One Eye Open

The Bad Beginning: Part One (1/4)

"If you are interested in stories with happy endings, then you would be better off somewhere else. In this story, not only is there no happy endings, there is no happy beginning, and very few happy things in the middle. My name is Lemony Snicket. It is my solemn duty to bring to light the sorry history of the Baudelaire children as it happened so many years ago. But you in the audience have no such obligation, and I would never advise all our viewers to turn away immediately and watch something more pleasant instead. This story will be dreadful, melancholy and calamitous, a word which here means 'dreadful and melancholy.' That is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the Baudelaires."

The four Baudelaire's stood patiently at the back of the trolley as they waited for their destination. They were on their way to the beach to test out Violet's new invention.

"Evelyn, Violet, Klaus and Sunny were intelligent children. Charming and resourceful, they had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky. Most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery and despair. I'm sorry to tell you this... but that's how the story goes."

As the train neared the beach Violet walked over to the little microphone, picking it up and holding it close to her lips, "Briny Beach, please." She signalled the driver with Sunny on her hip and her two other siblings behind her. 

"The Baudelaire family lived in an enormous mansion at the heart of a dirty and busy city, and one day the parents rather unexpectedly asked their children to take a rickety trolley alone to the seashore."

"I wonder why Mother and Father didn't want to come with us." Klaus spoke as he walked to the front of the trolley. 

"Maybe they don't like this rickety trolley." Violet smiled widely carrying her babysitter and following in the same direction.

"Or maybe they want to help develop our independence." Evelyn shrugged her shoulders as she watched her brother step off of the trolley, her being the next one to get off. Once she was on the ground she turned around to grab Sunny as she grabbed Violet's had helping her off. 

"'Rickety' is a word here which means 'unsteady' or 'likely to collapse at any moment.'"

"Hey, kids!" The trolley chauffeur called out as they all turned back towards the vehicle. "Aren't you going to the Festive Fun Fair, with all the jolly rides and games and snacks? 'Festive' means 'fun.'"

"We know what 'festive' means." Klaus spoke up quickly having the tendency to let people know they don't have problems with typical vocabulary.

"Thank you, but it's a perfect morning to go to the beach." Violet said politely smiling up at the man.

The chauffeur furrowed his brows, "It's grey ad cloudy." He said confused on why they would pick such a day.

"We are very aware, sir. Isn't it beautiful?" Evelyn asked but the man just furrowed his brow even more, guess he didn't agree with her statement.

"That's what makes it perfect." Violet added on.

"Suit yourself." The man finally finished as he turned back towards the wheel, pulling on the string to signal he was leaving with the bell. The Baudelaire's chuckled as they began to find a spot to settle down. 

"When Briny Beach was hot and sunny, the seashore was crowded with tourists  and it was impossible to find a good place to lay one's blanket. On grey and cloudy days, the Baudelaire's had the beach more or less to themselves, so they could work together on their projects and experiments."

Klaus laid out a blanket on the cold sand as Violet prepared to take her invention out, "Are you ready?" The darked haired girl asked.

"Let's get to work." The boy answered as the eldest Baudelaire busied herself with putting her babysitter down comfortably.