Chapter Two
by Tiago Squalor
As the Baudelaire orphans climbed onto the
Moth II with Count Olaf, they noticed two things about the ship. First, it was apparently abandoned. There was not a soul to be seen aboard the ship, not that souls can be seen, if they are indeed real. The second thing was the various personal objects that were spread out across the deck. Stockings with holes in them, stockings which someone was apparently trying to mend, knitting needles, stethoscopes, an assortment of sports magazines, tiny miniatures were just some of the clutter that filled the deck. It was hard walking without stepping on something, but Count Olaf never troubled himself to be careful.
‘What a load of junk!’ He kicked some of the miniatures, breaking them. ‘With all this ship’s reputation you’d think they’d keep it tidy.’
‘You’re one to complain.’ Klaus snarked. Count Olaf’s untidiness was legendary, a word which here means ‘of common knowledge’. When they first met, it was at the count’s decadent mansion, a victorian house cluttered, dusty, broken and outright depressing. A stark contrast to the Baudelaire mansion, which was as clean as it was well-lit, another problem that Count Olaf’s house had.
‘It’s almost as if the ships’ crew dropped everything they had and escaped. The big question is: why?’ Violet spoke, crouching to pick up a nice wrench that had caught her attention. ‘Violet, I think you’re asking the wrong question. It is not why, but what. What made them drop every of their belongings and abandon the ship?’ Klaus replied. ‘Well, I can think of a few reasons.’ Violet told him. ‘Remember that question mark shape in the ocean?’
‘Don’t speak of it!’ Count Olaf practically hissed, all nervous all of a sudden. ‘Do not speak of things you do not comprehend, child.’ The man then bowed down to pick up a wad of money someone had dropped.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny frowned, but said nothing. Even now, even as they were miles from civilization, but Count Olaf still thought more about money and fortunes more than anything. It was almost sad. But then again, the Baudelaires could not be expected to feel sorry for Olaf.
‘We should check out the captain’s room. They must have left some clue as to their current whereabouts or the reason they abandoned the ship.’ Klaus reasoned, and Violet and Sunny agreed. While they promptly began to search for a map of the ship or a way to go to the captain’s room, Olaf stayed behind picking the relatively more precious belongings there were on the ship’s deck. The Baudelaires went down a ladder into the inner bowels of the ship to search for a map, with a flashlight Violet had found. They searched and searched, and realize the interior of the
Moth II was just as cluttered with personal belongings as the exterior.
‘There!’ Sunny uttered after the Baudelaires managed to walk past a stack of comic books and a pile of sleeping bags. A map of the
Moth II was pinned to the bulletin board near what seemed to be the main staircase of the vessel.
‘There’s the bridge over there.’ Violet shone the flashlight towards the room marked
Bridge. ‘If there’s some sort of explanation to all this, it must be in the bridge.’
The Baudelaires climbed their way to the bridge, which was abandoned and cluttered as the rest of the ship. Curiously enough, on a desk at the bridge, a cup of tea rested with the tea still undrunk, and lukewarm.
‘Look.’ Klaus noticed, on the desk, the picture of a few members of the crew. Their names were written on the bottom of the picture. Captain Alighieri, with an eye patch – marked with a symbol the Baudelaires could not indentify -. First Immediate, Janis Salander, who smiled timidly, her dark hair all spiky beneath her sailor’s cap, and the rest of the crew, men and women in uniforms.
‘I gather from the lukewarm tea and the general mess on this ship it’s abandoment has been fairly recent. Very recent.’ Klaus said.
‘There is no letter or note, or anything.’ Violet examined the top of the desk. All the papers seemed to concern trivial things.
‘Whatever reason the crew may have had to abandon this ship, it must have been a strong one.’ Klaus stated. And suddenly, a light shone from outside. It was as if the
Moth II was being approached by another vessel. A smaller one.
‘Look!’ The Baudelaires saw as Count Olaf ran away from the light and went into the interior of the ship, almost as if he was escaping something. Or someone.
The Baudelaires saw as the vessel pulled near the
Moth II and wondered what was in store for them aboard that ship, who was taking an interest now, and the reason Olaf ran away to avoid contact with the newcomers.
<O>
Poll Question
a) Are the newcomers actually the crew of the Moth II returning to the ship after their previous abandoment?
b) Or is this new group a new group of people who just noticed the Moth II?
Answer within the next twenty four hours and Dante will nominate the writer of the next chapter.
P.s.: I apologize for the extraordinary delay. College has been particularly busy, and I've only just gotten a break to write.