A Series of Unfortunate Denouements

3: The Small Town

The sugar bowl. I know what secret it holds. I know what the sugar bowl contains. The vessel does not contain sugar, it merely serves as protection for that which resides in the bowl.

Qeta Miseria walked. Or maybe she wandered. Or maybe she strolled. But when she was out of Amer's and Acidia's eyesight, it was clear. She ran.

She ran as fast as she could. There was nothing else she could do now that she had lied to those terrible villains. She ran across a vast landscape until she reached a road in the middle of... nowhere.

Night had already fallen. After so many adventures they had shared, it felt weird to be all alone again. Qeta was alone, without the Baudelaires. She hadn't realized how much those three children meant to her until then. What the Baudelaires did... It wasn't what they wanted, nor what they deserved. But then again, life is not fair. It has never been fair and it never will be.

There were many things Qeta wasn't sure of. She wasn't sure if she did the right thing, running away like that. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to throw the harpoon gun on board the floating ship with the Baudelaires and Count Olaf. And most important of all: she wasn't sure where she was going. In fact, she had no idea. The road seemed to be endless. But after three hours, she finally saw something appearing on the horizon. It was a small town.

Tired and sad, Qeta walked to the small town. There were small streets on which small cars drove. There were small houses and small inns. Everything was rather small. Qeta read the sign on the edge of town:

'Small Town'

"Fair enough," she mumbled to herself and walked into Small Town. She entered the first inn the came across.

The inn was small from the inside as it was from the outside. Qeta walked to the man behind the counter. The man was tall, which was quite surprising to her.

"Good evening, welcome to the Small Inn," the man said in a deep voice. "Can I help you with anything?"

The man looked as if he had never been in front of a mirror. His hair was a mess, and it seemed as if he was standing there running an inn in his pyjamas. His clothes were grey and thin and old. But when Qeta looked into his eyes, she knew immediately this man wasn't the wrong person to encounter. She had seen enough evil people, and this man certainly wasn't an evil man. Qeta looked at the card that was pinned to his shirt.

'Samuel Qwerty'

"Uh, yes please," Qeta said, answering the man's question. "Would it be possible to stay over for the night?"

"That would certainly be possible," said Samuel Qwerty. "Just this night?"

"Yes, I... I believe so," she said, nervously looking at the door behind her as if the villains could walk in at any moment.

Samuel noticed the look on her face and he looked straight into her eyes when she turned to face him again.

"Do you have any money?" he asked, lowering his voice.

Qeta was a bit scared for a moment, and she tried to think of a solution, even though there wasn't one. She didn't have any money.

"N-no, I don't," she said in a quiet voice. "I-I'm sorry."

Qeta sighed, turned around and was about to leave.

"That doesn't mean I have no room for you, of course," Samuel said.

Qeta turned to the man in surprise. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Samuel smiled. "If you are willing to help me out, that is. In fact, I'm in need of a volunteer for dividing the very fresh doughnuts I bought this morning. I'll let you stay for the night if you are willing."

"Oh, of course, sir!" Qeta said excitedly. Dividing doughnuts? After all the unfortunate events that took place in her life, that sounded like heaven. "I'll do my best!"

"That's good to hear. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

"Well, it's..." Qeta hesitated for a moment. Right now, it would probably be best if not everyone knew her name. But this man...

"It's Qeta," she said, and she shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Qeta."

"And you're Samuel Qwerty."

Qeta pointed at the sign on his desk.

"That's correct," Samuel said. "I run both the Small Inn and the Small Library next door. You can visit it any time you like."

"Thank you so much," Qeta said. "Shall I divide the doughnuts, then?"

"Of course, a volunteer for dividing is what I have been waiting for. You can find them in the fridge in the kitchen. You must put the sprinkled doughnuts in one box and the non-sprinkled ones in the other. It's very easy, but I have to stay here at the counter."

"No problem, sir!"

Qeta walked to the door leading to the kitchen. But then suddenly, she stood still. What was that he said?

I'm in need of a Volunteer For Dividing the Very Fresh Doughnuts I bought this morning.

V.F.D.

Qeta smiled. "Oh, and by the way, Qwerty...

This place is a Very Fine Dormitory."

She didn't turn to look at the expression on his face, but she could hear from the tone in his voice that he had been waiting for her to say something like this.

"Thank you, Miseria," he said with a smile. "I'm flattered."

"I never told you my last name."

"It was a lucky guess."

Qeta grinned and she walked into the kitchen. That man is a member of V.F.D., she thought. What a coincidence. Why would a volunteer be here in such a Small Town?

The kitchen was, as you might have guessed, not very big. So it was easy to find the bright blue fridge that stood against the wall. It was a strange colour... for a fridge.

She opened the fridge and found the doughnuts. And as soon as she took them out, she realized how hungry she was.

This man is giving you a place to stay, she thought. Don't eat his doughnuts.

And she didn't eat his doughnuts that night. She started to divide them. It was easy work. You couldn't even call it work, actually.

It had been a while since the last time Qeta Miseria did something with a smile on her face. But now, she was smiling.

Could the series of unfortunate events of her life finally be over, now that she wasn't with the Baudelaire orphans anymore...?