A Tale of Wretched Occurrences: The Beginning

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓞𝓷𝓮

Violet picks up the intercom in the back of the trolley. "Briny Beach, please."

The Baudelaire family - your family - lives in an enormous mansion at the heart of a dirty and busy city, and today, your parents rather unexpectedly asked you and your siblings to take a rickety trolley alone to the seashore. "Rickety" is a word which here means "unsteady" or "likely to collapse at any moment".

"I wonder why Mother and Father didn't want to come with us," Klaus wonders.

"Maybe they don't like this rickety trolley," you suggest, gazing at a fire truck speeding along in the opposite direction.

After a couple of minutes, the trolley slows to a stop. You and Klaus gather up the picnic basket and blanket and Violet holds on to Sunny tightly. As the three of you make your way to the front of the trolley and climb down the steps, heading for the stretch of sand in front of you, the trolley conductor calls out to you.

"Hey kids! 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 says quickly.

"Thank you, but it's a perfect morning to go to the beach," Violet adds, trying to be more polite.

"It's gray and cloudy," the trolley conductor says, confused.

"That's what makes it perfect." Violet smiles.

The conductor shrugs. "Suit yourself."

A bell dings and the trolley begins to drive away, leaving you and your siblings alone on the beach. Which is just how you like it.

When Briny Beach is hot and sunny, the seashore is crowded with tourists and it is impossible to find a good place to lay one's blanket. On gray and cloudy days, you and your siblings have the beach more or less to yourselves, so you can work together on your projects and experiments.

Once Klaus has spread the blanket out, Violet sits down, putting Sunny down on her left. You place the picnic basket in the center of the blanket as you sit on Violet's right and Klaus's left.

"Are you ready?" Violet asks.

You smile. "Let's get to work."

"Do you think this will be as good as the mailbox?" Violet asks you two.

"I think this will be even better than the mailbox," Klaus tells her.

Violet Baudelaire is the eldest Baudelaire child. She is 14 years old, right-handed, and has a real knack for inventing and building unusual devices. When Violet ties her hair up, it is a sure sign that the pulleys, levers, and gears of her inventing mind are working at top speed.

"Klaus, at what angle are the prevailing currents?" Violet asks.

"The angle of the prevailing currents..." Klaus pulls a book from the picnic basket and consults it.

Klaus Baudelaire is one of the two middle children and the only boy. He is a little older than 11 and wears glasses, which make him look intelligent. Klaus enjoys reading, and is currently on a mission to read every book in the Baudelaire library.

"...Of course, we still need the right projectile," Klaus finishes his mini-lecture, shutting his book.

He is intelligent.

"Millie, do we have the right projectile?" Violet turns her attention to you.

"Hm. Well, we're going to want something small and flat, with a circular shape."