I DON'T OWN PHANTOM OF THE OPERA OR THE LYRICS. I WANTED TO SHOW THE STORY FROM A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW

July, 1856. Northern France.

"Come on Baldoin." Raoul called out to his friend as they ran on the beach. "You're letting me win."

"I am not, your're just too fast." Baldoin replied. Truthfully, he was letting Raoul win, but he didn't mind. Baldoin Moreau and Raoul de Chagny had been the best friends since they were old enough to walk. Even though Baldoin loved Raoul like a brother, their friendship was not by choice. Baldoin has been only 5 when Raoul caught him stealing from one of the family's summer homes in Marseille. Far from jailing the thief, Raoul actually took a liking to the lad and snuck him food all that summer, building a friendship between the boys. Soon enough, the de Chagny's discovered Baldoin by summer's end. Raoul's father: the viscount de Chagny wanted to see the boy given a sound whipping for his thievery. However, Raoul pleaded on his behalf and his mother: the viscountess talked her husband out of it. Raoul was a lonely boy and except for other boys in his same social class, he had very few friends. The viscountess convinced her husband to condemn Baldoin to a life of indentured servitude as Raoul's playmate. Baldoin had not objected since being forced to play with a boy his age was much more preferable to being whipped in the town square. As the years passed, Raoul and Baldoin had become as close as brothers. As they continued to run, Raoul continued to tease his friend.

"I'm still winning..." he shouted as he suddenly stopped in his tracks. Baldoin also stopped running to see what had stolen young Raoul's attention. A few feet off in the sand, was a beautiful girl only a year or so younger then they. She had porcelain skin and long curly brown hair and around her neck was the most beautiful yellow scarf Baldoin had ever seen. She was building a castle in the sand.

"Who is that angel?" Raoul asked, clearly entranced by this beauty.

"I do not know." Baldoin replied as a large gust of wind came up and blew the scarf right off of the girl's neck. She gasped in horror as it went into the sea. Without a moment's hesitation and before Baldoin could stop him, Raoul went into the water to retrieve it. "Please Raoul, you'll get your clothes all wet and he's gone..." Eventually, Raoul emerged from the sea with the girl's scarf in hand. As he brought it to her, she was entranced by this handsome lad who had saved her precious scarf from the mighty English Channel.

"Thank you monsieur..." The girl said as Raoul handed her the scarf.

"You're welcome miss..." Raoul replied, hoping for the reward of a name after his efforts.

"Daae. Christine Daae."

"Raoul de Chagny." Raoul sat down next to the girl and began aiding her in her castle building. They continued in this endeavor until the sun set and Christine bade the boy's farewell. As they walked back to their summer home, Raoul swore to Baldoin that he would win her love. At this, Baldoin took a king chess piece out of his pocket and handed it to Raoul.

"King's to you Raoul." Baldoin said. "Being your friend is always an adventure."

"Isn't it though." Raoul said smiling.

Over that summer, Raoul, Christine, and Baldoin spent every day together. Swimming in the sea, playing in the sand, and reading stories. As the summer progressed, it became clearer and clearer that Raoul was clearly smitten with "Little Lotte", as he had taken to calling young miss Daae. Baldoin himself knew very little about Christine, except that her father had taken ill and had come to the coast, hoping that the sea air would do him good. At night, he would tell Christine stories about a being called the "angel of music." On rare occasions, she would even tell Raoul and Baldoin of this celestial musician. Raoul, who was never quite one for fairy tales, merely considered this "angel of music" an invention of the mind. Baldoin however, was willing to keep an open mind and listened to Christine as she repeated what her father had told.

"As I lay in my bed, and the angel of music sings songs in my head.

The angel of music sings songs in my head..."

By Summer's end, Gustave Daae had not recovered from his illness and decided to return to Sweden to give a final conclusion ert before he became bedridden. Likewise, The de Chagny family was returning to Paris so that Raoul and Baldoin would be properly educated as French gentlemen. On the last day of Summer, Baldoin watched from a distance as a Raoul and Christine bade each other farewell.

"Raoul, do you think I shall ever see you again?" Christine asked, trying to hold back tears and failing miserably as far as Baldoin could tell.

"Oh Little Lotte." Raoul said dismissively, although anyone could see that Christine's leaving had cut him deep. "We shall meet again because I would have it so, and my parents always give me what I want."

"But they're are so many lovely girls in Paris, what if you forget about me?" Christine feared as Raoul scoffed at the very idea.

"Forget you? Such a thing is far easier said than done, Little Lotte." He assured her. Christine and Raoul embraced deeply as Baldoin watched with tears for his friend. Suddenly, Christine began to sing as she often did, for she had a decent voice. With training, she could probably be quite elegant.

"Think of me, think of me fondly

When we've said goodbye

Remember me once in a while

Please promise me, you'll try"

Baldoin finally let the tears flow as a Raoul joined in.

"We never said our love was evergreen

Or as unchanging as the sea

But if you can still remember

Stop and think of me"

It became truly beautiful though, when they both joined in together.

"Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade

They have their seasons, so do we

But please promise me that sometimes

You...will... think...of...me..."

As the childhood sweethearts parted, Baldoin spent the better part of that evening and many others comforting his friend who finally knew what it meant to not have something he wanted. However, as the years passed, Baldoin had a feeling that they were destined to meet again and finally many years later, they did.

THIS IS THE MOVIE FROM BALDOIN'S POINT OF VIEW. I APPRECIATE EVERY REVIEW THAT COMES MY WAY.