The Quagmires

Chapter 25: The Curious Couplets

As I have mentioned before, Isadora enjoys writing poetry. Well, couplets to be exact. When she and Duncan were kidnapped by a notorious villain, Isadora used them as a way of telling her friends where they were. The Quagmires didn't expect to have to use that she'd have to use that technique again, but apparently, they were incorrect.

"Wait. Was that here before?" Hector asked as he pointed to a bottle with a piece of paper inside it. Quigley walked up to it and picked it up. "I don't think so," he said. He opened the bottle and unfolded the piece of paper. Then, he read,

"Some couplets may contain clues,

In the end, they'll lead me to you."

"That's an odd poem," admitted Justice Strauss.

"It's a couplet," Duncan explained, "Our sister wrote those."

"I have to admit, Duncan, this does have rather an odd choice of words," Quigley added.

"I remember the Baudelaires receiving couplets back in the Village of Fowl Devotees," stated Hector. "Were those Isadora's?"

"They were," clarified Duncan. "We used them to let the Baudelaires know that we were hidden in the Fowl fountain."

"But someone must've studied tidal charts to ensure that this bottle ended up on Briny Beach," Quigley realized.

"Then she needs someone smart and well-read," said Duncan.

"Someone like Klaus."

"It's possible."

"I hope so."

"Now what?" Hector questioned.

"Well last time, we used the first letter of every line to make up a word. Maybe she did that again," Duncan suggested.

"Let me see," said Justice Strauss.

She read the paper and announced, "S.I." She looked up at the rest and asked, "What words start with SI?"

"Countless ones," stated Duncan. Hector and Quigley nodded in agreement.

"I have an idea," Quigley declared. "We can go back to Justice Strauss's house and study tidal charts to figure out when the next couplet comes, if it does."

"I agree," Duncan said, and obviously everyone else did. 

Luckily, the rickety trolley arrived, as if on cue, and they boarded it to Justice Strauss's home. When they made it home, Justice Strauss handed Quigley and Duncan a few tidal charts and they began to study them. Hector had confessed to Justice Strauss that he wasn't good at studying tidal charts, and that he was better at mechanics. Therefore, Justice Strauss showed him to another room, where she had something she needed to fix. He gladly followed her and helped her out, while Quigley and Duncan focused their thoughts onto studying tidal charts.

- - -

Justice Strauss and Hector walked into the living room with hopeful expressions.

"What did you find out?" Hector asked.

Duncan and Quigley looked up at them simultaneously. Those two were meant to be triplets.

Duncan began, "If our calculations are correct..."

"We should be receiving the next couplet, tomorrow," Quigley continued.

"I hope so," Justice Strauss breathed.

"You're lucky to have such a talented and clever sister," Hector stated.

"We are," the two triplets said in unison.