Very Frightful Days-- An Unfortunate Events Short Story

Chapter 5

Violet and Klaus ran through the halls, covering their mouth with their sleeves. They looked around for the exit that wasn't burning. They made their way to the front, only to find it blocked off by a large flaming piece of wood.

Their mansion, their home, was in engulfed in flames. Heat surrounded their bodies as if they were in an oven, the smoke as thick as blood. Violet held onto her bag tighter, while Klaus held her free hand. They all of a sudden heard crying. The cry of a small child, an infant. They heard the cry of the youngest Baudelaire child.

"Sunny!" Violet screamed. She ran to the sound of the crying, still holding into Klaus and her case. They continued coughing but didn't stop until they reach the sound of the cries, which led to their father's office.

The fire didn't destroy much of it. The desk, small piano, and sofa chairs have not yet been burned. On their father's desk had a few picture frames. One was a family portrait making Violet and Klaus smile. Another caught their attention. It was their parents in the small town of Paltryville with a few other people the Baudelaire's would soon meet. They looked to see they're soon to be guardians, the herpetologist Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, the once fierce and formidable Aunt Josephine and her husband, and the hypnotist Doctor Orwell.

They never gave any much thought the picture before and didn't have time to think about it. After looking under the desk and chairs, the fire quickly started to burn through the books. The fire had spread to the study, easily burning through the many books on the shelves. Klaus was full of fear and panic and Violet finally found little Sunny under their father's desk.

"The door is blocked!" He told her pointing at the entrance, where more lumber was flaming. "We're trapped!"

The smoke grew thicker and thicker, as well as the flames that surrounded. Violet looked at her younger siblings, her brother covering the baby from the heat and smoke.

"No!" Violet rejected. "We are not going to die here!"

"We can't escape! There's nothing!"

"There's always something!" The eldest, like in any dangerous situation they've been in, tied her long hair back in a ribbon.

Anyone who knew Violet well knew that she was thinking hard whenever her hair was tied back with a ribbon or string. She blocked out the flames, the heat, the smoke and even the cries of her young siblings. Her mind was clear, and she quickly found a way out.