Confessions
It was in the morning that I was entertaining children with my puppet shows. The children were laughing along with my many jokes and silly talking, enjoying the show.
After the puppet show I always take a quick glance to the Notre Dame, hoping to see the face of the legendary Quasimodo. I've known him since he was a baby but haven't heard from him lately. Maybe it has to be Frollo who was responsible for his disappearance in the bell tower. I've never liked that judge.
I was close to disappearing into a restaurant when someone held me tightly. Before I could leave, I heard.
"Capture that gypsy!" I knew it was Frollo by his dark growling voice.
I punched the guard that held me and took out a blanket. But before I could make my mysterious departure, someone took the blanket and threw it. Then I felt someone push me and hit me onto the wall. The last thing I saw was Frollo walking to me.
At first I didn't know where I was but I felt cold. It felt that I lost my clothes, that I was feeling cold by the minute. I opened my eyes to look around but everything was blurry. So I looked down. It seemed that the only thing I wore was a loin cloth.
"He is the king of the gypsies," said a growling voice. "I must know where they are hiding."
"Ha!" I said, coming back to my senses. "You'll never find them!"
I found myself in a dark room where guards and Frollo stood in front of me. I felt my hands tied that I tried to move them but it felt that my wrists were held by manacles. Looking around, I noticed where I was: A torture chamber.
"Where are the gypsies?" I heard Frollo asking me.
I was looking around noticing all the devices around me. There was a spiked chair, the rack, an iron maiden, and many others. It was hard to believe my luck now.
"I repeat," Frollo told me. "Where are the gypsies?"
"I would answer an unholy man," I teased. "Not for a tyrannical monster."
I saw Frollo nod to someone. This someone, I noticed, held a whip. At least it didn't seem too violent but when he lashed at me, I felt a stinging mark on my face.
"Vermin like you, gypsy king, are the children of Satan," said Frollo darkly. What he said was defiantly untrue. "Blasphemers must be punished, especially gypsies."
"And what will you do if I don't answer the question?" I again teased. I saw Frollo grin.
Before I knew it, the manacles holding me on the wall were unlocked and I was forced across the room. They were taking me to the chair. Knowing what they were going to do, I tried to fight. I was only able to manage a black eye on a guard and kick another, but they forced me on the chair.
Bolting me onto the chair was nothing at all due to the pain I felt around my body. I could feel the spikes stabbing me everywhere on my back, my arms, and legs but it was worse when they punctured my wrists with the chains.
I was trying not to scream feeling the piercings that all I could do was pant hard and silently whimper.
"Where are the gypsies?" Frollo asked me again.
I looked to him angrily.
"Where are they?"
All I did was glare at him.
I've known Frollo all my life that he will never stop at anything to capture me and my people. I will never understand a holy person who would turn racist and menacing that never in my life I've seen anyone like him.
"Where are your people?" he bellowed to me. "Where is Esmeralda?"
"What do you want with her?" I yelled to him, panting hard.
"Where is she?"
We stared at each other for a while that I gathered up saliva, I spit at Frollo. He backed away.
"Burn him," Frollo ordered.
I prepared myself while a guard set burning coals underneath me. One by one, after each coal, I could feel the spikes burning me. Each spike that pierced me, there was a burning feeling I felt. Again I tried not to scream, not wanting to give my enemies the satisfaction, I only winced to the pain. The burning was indeed torturous that I could feel sweat covering my face. It was extremely hot.
"Where are the gypsies?" I heard Frollo ask.
I only looked to him, not wanting to answer.
I kept panting hard staring at Frollo, taking in the pain, though it made me sweat and burn. I was also furious with Frollo. He was torturing me!
"I will never tell you," I whispered. "Break me." I'd rather die than betray my people.
It seemed that Frollo was enjoying my pain that I wanted to hurt him so badly. He truly is a monster.
It felt to me that the pain lasted forever until Frollo said,
"Put him on the rack."
No, please, I thought. Please don't. I wanted to say this to them but I thought differently.
The guards took me off the chair, that for some odd reason I was feeling comfortable, and again took me across the room. I could barely move that they literally dragged me; I could feel my bare feet scraping the ground.
I saw the rack before they tied me onto it. I was turned around and tied onto the table. I could feel the wood touching the wounds on my back but that's not what scared me.
I, Clopin, king of the gypsies, have never been scared in my life but at this moment, I was terrified. I knew everything executioners would do in the chambers that I've never experienced this before, but now that it's happening to me, the pain was unbearable. I knew what was coming. I couldn't even look at Frollo and the torturers.
"Let's try this again," I heard Frollo say. "Where are the gypsies?"
I didn't answer.
Because of that, I heard a cranking sound from a lever and unfortunately felt my wrists tighten. I only winced.
"Where are they?" Frollo asked again.
The turning continued and again my wrists tightened.
I couldn't say a word, the pain was unbearable that the tighter they turned, my wrists were numb by the second. I could hear them cracking. Because I couldn't take it any longer, I had to scream. Not like any scream I've ever yelled in my life that I roared and bellowed at the same time.
"Stop," said the growling voice.
I started to pant hard, keeping my eyes shut.
"Where is your hideout?"
I couldn't talk at all since my throat felt hoarse all I could do was think.
They're going to kill me, I thought. Just kill me. Do it! I'm suffering to protect my people. I'm their king!
"Answer me!" I heard Frollo yell.
Lie, don't tell the truth.
"WHERE ARE THEY?"
Lie to him.
"ANSWER ME!"
"England," I panted, whispering. "We're in England." I was telling him a lie.
I only laid there panting hard waiting for the worse. Eventually it came. My bones were again stretched that I could feel them dislocating including my veins. The pain was unbelievable that I heard a loud cracking sound.
"Dispose of him," I heard Frollo order his men.
Before I knew it, I felt myself dragged and thrown. I fell to the ground feeling the stones and smelling the dirt that I also heard a cell door slam. I knew where I was. There wasn't anything I could for now.
It felt that I was in this cell room forever that the only company I had was a couple of rats. They were close to chewing me once that I had to fight them away. All I could do was yell at them. I could barely move my hands and lay there. Then I started to think about my people.
They are safe for now for I've lied to Frollo that we're hiding in England. That was the first thing that I could think of. I have been there before but I've never had the pleasure of returning. They were similar to Frollo's reputation. But at least they were protected. No one knows our hideout except us, from a tunnel of the catacombs located in local cemetery. Then I started to think about Esmeralda.
What did Frollo want with her? True, she has seduced men with her feminine charm but it's never worked on me. She's like my sister for we are related. I would risk my life just to save her for we've grown a bond.
But here I was in this infernal cell. I was broken but I have to keep fighting. I have to get out and return to the Court of Miracles.
I crawled to the door of the cell and looked out. There was nothing but a solid wall, no light.
"Help me!" I shouted. "Help! Please!"
Looking around, there was nobody.
"Please help me. Please."
I've been in the cell for so long that I only had to survive by drinking the water, not daring to eat the rats, though there was one rat I bonded with. This rat was unlike the others that he came to my face. I was afraid he would start chewing on me but he didn't. It only looked to me. We actually connected eyes that I couldn't see any fear or lust in the rat, just curiosity.
Since I've been in the cell for a long time, I was staring to pray, wonder, and dream if anyone would come and rescue me. There is no way how I'll be able to survive. All hope was lost for me. There wasn't a way out of this. I'm going to die in this cell.
I was sleeping that out from the door I heard some commotion. Hoping it was a hero or somebody, I looked to the door. There wasn't anybody but I could hear them. It sounded like somebody running down a set of stairs and a burning torch.
"H-help," I stammered, yet whispered. I was losing my voice. "Please."
To get their attention I tried to move my right hand but it was still broken and swollen. I could barely move it. So instead I kicked the cell door with my foot.
"Is anybody there?" I heard someone call.
I didn't know who it was but I continued to kick the door to get their attention. I looked up and noticed somebody. It was a muscular man in yellow blonde hair and goatee. I knew who it was though I didn't trust him. He wasn't looking at me that I stopped kicking the door.
"Where are you?" Phoebus asked. I only glared at him.
I knew he stole my sister's heart that it was hard for me to accept him but I really needed the help. He did try to save me and my people. I kicked the cell door again.
I saw him look to his left that I kicked again. Then he noticed me. Phoebus knelt down and I saw him observe the wounds on my back.
"What did they do to you?" he asked.
"Chair and rack," I answered feebly. "Just get me out of here."
I noticed Phoebus stand up that I looked to the wall of the hallway. I heard Phoebus tackle the lock that he opened the door.
"We don't have enough time," he told me. "Frollo will be back soon from England. I think he's furious."
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, slowly.
"I don't trust that judge."
I could hear everything that I noticed Phoebus kneel down and felt him pick me up. Across the cell, I saw the familiar rat. He was looking to me, watching me leave. That was the last thing I remembered.
It felt that I was lying on something comfortable. I was so weakened that I couldn't open my eyes but only gradually. It seemed that my vision was blurred that I could only see an outline
of a person. I didn't know who it was but something looked familiar. Feeling tired, I instead closed my eyes and drifted into sleep.
I awoke when I felt someone touch me. Looking, someone was with me. Someone I know.
"Jeanette?" I asked. It was her.
I was back home since it truly was Jeanette, one of my people.
"You slept like a log," she said. I saw her take a wet cloth and felt her dab it on my forehead.
"What happened?" I asked.
"The captain saved you," she answered. "It's a miracle you're alive. We haven't seen you in five days."
"Where's Esmeralda?"
"I'll go get her." I watched Jeanette stand up and leave the tent.
I looked around my surroundings finding myself in my own tent. I was lying on my hammock, feeling comfortable and soft blankets covering me, warming me. I was back home. I noticed a loaf of bread on the ground that I was about to get up but the entrance covering was opened, revealing Esmeralda.
"You should lie down," she told me.
"Esmeralda!" I said, overjoyed.
Even though I wanted to go to her and hug her, I instead laid on the hammock. It was a huge relief to see her.
"Phoebus told me everything," she said, sitting next to me.
"Before you explain," I said. "Fetch me that bread. A king starves for hunger."
Esmeralda stood up and went to grab the bread. She tore it into pieces and stuffed them in my mouth.
"Why can't I move my hands?" I asked, after I ate the piece. She gave me another.
"They were broken," she told me. "Jean should come by soon."
"Jean, the doctor? How is everybody?"
"We're fine but we were worried about you."
"I'll be fine. We're safe for now."
"But I'm worried about someone."
"And who's that?"
"Quasimodo. He seems so lonely and confused."
"The poor child lived in the bell tower his whole life."
"Frollo raised him."
When I heard the name Frollo, something inside me grew into anger.
"That man is nothing but a demon!" I yelled. "No matter what, he'll never find us!"
"What do you propose we do?" she asked me.
"When's he's dead, we'll be able to live in peace. And we'll have Quasimodo as one of us."
"How do you know him?"
"I knew his mother."