The Reason

This is a story about the Phantom of the Opera. If you didn't know that already then I think there is something wrong with you. But what you don't know is the reason why he was so cruel and evil most times in the movie and book. This is the story that wasn't told about the Phantom of the Opera. There is a real reason. That's exactly what I'm here to explain.

'-' means someone is thinking something

"-" is when someone is talking

Prelude

Normally the circus is a wonderful place to see many exciting and wonderful things. There are candies and caramel apples aplenty and more interesting animals then most people in Paris have ever seen. There are also amazing stunts like tight rope walkers and men who can lift a live tiger with one arm. And along the middle lane of the circus pavilion there are tents that shield mysterious things like "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World!" and "The Tallest Man in the World!". But there are also horrible things that happen at the circus. This is where a horrible story began. This is where my story really began.

"But Mommy! I want a caramel apple! Please?" 'Gosh my mother is so evil. This is the first time I've ever been to the circus. It's all so alive and joyous and all I really want right now is to look at the tigers in the animal exhibit and eat a yummy looking caramel apple! But nooooo, my dear old MOTHER won't buy me one little apple. Well she did take me to the circus in the first place... I guess I'll forgive her for now.' "For the last time, no Erik! I just fed you and I don't want you get to an upset stomach over a stupid apple covered in something that could choke you anyway!" Erik's mom was in her early 30's , with dark black hair and pretty blue eyes. Exactly like Erik. Everyone was always saying how much he look just like a young male version of his mother. Except there was just one difference that everyone seems to overlook. They never mentioned the red disfigured side of his face that neither his father or his mother had. He did not have a problem with it and thought it made him different then his mother which he thought was good because it is awfully tiring to be called a young male version of an older woman.

"Okay Mother I will stop asking now. Oo Oo Oo Mommy I wanna see the tigers!" "Hush Erik. We can go and see the tigers now. We just have to cross the entire span of this huge circus pavilion!" 'She seems a little bit angry or something doesn't she? Hopefully she'll get over it by the time we get across to the tigers.' "Okay since you have to see the tigers we must go through the middle lane and then to the right to the animal exhibits I suppose." "Yay, we're going!"

As his mother slowly walked through the circus' heart and soul, the center of all of it, the little boy followed holding her long skirt and pointing at every interesting thing he could see. "Mommy! I see acrobats! Look, I see a fire eater! Holy smokes! Do you think the sword is REALLY down his throat?" Erik's poor mom only nodded and kept on walking and tried to keep everyone from staring at her son so much. 'The poor boy doesn't really realize how different he is from them. How much he stands out. Or how much he frightens people just because of his face.' No, the boy didn't know or care. He was too busy fast walking to the animal exhibits that were slowly coming closer and closer.

When he got there he walked around all the rusty cages until he finally found the magnificent felines he had longed to see. In the small cage made of bars and steel there was a rather large male tiger with beautiful facial markings just laying there with his big pink tongue hanging out of it's mouth. 'Wow! I didn't know they got so big!' Curled up next to the male was a small female cub just stretched out as much as she could be in the small cage. It wasn't much and if her tail accidentally crept out of the cage some little boy just had to pull it which led to the cub getting very annoyed and angry. Eventually she had learned to pull her tail all the way up to her nose preventing anyone from touching it. This greatly amused the little eight year old boy. "Mommy, see the little tiger?" He giggled to himself and pointed at the cub. "Is her nose cold or something?" His mother once again only smiled and sighed to herself. 'It's not to late to stop the deal right now. Wait, wait, you've gone through this a million times. You can't loose your courage now.' After another few minutes of looking at the tigers yawn and stretch their useless claws in and out Erik's mother finally grabbed his hand and pulled him to a nearby tent and then walked around to the back of it where they were unable to be seen from the circus crowds. 'Yes I must get this over with. But I will miss him dearly.' Erik had gotten just a little bit worried by now. His mom had pulled him quite hard and fast behind a tent where no one could see them. 'Why is Mom looking so sad?' "Mommy, what's wrong? What are we doing here?" 'This may be harder on me then I thought' Erik's mother had sat down on the grass so she was eye level with her son. She started choking up a bit and had a tear silently rolling down her pale cheek. "Listen Erik, you know that I, l- love you, so much that I-I-I would do anything for you. So I'm gonna let you d-do what I think is b-b-be-best for you." By now she was silently sobbing with her hands on the little boys shoulders. The woman then cried out desperately, "Blake, Wesley, where are you?"

After those words two men, one tall and stony looking with short brown hair, closely cut and missing in some spaces and a shorter and smiling man with long blonde hair that went down to his ears, came walking out of the back of the tent that Erik and his mother had been standing behind. "We were just waiting for you to call us Lady," said the brown haired man with a curt nod of his large head. "Wesley, you could have let me know that you were in there you know!" At this Wesley just grinned and said, "But then we wouldn't be having this lovely conversation. You would have just told us to take him and then you would have run away crying. I know you too well." Erik's mother looked down at the ground guiltily and then chose to speak to the man with the long blonde hair. "Blake, I would like to introduce you to my son Erik." Blake looked down his large, obscenely large, nose down at the boy. "I'm very glad to finally meet you boy. Your mother has talked so much about you." Looking back at Erik's mother he said with a large grin, "He looks just like you said he would. Exactly like a younger male version of you...with one slight difference of course." The last part was spoken under his breath while he looked back at Erik's face with a grin slowly forming on his.

All this time Erik had gotten more and more confused. 'What in the world are they talking about?' "Mommy, what are they talking about?" His mother, who had gotten off the ground when Blake and Wesley appeared, sank back to her knees again and took her son's hands in her own. She had wanted to explain everything to Erik but then she found she did not have the courage to tell her one and only son that she had traded him to a circus for enough money to keep her going for years. The truth was that her family had gradually gotten poorer and poorer until Erik's parents had run out of answers to their problems. Erik's mom knew that they could not provide for her son anymore so she thought she could convince the circus to take him along with them and maybe teach him to train the lion and tigers or something along those lines. They had agreed to take him from her and give her money for him. Now she just had to tell him all this... 'I lack the courage to say this to my one and only son. Pathetic am I.' She stood up again and walked over towards Wesley and Blake. "I am asking you as a friend to just take him and explain this all to him so I don't have to. I'm begging you! I cannot bear to say all of this to him." Blake and Wesley grinned at themselves and then at her and convinced her that they would indeed break the news to young Erik. With that lifted off her chest, Erik's mom went back to her son and said the last thing she ever said to him. "My dearest boy, my friends Blake and Wesley will explain everything to you. All you must know from me is that this was never your fault and I will always love you. Now stay will them and maybe I'll see you in a few years, famous and taming wild lions and tigers!"

With her small speech she got up and started walking away. "Wait Mommy!" But then Blake and Wesley picked Erik up and clapped their hands to his mouth to make sure her could not speak anymore. 'NOOOO! Mommy! Don't leave me!' His mother just walked away without a second look back. The last time Erik ever saw his mom he was crying and she was leaving him with two strange men who dragged him into the tent and threw him into a small rusty iron cage almost identical to the tiger's cage. The last time he was ever treated like a normal human being was when he saw his mother trade him for a sack of gold.

The first time he was ever laughed at by strangers with cruel faces and little hearts was that first time he was thrown into a cage and locked in. That was the first time, but not the last time. Oh no, never the last time.

(Note: This is the author of the horrible story you've just read. I just wanted to tell you that this is my first story so I would really like a review even if its just u telling me every single thing about this story that sucks and needs to be improved. Cause that's what im doing this for. To LEARN! And hopefully get just a few wee wittle compliments. Maybe? Please? O well. Thanks for reading.)

(Another note: just to let you know, this story starts out sad, becomes happy and then gets sad again. But I think it will all be meaningful. And to make up for all the sadness I'll make sure there's some fluff and a lot of happiness where I can fit it. Once again, thanks)