Quasimodo was terrified when he woke up. Like out of a nightmare, although he couldn't remember what he had actually dreamed. Only a strange, dull ache seemed to tremble in his chest. He looked around in confusion, for he had hoped his journey to the world after was just a dream. But it was not so. he was really here. In this room with these strange devices, next to the soft furniture on which he had just been lying. As Regina helped him up, he saw something he never expected to see here. A model of his beloved Notre Dame and in front of it a figure that looked a bit like him. He never expected that people would know him and that he would even be immortalized in a book in this world. What big deal had he done to be treated like a hero here?
He had been surprised that the two women who had helped him could look at him. No woman had ever been able to look at him in his ugliness. But these two... looked at him and treated him as if he were an ordinary person like them. That almost overwhelmed him. No one had ever been kind to him. Nobody had ever helped him, except for the gypsy... The gypsy... Yes, she was there too. Even if she didn't look like he knew her. But she was easily recognizable by the brightly colored clothes she wore, the black hair and the tambourine she held up. He looked at the figure almost longingly until Regina turned around and explained everything to him. She took her time, speaking slowly, sometimes emphasizing the words a little too much for him to understand. It almost touched him that she did everything to be able to talk to him.
Then the dull pain came back. Quasimodo dropped to his knees and gasped. It was almost as if some invisible force were squeezing his breath. His vision blurred and he was close to fainting until the pain suddenly subsided. His vision cleared again and he looked up at the two women who were standing there, a little intimidated.
They wanted to send him back to his time. He caused something bad in their time. Quasimodo would rather get out of here than return to his world alone. why? Nobody expected him there. Frollo was dead, Esmeralda was dead. He had no reason to return.
"Your presence also affects us.", Jasmin said to him after Quasimodo had straightened up again.
While Regina looked very desperate because she was probably thinking about what to do, Jasmin had an idea: "Quasimodo, did you perhaps bring something that can help us?"
Quasimodo pulled out a necklace from his brown shirt, with a green stone on it. He immediately caught Regina's attention: "Is that what I think it is?!", she said almost a little too quickly with excitement.
"Esmeralda," Quasimodo said with a pang of pain in his heart.
"Yes... This emerald was Esmeralda's namesake and talisman. It was meant to lead her to her mother."
"Okay... I'm out of there.", Jasmin said and raised her hands, "You know more about the story than I do."
"But maybe he is the key to the events. We know enough films and series with magical gems.", Rebecca said and winked at Jasmin. Quasimodo didn't understand any of this and just looked from one to the other in confusion.
"But how do we trigger it?" Jasmin asked, taking a closer look at the emerald. It was still on Quasimodo's hand. Neither of them had dared to touch him before.
"I guess...we'll never find out if we don't try.", Jasmine said and touched the emerald with her hand. He began to glow faintly.
"Ookay there's definitely magic here," Regina said.
"Hmmm... I think... it will work better with you.", Jasmin said and stepped behind me. She pushed me towards Quasimodo. I got a little startled and didn't really trust myself.
"Now do it!" Jasmine urged and I sighed. Then I reached out and touched the emerald in Quasimodo's hand. The gem glowed green and a light blinded us. In the next moment I had the feeling that a pressure wave had hit me with full force and hurled me away. When I came to, I was lying on hard rock looking up at a blue sky with a few white clouds. Beside me, I heard Jasmine panting.
"You probably want to kid me...", said Jasmin speechless.
I sat up slowly and now saw what Jasmin meant. We sat in front of Notre Dame.
1482 Paris, France February 16
"What the hell..." I said speechless. Quasimodo had already stood up and walked a little further forward. He stood about 5 meters in front of the right front portal of the cathedral. I was still a little dizzy and had to realize where I was.
Jasmine came to my side and helped me to my feet.
"It can't be... We wanted to send Quasimodo back, but we didn't want to end up here ourselves!", Jasmin said in a frustrated undertone, "Now we're causing space-time paradoxes."
I, on the other hand, felt like I was in seventh heaven to finally be standing in front of this cathedral, which meant so much to me, after so many years. It took a moment for Jasmin to draw my attention to Quasimodo, who had fallen to his knees where he had stopped and started to wail. We stepped closer and saw that Quasimodo was kneeling on the ground in front of a dark spot and weeping heartbreakingly. The spot was brown and somewhat human-shaped.
Jasmine looked up and murmured: "That must be where Frollo landed."
I sighed deeply and went to Quasimodo who was still sobbing. When I put my hand on his hump, he spun around with a hateful look, "Why? Why did you do that?! I didn't want to go back!"
I backed away from him, startled, and said, "What other choice did we have?"
"You could have just made me disappear!"
"I couldnt do that!"
"Why not?!"
"Because I... I..." I looked at him for a long time. I saw the desperation in his eyes. I couldn't tell him. That would not be correct. Not now.
Clouds gathered in the blue sky. It started to rain and we took shelter in the church. As soon as Quasimodo had closed the portal of the cathedral behind us, we heard a strange male voice: "Quasimodo? Is that you?"