Read Online The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket - Free Book Online
Authors: Lemony Snicket
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the colony seems quite strict."
"Ishmael keeps saying he won't force us to do anything," Klaus said, "but everything feels a bit forced anyway."
"At least they forced Olaf away," Violet pointed out, "which is more than V.F.D. ever accomplished."
"Diaspora," Sunny said, which meant something like, "We live in such a distant place that the battle between V.F.D. and their enemies seems very far away."
"The only V.F.D. around here," Klaus said, leaning down to peer into a pool of water, "is our Very Flavorless Diet."
Violet smiled. "Not so long ago," she said, "we were desperate to reach the last safe place by Thursday. Now, everywhere we look is safe, and we have no idea what day it is."
"I still miss home," Sunny said.
"Me too," Klaus said. "For some reason I keep missing the library at Lucky Smells Lumbermill."
"Charles's library?" Violet asked, with an amazed smile. "It was a beautiful room, but it only had three books. Why on earth do you miss that place?"
"Three books are better than none," Klaus said. "The only thing I've read since we arrived here is my own commonplace book. I suggested to Ishmael that he could dictate a history of the colony to me, and that I'd write it down so the islanders would know about how this place came to be. Other colonists could write down their own stories, and eventually this island would have its own library. But Ishmael said that he wouldn't force me, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to write a book that would upset people with its descriptions of storms and castaways. I don't want to rock the boat, but I miss my research."
"I know what you mean," Violet said. "I keep missing Madame Lulu's fortune-telling tent."
"With all those phony magic tricks?" Klaus said.
"Her inventions were pretty ridiculous," Violet admitted, "but if I had those simple mechanical materials, I think I could make a simple water filtration system. If we could manufacture fresh water, the islanders wouldn't have to drink coconut cordial all day long.
But Friday said that the drinking of the cordial was inveterate."
"Nospine?" Sunny asked.
"She meant people had been drinking it for so long that they wouldn't want to stop," Violet said. "I don't want to rock the boat, but I miss working on inventions. What about you, Sunny? What do you miss?"
"Fountain," Sunny said.
"The Fowl Fountain, at the Village of Fowl Devotees?" Klaus asked.
"No," Sunny said, shaking her head. "In city."
"The Fountain of Victorious Finance?" Violet asked. "Why on earth would you miss that?"
"First swim," Sunny said, and her siblings gasped.
"You can't remember that," Klaus said.
"You were just a few weeks old," Violet said.
“ I remember," Sunny said firmly, as the Baudelaires shook their heads in wonder. Sunny was talking about an afternoon long ago, during an unusually hot autumn in the city. The Baudelaire parents had some business to attend to, and brought along the children, promising to stop at the ice cream store on the way home. The family had arrived at the banking district, pausing to rest at the Fountain of Victorious Finance, and the Baudelaires' mother had hurried into a building with tall, curved towers poking out in all directions, while their father waited outside with the children. The hot weather made Sunny very cranky, and she began to fuss.
To quiet her, the Baudelaires' father dipped her bare feet in the water, and Sunny had smiled so enthusiastically that he had begun to dunk Sunny's body, clothes and all, into the fountain, until the youngest Baudelaire was screaming with laughter. As you may know, the laughter of babies is often very contagious, and before long not only were Violet and Klaus also jumping into the fountain, but the Baudelaires' father, too, all of them laughing and laughing as Sunny grew more and more delighted. Soon the Baudelaires' mother came out of the building, and looked in astonishment for a moment at her soaking and giggling family, before putting down her
"Ishmael keeps saying he won't force us to do anything," Klaus said, "but everything feels a bit forced anyway."
"At least they forced Olaf away," Violet pointed out, "which is more than V.F.D. ever accomplished."
"Diaspora," Sunny said, which meant something like, "We live in such a distant place that the battle between V.F.D. and their enemies seems very far away."
"The only V.F.D. around here," Klaus said, leaning down to peer into a pool of water, "is our Very Flavorless Diet."
Violet smiled. "Not so long ago," she said, "we were desperate to reach the last safe place by Thursday. Now, everywhere we look is safe, and we have no idea what day it is."
"I still miss home," Sunny said.
"Me too," Klaus said. "For some reason I keep missing the library at Lucky Smells Lumbermill."
"Charles's library?" Violet asked, with an amazed smile. "It was a beautiful room, but it only had three books. Why on earth do you miss that place?"
"Three books are better than none," Klaus said. "The only thing I've read since we arrived here is my own commonplace book. I suggested to Ishmael that he could dictate a history of the colony to me, and that I'd write it down so the islanders would know about how this place came to be. Other colonists could write down their own stories, and eventually this island would have its own library. But Ishmael said that he wouldn't force me, but he didn't think it would be a good idea to write a book that would upset people with its descriptions of storms and castaways. I don't want to rock the boat, but I miss my research."
"I know what you mean," Violet said. "I keep missing Madame Lulu's fortune-telling tent."
"With all those phony magic tricks?" Klaus said.
"Her inventions were pretty ridiculous," Violet admitted, "but if I had those simple mechanical materials, I think I could make a simple water filtration system. If we could manufacture fresh water, the islanders wouldn't have to drink coconut cordial all day long.
But Friday said that the drinking of the cordial was inveterate."
"Nospine?" Sunny asked.
"She meant people had been drinking it for so long that they wouldn't want to stop," Violet said. "I don't want to rock the boat, but I miss working on inventions. What about you, Sunny? What do you miss?"
"Fountain," Sunny said.
"The Fowl Fountain, at the Village of Fowl Devotees?" Klaus asked.
"No," Sunny said, shaking her head. "In city."
"The Fountain of Victorious Finance?" Violet asked. "Why on earth would you miss that?"
"First swim," Sunny said, and her siblings gasped.
"You can't remember that," Klaus said.
"You were just a few weeks old," Violet said.
“ I remember," Sunny said firmly, as the Baudelaires shook their heads in wonder. Sunny was talking about an afternoon long ago, during an unusually hot autumn in the city. The Baudelaire parents had some business to attend to, and brought along the children, promising to stop at the ice cream store on the way home. The family had arrived at the banking district, pausing to rest at the Fountain of Victorious Finance, and the Baudelaires' mother had hurried into a building with tall, curved towers poking out in all directions, while their father waited outside with the children. The hot weather made Sunny very cranky, and she began to fuss.
To quiet her, the Baudelaires' father dipped her bare feet in the water, and Sunny had smiled so enthusiastically that he had begun to dunk Sunny's body, clothes and all, into the fountain, until the youngest Baudelaire was screaming with laughter. As you may know, the laughter of babies is often very contagious, and before long not only were Violet and Klaus also jumping into the fountain, but the Baudelaires' father, too, all of them laughing and laughing as Sunny grew more and more delighted. Soon the Baudelaires' mother came out of the building, and looked in astonishment for a moment at her soaking and giggling family, before putting down her
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