All buildings have secrets. Every person has secrets. Within these walls is a man. He has been in this asylum for over one hundred years. That's this building's secret. But the oddest thing about him, he hadn't aged a day. That is his secret. What keeps him alive and young? Perhaps he has more secrets. We may never know. He never speaks. Though… some say he sings. Sometimes; In the middle of the night, when there is no one around. He sings. I hear it through the vent. When I first heard it, I was startled. It sounded like one of the angels of the angelic choir from heaven had descended and started to pass his voice through the vents of the old building.
It only took me a few moments to realize who it was. The man in the lowest room; I had heard others sing. But I had never heard something so beautiful. It only made sense that it was him. His file was ancient. And it didn't have a real name. Only the initials O.G. I had talked to the super intendant about him. They told me the story of the Phantom of the Opera.
I descended down into the bowels of the mental hospital with a tray of food for Mr. Phantom. I grabbed the key and unlocked the door. He sat in his chair in the corner of the room. The dull golden light of the lamp his opposing corner gave the white mask an eerie glow.
"Good evening. How are you today?" I asked nicely, setting the tray down at the table that was beside him. He looked at me. His eyes shone an icy blue. I smiled at him warmly.
"Well, this tonight's supper is a turkey sandwich with fresh fruits and vegetables." I told him. He stared blankly-no not blankly. It was sad. He was always sad. I sat down in the chair beside him.
"Is there anything you need? Some of the patients like to have clay, or pastels and paper. It helps them express themselves." I told him, going into my pocket and giving him the little plastic spoon and napkin. He reached up and took it gently. His long elegant fingers curled around the crinkly plastic wrapper. He plucked it from my hand and sat back, his face and torso disappearing back into the dark. I stood and headed out of the door.
"Come by later; I wish to speak with you further, Lee." He spoke softly. I stopped, how did he know I went by the name Lee? I turned.
"Is that what you want?" I asked. The chair creaked as he stood. He walked over to me came very close.
"Yes. Around two in the morning if you are free then. That is when you make your evening rounds, yes?" He asked. That was the most I had ever heard from him. I nodded and tucked my long hair behind my ear and situated my over-sized blue working coat.
"Okay; I'll come by then. Do you want me to bring anything else?" I asked. He wasn't entirely visible. Only the edge of his mask glowed.
"No, just yourself, Leamera." He told me. It sent chills down my spine when he said my full name.
"Okay." I said and started to close the door. He grabbed the door before I closed it and pulled it back open. I braced myself for an attack.
"Don't tell anyone of our conversation." He told me quietly. He was close again. I could hear his soft breaths.
"O-okay." I told him. He gently took my chin.
"Everything is fine. I won't hurt you. In fact the only reason I am still here is to keep the fact that there is a man that is over a century old living among us. Only to keep everything calm. That's why only people from your family can have contact with me. That is why they sought you out. All the way from America. But you need to move on I think. There is someone behind you." He told me. I gave a stifled cry and turned and saw a little girl. One of the ones that was born here. Her mother was allowed to keep her daughter here as long as she took her meds. Though the two weren't able to sleep in the same room.
I heard the door shut behind me; I turned and saw him returning to his seat through the small window.
"Hey Honey. What are you doing down here?" I asked her. She held up her bunny, its ear was ripped.
"You said you would fix it yesterday." She told me. I smiled. I picked her up and walked back up the steps.
"I'll be back for the tray soon." I called to the masked man. There was no reply. We went back up to the surface floors and went into the walled off miniature office that was in the day room. I pulled out my needle and thread that I brought this evening and sat her down on the counter and threaded the needle.
I gently took her bunny and laid her down on the counter.
"Be gentle, Leema." She told me, tugging my arm. I smiled at her.
"Okay. I'll be as gentle as possible." I told her and started to stitch her ear back to her head. The black thread didn't exactly look right but it was repaired when I was done.
"Here you go Honey. Good as new." I told her. She smiled and took the bunny. I stood up and took her hand. I unlocked the door and closed it back, locking it behind me. I took Honey to her room and let her in.
"Alright. It's bed time baby." I told her, pulling back the covers of her bed. She jumped in and cuddled her bunny.
"Good night, Honey." I told her and kissed her forehead. She turned over and picked up a piece of paper and handed it to me.
"Give this to Mommy." She told me. I nodded and took the paper.
"Okay Honey. I'll leave it in her room when I do my rounds." I told her. She smiled and closed her eyes.
"Good night, Leema." She told me. I smiled and kissed her forehead again. I stood up and left her room after I flicked on the nightlight and turned off the overhead light. I locked the door behind me and went back to the booth.
The singing started again. I looked up to the vent. Then the clock, one forty-five; about time I started my rounds. I came to Honey's mother's room and quietly unlocked the door. I entered and put the paper down next to Johanna and went out to finish my rounds.
I came down the steps and saw the small square of golden light that escaped from the small window in the door of the Phantom's room. I unlocked the door and stuck my head in.
"Hello Lee." He said simply. "You can come in." He continued. I stepped in; this actually went against everything I was taught in my training. I wasn't supposed to be doing this. I was never supposed to go into a patient's room when I was on my nightshift.
"Have a seat, Lee." He told me. I entered the room and sat down across from him. He was actually in the light this time. His eyes glowed in the golden light of the lamp.
"I understand that you know who I am." He told me. I nodded.
"Uhm, yes. It's rather peculiar. I grew up believing it was just a story." I told him. He shook his head.
"No dearest. Some think that I was able to escape the authorities. I may be a magician, but I can only do so much. And everyone was after me. I could only go so far. Every police officer was after me. I was eventually caught. The people of Paris were kind enough to sentence me to the asylum. After it become obvious that I wasn't aging the officials said that it was best to keep me here. No need to frighten the public any further." He told me.
"Do you know why you aren't aging?" I asked. He nodded.
"I believe it's a bit of a curse, child." He told me
"A curse?" I asked. He gave me a small smile.
"Your mother used to tell you stories of a man who was cursed with eternal life until he was freed by a certain damsel?" He asked me.
"Yes, how did you know?" I asked the man smiled.
"Because that is my life. Locked away in the cellars of a castle, as ordered by a merciful king? Locked away in the cellars of an asylum because of a merciful king? You do see similarities, yes?" He told me. I nodded with sudden realization.
"You don't speak much do you?" He asked. I met eyes with him.
"Um, it's just that I'm not supposed to do this." I told him. He smiled again. He seemed so sane. And normal.
"You aren't supposed to do this with the insane inhabitants of the asylum. Once more I am only here because of my immortality." He told me. I frowned slightly.
"I'm sorry you have to be here." I told him. He laughed slightly.
"To be honest with my past history with society; I'd rather be down here." He told me. I frowned. Right; his deformity.
"But times are different now." I told him. He smiled. "Why don't you come up to the day room some time? During the day get some sunlight." I asked. He smiled.
"I'm not sure." He told me. I grabbed his hand, but flinched back. I was touchy when I was trying to get someone to do something. I wasn't sure how he would have reacted to my touch. His ice blue eyes ticked. He reached forward and touched my face. I gazed into his eyes.
"I will; but only when you are on duty." He told me.
"I don't work days too often. My cousin works days." I told him. Two girls from my family were sent to work day and night shifts; I never really was told how my family was chosen to take care of this man. There really wasn't any evidence that my family lived in France.
"Only when you're on duty. But perhaps I will come up at night. I've mainly become nocturnal. I sleep at during the day because I don't hear the screams of the patients when I sleep. I like the quiet of night time. How was Honey today?" He asked, his eyes sparkling with interest.
"She's been well behaved. She drew her mother a picture today, asked me to give it to Johanna. I fixed that bunny rabbit she carries around all the time." I told him. He smiled, his eyes sparkling again.
My pager went off. I pulled it out and saw it was coming from my fellow night worker. I stood.
"I need to go, Peyton needs me upstairs." I said, about to turn to go. He gently grabbed my arm and kissed the back of my hand.
"I'll see you tomorrow night, yes?" He asked. I nodded slowly.
"Y-yes, of course." I told him. He gave me a small smile and released my hand. Keeping his eyes locked with my own. I left the room.
"The damsel with the eyes of the green hills of Ireland. Dark green eyes like hers. Could Leamera be the one to break this curse?" I heard him ask himself as I locked the door. Was I the one to break his curse? I racked my brain to remember what it was the damsel did to free the prisoner. I'd figure it out eventually. I always remembered.
I made my way back up to the day room. Peyton was there to relieve me. I smiled at him as I approached him.
"Hey, Lee! Where have you been?" He asked. I gave him the keys.
"I was running a little late on my rounds. But it's pretty quiet tonight, Honey may wake up so just go in her room if you hear anything and stay with her until she goes back to sleep. Good night, Peyton." I told him, his brown eyes sparkled as he smiled. He took the keys leisurely.
"You know Honey likes you more than me. How do you expect me to get her back to sleep?" He asked teasingly, running his hair through his dark brown hair in a false worried fashion.
"She does not, you're her favorite male worker!" I said, slapping his shoulder playfully. He laughed.
"Okay, whatever, go home and get some shut eye, Lee." He told me. I laughed and left. As I stepped out of the asylum my phone rang. I pulled it out of my pocket. It was Mom.
"Hello?" I asked.
"Hey, Lee. How was work?" She asked.
"It was interesting. Mom, do you remember when you were working at the asylum? How you had to take care of the man in the basement?" I asked.
"Oh, Erik? Did he finally talk to you? It's been about three years since you started taking care of him, right?" She asked. So he did have a name.
"Y-yeah. Does he do this with everyone?" I asked.
"Nope, just one of the two girls who come from our family to take care of him. Looks like he likes you more than Nautia. The curse is real. Someone from our family is supposed to free him. His story is what inspired a lot of the stories. But we think that someone was reading fairy tales when they cursed him. It's really unfair, he's a sweet person. Our family is descended from a ballerina that danced at the Opera Populaire when his shenanigans were the talk of the town. When he burned down the opera house she was killed. A gypsy witch or warlock or something of that nature was in love with the ballerina and he cursed Erik. A child of the one that the warlock loved has to free him. When Erik told his care taker this they got two girls from our family to take care of him at day and night. No one has been able to free him. I think he was losing hope by the time your aunt and I got there. I was engaged and Margie had gotten herself pregnant by one of the French boys. I think Erik believed that she was the one to free him. Margie looked so much like our triple great grandmother that he was convinced she was the one.
But you look a lot more like-"
"Mom! Talk much? I love you and your stories but I would like to talk to you. When are you coming?" I asked as I got into the car. I drove home listening to Mom gossip. She hung up about half way home and the car ride was finished in silence.