Frollo and Esmeralda on the Haunted Mansion

((((This is a portion of a story my friend Kara and I were writing together on this writing forum called "Tales of the Whisperer".  Frollo and Esmeralda have both found themselves pulled from their medieval Paris to modern day Disneyland, California.  Frollo by the way is his younger self.  He was pulled just before killing Quasimodo's mother so he did not know who Esmeralda is.  Esmeralda on the other hand knows him well, she was pulled after escaping the cathedral. The point of the story is for these two to get to know each other in a completely different setting.  We titled it "A Simple Twist of Fate."  This particular portion is when they ride the Haunted Mansion together to escape the tourists. My friend Melany drew the cover picture to accompany this little portion.  Enjoy! XD)))





Frollo: His teeth gritted in annoyance as those little contraptions to capture their image was held up in front of them. Frollo guided Esmeralda along, the path winded back past the restaurant they frequented before, but then it led them around to a rather large house.....a mansion to be precise. It too seemed to be an attraction of some sort. The sign on the gates read, "The Haunted Mansion", but a separate sign indicated it was a seasonal attraction known as "Jack Skellington's Holiday Mansion." How most peculiar. Thankfully it did not appear to be too crowded; anything to avoid these people from following them around.

"Would you like to venture on through these gates or continue to let these people hound us?"

Frollo stood near the gates of the mansion, gesturing with his gloved hand. His other hand still entwined with hers.
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Esmeralda: Esmeralda had no intention of being stuck outside any longer. The Mansion was decked out in such a fashion that the gypsy dancer felt drawn to it at once. It was as though he was challenging her. Esmeralda was never one to back down from a challenge. She smirked if only a little, walking through the gate and into the line up.

It moved fast, much to her surprise.  There was haunting music playing mysteriously around them while at the same time word seemed to spread that they were in the line. Esmeralda however was in love at once with the architecture of the Mansion, she couldn't help but stare up at it with awe written across her features. It was nothing like the beauty of Notre Dame, but this Mansion was stunning in her eyes.

As they moved inside the Mansion, Esmeralda was surprised just how many people they were stuffing into the small room. There were no windows and no doors. The gentleman cast member spoke about moving towards the dead center of the room before chuckling. Esmeralda looked at her companion as the doors closed and the lights went dim.  The sound of breaking glass was heard. Esmeralda looked around her as the pictures on the wall seemed to stretch...or where they getting smaller!? A smile lit her face! This was fantastic! She listened to the story, which was being told by an unseen voice.  She gripped Frollo's gloved hand in excitement during all this.

Just as the music reached a climax, Esmeralda craned her head up high above them.  The sound of thunder emitted from the room.  The face of a skeleton lit up the small room, wishing them a happy holiday. Esmeralda didn't jump when she heard the scream from the other people, she was in love with this! Esmeralda looked at Frollo, beaming as the doors opened. "Are you ready for an adventure?" she grinned as she walked with him down a corridor with strange moving pictures. "I'll hold your hand if you get scared." She teased him more.
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Frollo: Any opportunity to escape the leering crowd of on-lookers was more than welcomed! Thankfully Esmeralda was of the same mind and allowed him to guide her in through the ominous gates of the attraction. Quite a feast for the eyes this whole mansion attraction was! It was clearly far more modern than their time period, but it still held an old worlde charm. The temperature dropped drastically once stepping through the doors into the foyer. Frollo could not help but hold a small smirk upon his lips that the dancer still kept her hands twined with his. Would he protest....certainly not!

A most peculiar phenomenon occurred. They were closed into a circular room, not a single door or window was visible. The sound of breaking glass could be heard followed by a lugging sensation. The room appeared to be moving, stretching to be exact. The lighting was of a dimly-lit florescent while an interesting tale was being told. The judge felt the dancer grip his gloved hand slightly tighter, which instinctively made him return with a gentle squeeze. Even through the gloom he could see the excitement dance across her face. She was completely enthralled by all that was occurring around her. The music swelled to a final climax with a large skeleton's head leering down on them, producing a chilling laughter. Screams could be heard, but not from Esmeralda. Ah, such a brave girl and one he so deeply admired!

"I welcome this adventure, my dear gypsy." The judge scoffed at her light-hearted jab. "I am not scared, but I do hope you will continue to hold my hand none the less."

That smirk remained as he glanced over at her, both walking down the corridor. This dimly-lit path led them to black moving contraptions on some sort of conveyor belt. People were being paired off to sit within these contraptions. It was like a Gothic version of a love-seat...how cozy! This attraction was quickly becoming an instant favorite of his.

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Esmeralda: Esmeralda smirked and decided to humor the old man.  She quickly sat down on the ride with him. It was a little close, but at least she was with him in this case. The entire time the dancer was so enthralled with the ride that she forgot herself once or twice, leaning in closer to him while pointing out various things to him that she loved. The music was one of the things she loved the most, it made her smile to see a gypsy's touch to the mansion! A fortune teller none the less.  Her head was removed, but still talking! How was any of this possible?!

In that moment she smelt something so sweet..."Oh...what is that?" she moaned.
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Frollo: During their excursion into the boundless realms of the supernatural  the dancer would lean herself closer against him. Frollo did not mind in the least, a smirk was permanently affixed upon his features. His fingers were itching to place them around her waist. Not yet though....the timing had to be perfect.

Their dark carriage lumbered along, bringing them to encounter creaky coffins, banging doors, door handles jingling and a ferocious man-eating plant leering down on them. Esmeralda would bring herself closer to him during all this, but it still did not seem the perfect time yet. They entered a dark seance room. A crystal ball floated above a table with a fortune teller's head inside. Frollo sat stunned at all this. This area was one of the darkest so far.

Winding around they traveled along by a ballroom scene. The smell of gingerbread filled his nostrils. The judge let out a contented exhalation. Such a delicious smell actually made him feel a little hungry. Subliminal messages at its best, how crafty! The ballroom was quite a sight! Ghost dancers glided across the tiled floor while above a duel took place through paintings. A haunting melody was played on a large pipe organ. What a bizarre scene it all was!

Lumbering around they entered a darkened attic. The florescent lights cast them both in an eerie glow amongst the gloom. A large neon-colored snake was eating Christmas gifts while a large skeleton wearing a Santa Claus suit stood in a portrait.

It was when traveling out the attic window, snaking through a darkened forest that the opportunity arose. Their carriage was tilted backward, allowing the gnarled trees to leer in at them. Frollo slid his arm around her waist, holding her in close against him until they were placed back in the upright position before entering the gates of the graveyard.

"Oh, forgive me, my dear, I did not want you to tumble out. I can assure you it was merely for safety reasons I held you in such a manner."

A smirk could not be concealed, he rather enjoyed that!