This tragic story starts in the early afternoon of August 24, 79 A.D. Pepe the Elder is hard at work on his latest manuscript, and the younger Pepe is also present. It is Pepe the Younger who first notices the appearance of a strange and ominous cloud in the distance.
Pepe the Elder decides to take a closer look and climbs to a point where he can get a better view of the cloud. Pepe the Younger compares the cloud to an umbrella pine in shape, given that it rose upwards in a column and then branched out at the top. Pepe the Elder immediately realizes that all is not well. He orders for a boat to be made ready to make further investigations.
