A Series of Unfortunate Events #4: The Miserable Mill

If you have ever had a miserable experience, then you have probably had it said to you that you would feel better in the morning. This, of course, is utter nonsense, because a miserable experience remains a miserable experience even on the loveliest of mornings

No matter how much they looked at him, it still felt like their brother had not returned

There was a full moon that night, and the children gazed for a moment at the quiet courtyard

The expression “quiet as mimes” is more appropriate, because mimes are people who perform theatrical routines without making a sound

Violet picked the glasses up, and they looked like a piece of modern sculpture a friend of mine made long ago. The sculpture was called Twisted, Cracked, and Hopelessly Broken.

I’d like to build an inventing studio for myself, perhaps over Lake Lachrymose, where Aunt Josephine’s house used to be, so we can always remember her.”

“And I’d like to build a library,” Klaus said, “that would be open to the public. And I’ve always hoped that we could buy back Uncle Monty’s reptile collection, and take care of all the reptiles.”

They missed living over Lake Lachrymose with Aunt Josephine. And most of all, of course, they missed living with their parents, which was where, after all, they truly belonged.

Day after dreary day went by, and although the children were convinced that he must be somewhere nearby, Count Olaf simply did not show up. It was very puzzling

But although all the workers looked tired, and sad, and hungry, none of them looked evil, or greedy, or had such awful manners

Just knowing that they could read made the Baudelaire orphans feel as if their wretched lives could be a little brighter.