The Quagmires

Chapter 19: The Dim Day

Although Hector and the Quagmires were safe up in the self-sustaining hot air mobile home, they were far from happy. They were separated from their friends and their friends were in grave danger. The only event that gave them the slightest bit of hope is spotting the Baudelaires escaping from Count Olaf, Esme, their Hench people, and the mob, in a 1965 firetruck.

"I know you already miss your friends," began Hector as Duncan and Isadora stared down onto the tiny buildings. "But I think I have something that will get your mind off the previous events."

Isadora turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's not much, but since I haven't shown you around our new home, I figured we could do that now."

"Duncan," Isadora called, but he didn't answer. He just kept staring at the ground just like he was when he said his gloomy goodbye. "Maybe if we never got to know them, they would've been able to escape."

"You can't say that, Duncan. They did an amazing thing for us and we'll return the favor, one day."

"That is if we ever see them again."

"We will, Duncan just like every time we thought we wouldn't."

He finally turned around to look at his sister.

"You're right," he sighed. "Come on, let's take that tour."

Hector first led them to the control area. "This is the operating area. I can control the hot air mobile home from here." He then moved to the baskets hanging on the sides of the mobile home. "These baskets are not too large, so they are used for storage. Here," he pointed at a basket filled with Mexican turnips, "Is my supply of Mexican turnips."

"Sunny would've loved them," frowned Duncan.

"Because she loves hard food," sighed Isadora.

"I miss them already," they stated in unison.

There was a moment of silence before Hector lead them to one large basket on the side of the hot air mobile home. "This, here, is a doorway to the lower level of the self-sustaining hot air mobile home."

"There's a lower level," questioned Duncan in slight surprise.

"Yes. It's not very large, but it's good enough for hiding from the rain."

"So will we be sleeping down there?" asked Isadora.

"Yes. Let me show you."

He sat down on the ground and lowered his legs into the basket. He dropped himself and gently landed onto the bottom surface of the basket. Duncan and Isadora watched as he disappeared from the basket, but they heard him call, "Come on! Just do what I did!"

Isadora did just as Hector did and slowly lowered herself into the basket.

"Duncan, look!"

"What is it?" he asked, peering his head into the basket.

"There's a small door over here. I'm going to enter through it, just follow me."

"Okay."

Isadora, just like Hector, disappeared from sight in seconds. Duncan was now all alone on the upper level of the self-sustaining hot air mobile home. He looked around only to see extremely dark clouds, showing signs of releasing a storm, approach him. He quickly grabbed a plastic cover and placed it over the controls of the mobile home and luckily found many more covers which he used to cover the food. He then followed his sister into the lower level of the hot air mobile home. When he was in the basket, he spotted the small door that was large enough to fit a crawling person. He opened the door and crawled into it, then closed the door behind him. He also saw a lock on the inside of the door and used it to lock it.