A Tale of Wretched Occurrences: The Beginning

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓣𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓕𝓸𝓾𝓻

"Gifts!" Aunt Josephine exclaims excitedly. "For Violet, a set of watercolors. There's a brush so you have something to paint with, and a few canvases so you have something to paint on." She hands Violet a set of brightly colored paints and a stack of small, blank canvases, all tied with a lavender ribbon.

"I wonder how they got the paints to be such a bright color," Violet wonders.

"For Klaus, a deck of cards. I have never been a young boy, but I hear they enjoy card games." She hands Klaus a box of cards, tied with the same lavender ribbon.

"I once read a book about the history of legalized gambling," Klaus says.

"For Millie, a lovely doll — with plenty of outfits. Her name is Pretty Penny. Isn't she adorable?" She hands you a doll and a few extra dresses, each piece tied with ribbon to match the one on Violet and Klaus' gifts.

"She looks a little like Madame Curie," you observe.

"And for little Sunny..." Aunt Josephine picks up a pastel yellow rattle, once again tied with lavender ribbon. "It is a rattle. It makes a noise." She shakes the rattle to demonstrate before handing it to Sunny.

"Heh un la vey," Sunny babbles, which means, "I prefer the music of Tito Puente."

"Do you like them?" Josephine asks hopefully.

"It's very generous of you, Aunt Josephine, thank you," Violet answers politely.

"Well, I know my home isn't the warmest place, but if you follow the rules, it will be a safe one. And as your guardian, your safety is my greatest responsibility. That is why I put cans near all the doors and windows each night. In case any burglars come in, they'll trip over the cans and wake us up."

"But then, what if we're awake in the house with an angry burglar?" Violet asks.

"Angry burglar? Where?" Aunt Josephine spins around.

"Aunt Josephine, you must be very worried about Hurricane Herman," Klaus says in an attempt to refocus her attention.

"Hurricane?" Aunt Josephine gasps.

"Herman. The taxi driver says it's a huge storm headed our way," you tell her.

"Oh, dear. We'll need food! We'll need supplies! We must all go to town immediately!" Aunt Josephine jumps up from the twin bed she's been sitting on.

"Maybe my sisters and I could stay here," Klaus suggests.

"Good point. You never know what might happen in a small town. Perhaps we should all stay here."

"Of course, but what if we run out of food in the middle of a hurricane?" Violet asks.

"Wouldn't that be frightening?" Klaus prompts.

"Terrifyingly frightening?" you add.

㊋㊋㊋㊋

"I won't be long, children!" Aunt Josephine shouts from downstairs. "Don't do anything dangerous! You know, nothing I wouldn't do!"

"Of course not!" Violet calls back.

"Nothing you wouldn't do!" Klaus repeats.

You wait until the sounds of the taxi have faded away. Then, Klaus turns on the stove, Sunny shreds cheese, Violet lights several candles, and you chop up some chicken. Then, you all make soup — warm soup.

Once you're all seated, Violet turns to Sunny. "I know you don't care for the sound, but maybe I could use your rattle to invent a burglar alarm so Aunt Josephine wouldn't have to rely on piles of cans."