ONESHOT
Meg X Erik
Why was Meg scared of rats?
I always loved playing with Erik, even though he was 8 years older than me. Unlike the boring girls in the ballet dorms who just gossiped all day, Erik was happy to play in the catacombs below the opera house with me. I realize now that it makes sense that he liked to be in them, since it was where he lived.
Being the daughter of the ballet mistress made me a social outcast. I worked hard to be the best dancer I could be, and usually was rewarded with a role or two. However, it was always seen as favouritism from my maman. Ha, as if. She would never give me compliment, unless I earned it, let alone give me a role in an opera. I had to work hard for everything I had. But no one else, except for Erik saw that.
I've known him for so long, I can't even remember a time when I didn't know him. We created so many memories as young children.
One memory stands out to me… it was 2 years before Christine came. I had just turned 8 a few days before….
*flashback*
"Meg! Come on, you're being so slow" Erik grumbles, as I try for the fifth time to climb up the back of an angel statue. It is a warm day, and on the roof of the balcony, a cool breeze is blowing. Despite this, there is sweat running down my face.
Once again, my fingers slip, and I land on my bum, much to Erik's amusement.
"It's not fair!" I whine, annoyed that he is laughing at me.
"Oh buck up Meg, here." Erik lowers his hand to me, and I take it. He pulls me up, and sets me down on the angel's shoulder beside him. He crouches beside me, his new black cape rustling with the breeze. I blush, ever since I gave it to him a few weeks back, he hasn't taken it off in my presence. I wonder if he sleeps with it on…. I blush again at the thought.
We sit silently side by side, until he begins to talk.
"I see that the shock of the rats last night has worn off," Erik comments. I try to supress a shudder, as I remember last night. The ballerinas were jealous of me earning a solo in the upcoming ballet and had set a crateful of rats on me, when I had fallen asleep, exhausted from hours of hard practicing. I had awoken to the sensation of claws digging into my skin as the rats moved about, and the uncomfortable moving weight. The worse moment had been when a rat crawled up my neck, and looked into my brown eyes, with ugly blood red eyes of its own. I had screamed then. My mother ran in and saw me covered with rats, and screamed to. She had grabbed a broom and was swiping at them, and they scattered all over me. She kept swiping at them until they had fled the room.
The good thing which came out of it, was that I now have a small room, separate from the ballet dormitories. It might make rehearsals harder, but at least I will be able to escape into my own room.
"I hate rats." I say harshly. I cannot forget opening my eyes, and looking into the eyes of a rat.
Erik laughs, "I will remember that."
And he does. There are never any rats in the catacombs after that conversation. Somehow he manages to wipe out all the rats that live in the dark and damp passageways. And for a while, all was well.
Then one morning, a few weeks after Christine arrived, I find a note beside my bed that warns me not to seek him out again.
At first I don't listen. I call into the lower passageways for him. But there is never any response. I even try venturing into the lower catacombs, but stop when the rats return, in masses.
*End of flashback*
After they came back, I knew he meant what he had written. I was heartbroken that my best friend would abandon me, and it wasn't long before I learned the reason why.
Of course, some years later, after the performance of Don Juan, when he sent the chandelier crashing down, I found him alone in the shadows.
He cried in my arms, and the years faded between us, the trust from many years ago was reborn. When he finished crying, he stood and offered me a hand. I took it without hesitation, and he led me through a passageway, towards a new beginning for us.