Wake of the Quasimodo
On his deathbed, a stranger seeks revenge on his enemy by using subtlety in the details of a fantastic story.
(Time Doesn’t Heal All Wounds)
There is a common misconception regarding the Quasimodo character. When referred to, it is not in singular form, but actually means “The Collective.” An entire village of Quasimodo shares the same disfigured appearance. The Quasimodo are all hearing impaired and communicate entirely through sign language.
WAKE OF THE QUASIMODO introduces a disfigured man, JOUSEFF, and his equally disfigured wife, MOURA, pregnant and worried. They talk about a disheartening future event and agree to protect their village, including their unborn son, William. A small boy arrives at a church in the middle of a terrible storm. He has an urgent message for the lead clergy. The boy reveals a highly valuable gold nugget to persuade the clergy to visit his dying master. Not being able to refuse the offer, the clergy accepts the boy’s request. They travel to a remote castle and find the ELDERLY MASTER dying of tuberculosis. The elderly master tells a story about a village of Quasimodo with the promise of an abundance of gold. The clergyman remains with questions of details. The elderly master mentions that the Quasimodo are still alive and reenacts what truly happened years ago in the town of Collengraht. William’s father, Jouseff, is the leader of the Quasimodo villagers. He emphasizes the importance of William's leadership in the event of his death. The elderly master mentions William’s friend, Lady Joliene, a beautiful, royal member of Collengraht, and her long talks with William. He also describes the corrupt priest, GAIUS, who mysteriously arrives in Collengraht, and becomes the personal advisor to DUKE YOUKAMIS without suspicion. Gaius meets Lady Joliene. She tells him about the Quasimodo in the mountains. In conversation, she reveals the treasure of gold on their land. This interests Gaius right away. He insists that they talk more about the presence of the Quasimodo. One day, Lady Joliene overhears Gaius speaking in secret with CHIEF OFFICER PHOEBUS. They plot to overthrow Youkamis. Gaius is taken by surprise by her presence in the hallway, but attempts to defuse the situation. She threatens Gaius about her discovery. To silence Lady Joliene, Gaius murders her. William is a witness, but Gaius falsely blames William for her death to Duke Youkamis. Gaius demands the Quasimodo be brought to justice. Duke Youkamis vows to a face-off with the Quasimodo. He rides with a massive army out to the face of the mountains. Jouseff meets with him. Youkamis demands that William be handed over for a crime he didn’t commit. Jouseff denies Youkamis’ charges to take William away. In a fit of anger, Youkamis and his army race to attack the Quasimodo villagers. Destruction comes over the army, including Youkamis and Jouseff. William becomes the new Quasimodo leader and instructs the villagers to leave the mountain. He surrenders himself to Collengraht to protect them. Moura follows William into Collengraht. Phoebus beats William and throws him inside a cage. William is approached by a beautiful gypsy woman named ESMERELDA. She is also the girlfriend of Phoebus. She speaks respectfully to William and disapproves of the cruel treatment by the Collengraht people. Moura is captured and thrown into the dungeons. William bargains with Gaius for her release. Gaius demands a lofty ransom of gold and threatens to kill her. William agrees and is released to retrieve the gold. Esmerelda visits Moura in the dungeons and talks about a secret plan to help her escape. William doesn’t know about the plan. Phoebus secretly follows William for days. William finds the cave. He enters an enchanting lake and miraculously transforms into an ordinary man. Phoebus and William fight. Both survive, and part ways. William fills a sack with gold and hurries back to Collengraht to save his mother. Moura is hanged. Esmerelda stands in the front row to witness her death. Gaius, satisfied by Moura's death, visits the coroner's room to see her corpse, but he learns that Esmerelda took the body away. He's furious and leaves. William has a vision and sees Moura hanged. Overwhelmed by the injustice of her death, he runs without stopping to Collengraht. Esmerelda and a small band of her friends flee from Collengraht with Moura to safety in the woods. William arrives in Collengraht, but too late. Consumed with sorrow, William climbs up to the bell tower and throws the gold nuggets at the townspeople below. He causes a riot to assemble in the town. Soldiers shoot arrows at William to drive him out of the bell tower. Incidentally, a fire rages through the town. William cheers, excited, but sees Gaius escaping with the crowd. He climbs down from the bell tower and confronts Gaius. They exchange a heated argument, and William nearly kills Gaius. A beam falls and separates the two men. Gaius escapes. The elderly master ends his dramatic story, but the clergyman doesn’t believe him. Esmerelda comes in and pours two goblets of water. The clergyman isn't sure if he recognizes her. The men drink. Afterwards, the clergyman transforms into a Quasimodo creature. Two monks arrive and stand in the doorway, waiting. The elderly master smiles down at him and calls him a Quasimodo monster.
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