"The 5th Passenger"
Chapter 2
Stroke......stroke.....
That was all Esmeralda could hear as she lay at the bottom of the boat. She saw nothing, for the blanket she was wrapped up in covered her face. She just pressed her ear against the bottom of the boat and listened to the rythmic sound of the oar splashing against the water.
Stroke....stroke.....
She pulled the blanket tightly around herself, but she was still numb with cold. She tried to breathe on her hands to warm them, but her lips were too stiff to blow right. She hoped her little baby brother was warm enough in his mother's arms.
Stroke.....stroke....waaaaahhh!!
Her thoughts were inturrupted by the piercing wail of her baby brother.
"Shut it up, will you??" whispered Roberto.
"We'll be spotted!" scolded the other man.
"Hush, little one," Rossetta whispered as she desperately tried to calm her baby.
Esmeralda held her breath, fearful of making any sound. Her tiny fingers clutched the blanket tighter, as if that would somehow protect everyone from harm. She remained in this state until she felt a grinding vibration under her. The boat seemed to come alive, like the earth was shifting, or a sleeping giant had just awakened and was now causing the ground to shake. The wood pressed against her head, making her teeth chatter.
And then...nothing. Total silence. She didn't even hear the stroking of the oar. After a few moments, she felt Rossetta's hand touching her head through the blanket.
"Esmeralda," she said, "stay here until we say it's safe to come out."
"Yes, Mama," Esmeralda whispered in a muffled voice. So, she thought, they had arrived. This was Paris. How she wanted to get out from under the blanket and look around! But she lay still, faithful to what she had told her mother, and listened intensely to what was going on.
Four pairs of feet carefully stepped out of the boat and onto the icy shore. The slow crunch, crunch of their footsteps told Esmeralda that they were as frightened as she was.
Gerald's walking stick tapped the snow a few times, like he was surveying the area, then he turned toward the gypsies.
"Four guilders for safe passage into Paris," his gruff voice whispered.
Esmeralda had been told it was a large sum of money that her parents would have to give in order to get into Paris.
Thwapp!!!
The sudden sound of an arrow flying pierced the softness. What had just happened?? Esmeralda had promised that she would lie low until it was safe, but this sound filled her with too much fear. She had to get out from under the blanket and see what was happening.
She carefully peeked over the edge of the boat and froze when she saw what was happening. An arrow was sticking out of Gerald's walking stick: an arrow that had barely missed its mark. Suddenly several soldiers emerged from the shadows and surrounded the gypsies with spears. Esmeralda sucked in her breath as Roberto stepped between Rossetta and the spearheads, trying to protect his wife and baby.
Then came the sound of hoofbeats, making the ground vibrate with every step. Esmeralda turned around to see what was coming next.
A dark shadow of a figure on horseback appeared on a wall. Roberto's eyes widened in terror as he recognized the figure. He feared for his wife and children, knowing full well that there wasn't much hope now.
"Judge Claude Frollo!" he whispered.
Esmeralda shivered as the figure came into view. She had never before seen such a dark, cold man. His sinister eyes glared down at the gypsies with a stare that was colder than the snow around him, and a scowl that seemed permenently etched onto his face. Esmeralda shrunk back, almost believing that those eyes would actually inflict pain if they saw her.
"Bring these gypsy vermin to the Palace of Justice," he commanded in a deep, menacing voice.
Instantly the soldiers seized the men and put them in handcuffs. Roberto gritted his teeth as the soldiers began dragging him away by his wrists. He looked back at his wife. She would follow him, and there was nothing he could do to help her. But far behind her, Roberto saw the eyes of someone who might still be able to escape her fate. The little girl in the boat whom the soldiers hadn't yet noticed.
"Esmeralda!" Roberto hissed through his teeth, "Save yourself! Run!"
Esmeralda hesitated. She had promised to stay in the boat until it was safe. How could she possibly run away when her parents were being dragged off in chains? She might never see them again.
"RUN!!!!" Roberto hissed again.
The desperate tone of his voice superseded Esmeralda's fear, causing her to step out of the boat and run. She was barely six feet away when the sound of Rossetta screaming superseded her urge to run away.
Esmeralda turned around and looked. A soldier had grabbed Rossetta's arm and was reaching for the bundle in her arms.
"You! What are you hiding??" he demanded.
Esmeralda gasped. The baby!!!!
"Stolen goods, no doubt," declared Frollo, "Take them from her!!"
No!
Chapter 2
Stroke......stroke.....
That was all Esmeralda could hear as she lay at the bottom of the boat. She saw nothing, for the blanket she was wrapped up in covered her face. She just pressed her ear against the bottom of the boat and listened to the rythmic sound of the oar splashing against the water.
Stroke....stroke.....
She pulled the blanket tightly around herself, but she was still numb with cold. She tried to breathe on her hands to warm them, but her lips were too stiff to blow right. She hoped her little baby brother was warm enough in his mother's arms.
Stroke.....stroke....waaaaahhh!!
Her thoughts were inturrupted by the piercing wail of her baby brother.
"Shut it up, will you??" whispered Roberto.
"We'll be spotted!" scolded the other man.
"Hush, little one," Rossetta whispered as she desperately tried to calm her baby.
Esmeralda held her breath, fearful of making any sound. Her tiny fingers clutched the blanket tighter, as if that would somehow protect everyone from harm. She remained in this state until she felt a grinding vibration under her. The boat seemed to come alive, like the earth was shifting, or a sleeping giant had just awakened and was now causing the ground to shake. The wood pressed against her head, making her teeth chatter.
And then...nothing. Total silence. She didn't even hear the stroking of the oar. After a few moments, she felt Rossetta's hand touching her head through the blanket.
"Esmeralda," she said, "stay here until we say it's safe to come out."
"Yes, Mama," Esmeralda whispered in a muffled voice. So, she thought, they had arrived. This was Paris. How she wanted to get out from under the blanket and look around! But she lay still, faithful to what she had told her mother, and listened intensely to what was going on.
Four pairs of feet carefully stepped out of the boat and onto the icy shore. The slow crunch, crunch of their footsteps told Esmeralda that they were as frightened as she was.
Gerald's walking stick tapped the snow a few times, like he was surveying the area, then he turned toward the gypsies.
"Four guilders for safe passage into Paris," his gruff voice whispered.
Esmeralda had been told it was a large sum of money that her parents would have to give in order to get into Paris.
Thwapp!!!
The sudden sound of an arrow flying pierced the softness. What had just happened?? Esmeralda had promised that she would lie low until it was safe, but this sound filled her with too much fear. She had to get out from under the blanket and see what was happening.
She carefully peeked over the edge of the boat and froze when she saw what was happening. An arrow was sticking out of Gerald's walking stick: an arrow that had barely missed its mark. Suddenly several soldiers emerged from the shadows and surrounded the gypsies with spears. Esmeralda sucked in her breath as Roberto stepped between Rossetta and the spearheads, trying to protect his wife and baby.
Then came the sound of hoofbeats, making the ground vibrate with every step. Esmeralda turned around to see what was coming next.
A dark shadow of a figure on horseback appeared on a wall. Roberto's eyes widened in terror as he recognized the figure. He feared for his wife and children, knowing full well that there wasn't much hope now.
"Judge Claude Frollo!" he whispered.
Esmeralda shivered as the figure came into view. She had never before seen such a dark, cold man. His sinister eyes glared down at the gypsies with a stare that was colder than the snow around him, and a scowl that seemed permenently etched onto his face. Esmeralda shrunk back, almost believing that those eyes would actually inflict pain if they saw her.
"Bring these gypsy vermin to the Palace of Justice," he commanded in a deep, menacing voice.
Instantly the soldiers seized the men and put them in handcuffs. Roberto gritted his teeth as the soldiers began dragging him away by his wrists. He looked back at his wife. She would follow him, and there was nothing he could do to help her. But far behind her, Roberto saw the eyes of someone who might still be able to escape her fate. The little girl in the boat whom the soldiers hadn't yet noticed.
"Esmeralda!" Roberto hissed through his teeth, "Save yourself! Run!"
Esmeralda hesitated. She had promised to stay in the boat until it was safe. How could she possibly run away when her parents were being dragged off in chains? She might never see them again.
"RUN!!!!" Roberto hissed again.
The desperate tone of his voice superseded Esmeralda's fear, causing her to step out of the boat and run. She was barely six feet away when the sound of Rossetta screaming superseded her urge to run away.
Esmeralda turned around and looked. A soldier had grabbed Rossetta's arm and was reaching for the bundle in her arms.
"You! What are you hiding??" he demanded.
Esmeralda gasped. The baby!!!!
"Stolen goods, no doubt," declared Frollo, "Take them from her!!"
No!