This took up thirteen pages on mah computer! YAY!
Chapter 5
The first rays of sunlight glinted off the shiny metal bells, gently urging me out of sleep. I rubbed my eyes, slowly opening them to the world around me. A momentary feeling of confusion swept over me, until I remembered where I was… the bell tower. It took me a few seconds to remember the significance of that day, and I immediately jumped up, throwing off the sheets, ducking to avoid the bell as I stepped out from under it. Giselle continued to snore loudly behind me, not accustomed to waking until noon.
I crossed to the table of figurines, looking at the careful arrangement of the wooden people in the town square.
I can't believe he carved all of these so intricately, I thought, lightly placing a finger on one resembling the baker. Suddenly, something caught my eye and I blinked, unwilling to believe it was really true. There, on the table, lying near the edge, were two hunks of wood being fashion into… girls. One had on a brown-and-tan outfit, and her hair had been carved out shoulder-length and brown, just like mine. The other had blonde locks that cascaded down her back, and was donned in a green-painted outfit. Like Giselle...
Had he really begun to carve figurines of us? When had he done this? Last night? During the day, when we'd been wandering around the city? The thought warmed my heart and caused me to smile. He really was sort of like a toddler- immediately latching onto whatever affection was offered to him, taking it to heart, and loving everyone back. It struck me as crazy how Giselle and I had become such good friends with the main character of the story in only two days. It was fitting, I supposed, if we were part of the movie that we should meet and befriend Quasimodo right off the bat.
Which reminded me of another important fact: the movie was starting. That meant that the Festival was today, and Quasi would finally escape this place for the first time. That, and the red cart that was sure to be downstairs, but I tried to focus on Quasi- he needed our help the most this morning.
Looking around, I didn't see him up yet, so I walked out to the balcony and had a look around. Noting the gargoyles positioned on either side, I peeked inside the one with it's mouth open- I couldn't remember all their names, sheesh- and saw a tiny, white bird sleeping peacefully, temporarily boarding at Notre Dame, just as we were. I stared out at the skyline of the city, taking in the temporary peace, the quiet before the storm. In just a little while, things would start moving too fast for anyone to keep up with. But, for now, the cool morning air held an atmosphere of stillness that I took great care to relish. I knew it would probably be the last time I had this much peace and quiet for a while.
Before another half-hour was up, I heard the shuffling of feet behind me, and turned to look as Quasimodo came lumbering out to the balcony to meet me.
"Hello, Hannah," he greeted.
"Hi, Quasi. How did you sleep last night?"
"Very well, thank you. And you? Is it comfortable under the bells?"
"Yes, I was very comfortable- the sheets and pillows you gave us are so soft; I barely even notice I'm sleeping on the floor."
He looked embarrassed for a moment. "I'm sorry I don't have anything more to offer you… I'm sure, coming from America, that you must have much more…pleasant accommodations..."
Oh, great. There he goes again with the self-demeaning talk, making me feel all guilty… I shouldn't have said anything.
"No, no, Quasi," I tried. "It's fine. Trust me, living up here beats living down there any day. Think of all the people who sleep in their own beds, never travel very far outside their homes- they never get to spend time with you, up here! They never get to hear you ring the bells. Well…" I checked myself. "I guess they DO hear them, but… We get to SEE you ring the bells. And that's pretty impressive!"
He smiled shyly, not used to compliments, as I knew. "Would you like to see them all?" He started back inside, me following closely at his heels. "I could give you the grand tour!"
"That would be awesome!" I exclaimed, following him up some steps. In the next few minutes, we traveled around the bell tower, and Quasi told me the names of all the bells- big and small, wide and narrow- that adorned his home. I was afraid, walking up on the rafters, but he assured me that he wouldn't let me fall.
"Are you sure this is safe?" I called, holding out my arms for balance.
"No," he answered playfully. "But don't worry- I'll catch you if you lose your footing."
That's reassuring… Except, I'm still nervous.
"And these up here are the smallest ones," he explained, helping me up to a higher platform. "They sound kind of like wind chimes compared to the huge ones down below. If you ring them all at once, it kinda sounds like rain falling."
"Really…" I ran a hand down one of the small bells. It was about eight feet tall and at least five feet wide, with beautiful inscriptions on all sides. The bells were made of shiny, smooth metals of all different colors. "They're…wow," I said, at a loss.
"If you think THAT'S impressive, wait till you HEAR them," he smiled knowingly, reaching for a rope that hung down nearby. My mouth opened in anticipation, like a kid on Christmas morning who's just seen all the presents under the tree and is waiting for them. On special mornings, he told me, he rung all the bells, while on regular ones- like yesterday morning, for instance- he only did a small number. Part of the reason he was doing all the bells today was the festival. Another factor was simply the bell ringer's current mood. However he felt would determine the melody that his tower sent out to the rest of the waking city. Well, he looked pretty happy right now to me…
Without warning, he seized the rope tightly with both hands and pulled down, hard. My eyes ran up the rope to the small bell that was pulled into motion; it swung back and forth, making a clear, crisp ringing sound that echoed throughout the entire tower.
"Ooh!" I exclaimed, already reaching for a second rope as Quasi offered it to me. "Let me try!"
"Give it a good, hard yank!" he encouraged. As soon as I pulled down on the thick rope, another bell joined in with the first one, both of them complimenting one another beautifully. A shocked and now awake Giselle yelled up at us from below, but I couldn't make out her words. I leaned over the side of the platform and smiled down at her disheveled head of hair.
"I'M RINGING THE BELLS!" I shouted, pointing wildly in excitement. I'm pretty sure she responded with something like, NO DUH! All I could see was her lips moving. The majestic bells drowned the rest out.
Soon, other sounds joined in with our symphony of music- I could faintly hear the sound of singing from below- a mass service? I could make out the distant noise of the chorus men singing, blending with the music of the bells. Quasi and I continued to weave through the bell tower, pulling all the ropes we came in contact with. He laughed at me in amusement as I yanked down with all my might on one of the BIG bells on the floor level, and it let out a huge BOONG! That caused me to clamp both hands over my ears. I looked up, still smiling, to catch him laughing at me. The whole symphony of music from all of the bells blended together; in the background, I could hear the chorus reaching a dramatic crescendo in their singing.
Giselle came over to me as we listened to the heavenly sounds, Quasi quickly going back up in order to keep them all ringing. I was still laughing, caught up in all the excitement, while Giselle just stared upwards, looking slightly put out by all the sudden noise, yet surprisingly pleased by the music. The choir continued to belt out their harmonious song as the bells rang in unison.
It took a few seconds for it to hit me. The bells. The singing. The climactic music sounding all at once, from everywhere…
The movie was starting!
I almost yelled for quiet, to clear my head, before all of the noise suddenly died down, almost immediately bringing a suspenseful silence. Strangely, the bells and the choir had stopped at the exact same time, and I turned with excitement to Giselle before racing towards the balcony, not wanting to miss one word.
My eyes made a beeline for the square, where a familiar red-and-gold cart was stationed. A grin broke across my face. As I listened to a distant rooster crow, Giselle followed me outside and we both drank in the first seconds of the story from above.
Morning in Paris, the city awakes to the bells of Notre Dame
I grinned like a crazy person as Clopin's musical voice filled the city.
The fisherman fishes, the baker man bakes to the bells of Notre Dame
To the big bells as loud as the thunder
Here Quasi rang two of the huge bells in quick succession
To the little bells soft as a psalm…
A short chorus of smaller ones sounded.
And some say the soul of the city's the toll of the bells
The bells of Notre Dame
I leaned over, straining to hear Clopin's words to the children as he started his story. I couldn't make them out very clearly, and I couldn't really see him because his cart had a canopy covering it; but I pictured him pulling out his puppet, telling the kids about the "mysterious bell ringer…"
When he moved to the edge of the cart, where we could see him, and pointed straight up at the balcony we were standing on, I instinctively backed up, moving away from the edge in alarm.
"Oh!"
"…What?" Giselle frowned at me.
"He pointed right up here!"
"So? He can't see us," she shrugged. I slowly retook my place, slightly unsure that her statement was true, and glanced down at Clopin's cart. The puppeteer was going on with his story, creatively enticing the children. There were about five or six around his cart now, gazing up at him silently. I guessed they were riveted on his story. He was just awesome like that…
"What's he saying?" she hissed. "I can't hear!"
"He's telling them about Quasi," I whispered, not wanting to miss anything. "Shhhh…"
Clopin started to sing again.
Dark was the night when our tale was begun
On the docks near Notre Dame
Four frightened gypsies slid silently under
The docks near Notre Dame
But a trap had been laid for the gypsies!
And they gazed up in fear and alarm
Giselle raised a slim eyebrow at his dramatic storytelling antics.
At a figure whose clutches were iron as much as
The bells…
"Judge Claude Frollo," I whispered to her, about the same time he must have explained it to the children.
…The bells of Notre Dame
"The guy from two days ago," she clarified. I nodded.
Judge Claude Frollo longed to purge the world of vice and sin
And he saw corruption everywhere EXCEPT within
"Amen," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"I think he was probably corrupted as a child into thinking his family was better than everyone else," I theorized.
"That would explain his belief system…but what about his soldiers? Don't any of them feel differently about the gypsies? None of them want to do anything? To help?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "I guess some of them might; but they never say anything, or else they'd get into trouble with the judge." I suddenly remembered Phoebus and grinned. "…The captain of the guard may just come around."
She gave me a confused look. "You know him?"
I smiled. "No."
She kept giving me that strange look. "You're one crazy fan girl, you know that?"
"…SHE RAN!" I responded, echoing the puppeteer, who had just reached the part about Quasi's mother running from the judge.
"Oh, brother," Giselle rolled her eyes, glancing off to the side.
"…Hey, at least I don't randomly burst into song!"
"I'll give you the rest of today."
"…What?"
"We're in a Disney movie- since we're a part of it, we're going to HAVE to sing!" she explained to me, as if I was five years old. "It's just part of the deal. Besides, it'll be fun!"
"I am NOT going to contend with Quasi and Clopin, thank you very much!" I said determinedly. "My voice is NOT as good as theirs. If YOU want to go belt out a song in the middle of the city square, be my guest. I'll be the one in the front row, watching from the audience- safe and sound."
"Aw, c'mon, Hannah, live a little!"
"No."
"Please? Promise me you'll sing-?"
"No!"
"I'll get you a date with Clopin!" she bribed in a singsong voice.
"…No." Her face fell. "No singing, Giselle. Not me."
"You might change your mind," she said hopefully.
"I don't really see that happening."
"I am SET on making you sing by the end of this movie, if it KILLS us!"
"Please don't say that," I implored her. "I'm not planning on dying in here, either, thank you very much."
"…Sorry."
I gave her a wry half-smile. "No you aren't."
Clopin's voice from below brought us back into the present. As he continued, wrapping up the dramatic story, more activity began down in the main square, further away from his red cart. Tents were swarming with gypsies and others who collectively resembled a frenzied colony of ants trying to get all their last-minute work finished. I ignored the rest of Paris and focused on the end of the tale.
'STOP!' cried the archdeacon
…See there the innocent blood you have spilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
Now you would add this child's blood to your guilt
On the steps of Notre Dame
You can lie to yourself and your minions
You can claim that you haven't a qualm
But you never can run from or hide what you've done
From the eyes…
The very eyes of Notre Dame
"Is he talking… about Quasi?" Giselle realized, her eyes widening slightly.
"Yes, just like I told you- he was adopted by Frollo when his mother unwillingly abandoned him."
"Because Frollo killed her," she clarified.
"Yes. And Quasi doesn't know- he never hears this part of his life's story until the end of the film." The bell ringer was still busy ringing bells somewhere behind us, inside the tower. "He has no clue that his master never really wanted him; he just wants to use him for his own purposes and gain."
"How could he use him, if he's cooped up here his whole life?" she asked, puzzled.
"I don't know, but the story of Quasi's capture as an infant ends with the archdeacon telling Frollo that he HAS to raise Quasi as his own. I don't think Frollo thought he had much of a choice…"
"Oh… So, why don't we just tell him, then?"
"It's not that simple," I explained. "Spoiling the secret could ruin the whole plotline. Who KNOWS what would happen? We've got to go by the movie, or else we could all end up chained up and maybe even tortured in the Palace of Justice for messing with the flow of things."
"…We could STILL end up in the Palace of Justice after last night, you know."
"…True."
Now here is a riddle to guess if you can
Sing the bells of Notre Dame
Who is the monster and who is the man…
Quasi finished up his repertoire of music by ringing the bells one last time, several in unison, as Clopin's story came to an end.
Sing the bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells, bells
Bells of Notre Dame!
"Daaaang," Giselle sighed, gazing down at the top of the red cart. "Your boyfriend has one AWESOME voice!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" I protested, an excited smile plastered all over my face. His voice WAS one of the best I'd ever heard…just look how he hit that high note.
"Uh-huh, yeah, WRONG!" she made an "X" with her forearms. "I'm gonna get you a date with him somehow."
"I don't date."
"…I'm gonna get you a romantic dinner ALONE with him somehow."
"…Which would be a date."
"'A rose by any other name…'" Giselle quoted Shakespeare, probably the only line she remembered from Romeo and Juliet.
"Suuure," I returned, as Quasimodo walked out of the tower to join us on the balcony. All was quiet again on the street front. Gentle gypsy music floated up from the main town square, as a prelude to the coming festivities.
"Hello, monsieur bell ringer!" I greeted happily. What can I say? Clopin's voice puts everyone in a good mood… right? ...Was it just me?
"Those are some mad musical skills you have there," Giselle told him.
"I don't know what that means, but thanks!" Quasi smiled. His attention turned to the little white bird that was sleeping in the gargoyle's mouth. "Look," he whispered, motioning us over with a wave. Giselle and I peered into the hollow and saw the creature waking up.
"…Good morning," he greeted quietly, smiling. The bird gave him a small squeaking sound in response that sounded kind of like a mouse getting run over by a tractor. "Will today be the day? Are you ready to fly?"
The chick gave him a reluctant glance and rolled its eyes unsurely.
"You sure?" Quasi frowned. Giselle leaned over my shoulder to watch. "Good day to try!" He reached for the little bird, easily picking it up in his big hands and lifting it to the balcony's edge. "Why, i-if I picked a day to fly, oh, this would be it," he smiled. "The Festival of Fools!" We all looked down to the flags and tents below that were now void of much activity, but would soon be swarming with people.
The baby bird was still too stubborn to try anything.
"It will be fun," he told us. "The jugglers and, and, and music, and dancing…"
Giselle raised her eyebrows at me knowingly, but I looked off the side of the balcony. She was NOT going to get me to sing. I was determined…mostly…
My little bout of pride caused me to miss the bird's takeoff, but I turned around when Quasi started laughing and saw that it had indeed found its wings after all.
A flock of adult birds coasted past our balcony, and the chick squeaked again, looking eager to join them.
"Go on," Quasimodo smiled, petting its head with one finger. "No one wants to stay cooped up here forever."
It chirped out something that sounded suspiciously similar to thank you and fluttered its way off, disappearing into the morning light with its family.
There was about two seconds of silence before another voice invaded the peaceful atmosphere of the morning. To my complete shock, it was one of the gargoyles.
"PAH! PUH- MAN! I thought he'd NEVER leave!" The fat one spat out a mouthful of left-behind bird nest. "I'll be spitting feathers for a week!"
"Well that's what you get for sleeping with your mouth open," The slim, male one countered.
Giselle screamed and dove under the balcony wall, out of sight. "Demon statues! DEMON STATUES! Ohhh, WHY did I come with you? Whhhhy?" she moaned.
The two stone figures cast questioning looks down in her direction. Quasi looked a little depressed at the moment, so I covered for him.
"Um, we're new here. I'm Hannah, and that's Giselle. She's…a little unused to talking gargoyles, if you know what I mean."
"Hey!" the fat one- Hugo, I think- addressed the other one…Victor. "Ain't they the two that showed up yesterday? We spied on 'em from the window…?"
"Ehh, what my comrade MEANS to say is that we simply observed you, uh…passing by," Victor rubbed the back of his neck.
They were so spying on us…
Giselle's head popped up over the edge of the balcony. "You can talk," she stated, her voice quavering.
"Uh, DUH!" Hugo snorted. "What, did you think we just stood here all day looking pretty?" He struck a pose.
Giselle answered him with a frightened look.
"Oh, stop it, Hugo, you're TRAUMATIZING the poor girl!" Victor scolded him.
"Eh-heh-heh," he chuckled, "go scare a nun. Hey, Quasi, what's going on out there? A fight? A flogging?" He batted his eyelashes as if a flogging was a regular cause for getting dolled up.
"A festival," said Victor.
"You mean the Feast of Fools?"
"Uh-huh," Quasi answered nonchalantly.
"All right!" Hugo cheered. "Poor the wine and cut the cheese!" He proceeded to make a farting noise with his armpit and I rolled my eyes at Giselle, who was still cowering by the wall, as if to say, See? They aren't so scary…
"It is a treat to watch the colorful pageantry of the simple peasant folk."
"Boy, nothing like balcony seats for watching the old 'FOF'," Hugo nudged Quasi.
"Yeah," the bell ringer lamented. "WATCHING." With that, he trudged back inside. I felt bad for him. Hugo, on the other hand, spotted a mime and would've nailed him with a loogey if Victor hadn't stopped him. We all looked inside the tower, where Quasi was hobbling over to his table full of wooden figurines, the spitting image of depression.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Hugo called. "What gives?"
"Aren't you going to watch the festival with us?"
No response.
"I don't get it."
"Maybe he's sick," Victor theorized.
"Impossible!" Came a third voice. The female gargoyle, Laverne, hopped over to us. "If twenty years of listening to you two hasn't made him sick by now, nothin' will. Now, let's see here…" she peered over the railing, studying Giselle. "Come on up here, girlie; nothin' to be afraid of!"
Her mouth was still open in disbelief.
"You don't have to be afraid of us," Laverne reassured her. "Hugo, there, he's nothing but a big talker."
"Eh?" the pudgy gargoyle responded.
"Victor here's as sweet as honey, and I sure won't hurt ya. Now, come on, sweetheart…that's it."
Giselle slowly stood back up, studying the three with a suspicious look on her face. "…You're really on OUR side here?" She asked skeptically.
"Of course!" waved Laverne. "Why, we're GARGOYLES, sweetheart." Several pigeons came to rest on her head and shoulders as we moved inside. "It's our job to protect the cathedral- and everyone in it!"
"…Well, I guess that makes sense."
"Of COURSE it does," Hugo assured. "We've been up here since before Quasi took up residence, believe me. I remember him as a baby…he wasn't that hard to raise, actually…" He muttered this next part crossly. "…If ya don't mind stayin' UP half the night!"
"What I don't understand is why he's so depressed," Victor said concernedly. "Watching the Festival of Fools has always been the highlight of the YEAR for Quasimodo!"
"What good is WATCHIN' a party if you never get to go- HERE! Get away from me, go on, ya buzzards!...He's not made of stone, like us."
"So…what should we do?" Giselle asked them tentatively.
"I vote we convince him to go to the festival!" Hugo said. "The kids' been locked up here his whole life; if WE don't push him out the door, Frollo sure ain't gonna do it!"
Giselle frowned at the mention of the judge. "But won't that get him in trouble?"
"Maybe…" I put in. "But think about him living his whole life up here…It's worth a shot. All in favor of Operation 'Get Quasi to the Festival?'"
The three talking statues raised their hands, followed by Giselle, hesitantly, since she was just catching on.
We went inside, where Quasi was seated at his table. He briefly ran his hand over the two unfinished wooden girls- Giselle and I- before sighing and resting his head on his arms in defeat.
"Quasi, what's wrong?" asked Laverne gently. "You wanna tell ol' Laverne all about it?"
"I…I just don't feel like watching the festival, that's all," he tried. Well, we could all see through THAT façade. We gave Laverne a thumbs-up from behind, and she rested a finger on one of the wooden townsfolk as she casually said, "Well, did'ja ever think of GOING there, instead?"
"Sure. But, I'd never fit in out there. I'm not…normal." There he went with the low self-esteem speech again. It was kind of aggravating after a while. Didn't he see how great he was? Or had the judge's words penetrated his thoughts so deeply that he was completely blinded to the fact that he was worth more than his appearance?
"Oh, Quasi, Quasi, Quasi," Laverne patted him on the shoulder. A huge pigeon rested on her face and she glared up at it. "…Do ya mind? I would like to have a moment with the boy, if it's alright with you!"
Giselle chuckled next to me- she actually chuckled- and I cast her a surprised look. Her expression turned blank, but I could tell she wasn't as afraid of the three as she had been moments ago. Maybe simply because they were so easy-going. It was like talking to your grandmother, or a fun uncle. A pudgy uncle, who loved to play games and eat junk food.
Hugo hopped up on the table and gave it to him straight. "Hey, quit beating around the bell tower. What do we gotta do- paint you a FRESCO?"
"As your friends and guardians," Victor added, "we INSIST you attend the festival."
"ME?"
"No, the pope. Of COURSE you!" Hugo quipped, shoving a wooden replica of the pope into Quasi's mouth. Another giggle from Giselle caused a smile to break across my face, too.
"It would be a veritable POPERY of educational experience!"
"Wine, women and song!"
Okay…
"You can learn to identify various regional cheeses."
All right, I couldn't help bursting out laughing at that, and Giselle cracked up too.
"Regional CHEESES?" I laughed.
"Bobbing for snails!" Hugo put in, which had Giselle on the floor, gasping for air. "Whaat? What's so funny about it?" he complained. When she only continued giggling in response, he rolled his eyes and tossed the bucket of water he'd been holding at her.
Big mistake.
Giselle came up sputtering for air, looking incredulously at Hugo. "You- you-"
Her hair was dripping wet. Let it suffice to say, for future reference for all, that Giselle does NOT- I repeat, does NOT- like it when her hair is wet.
"Uhhh…" Hugo backed up nervously as Giselle stalked toward him. I put one arm in front of her, which thankfully, stopped her. She resorted to glaring at the statue from across the table. "…Sorry?" he offered sheepishly.
"…Go on!" I whispered to Laverne, hoping to avert the situation at hand.
"Oh, right!" she smiled, looking up at Quasi. "Quasi, take it from an old spectator- life's not a spectator sport. If watchin' is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without you."
"Yeah," Giselle put in. "You've already lived your whole LIFE up here!"
"You're human," Hugo ventured. "With the blush and the hair and the naval lint… We're just part of the architecture!"
"I liked you better when you were a SILENT part of the architecture," the blond muttered, earning a glare from the chubby gargoyle.
"Yet," put in Victor poetically, "if you chip us, will we not flake? If you moisten us, do we not grow MOIST?" He dunked the empty bucket on Hugo's head, causing him to flounder around in confusion for a few seconds.
I looked out the window. It was getting lighter outside, noisier as people made their way to the festival. I caught Laverne's eye and motioned for her to hurry up. We didn't have much time.
"Quasi, just grab a clean tunic and a pair of hose and-" she started.
"Thanks for the encouragement, but you're all forgetting one big thing," he sighed.
"WHAT?" we all exclaimed incredulously.
"My master," he stated, taking hold of the wooden figure behind him. "Frollo."
"OH," we all wilted as the realization hit us, the room fading into silence.
"Well…" Giselle said slowly. "If he doesn't know we're gone…"
Bad philosophy, bad philosophy, I chanted mentally, knowing full well that sneaking out was exactly what Quasi was going to end up doing anyway. I stayed silent.
"When he says you're forbidden from ever leaving the bell tower…does he mean… EVER ever?" Victor mused.
"NEVER ever," He emphasized. "And he HATES the feast of fools. He'd be FURIOUS if I asked to go."
Well, dang it. This crummy minister is messing with MY APPOINTMENT! I fumed. No festival means no song, which means no musical, street-filled, scene, which means no Clopin!...Stinkin' Frollo.
We were trapped.
But then, Hugo, comic relief Hugo, actually got a devious smile on his face, as if… as if…
He was devising a plan…
"Who says ya gotta ask?" he smirked.
"Oh, no!" Quasi said, shocked at the notion. Well, at least sneaking out wasn't an option in his book, either.
"Ya sneak out…"
"It's only one afternoon," Laverne said helpfully.
"I-I couldn't-"
"And ya sneak back in."
"He'll never know you were gone!"
"And if I got CAUGHT…?"
"Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission," Victor put in.
I was almost tempted to intervene and talk some sense into them, but I decided to let Quasi make his own decisions, which, okay, may have been a little selfish on my part, but what if he'd never left the cathedral? There'd have been no movie!
I could tell they were slowly convincing him. "He might see me!" he argued, sounding less confident.
"You could wear a disguise!" Giselle grabbed his cloak from a nearby hook and handed it to him. "Just this once. Like I said, what Frollo doesn't know can't hurt'cha!"
"Ignorance is bliss," Victor agreed.
I did a mental face-palm as Laverne executed the one perfect argument that sealed the deal in his mind. "Nobody wants to stay cooped up here forever."
I saw the decision made on Quasi's face as he leaped to his feet.
Oh, no.
"You're right!"
No, we're not!
"I'll go!"
Bad idea!
They all cheered as Giselle, the gargoyles and I trailed behind him to the trapdoor.
"I'll get cleaned up…"
"Yeah!" Hugo yelled.
"I'll stroll down those stairs…"
Uh oh-
"I'll march through the doors and-"
"Quasi-!" I warned, seeing the threat before he did.
"Good morning, Quasimodo."
The new voice reverberated strongly in the space, leaving a cold feeling in its wake. The rest of us were instantly silent. I felt Giselle's hand on my arm; she yanked me into the shadows and we hid behind the stone Jesus' face.
I heard Quasi's disheartened voice out of the silence. "…Morning, master…"
"Dear boy…whomever are you talking to?" the grave tone came again. They crossed to the table and Giselle and I crept further behind the face, out of sight.
"My…friends," he said haltingly.
"I see. And what are your friends MADE of, Quasimodo?"
"Stone…"
What is he, three? I thought angrily. He knows full well they're stone! Why don't YOU try living up here for twenty years and see who YOU talk to?
"Can stone TALK?" Frollo asked pointedly.
"I'm gonna shove him down that staircase," Giselle hissed. I put my finger to my lips. If he found us here, it would NOT be good. I could see us heading to the Palace of Justice already.
"No, it can't," came the reply, as if he had heard this lecture before.
"That's right. You're a smart lad…Now. Lunch."
I could hear the sounds of Quasi setting the small table.
"Shall we review your alphabet today?" the minister asked.
We don't have time for all this dialogue! I thought. The festival's going to start soon!
"Oh, yes, master, I would like that very much." Aand, now he was giving up. Great.
"Very well. A?"
"Abomination."
"B?"
"Blasphemy."
"What kind of alphabet is-?" Giselle whispered loudly.
"SHH!" I clamped a hand over her mouth.
"C?"
"Contrition."
"D?"
"Damnation."
Ugh.
"E?"
"ETERNAL damnation."
What the…?
"F?"
"Festival."
Crap. I heard Frollo spew wine and Quasi must have realized his mistake.
"Excuse me?" the judge exclaimed.
"Forgiveness!" he tries to correct his error.
"You said… festival."
"No!"
"You are thinking about going to the festival."
He finally consented to that much and continued to plead his master's permission, even though he knew he wasn't going to get anywhere. "It's just that…you go every year."
"I am a public official, I MUST go! But I don't enjoy a moment."
Liar. You woman-chasing liar.
"…thieves and hustler and the dregs of humankind, all mixed together in a shallow, drunken stupor…"
I could hear them move out to the balcony, and Giselle and I cautiously emerged from behind the stone bust.
"If we're gonna get out of here, we've got to do it now!" I urged. "Frollo will likely post guards at every door. Unless you want to zipline down to the square, let's get out of here!"
"Okay," she agreed. We made our way to the balcony, and I glanced back one time at Frollo and Quasi before disappearing down the staircase. I could hear the faint strains of the beginning of another song as we made our way down into the dark corridor.
We've got to get out of this cathedral and away from Notre Dame before Frollo finds out we were ever here!
I wondered if we'd ever be able to go back up to the bell tower safely. Maybe, maybe not. It depended on the chaos outside, if Frollo was distracted by his job... or a certain gypsy girl; but I hoped we'd at least get to meet up with Quasi at the festival and explain why we left so quickly, and maybe even say goodbye. He'd still manage to sneak out…right? I hoped so.
Giselle and I ducked into a shadow as a couple of Frollo's horsemen rode past the church. Day had barely broken and they were already hard at work patrolling the streets, supervising the activities of the feast. Children avoided the horses' hooves but still ran across the road with more joy than usual. Women waved to one another out of windows, wringing wet laundry and hanging it on clotheslines to dry, chatting about music, colorful displays, and other town happenings.
"Where do you want to go?" I asked Giselle. "Judging from the movie, I'd guess we've got about... thirty minutes at the most?"
Giselle gave me a knowing look and I rolled my eyes. Finally, I relented. "Ugh, fine, but we're only spending a FEW MINUTES in that jewelry store-!"
"YES!" She shrieked, drawing a few stares, and yanked me toward the little cluster of shops we'd landed in front of the first day. I could distantly hear Quasi's voice ringing out in the background, singing of how much he wanted to be free of the stone prison he'd been trapped in for years. Somehow, I wished we were doing something more important to the movie's cause right now than browsing an earring shop. But, then again, we'd be busy soon enough.
"Look at these!" she said for the millionth time.
"Yep," I sighed. "They're brilliant."
"Hey, I wanted an honest opinion!" She said indignantly.
"That WAS my honest opinion."
"You sound like you're ready to fall asleep!" Giselle argued.
"Exactly!" I retorted, impatient. "Can we go now?" I didn't like shopping very much at all. When my mom and I went shopping, I only had a limited attention span of about an hour at the most. With everything going on in the movie, and the festival starting any minute, that span had been reduced to about quarter of an hour. Which had long since passed.
"In a minute," she gave the dreaded response that all non-shoppers abhor with every ounce of their being.
AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHH!
So...there I was, trapped in a jewelry store with my friend, a mere thousand yards away or so from the biggest party I'd ever attended. Ahem- was ever GOING to attend. If we ever got out of there.
Which was questionable at that point.
"…Do you have any money on you?" came the voice from the next aisle.
This is going to be a long day, I thought wearily.
...I had no idea how right I was.