A Bell is Tolling

After watching the sunrise, Mokuba and Rebecca got dressed and put their shoes on. Rebecca also tied her hair again using the ribbons that held it in place.

"So what are the two of you up to today?" Quasimodo asked his guests.

"Well, I'm thinking about staying here in Paris for a while, so I might walk around and get familiar with the city," Mokuba answered, putting his tunic on.

"Me too," Rebecca said as she finished tying her hair up. "Since we just got here, we should make the most of our time here and do some exploring."

"Sounds like fun," said Quasimodo. "But I was also thinking that maybe you should let your families know that you're well," he suggested.

That actually wasn't a bad idea. The children were thinking about going back to their world anyway to stock up on supplies they thought they would need.

It was getting to be time to ring the morning mass, so the children followed Quasimodo to the bells. As the hunchback reached for the rope, Mokuba asked, "Can I try that?"

Quasimodo admired his excitement. "Sure," he answered, handing the rope over to the lad.

"I want to do that!" Rebecca whined.

"No way," Mokuba argued. "I asked first!"

"Hey, knock it off," Quasimodo told them. "You can do it together." And Mokuba and Rebecca both tightly grasped the rope. They pulled down with all their might, but then the force of the bells lifted them from the floor, surprising them. They continued to pull, laughing as they were going up and down.

Quasimodo decided that they had rung the bells enough and helped them back to the ground. "That was fun," Rebecca said, catching her breath while still laughing.

Mokuba agreed. "I've always wanted to ring the bells."

The hunchback laughed with them. He couldn't remember the last time he had this much fun. With Mokuba and Rebecca being here, it was like he was experiencing great joy he never felt before.

Mokuba sighed. "Come on, Becca. We'd better get going."

She agreed and got up. "Thanks a lot for having us, Quasi. We had a great time."

"I did too," he returned. "Thank you for coming over. And if the two of you ever need a place to stay while you're here in Paris, you're more than welcome to come back here."

The children smiled hearing that. "You mean we can come see you whenever we want?" Mokuba asked.

"Of course," he replied. He rubbed the back of his head and added, "As you know, I don't get a lot of visitors, so… I guess what I'm trying to say is, I hope you'll come back sometime."

"Of course we will," Mokuba promised. "You're a great friend and you're fun to be around," he said sincerely. Rebecca nodded in agreement, and the two approached Quasimodo to hug him. He tensed up at first, surprised, but began hugging them back and patted their heads.

"Oh, one more thing," the hunchback was saying. "I would also appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about me. For your protection and mine."

Mokuba understood the seriousness of his request. He knew it wouldn't be good for this to get out to the wrong people and Quasimodo probably wouldn't like having so many unexpected guests. Besides, it was the least Mokuba and Rebecca could do since Quasimodo would be keeping the same promise and not let his master know about them.

The raven-haired lad finally responded, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with us." Quasimodo looked at him and Rebecca with uncertainty. "I promise," Mokuba assured him. Rebecca nodded.

The hunchback finally smiled, thinking he could trust them. "And one of these days, when I'm ready, I'd like to meet your friends too."

Rebecca knew he was talking about the gang in the photo. "We could bring them here to the tower," she said.

Mokuba liked the sound of that. For now, it was time for them to get going. "Thanks again for everything, Quasi. We'll see you later." And he and Rebecca got their supplies and began heading down into the cathedral.

They walked down the stairs and left through the main entrance. As they climbed down the steps, Mokuba looked up towards the tower and smiled. "He's really nice. Not bad once you get to know him."

Rebecca began laughing gleefully. "I'm so happy, I could fly!" And she leaped over the steps and landed on the street. She really was happy.

Mokuba felt the same way. He felt like he couldn't control his excitement. He and Rebecca began laughing with merriment as they were skipping through the square. They stopped to catch their breath. The raven-haired boy cleared his throat. "Should we head back to our world right now?"

His girlfriend nodded. "Let's find an alley." So they began passing through the streets and houses. They came to an alley and saw that the other end of it was obscured by a shadow. This was a good sign because it meant they could walk through the darkness and come to the Secret Garden, which they did.

It felt good to be back in the Secret Garden and take in the smells of the many flowers and listen to the waterfalls. The lovers took it in as they were heading for the door to their world. When they got there, they began discussing their plan. They would return to their homes, rest for a while, get cleaned up, then pack up on essentials they would need like food, money, clothes, hygiene products, and things to keep them entertained. Then they would meet back at Celestic Falls tomorrow and take the door back to Medieval Paris. After settling the plan, Mokuba and Rebecca take the door back to their world and return home to their families.

Rebecca passed through first and was back in her home and regular clothes. "I'm home, Gramps," she announced.

Arthur welcomed his granddaughter home. "Rebecca, welcome home. I trust you and Mokuba were in the Secret Garden playing with your friends again?"

"Yes, Grandpa," she answered, not wanting to tell the story of the adventure they had. She knew that doing so would break her promise to Quasimodo and she didn't want to lose his trust after just becoming friends with him.

"Well then, are you hungry," Arthur asked his granddaughter, "or would you like me to run you a bath?"

Rebecca yawned, showing she was more tired than hungry. "Bath, please," she answered.

"You must be exhausted, dear," Arthur said, noticing how tired she looked. "I'll go run you a nice, hot bath." And he left to go fill their tub with water. Rebecca was glad she asked for a bath since they didn't have those resources in medieval times. And if she was going to be staying in Paris for a while, she figured that she should have a bath now since she may not get another one in a while. She also thought about packing her swimsuit in case she would ever want to come back to the Pure Valley and swim in the ponds or relax in the hot springs.

Rebecca relaxed as she soaked herself in the warm bath water. As she was bathing, she continued thinking about her adventures to come as she would return to Paris. She wondered if Mokuba was thinking the same thing; how they had so much to share with their new friend.

When Mokuba got home, he removed his shoes, snuck into his room, and lied down on his bed. He wasn't surprised that he would be feeling this tired considering he hardly got any sleep in the bell tower. He also checked the time on his clock. It was still exactly 10:00 in the morning, the same time it was when he and Rebecca met up in the vineyards. This meant that time really did stand still while they were gone.

Mokuba yawned and said to himself, "I'll just rest and relax for a while. Then I'll meet up with Rebecca tomorrow." As he dozed off, he began thinking about having more adventures with Rebecca and going back to the bell tower. He also thought about the wish he made before he went to the Secret Garden; how he wished for a friend who understood his situation and felt the same way. Mokuba smiled, thinking his wish came true.