The End result of a Horrible Day

"I am going to cry. Let's face it, there is no way that we will be ready to hand in our history project on time," Janet stated, looking wide-eyed and extremely pale due to the combination of lack of sleep and mounting stress.

"I know. It's bad enough that we have an annoyingly difficult topic to expand upon, but then we have to couple it with not being able to get together often enough, and when we do, half the group isn't even ready!" Catie herself was looking a little strained as well.

The two friends were slowly walking to the bus stop, just having finished a group meeting for a history project, which had ended in disaster. Thinking that the day could not get any worse, they soon found out that it could. The bus they had to take drove by and splashed through a puddle, drenching the poor girls while they walked. This event elicited a "NO!" from both girls as they started their fruitless attempt to get to the bus stop before the bus did. In their haste, they did not see that apiece of sidewalk they were approaching protruded slightly and both stumbled over it.

They both slowly straightened up. As Catie stood up, she gaped, for her surroundings were very different from what they had been moments before.

"Where are we?" was what finally came out of Catie's mouth. Janet on the other hand was more preoccupied with other things.

"WHY AM I IN A DRESS!"

"Janet, I think we have a bigger problem than you being in a dress. For goodness sakes, look around you!"

It was not until that moment that Janet realized the drastic change in the environment. In a quick glance, Janet took in her new surroundings. No longer was it the end of the day, but early morning. Also, instead of brick houses and black paved streets, the houses were made out of grey stone and the where there was cobble stoned streets as far as the eye could see. Lastly, to Janet's great shock, dismay and amazement, her eyes fell upon the majestic Notre-Dame Cathedral.

"Well, it can't get much worse," sighed Janet.

At that moment, both Catie and Janet heard a loud crash, coming from the roof of the house they were standing under. Janet just had enough time to look up to see a form falling towards her and let out a small groan before the body fell heavily on top of her. Luckily, Catie was standing sufficiently far enough away from Janet so that the falling body did not land on her, instead watching as Janet crumpled under the mass of the falling person. A small, muffled yelp of pain was heard coming from Janet.

"Janet!"

"Get this thing off me!" came the answering yell that was not that loud due to the fact that Janet's face was pressed up against the cobble stoned street.

Catie lost no time in rolling the body of Janet, who gingerly got up, wincing. She turned to Catie and muttered, "Remind me never to say that a day can't get any worse ok?"

At this the girls looked down at the body that had fallen onto Janet. It was a relatively tall man who was partially bald and what hair he did have was turning from brown to white. For clothes, the man wore a shredded cassock. Finally, their attention was diverted to the man's multiple wounds. The tips of his fingers were all skinned and bleeding, his left leg was broken as well as his right forearm. He also sported a rather nasty gash that ran from the top of his forehead to his left ear. Janet dropped to her knees and began checking his vitals, finally putting her first aid skills to use. The man was unconscious, his heart was beating feebly and his breathing was sparatic.

"Well, we have to at least get him out of the middle of the street…one good thing is that his spine is still intact," Janet told Catie who was standing above them with an expression of shock.

"Janet, don't you find this scene oddly familiar? I mean, being next to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, a priest falling out of the cathedral from the looks of it and it seeming to be the 15 hundreds?"

Janet looked up with a start. " You don't think? …No it couldn't be? …I mean, could we really be in a book?"

"It seems that we are, whether we like it or not," came the answer.

"Hang on… if we're in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame then…holy shit! This is Frollo!"

"We should probably get him our of the middle of the street and onto a bed."

"Good idea… Let's see he should have the key to his cell on him somewhere…" Janet then started to search among the shreds of the cassock for a small pouch. She finally found one, which contained a key. She took out the key then paused. "Um Catie, how are we supposed to get him into the cathedral and up the stairs without breaking our backs and injuring him even more?"

"I'm not sure but from the looks of the people around us, I'm guessing they're not going to help… I guess it's just up to us to get him into his cell."

"Oh this is great, just great!" Janet stooped down and put her arms under the armpits of the unconcious Archdeacon. She looked back at Catie, "Some help here please!"

Catie rushed over and picked up the legs. The two girls then made their way slowly towards the Cathedral under the curious eyes of the bystanders and the whispers coming from some of the women. They finally made it inside the cathedral and started up the stairs with frequent pauses to recover their strength and catch their breath. Coming to the door of Archdeacon Frollo's cell, Catie put down the man's legs, took the key from Janet and opened the door. A large window lighted the room and the bed was at the other side of the room. Catie came back and helped Janet carry the Archdeacon to his bed. Janet started to search for some water to clean the gash on the side of Frollo's head and for some pieces of wood to make splints for his broken arm and leg. She soon found what she was looking for, returned to her 'patient', took off his shredded and grimy cassock and set to work cleaning and dressing his injuries. During this time Catie was standing off to the side lost in her own thoughts. Her thoughts were with a mourning bell ringer who was somewhere in the cathedral. She looked at Janet who was tending to the Archdeacon Frollo, decided that her help wasn't needed and set off in search of Quasimodo.

A Star Seen Through the Gloom

He felt horrible. The only woman he had ever loved had just been hanged, before his eyes in La Greve. The one person he thought was his friend, his protector, had caused him this pain. It was he who had brought the beautiful and kind La Esmarelda to her death. Archdeacon Frollo clung to the stone gutter before him. All he had to do to save the Archdeacon's life was give him his hand and pull him back onto the balcony, but he refused to do it. In Quasimodo's eyes, Frollo was a murderer and deserved death as retribution. The Archdeacon's strength finally failed him and he plummeted to the street below, first landing on the roof of a house. Quasimodo realized that Frollo was not dead when he hit the roof because he saw the Archdeacon try and grasp the ridge of the roof. Frollo's attempts to not slide down the roof were useless. Quasimodo saw, with some growing trepidation, as Frollo fell on top of a young girl. Quasimodo hoped that the girl was not seriously injured and was relieved when he saw her friend help her up. As soon as he found out that no one was hurt in the Archdeacon's fall, Quasimodo turned and walked back into the shadows of the Cathedral. He completely missed the scene that was unfolding as the two girls he had seen carried the Archdeacon's limp body back into the cathedral.