Chapter 2: Trouble for Feast of Fools

"Do you see her anywhere," Clopin asked Clariece as soon as she was next to him.
"No I can't see..." Clariece replied before a high pitch voice sounded.
"CLOPIN!" A woman shouted making Clopin and Clariece jump and turn around to see a short and slightly stump lady started marching her way over towards them.
"Clopin, and Clariece, you are late!" She said putting her hands on her hips staring at them.
"Hi, mom," Clopin said rocking awkwardly back and forth.
"Hi, Chantel." Clariece said staring at her with a smile on her face.

"Clopin if you didn't have your friend around I would just, hmm, never mind. At least you're back and safe." Chantel said as she started lowering her hands.
"Now come on Clopin, your brother wishes to speak with you before the festival. Clariece you can come too, I may need some of your assistance."
Clopin and Clariece followed a couple steps behind her towards a covered wagon surrounded by people watching them as the three of them made their way over. A man, as tall as Clopin but with more weight, stepped forward.
"Well Claude I've found him for you." Chantel reported to him. "Now I don't want to hear any arguments out here, you two here."
"Yes, Mom." Clopin and Claude said in unison of each other.
"Clariece."
"Yes Chantel?"
"Could you be a dear and come help Rosa and me with a few things?" Chantel asked through the open doorway of the covered wagon.
"Of course." Clariece replied looking at Clopin and Claude as she passed by.
Clariece walked into the covered wagon after Chantel and walked over towards a short, skinny woman with her long brown hair pulled back knelling next to a little brown haired boy sitting on the bed.
"Hello Rosa, need some help with that." Clariece asked as she kneeled down by the bed.
"Yes thank you very much Clariece." She replied handing a needle and cloth to her. "We are both very sorry if you had something else to do, but the festival is starting soon and we hoped to get this done before then."

"It will be no problem," Clariece replied as she stitched in the cloth to finish the pattern on the outfit.
"So Lucas," she asked looking up to the boy on the bed, "you excited to see the festival today?"
"Yes!" The little boy responded bouncing on the bed replied excitedly. "I bet it better than last year's festival." He replied with a big smile on his face.
"Well Lucas the festival seems to get better every year," Chantel replied to the bouncy little boy.
"It does grandma," he replied calming down to hear her speak.
"Yes," she replied finishing with her stitching and moving to sit on the bed next to him, "every year something, or someone, new and exciting comes along to be part of the festival."
"Well, why isn't Claire in the festival?" The boy asked looking from Chantel to Clariece.
"There is already enough excitement in the festival as there is." Clariece joked to the boy with a smile as she continued her stitching.
"Yep, uncle Clopin is all the excitement at the festival, isn't he grandma." He replied with a smile looking back at his grandma.
"Yes he has been the center of attention as long as I can remember, always doing his little flips and singing songs." Chantel said dazing off into space.
"He started really scaring dear Charles and me when he started doing more dangerous flips." She replied looking up with a smile. "Charles finally had enough and poor Clopin had to bring his little stunts down a bit."
"So Lucas," Rosa asked, "what is your favorite part of the festival?"
"Um," he said biting his lower lip, "probably crowning the king."
"Yeah, everyone seems to like that one," Chantel replied looking at Lucas.
"There!" Clariece exclaimed putting down the needle and leftover cloth. "Your outfit is done; just don't grow out of this one too fast." She said ruffling the boys' hair.
"Just in time for the festival." Rosa said as she picked up the boy.
"Are we going to the festival now momma?" Lucas asked her.
"Yes, we're going," she replied.
"Well, let's just hope those two boys are over with their conversation." Chantel said as she headed towards the door.

Clopin and Claude watched as Clariece closed the door behind her before looking towards each other.
"So," Clopin said to start the conversation, "they making a new outfit for little Luke."
"Yeah," Claude replied turning to look towards the door the women went in, "he's been growing out of his old clothes quite a while ago, but Rosa waited till now to finally make him some more fitting clothes." He replied turning back to face Clopin. "That's the great thing about having kids. I'm just waiting for the day you finally decide to settle down and have some of your own to find that out for yourself." He replied with a chuckle.
"Well," Clopin said folding his arms, "in case you haven't noticed I've been having trouble sticking with a girl."
"Well, you and Clariece seem to be sticking together pretty well." Claude said nodding his head towards the covered wagon.
"Well that's different," Clopin said walking a few steps away, "we're just friends."
"Yeah!" Claude said with a chuckle.
"We are!" Clopin said facing his brother with rage in his face.
"Okay, okay," Claude said putting his hands up in front of him, "but you know I do know a lot of people who were 'just friends' that are now married to each other."
Clopin stared at his brother and knew he was right, many gypsies and villagers that once were friends ended up marring each other. 'But he's wrong.' Clopin thought to himself. 'Sure Clariece and I have been friends for as long as both of us remember, but she wouldn't ever want something like that to happen between us. Would she? I mean we both get along with each other better than anyone I know, and she knows my problems and I know hers. We even both have a knack for getting into trouble and getting each other out of trouble. But, that can't be love, can it?' Clopin thought as he rubbed his chin.
"Clopin, ... Clopin,... HEY CLOPIN!" Claude said shaking Clopin out of his thoughts.
"You kind of zoned out on me what in the world were you thinking of?"
"Nothing."
"Ha, nothing, now you know as well as I do, Clopin, that you were not thinking of nothing."
"Well that nothing doesn't concern you."
"Okay your right," Claude said putting his hands up, "it may not be my concern, but you can't blame a man for being curious."
Clopin was about to reply when the door to the wagon opened.
"Ah, I hoped you two haven't been fighting now." Chantel said as she walked out of the wagon towards the two men.
"You ladies done?" Claude asks after everyone got out of the wagon.
"Yes, and don't it look nice dad."
"Yes Lucas," Claude said as he walked over and took the boy out of Rosa's arms, "it looks very nice." He said bouncing the little boy around in his arms.
"Well we better go now or we will miss it." Chantel said as she started pushing the two men forward as everyone followed her.
"Ah, Clopin your still here too." A woman said as she walked over her big green eyes staring at him. She is much shorter than Clariece and her hair is more curled than Clariece's' is.
"Ah, Esme you are still here." Clopin said as everyone stopped.
"Yes, and I was just leaving to go and get ready for the festival when I saw you here."
"Well we actually were just leaving, Esme, so do you care to join us." Clopin said as he held back to everyone behind him.
"Well I guess I ..."
"Excellent Esmeralda," Chantel said coming up towards the woman, "by the way I can't wait to see what you got in store for the festival this year." She said as everyone followed them out towards the festival.

"Well you two," Chantel said turning towards Clopin and Esmeralda, "I guess this is where we leave you."
"Yeah," Esmeralda said, "I'll see all you guys later then." She said as she walked away.
"I'll look for you guys afterwards, all right." Clopin said.
"Yep, we'll wait for you here." Chantel said as Clopin walked off. "Well we should probably start moving or we'll get stuck in the back." Chantel said walking forward to where a crowd had already formed. Everyone followed after, sliding through the crowd to where Chantel stood standing.
"Come one, come all"
Lucas started bouncing again on Claude's shoulders as the voice boomed over the crowed.
"Leave your looms and milking stools,
coop the hens and pen the mules
Come one, come all"
More and more people, wearing plain, dull cloaks, started closing in around the square.
"Close the churches and the schools
it's the day for breaking rules
Come and join the Feast of...Fools!"
All the decorations that started out dull suddenly became full of life and colorful as Clopin slid under the people in the front laughing, as they ripped off their dull clothes and exposed bright arrays of colorful clothing. The poles that the people in the front were caring had flags of more bright colors drop down.
"Once a year we throw a party, here in town
Once a year we turn all of Paris upside down"
"Hehe, look at Uncle Clopin" Lucas said as he watched Clopin jump down into a puddle.
"Every man's a king and every king's a clown
once again its Topsy Turvy day"
Clariece looked over towards where Clopin was looking and saw a man wearing a cloak run off to hide from everyone's gaze.
"It's the day the devil in us gets released
It's the day we mock the pig and shock the priest
Everything is Topsy Turvy at the Feast of Fools"
"Topsy Turvy"
"Everything is upsy-daisy"
"Topsy Turvy"
"Everybody is acting crazy
Dross is gold and weeds are a bouquet
that's the way of Topsy Turvy day"
"Topsy Turvy"
"Beat the drums and blow the trumpets"
Everyone participating in the festival was moving all over the place enlightening everyone in the crowd.
"Topsy Turvy"
"Join the bums and thieves and strumpets
streaming in from Chartres to Calais
Scurvy knaves are extra scurvy
on the 6th of January
all because it's Topsy Turvy Day"
"Come one, come all
Hurry, hurry here's your chance,
see the mystery and romance"
"Come one, come all"
Clopin said as he jumped over a person onto the stage.
"See the finest girl in France
make an entrance to entrance
Dance la Esmeralda"
"Dance!"
And with that a cloud of pink smoke surrounded Clopin and in his place was Esmeralda, doing her mesmerizing dance around the stage. Leaving all the men around the stage gawking wide eyed and open mouthed as she started spinning around on a 'borrowed' pole. And with that finished as Clopin jumped back on the stage and continued on with his song.
"Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for
Here it is, you know exactly what's in store"
Clopin said as everyone around them was getting anxious and rubbing their hands together.
"Now's the time we laugh until our sides get sore
Now's the time we crown the King of Fools!"
"You all remember last year's king?" Clopin said as an extremely drunk man was carried through the crowd.
"So make a face that's horrible and frightening
make a face as gruesome as a gargoyle's wing
For the face that's ugliest will be the King of Fools
Why?"
"Topsy Turvy"
"Ugly folk, forget your shyness"
"Topsy Turvy"
Clopin said as both Esmeralda and he helped pull people up onto the stage.
"You could soon be called "Your Highness"
Put your foulest features on display
Be the king of Topsy Turvy Day"
The crowd booed or cheered as the peoples' masks got pulled off, and one by one each person was knocked off the stage by Esmeraldas' little goat, until they got to the last one. The crowd started gasping when they noticed that the last man's, or things, mask wouldn't come off. As the people stared at his hideousness they started speaking among themselves. The thing covered his disfigured face and slouched lower than his large hump on his back already was. Clariece looked over off to the side of the stage where Clopin came and leaped in front of the man.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't panic!" He said waving his hands in front of him. "We asked for the ugliest face in all of Paris and here he is! Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame!"
The Crowd then suddenly stopped panicking and rushed cheerfully towards the stage.
"Everybody" Clopin shouted as he leaped over the crowd, swiping a stilt out from under a man who fell over into the crowd, and walked off leading the way as people formed a path.
"Once a year we throw a party here in town
Hail to the King
Once a year we turn all of Paris upside down
Ha Ha Oh what a King
Once a year the ugliest will wear a crown
Girls give a kiss
Once a year on Topsy Turvy Day
We've never had a king like this and yet
it's the day we do the things that we deplore
on the other three hundred and sixty-four
Once a year we love to drop in, where the beer is neverstoppin'
For the chance to pop some popinjay
And pick a king who'll put the top in Topsy Turvy Day
Topsy Turvy
Mad and crazy, upsy-daisy, Topsy Turvy Day!"

The song ended with excitement as Clopin scanned through the audience. He jumped off the stage and made his way through the large groups of people until he came to a stop next to Clariece.
"Uncle Clopin" Lucas exclaimed as soon as Clopin was standing in front of him.
"Lucas!" Clopin exclaimed as he went forward to take the boy out of Claude's arms and setting him on his hip.
"Are you having a good time?"
"Yup!" Lucas said as he looked over to where the King of Fools was standing. Clopin looked over to where the boy was looking when suddenly a tomato hit Quasimodo in the face. Everyone's eyes went into shock as they watched people throw various vegetables at Quasimodo. Clopin turned back towards Claude and handed Lucas back to him and went off into the crowd with Clariece following after him.
Suddenly Clopin felt something grab his arm as he got closer to the stage.
"Don't go up there." Clopin looked around and saw Clariece holding him back.
"Excusez-moi?" Clopin exclaimed widening his eyes. "Can't you see what's going on up there?" He said throwing his free arm up towards Quasimodo.
"I see but no good will come out of this if you go up there." Clariece said to him as the noise started to die down.
Clopin turned around again to see Esmeralda walking up on the stage towards Quasimodo. Clopin started walking back towards the stage when Clariece started pulling him back farther from the stage as she stared at the two people up on the stage.
A man in a black and red robe pointed towards Esmeralda. "You gypsy girl, get down at once." He demanded as he stared at her with his dark unkind eyes.
"Yes, your honor, just as soon as I free this poor creature!" Esmeralda said as she stood up and looked towards the man.
"I forbid it!" He said as Esmeralda narrowed her eyes and pulled a knife off of the calf and cut the rope that bound Quasimodo to the stage. "How dare you defy me!" The man said with hatred.
"You mistreat this poor boy just the same way you mistreat my people. You speak of justice, yet you are cruel to those most in need of your help!" Esmeralda said.
"Silence!" The man commanded as he narrowed his eyes.
"Justice!" Esmeralda exclaimed as she punched her fist in the air with the knife still in her hand.
"Arrest her!" The man yelled as ten guards circled around Esmeralda.
"Stay here!" Clopin exclaimed towards Clariece when he managed to free his arm from her grasp.
Clariece watched as he moved off a ways before heading her way back towards where Chantel and everyone else were still standing.
"Esmeralda got away, Gaston saw her," Clopin said as he jumped into view, "she's okay, but will not head back until things start calming down."
"You saw Gaston," Chantel said walking up to Clopin, "where did he go?"
"Mom, he'll be alright."
"No Clopin, now tell me where your brother went!" She exclaimed trying to keep her voice down.
"He was heading home."
"Well, alright then," she said calming down, "I guess we should all head back too."
Everyone started leaving when Clariece stopped and looked behind her to see Clopin standing out in the open. Clariece started to make her way towards him until she finally stopped next to him. Clopin kept looking all around the area where the festival was and then averted his eyes over to Notre Dame, shaking his head every time.