Welcome everyone. Just a little two-parter for you all to enjoy, a little "Phantom of the Opera" inspired story. Enjoy and review.
Sitting in his father's chair, Niall Warburton read "The Phantom of the Opera" by Gaston Leroux. Standing at the window, his father Cerdic stood looking at the front-page headline in the newspaper.
Norrisville Grand Opera Manager Andrew Hill found dead in Box 5.
The picture of a body covered by a morgue blanket caused Cerdic to stare with worried eyes. So he still lived did he? But how was that possible? Cerdic had seen the body a lifetime ago and identified it as the body of that Phantasm, an absconder from Beelzebub's Atoll who was an adept when it came to thaumaturgy. Crushed in what seemed like an elaborate killing oneself by playing a song on the piano that would cause his home to come crashing down on him. It was impossible. That Phantasm must have been fifty by now if it was he but the methods was indeed his. The use of a rope! His own Punjab Lasso.
"Niall, I'm going to the opera tonight to see…" Cerdic looked at the newspaper. "'Faust.'" He then threw the newspaper at the wall. "Oh god, he couldn't have come when anything else but the opera music my step-father would beat me to comes from?"
"Uncle Hugleik used to beat you?" Niall looked up from his book in complete shock. "Is that why you were so loathed to put vinegar on my cuts when mom told you to?"
"Yes, it is." Cerdic walked over to the coatrack and grabbed his best-looking coat. If an old compeer or adversary was indeed in Norrisville then he had to look his best. "If your mother and brother make it home tonight tell them where I am."
"Okay, tell Theresa I said 'hi.'"
"What?"
"Theresa is going to be there."
"Well, why?" Cerdic didn't expect the Fowler girl to be an opera lover. There must have been some other reason for her to be seeing 'Faust.'
"She won tickets for being the third caller to a radio show." Niall jumped out of Cerdic's chair and walked over to his dad. "She figures she has the tickets, she might as well see it."
"Oh, yes?" Cerdic looked down at walking stick. "Is she going alone?"
"No, she and Randy are going together." Niall looked at the newspaper. "Impossible, I know." He then looked back at his father. "Can I come?"
"No."
The Norrisville Opera House had been built in 1881. It was as mysterious as could be and hid many things that even the staff knew nothing about. It was the perfect place for a Phantasm to hide and no doubt he knew the ways of the Opera House.
Cerdic sat in a chair looking at Randy and Theresa. The former certainly looked chic and the latter certainly looked comely but it was Cerdic most of all who was the object of everyone's attention. He was dressed how he usually was and while he looked like he belonged he also looked like he did not belong. The clothes he was wearing looked like they had seen better days ten years ago. Randy and Theresa could tell that Cerdic was thinking they didn't belong here either.
Theresa gave a nervous wave only for Cerdic to cover his left eye with his left hand. It seemed to Theresa that Cerdic did not want to be here. Theresa herself did not want to be here but she had the tickets so she might as well use them.
Both Randy and Theresa came walking over to Cerdic. They weren't exactly sure about what to say to him. What did they say to him? Well, they said the obvious.
"Hello, Mr. Warburton." Greeted Randy, his voice filled with uncertainty. He didn't take Cerdic as an operagoer… Actually, what did he do besides write books?
"Huh." Cerdic grunted.
"How are you?" asked Theresa.
"Hmm." Again, Cerdic grunted.
"How is Niall?" asked Theresa.
"Fine." Mumbled Cerdic, looking at Randy's shoes. He was wearing running shoes with a suit? Really?
"What brings you here?" asked Randy.
"An old ally." Mumbled Cerdic. He stopped looking at Randy's shoes and then looked at Theresa. "You… Oh god… You can't be." Cerdic stood up and took his hand off of his eye. It was impossible but if the math was right…
"Something wrong, Mr. Warburton?" asked Randy. There was a serious look of concern on Randy's face. Cerdic did not look like himself, he was actually showing emotion, which for someone like Randy was completely rare. "You don't look like yourself."
"I've been better, Randall." Cerdic started to hobble away. "I've been better."
Randy and Theresa both looked at each other and then shrugged. That had been odd but they didn't know Cerdic as well as they did his sons so this could have been normal for Cerdic. They never even noticed the glowing golden eyes staring at them from two small holes in the wall.
As the opera began, Randy and Theresa found themselves in Box 5, the box where Andrew Hill had been found dead. Cerdic found himself not in a box but in the worst seat in the house at the very back. He wasn't even looking forward to this but he at least want to be able to see what was going on. All he could see from where he was were some people singing in French. He hated French. Randy and Theresa were so close and Cerdic could see them perfectly but they couldn't see him but he couldn't even see the stage. How on earth did that even work?
Through holes in the wall, the glowing golden eyes stared at Theresa. These were not the eyes of a stranger but at the same time they were. These were not the eyes of a concupiscent person but something else.
He was called many things: Phantasm of the Grand Opera, Grand Opera Apparition, Divine Being of Music, the Damask Angel of Death, Trapdoor Admirer, Adult Male's Power of Speech and L'Animal.
He knew the Fowler family lived in Norrisville and so he had come here to find Theresa. His former friend, Cerdic was here too, his fencing years well behind him and he was out of shape despite being gaunt as ever, his right leg had seen better days.
L'Animal thought nothing of Cerdic he was here only for Theresa. He had engineered the whole thing that would bring Theresa here. Now that she was here, he could claim her.
So it was that the chandelier came crashing down. People were killed, injured, sent scrambling, Randy and Theresa were separated Theresa was taken.