Chapter 32

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Finding or concealing yourself in small dark places can be a very good or terrible thing depending on your current situation. If you are a rabbit that is being pursued by a rather large wolf, jumping down into a tiny, darkened burrow where you know your enemy cannot get to you will make you feel safe and protected... with the added benefit of wolves preferring not to get their paws dirty just before a meal. Or perhaps you are a spy who is concealed within a dumbwaiter, a place in an old house that used to be able to send food up and down to the various levels of the house with a minor risk of receiving dust or splinters in your meal. This tiny space provides you with a hiding place to conceal yourself and the perfect cover to eavesdrop on crucial information that will help you on your mission to avoid the theft of a very valuable item. Such tight quarters would make you feel confident and accomplished because your mission will succeed due to your excellent hiding place. One can see dark places as a bad thing, especially if you are an explorer of a cave and you have just encountered a hibernating bear that will certainly not be pleased if it is woken up. Facing this dangerous and grumpy creature will likely make you feel nervous and fearful because the slightest sound could awaken it and leave you running for your life. Or you could be a young person or two who were pushed down into a dark space by a villainous group who have the intention of keeping you there until a certain auction occurs and then smuggling you out of town. Being in the clutches of a horrible villain would make you feel frightened and helpless, leaving you only able to hope that your friends or the police will come to your rescue.

For Holly Snicton, her concealment in that dark place was both a good and terrible thing and left her feeling many things. She was not a rabbit being pursued by a wolf, nor had she encountered a bear in the trunk of this taxicab, but she did consider herself a spy listening in on conversations and she was planning to do her very best to avoid being held prisoner by a villain. It was a good thing because this small, dark space kept her hidden and secure while she was being taken where she wanted to go, but it was also a bad thing because she was nearly being crushed by suitcases and whenever the cab went over bumps she had to avoid hitting her head. Also, the knowledge that she was likely proceeding toward a dangerous situation did nothing to may the ride any more pleasant.

However, the danger did not matter as the thoughts of her friends in the clutches of Count Olaf left Holly feeling brave and determined to do whatever she could to help. She was finished with running and hiding... for the most part.

The taxicab swerved hard to the left, which sent the young girl slamming into the side of the trunk and a suitcase into her ribs to ensure she stayed pinned there for a while. The girl was forced to bite her lip to avoid screaming out or grunting from the pain of the case digging into her ribcage. She attempted to push it away, but several more luggage items were stacked against each other, making it almost impossible to shift it far enough to be comfortable or painless.

Perhaps she should have simply called and ridden in a taxi herself... perhaps, or perhaps it would have drawn too much suspicion of a child taking a trip on their own

To take her mind off the discomfort, she leaned her head closer to the front of the vehicle, hoping to eavesdrop on the two people she was "travelling" with, if by travelling you mean stowing oneself away with Edith Telltone on her way back to the city and the driver who is taking her there. She pressed her ear against the dark and cold surface of the trunk, trying to hear better as the roar of the engine made it much more difficult to eavesdrop.

"What's the town like this time of year?" the cab driver had asked his passenger.

"Quiet mostly because it is the off-season," Edith answered.

"What's it like in the summer?"

"Very busy, it becomes a sort of resort town. The Fjord is a very popular place for beachgoers, even if the water is rather cold."

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