"The Wide Window: Part One" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ferry

"For Beatrice-- I would much prefer it if you were alive and well."

On a report for the Lachrymose News, reporters note that the tragic tale of the Baudelaire orphans is still ongoing as they make their way to a new guardian, once again trying to evade Count Olaf's grasp. Lemony Snicket makes it clear that if the story of the Baudelaire orphans were a weather report, there would hardly be any sunshine to be seen.

After leaving Dr. Montgomery's house, the Baudelaires were taken by Mr. Poe to the Damocles Dock via the Fickle Ferry on their way to Lake Lachrymose. Their taxi will be arriving shortly; Mr. Poe has to leave.

Answer: Peppermint

Mr. Poe departs, handing the Baudelaires a small bag of peppermints before they await the ride to their dowager aunt, Josephine. They note that perhaps they should have told him that they are allergic to peppermints; Violet tosses them into the trash. A taxi arrives soon after.

As the taxi weaves the kids through Lake Lachrymose, the driver informs them that the reason the town is so dead is because it's the off-season. Normally, the town is busier than anywhere, but the poor weather makes it relatively unappealing, even for locals. The driver also insists that he hopes their Aunt Josephine has enough supplies to make it through the impending storm.

Answer: Hurricane

Although hurricanes are typically only relegated to oceanside locations, as Klaus notes, Lake Lachrymose is so large that it can receive its own hurricanes, and one is expected shortly-- Hurricane Herman. Their taxi driver suggests hiding away with a book of Herman Melville and a pot of vegetarian chili.

The children don't realize that Count Olaf is out at sea in a rowboat, his henchmen paddling him ever-closer to Lake Lachrymose's shores.

The children soon arrive at Aunt Josephine's cliff-side house, found across a long, narrow bridge on the edge of a precipice. At the edge of the precipice though, is a 300 foot drop.

Answer: Ike

The Baudelaires arrive on Aunt Josephine's doorstep and find a sign reading 'Please go away'. Violet pushes the doorbell but no sound is heard. Nevertheless, Josephine answers, greets the children, and ushers them in, insisting that they should never knock for fear of splinters on the wooden door and that her doorbell is disconnected as an electrocution risk. The children soon come to learn that fierce and formidable are not the words that should have been used to describe her previously.

Aunt Josephine leads the children to the doors to her library, insisting that they will find all the answers they need inside. Inside is certainly the formidable library and a wide window overlooking Lake Lachrymose. Aunt Josephine claims to know all the islands in it, but can never go near it again because of what happened to her husband, Ike.

Answer: Grammar

Josephine explains that she and her husband, Ike, used to spend time with the Baudelaire parents, having picnics together on the shores of Lake Lachrymose. During their final picnic, Ike went into the water only forty-five minutes after eating, and not an hour after as one is supposed to. While cramps would certainly be a worry, Lake Lachrymose is home to a particularly deadly creature-- the Lachrymose Leech. The lake is actually a breeding ground for these creatures with six long rows of teeth and fervor to eat anything smelling of human food.

After Josephine finishes her story, the children ask about the answers she can provide them, and she shows them quickly-- it's grammar. Since Ike's death, she's followed the one thing she feels most passionately about: the English language. She plans to impart that knowledge onto all of them.

Answer: True

Aunt Josephine makes lunch for herself and the Baudelaires and they're surprised by a meal of chilled cucumber soup, really the only option as she's afraid the stove will burst into flames if she uses it. She refuses outright to discuss anything to do with the children's parents as those days are behind her.

In town, the proprietor of The Anxious Clown begins his day by sweeping the front cobblestones. That's when he encounters Count Olaf, who's arrived with his henchmen. It doesn't take long, but the man accidentally lets it slip that the children are staying with their fierce and formidable Aunt Josephine.

Answer: IKE

Aunt Josephine gives the children some welcoming gifts-- a doll named Pretty Penny for Violet, a deck of cards for Klaus, and a rattle for Sunny-- and they compliment her generosity. It doesn't take long before the children trade off their gifts amongst each other. They do so when Aunt Josephine heads to town in fear; when the kids tell her about the impending hurricane, she realizes they need supplies.

The children realize quickly that in order to get answers they'll need to look in Aunt Josephine's library, so pulling back her wall of grammar books, they take a crack at her safe. They reason that the combination is likely a code consisting of three numbers or letters. Sunny deduces that the code is IKE, after her husband. Inside is a box of crackers, Beethoven music, and photographs of Josephine doing fearless things. Underneath all of that is something very interesting-- a book the children almost had their hands on in the library of Justice Strauss, 'The incomplete History of Secret Organizations'. Before they can read it, Aunt Josephine returns with several bags of limes. And something else.

Answer: Pasta puttanesca

Aunt Josephine informs the children that she's found something wonderful in town-- besides the limes, that is. She met a man at the Town Market and Petting Zoo, and it's because of him that she's eager to become a fierce and formidable woman once again, just like old times. In fact, she wants to head back into town for a few hours to spend time with him over a fried egg sandwich. While she heads off to get a cardigan, she lets the children meet him-- Captain Sham.

It's actually Count Olaf in another disguise, a fact the children are quick to realize. Aunt Josephine doesn't really recognize him as such, and the tell-tale signs just aren't there (the tattoo on his left ankle is missing as he's wearing a peg-leg). As he told Josephine when they met in front of the lime vendor, he spilled pasta puttanesca on his leg while at sea (well...at the lake) and it was devoured by the Lachrymose Leeches.

Answer: Candles

Captain Sham is convincing enough that Aunt Josephine refuses to believe the truth, and when she leaves to grab her cardigan, he makes it clear to the orphans that he's found another clever way to get their fortune. As he backs them into the kitchen, he warns Aunt Josephine that the children have lit candles on the table and this alone convinces her that he's in the right and children are simply dangerous.

The children realize that they need to help Aunt Josephine, and to do so they realize that they will need to walk to town to meet her at the fried egg restaurant. Before they can leave the house though, Count Olaf's henchmen pull up in their car. Unfortunately, this means that none of them are in town guarding the owner of the Anxious Clown who, still tied up, tries to reach a phone.

Answer: Statue

The Baudelaires realize that they are trapped in Aunt Josephine's house, but Violet knows an alternate way out, as risky as it may be. They consider climbing out the wide window in Aunt Josephine's library, climbing out down one hundred feet of fishing nets, and after deciding to take the risk, they get to work.

Aunt Josephine, meanwhile, takes the taxi ride down the cliffs with Captain Sham, all the while worrying about the children.

In Peru, a mother and father think about their upcoming flight and worry that they may have difficulties getting home.

Mr. Snicket regrets not being able to help the Baudelaire children during their time of need. As they work to make an escape, the storm outside begins to intensify and a loud crash is heard from the library. The statue that once stood by the window has been thrown through it, and a note has been left nearby. It's a suicide note from Aunt Josephine.

As Mr. Snicket explains, by the end of their time at Lake Lachrymose, Aunt Josephine's house would no longer stand above the precipice. That, and they would find Aunt Josephine alive, not dead. Not yet.