for a baby. But the Baudelaires were an eccentric crew, so no one in her family really minded her strange hobby.
The sky was bright and clear that day, not too hot and not too chilly. Violet was testing her newest invention (which she called the StoneThrower 1.0), which she created to skip rocks. It worked quite well, and Violet was proud. She glanced at her sister, who was gnawing on a rock, watching their brother peer at a shellfish under a magnifying glass.
The peace was interrupted when the children saw a man striding towards them. They wore a tall hat and a black suit, a handkerchief covering his mouth as he coughed. The kids smiled; they knew this was Mr. Poe, a close family friend. Mr. Poe was funny and organized, but he always had the cough. The Baudelaire kids often joked he was allergic to everything.
"Children!" Called Mr. Poe. "Enjoying yourselves today?" The children nodded.
"Yes, we are, Mr. Poe. What are you doing here?" Violet asked. Mr. Poe smiled widely. He placed his arms around Violet and Klaus, and Violet lifted Sunny.
"Your parents have informed me that you children are to go to a relative's for the summer. His name is Count Olaf, and I believe he resides only an hour or so from my bank! You are to pack up right now, and then you will be staying with me tonight."
The kids stood a little bit straighter. They'd never heard of 'Count Olaf' before. Was Mr. Poe joking? Were they really going to stay at a relative's the whole summer?
"Excuse me Mr. Poe," Klaus began. "Who's Count Olaf? We've never heard of him. Are our parents really serious? Why are we staying at your house tonight?" Questions spilled straight from Klaus' mind to his mouth, and he had to shut his lips before more came out.
"I'm very serious, Klaus. You are to leave this day. Count Olaf is a busy man, he managed to free his schedule this summer. You've visited him many times as small children, before Sunny was even born. And your parents have important meetings today, but they hope you'll have fun with the Count." Mr. Poe ushered them into his car, and they drove to the Baudelaire mansion.
The Baudelaires arrived at the mansion to pack their things, excitement building in their chests. It was a tad disappointing that their parents weren't present to see them off, but the children loved Mr. Poe, and they were too excited to care much.
Before long the three were piled inside the car, Mr. Poe chattering on about how great the Count was and how strange it was that the children's parents never mentioned him. He was apparently a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed. Either way, he was family.
"How long have our parents been arranging this?" Klaus questioned. He was curious if the children's parents had been thinking about the visit for long.
"Quite long," Mr. Poe responded. "As I've stated before, the Count is a very busy man, he never had any time in his schedule. Luckily his acting career skyrocketed this winter and—" The Baudelaires glanced at each other curiously.
"Potakba?" Shrieked Sunny. This meant something along the lines of, but I thought you said he was a count? Violet quickly translated for Mr. Poe, and the man nodded.
"He is a count, children. No need to be confused. He's also an actor, however, and he has a marvellous troupe. In fact, you might even meet them during your stay! Wouldn't that be delightful?" Poe cried. The Baudelaires nodded in unison. None of the three had much idea how delightful Count Olaf's troupe really was; they didn't even know how delightful the man himself was, but the children were raised to be as polite as possible, and so they simply agreed.
The Baudelaires were to stay at Mr. Poe's house, and as instructed, they did. Mr. Poe had a kind, wonderful wife, and two kind, wonderful sons, named Allen and Edgar. The three kids shared a room for that night. Mrs. Poe even gifted them beautiful clothes, which the children packed as well. For dinner they had boiled potatoes and chicken.
"Are you kids excited?" asked Mrs. Baudelaire as everyone quietly ate. Four pairs of curious eyes turned to the Baudelaire children. Edgar and Allen seemed a tiny bit envious.
"Yes, we are. At least, I am," replied Klaus, glancing at his sisters. Violet nodded in agreement.
"Olagoda!" Cried Sunny, which meant something similar to, I hope Count Olaf makes good potatoes! The adults nodded dismissively.
"Mother, can we go live with a relative for the summer as well?" Allen pleaded. "I'm sure we have a fourth cousin three times removed." Mr. Poe tutted at Allen.
"The Baudelaires' parents are very busy this year. The need the children out of the house, and Olaf was kind enough to take them in. We're not going to send you anywhere." Mr. Poe explained. Allen and Edgar pouted into their chicken.
Finally it was time for bed, and the Baudelaires headed upstairs, nervous to meet the mysterious Count Olaf.
So there's chapter one! What do you think? Personally I thought it was kind of short, but the chapters will vary in sizes, the next one will probably be longer, due to descriptions of Olaf's house and such. Leave a review telling me what you like and what you don't like! I'll be updating as soon as I can.
Also: did anyone else notice Mr. Poe's sons' names? Edgar Allen Poe. Snicket, you troll.
"Get in the damn car" –Count Olaf
(Jaguar)