| HOW QUASIMODO SAW THE LIGHT by Sonja Chapter 5 So, the bellringer had gained his greatest happiness, but in the city there were still quite a lot of people who couldn't understand a bourgeois woman's love toward a hunchback like him. One day Yvette met a few young students who made fun of her marriage. She tried not to care about their joking, but then one of them asked her: "How can you avoid seeing your bellringer's face? What if you would like to get pregnant?" In those days, people believed that if a mother-to-be was frightened by something or someone, her child could have the qualities of the creature that had frightened her. Yvette was deeply offended, for she loved her husband's face and never got tired of watching him. When she told Quasimodo what she had heard, he was thoughtful at first, but said finally: "I know we will always have some problems, but the longer I live among the townspeople, the better they get used to me and stop making wicked comments." It didn't take long until Quasimodo would become still happier. One spring night, when the young couple was lying on the bed embracing one another, Yvette suddenly felt she was unwell. Quasi got extremely restless, but Yvette was almost sure of what her nausea meant. "Little Quasimodo, we are having a baby!" she announced solemnly, and squeezed her husband more tenderly than ever. Quasimodo dazzled. "Oh, Yvette! But we must keep this secret!" According to the Gypsy customs, a pregnant woman wasn't allowed to tell anyone what was to happen. It was also clear that some wicked and ignorant people could try to harm Yvette and the unborn baby by sorcery. Of course, Quasimodo was also restless about the possibility that his child could be born hump-backed. Esmeralda was enthusiastic when hearing the glad news. "Who would have believed this!" she exclaimed. "A year ago, Quasi was still alone in the belltower, and now he is married and going to become a father!" Yvette asked her friend to help her during childbirth. "Can the baby be born in the Court of Miracles?" she asked enthusiastically. "No, because you must stay away from the Gypsies for some time," Esmeralda explained. At the beginning of September, Yvette and Quasimodo moved in with Yvette's parents. And one night, Yvette was awakened by sudden, hard pains. The childbirth had begun. Quasimodo was more restless than ever, but Yvette asked weakly: "Please, go and get Esmeralda here!" Fortunately, the Gypsy girl was spending the night with Phoebus; now she hastened to the bourgeois house. The bellringer, in turn, went to Notre Dame and refused to talk to anyone. He was despaired: what if he lost his beloved Yvette? The bourgeois women became indignant at the Gypsy girl stepping up to Yvette's childbed. But the mother-to-be claimed persistently that Esmeralda had to help her baby into the world. According to the customs of those days, the midwife tried to interfere in the childbirth all the time, and when she was acting in a heavy-handed way, Esmeralda did her best to relieve Yvette's pain. In fact, the women were rather worried about her, for she was small and quite weak. "Maybe she is in danger," the midwife whispered to her mother. But Yvette thought about Quasimodo - she knew he would be heartbroken if something happened to her. To crown the lot, she knew that if she now died, Quasi wouldn't even be allowed to ring the bells at her funeral because she was now regarded as impure. Restlessly she whispered to Esmeralda: "You mustn't let me die!" "We'll do our best," comforted the Gypsy girl. The next morning, the Parisians were amazed at not hearing any bell-ringing from Notre Dame. However, those who arrived to pray got an explanation soon: Quasi was praying inside the Cathedral! He didn't seem to see or hear anything, and some people even thought that he was crying. Finally, a kind little girl approached him and asked: "What's the matter, Quasi?" The bellringer turned round and saw his little friend. At first, he wasn't willing to answer her, but finally he was able to say: "I'm afraid that something might happen to Yvette...We are having a child." Meanwhile, Esmeralda and the bourgeois women were bustling around Yvette's childbed, and she herself had hard pains. However, she proved to be much stronger than she seemed. In the afternoon, at last, the women caught sight of the baby's head. Yvette pushed as hard as she could, and Esmeralda got ready to take the newborn infant in her arms. Then, suddenly -"It's a girl!" the dancer exclaimed, and at that very moment, the baby shouted loudly. Yvette was exhausted, but obviously content. However, she sounded restless when asking: "What is her back like?" This was her secret fear. Esmeralda looked hard at the infant. "She is strong and completely healthy!" she announced, abatedly. Yvette dazzled. "Please, go and tell Quasimodo!" The Gypsy girl hastened to Notre Dame, while the midwife continued taking care of the new mother. Esmeralda was upset to see Quasimodo after so many hours of worrying. He was pale and looked depressed. But now it was time for rejoicing. The dancer hugged her friend. "Congratulations, dear Quasi! You have just had a sweet little daughter!" Quasimodo was happier than ever. "How is Yvette?" he asked. "Everything is well with her, exhausted as she is," smiled the Gypsy girl, "but now you must go to see your little one!" The bellringer stepped in the room where a new life had just begun. The women left the couple alone, and Quasimodo bowed down to look at the infant. "She is our daughter, just as we hoped," smiled Yvette. "And look - she doesn't have a single deformity!" This was a great moment for Quasimodo. Now he knew that his hump was not heritable and that the prejudices of his parents-in-law had been completely groundless. He took the baby tenderly in his arms. She had red hair like him and blue eyes like both of her parents. Quasi had never before seen such a small head and such tiny hands. "Little Esmeralda," he whispered, "Your name will be Esmeralda." When it was time for the next hour of prayer, Quasimodo left the room reluctantly, climbed to the bell tower, and started to ring the bells more joyfully than ever. The townspeople were surprised and asked each other what could be the reason for his joy. Some people had heard rumours about the child, and it didn't take long until almost everyone knew about the bellringer having become a father. Children rushed enthusiastically around Clopin's caravan and shouted to him: "Quasimodo and Yvette have had a baby!" "Hush, hush, my little friends...I mustn't know about such a thing," Clopin tried to explain. In fact, however, he was delighted for the young family. He was sure that it would be easier for him to give up his vexatious thoughts now that Yvette had become a mother so soon. About a fortnight later, when it already seemed sure that little Esmeralda would survive, the Gypsy girl and Phoebus arrived to congratulate the young parents. Esmeralda didn't know the name of the baby yet, and Yvette and Quasimodo were excited: what would she think about the news? Phoebus, who now met Quasi for the first time after the birth, congratulated him proudly. Esmeralda, in turn, took the infant tenderly in her arms and said to Yvette: "Please, tell me her name!" That was a difficult moment. The couple had decided already at the beginning that if the child was a girl Quasimodo would name her after his first love, but it was quite a different matter to tell the Gypsy girl about the decision, when the reason for it was actually a secret. So, every single word had to be chosen carefully. The husband and wife looked at each other for a long while before Yvette had enough courage to say: "Esme, it's time for you to know the truth." Quasimodo exclaimed: "If you tell Esmeralda I will never forgive you! Don't you realize you are everything to me?" Yvette's eyes were filled with tears. "Quasi dear, she will surely guess...Besides, it is I who wanted to give you your own little Es..." She ceased speaking, frightened. But the Gypsy girl, who was deeply touched by the couple's beautiful words, asked cheerfully: "Your own little what?" "Esmeralda," replied Yvette, abated of the solution. The dancer embraced her. "Why do you give me such a great honor?" She was even more touched. Quasimodo hesitated. "Well...you are our best friend...and it's the most beautiful name that we know," he said at last. Then he looked at Yvette for a while again. Phoebus also looked at the young family and then at his sweetheart. Suddenly he remembered that before falling in love with Yvette, the bellringer had sometimes looked depressed when seeing him and Esmeralda together. Now, unexpectedly, he found out Quasi's greatest secret. But he wasn't jealous at all, for he knew as well that the bellringer deeply loved Yvette and that they would never leave each other. So, it was clear that he was never going to reveal what he knew. After a few weeks, when Yvette was no longer regarded as impure, she and Quasimodo took baby Esmeralda to the Court of Miracles to be introduced. All the vagabonds were rejoicing about the bellringer of Notre Dame having a child, and they were really proud that she had been named after their favorite, Esmeralda, although no one had any idea of the real reason for choosing that name. Clopin was especially fond of the little one. During one single year, Quasimodo had experienced many meaningful changes in his life. Firstly, he had found his place among other Parisians. Secondly, he had met a woman who had very soon fallen in love with him. Thirdly, he had won over many difficulties together with his sweetheart and finally surprised the whole city by getting married on Topsy Turvy Day. And now, finally, he and his Yvette had something that even Phoebus and Esmeralda were still lacking. Maybe I will later tell more about the life of their family. The End Back to Fanfic Back to Index |