𝐔𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 | 𝐊𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟗 - Cold Soup and A Safe Of Answers

Sunny babbled what could be translated to "Crazy Aunt Josephine." The scared woman turned around and looked to the youngest Baudelaire. Her expression was full of confusion. "Delmo? What do you mean by delmo? I consider myself an expert on the English language and I have no idea what the word 'delmo' means." She asked. "Sunny doesn't speak fluently. Just baby talk mostly." Klaus responded to her. "Well, you have arrived just in time. I know you've seen many unusual things." Josephine said with a smile. "Yes, indeed." Veronica responded. "And you must have many questions." The woman continued. "Yes, we do." Violet replied. "In my library, you will find all the answers that you need." Veronica's eyes lit up when she heard library come out of her mouth. "Are you ready?" Josephine asked. "We're ready." Klaus said. "Then open the door."

Violet reached for the doorknob but the paranoid woman stopped her. "Ah! Just...just push on the wood. The knob could shatter into a million pieces and hit your eyes!" She exclaimed. Veronica rolled her eyes and pushed on the door and as they opened, the brunette's lips went to a smile. Shelves were filled with books upon books and the desk was the great place to research. The brunette Bella eyes was as wide as they could go. True, Justice Strauss' library was huge but she never missed an opportunity to see a good library and this for one, was a brilliant one. In front of their view was a window that could show a clear view of the large lake that Veronica had seen earlier. "Lake Lachrymose..." Josephine started as she observed the waters. "I know every island in its waters and every cave along its shores. But now I can only stand to look at it from far away. That's why I couldn't meet you on the docks. I'm too haunted by the past."

So was Veronica. She was too haunted from all the memories at that count's home, but also haunted by what her past could reveal. All she wanted was answers. "Does  this have anything to do with our parents?" Violet asked. "Or mine?" Veronica said timidly. "Certainly not! It has to do with my husband...Ike." She pointed to a man in a picture and the children looked at it. "He was my best friend, my partner and one of the few people I knew who could whistle with crackers in his mouth. His speciality was Beethoven's fourth string quartet." She explained. "Our mother could do that." Klaus stated, making Veronica eyes' widen. "Really? That is fascinating." She said in awe. "She sure was, Veronica. Your mother was quite good in the music industry as well." Josephine replied. Veronica was shocked when she mentioned her mother. "Really?" She questioned. "Why of course, she was outstanding! Kate and your father used to live by a nearby theatre and would always write medleys for their productions. They were some of the most famous ones they had wrote! Shame, no one would give her credit...those sketchy producers." 

Veronica smiled at those words, so her mother was a music writer and was famous for it. "We were all friends, your parents, Ike and me. We used to gather on these shores for picnics and develop our own secret codes." Josephine continued. "Our parents developed secret codes?" Klaus questioned. "I'll never forget our last picnic. I warned Ike to wait an hour after eating before going into the lake but he only waited forty-five minutes." Josephine stated, ignoring Klaus' question. "Did he get cramps?" Veronica asked. "That's usually what happens when you don't wait an hour before you swim." She explained to Josephine. "Cramps are one reason, but in Lake Lachrymose, there's another." Josephine walked over to a map of the large lake. "Part of the lake is a breeding ground for Lachrymose Leeches, which are quite different from regular leeches. They each have six rows of very sharp teeth and one very sharp nose that can smell the tiniest bit of food from far, far away. The Lachrymose Leeches are usually quite harmless, but if they smell food on a human, they will start to swarm around him and..." But before she could finish, the map rolled up which made her scream. She then began to sob as the children watched with awkward faces.