A surprise birthday celebration
Modern life sucks. Period.
Christine shut the door to her in sheer frustration. She tried, she really did, her car was not working. She would have to send it for repairs tomorrow.
How she could scream, except that would disturb the neighbors. She had been looking forward to her day-off tomorrow – work had been a bummer lately – but without her car, she would have to cancel any plans she had.
And then it occurred to Christine that there was the plumbing to take care of too. There were just too many mundane things to look into, and she felt like throwing in the proverbial towel.
As Christine walked to her apartment and inserted her key into the door, she thought she should just coop herself at home, and wish all her problems away.
Or, she stopped in her steps as she opened the door, wish for a certain, tall, dark man of fantasy to solve everything for her.
Of all the people in all the universes, Judge Claude Frollo was standing in the middle of her living room. It must be admitted that his medieval clothes clashed with the décor, but he still managed to pull off a regal appearance.
When Frollo saw Christine, he arched his eyebrow and smirked. Without giving Christine a chance to react, he said simply, "Come along, then," and whisked her away. Next thing Christine knew, she was sailing through a portal with Frollo.
"You have kept me waiting, my dear," Frollo murmured, "There is little time left."
"Wha…" Christine was by turns confused and excited. "What's going on, where are we going?"
"To the happiest place on earth, I trust you know where that is." Frollo said, "We have a special surprise for you Christine, for your special day."
A bubble of happiness swelled in Christine, "You know it's my birthday?" That was the reason she had taken the day-off tomorrow after all, but she thought she may have to celebrate it alone, especially when her car broke down.
She told Frollo as much, to which he replied, "We cannot have that now, can we?" He took her hand and tucked it into the crook of his arm, "You have always been kind and supportive of me, my dear. It is time I show my gratitude."
It was not long before they arrived at Main Street USA, where everyone from Disneyland gathered. Christine was their only guest, and they showered her with attention.
Clopin winked, "He is yours tonight!" Frollo shook his head in exasperation, "Never mind what the jester said, Christine. You will always be in my thoughts. And I am your host tonight."
Arm-in-arm, they walked about the park. Characters came out from nowhere and pressed Christine with gifts. Frollo offered to carry some of them, and they continued walking about. Although Christine had visited Disneyland many times, Frollo could still point out nooks and crannies she did not know about.
"How long have you prepared this?" Christine asked Frollo as she saw banner after banner of wells wishes for her.
"Since I found out when your birthday was," Frollo answered cryptically and would say no more on the matter. He was visibly relaxed, and made for both an excellent guide and companion when he wished to be, it seemed. And it seemed that everyone was mindful of giving them some privacy. In the end, Christine noticed that while everyone was performing in the streets for her alone, they no longer approached her. Without any interference, they took in the sights together and chatted freely. Seizing this once in a lifetime opportunity, Christine asked everything about Frollo, including his childhood. He answered candidly.
"It's a secret between us," he said, "No one else will know."
Time flew when one was having fun. Before Christine knew it, she heard the clock strike twelve times.
"Midnight," Christine whispered, "I feel like Cinderella, and it's time to go home."
"Not yet. I believe in modern parlance, midnight is also called," here Frollo gave a knowing smile, "the witching hour."
Fireworks shot up into the sky without any warning, and Christine gasped. These were not the usual displays for the public every night as the park closed. As Christine watched in delight, scenes from her favorite movies were lit brightly against the dark blanket of the night.
"If only 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' can be shown in fireworks everytime!" Christine exclaimed as a firework version of Quasimodo swinging among the bells appeared.
Frollo smiled, "We are working on persuading the Disney team. And if persuasion is not successful," he shrugged, "there is always blackmail."
When the fireworks ended, it was truly time to return. Saddened, though happy at the same time, Christine allowed Frollo to escort her back to the portal. But before they parted, Christine said pointedly, "Everyone gave me a gift. You didn't."
Frollo waved his hand dismissively, "Trinkets. Frivolity. My gift," his voice lowered and he whispered in Christine's ear, "will present itself when you wake up. Check your car." He kissed the back of Christine's hand. Until we meet next time, my dear."
When morning came, Christine found herself waking up in bed. Everything that had happened last night remained vivid in her mind. In her excitement, she rushed out of her apartment without closing her door. She found that her car was working perfectly, and in the passenger seat, lay a single rose, with a piece of parchment wrapped around it. Unwrapping the parchment, Christine read the words, "Until we meet next time, my dear" in Frollo's precise scrawl.
A neighbor, who had seen Christine rush out of the apartment, sighed at her carelessness and went to close the door for her. The little that he saw was enough to startle him.
When he returned to his own apartment, he asked his wife, who was a light sleeper, "Hey, did you hear anything last night?"
"What do you mean?" his wife asked.
"From our neighbor's apartment, what's her name? Christine something?"
"Oh. No, I didn't hear anything. What's the matter?"
"It's just… I was walking past her place. It looked like she had a storm of a party. There sure was a mess of confetti all over the place. And the smell of… fireworks?"