Here is the next chapter! Just to let you know as we head into LND territory - I will be making a couple of changes as it will be entirely from Gustave's perspective and he didn't witness everything, as you probably know. So there will be a few differences but the basic plot will be the same. Please read and review!

Much to my relief there was no real delay when we docked later that afternoon. Efficient yet courteous medical officers boarded the ship when we arrived and gave us a brief examination in our staterooms. There were also some forms to be filled in, but it did not take long and as soon as the formalities were over, the officials gladly welcomed us to New York. I was proud that Mother and I could answer their friendly enquiries in English. Raoul's English was quite good but he did not seem to be in the mood for small talk.

It was a pity to be leaving this beautiful ship, but to be honest we were all looking forward to being on dry land again. We watched the captain bidding farewell to all the famous passengers – the Astors, the Vanderbilts, all those people that we usually read about in the newspapers and who were still trying to avoid us, even now. Dressed in our best clothes, we made our way to the gangplank where we would take our first steps on to American soil. But even before we got there, I could see the huge crowd gathered at the docking harbour. The arrival of a trans-Atlantic liner was such a huge event in those days and there were reporters and photographers lying in wait for stories and scoops, along with relatives and friends of the passengers.

"Typical! All the vultures of the yellow press here, all vying for gossip and scandal!" Raoul muttered darkly as we made our way down the gangplank, Mother following behind us. Camera bulbs flashed as we Raoul and I stood at last on the quayside and the reporters shouted questions at the other First Class passengers.

"Stand aside, stand aside!" he snapped at them as our luggage was dumped unceremoniously in front of us by the indifferent porters. They smirked knowingly as they held out their hands and looked at the small tip Raoul gave both of them, before disappearing quickly. "Money grabbing imbeciles! They knew I could hardly leave them without a tip in front of that lot.." he practically growled. He was in a terrible mood, as he had been for much of the journey.

"Here she comes!" one of the reporters shouted, and all turned to the gangplank as Mother stepped on to the harbour. In her pale blue dress and full length fur coat she was a picture of grace and elegance, as usual.

Questions were being fired at her, and one cocky reporter even asked her to sing, but when they made the cardinal error of addressing her as "Miss Daae" Raoul immediately retorted that "Her name is Madame du Chagny!" I suppose he did not like that his wife was the centre of attention in this country, unlike at home. He would not allow any pictures to be taken of her, or of me, and he demanded to know why no-one was here to meet us.

Just as he finished his last sentence, I saw something at the other side of the square, and nudged my mother. There was a… carriage of some kind, coming towards us. It was made from gold, pure gold, every inch of it! But that was not the most amazing thing – as it made its way past the gawping Press, we could see that there was nothing pulling it! No horses.. or animals of any kind, for that matter. It simply moved of its own volition!

Now, I was vaguely familiar with the idea of a "horseless carriage". Up until that point, I had only seen a couple of motor-cars on the streets of Paris, although I had no idea of how they worked. But those contraptions were noisy, dirty looking things that seemed to break down regularly. This carriage was nothing like that; indeed it practically glided over to where we were waiting by the quayside and came to a graceful, noiseless halt. Raoul was griping again, but I hardly listened; I was so fascinated by this strange yet beautiful conveyance which looked like something out of a fairy tale. Indeed, I could almost imagine Cinderella travelling to the ball in it, although even she had something to pull it there.

Mother and I simply stared in amazement and as we watched, a door in the side opened and three of the strangest looking people I had ever seen emerged. A woman and two men; wearing odd black clothes with bizarre designs on them. One was large and muscular looking, with a collection of tattoos all over the visible parts of his body. The second man was tall and gangly looking, with a top hat and long moustache. And the woman was small and lithe, with a birdlike face and large bushy hair. They stood in a row and bowed to us elaborately. And then they spoke, or rather, sang, asking us if we were ready to begin the greatest journey of our lives…

Raoul stood there, his face like thunder. To his fury and embarrassment, the reporters were still there, busily taking notes and the photographers were capturing everything as well, probably unable to believe their luck. But before he could say another word, the large man was lifting our luggage on to the roof of the carriage and the other pair were ushering us inside, with elaborate gestures. Mother and I eagerly climbed on board and Raoul reluctantly joined us, angrily brushing away the trio's offer of help. They did not seem at all fazed by his rudeness. And then they themselves got back in and sat opposite us, and no sooner were we all seated than the magical carriage glided off.

There we were, the three of us sitting opposite these strange creatures, and soon we left the harbour behind us. Raoul sat looking out the window with his arms crossed, like a petulant child, for much of the journey but Mother and I were fascinated.

They seemed to speak as a trio as well, each saying a part of the sentence.

"Forgive us-"

"-Our new friends from across the sea-"

"-For not introducing ourselves"

"I am Mr Squelch, the Strongest Man in the World!"

"I am Miss Fleck, half woman, half bird, the trapeze artist!"

"I am Dr Gangle, and I call on everyone to roll up, roll up, for the greatest show in town!"

"We are part of Phantasma, where nothing is as is seems!" they chorused in unison, each giving us a little bow from their seated positions.

So they must work for Mister Y! And this carriage must be his too. What a strange place we were going to... Strange and yet wonderful…

"I am Christine, Vicomtess de Chagny. And this is my husband, Raoul, the vicomte, and our son, Gustave," Mother told them graciously. They nodded with mock formality to each of us, but Raoul continued to stare out the window, Mother becoming a little embarrassed at his rudeness.

Then Miss Fleck reached elegantly under the seat and produced a large parcel, tied with an elaborate bow. "For the little vicomte" she purred, in that strange voice of hers.

"From our master" added Mr Squelch.

"The great Mister Y" added Dr Gangle.

"This is for me? From Mister Y?" I gasped.

They nodded together, with strange grins on their faces.

"Gustave, where are your manners?" my mother asked me, "Thank the.. lady. Miss Fleck, wasn't it? And the gentlemen too."

"Thank you so much!" I told them, examining the parcel and wondering what it was. They nodded again. Such strange people, I thought. I had never met anyone like them before.

"Can I open it, Mother?"

"Wait until we get to the hotel, dear. And whenever we finally meet this Mister Y, you will have to thank him for your present in person."

The bizarre trio entertained us with funny songs, and told us of Phantasma where there were exciting rides and scary attractions, and a Hall of Mirrors where nothing looked like it was supposed to. They seemed to speak a little French as well, and drifted between the two languages with neither logic nor explanation. I am sure that people were pointing and staring at our mode of transport all the way through the district of Brooklyn until we got to Coney Island, but I never noticed.

Suddenly we glided to a halt and our three new acquaintances descended smoothly from our carriage, gesturing for us to follow.

"We are here, and not there-"

"And here is Phantasma-"

"And who knows what will happen now you are here and not there?"

Bewildered, we climbed out after them, wondering what on earth they were talking about. We appeared to be at the entrance of a hotel. The Phantasma Hotel, in fact, where we would be staying courtesy of Mister Y. Our luggage was lifted down and the two men bowed to us, Miss Fleck offered a deep curtsy and with an elaborate wave of Dr Gangle's tall top hat, they boarded the magical carriage again and disappeared into the park itself.

It was getting dark now but we could see the carriage glowing in the distance like an enormous star. The hotel was on the edge of the park, and this infuriated Raoul even further. "I don't see why we have to stay in the park as well,", he grumbled. But I was not listening; I was looking at that magical wonderland ahead of us, now closing for the night. There was an enormous Ferris wheel near the entrance, and I got a brief glimpse of some of the rides and attractions I had read about.

But I had no time to take in anything in detail. A porter was waiting patiently to carry our luggage and the three of us followed him into the hotel. The young man at the front desk was polite and welcoming, even to an impatient Raoul, but no, he told him, Mister Y was merely the owner and did not usually visit the hotel. He was very sorry but he did not know when Raoul would be able to talk to him.

"Outrageous! Having us met by circus freaks! It'll be all over the papers tomorrow. And sending that ridiculous contraption! Has he any idea how humiliating that is to people of our status? I will find this Mister Y tomorrow and I will be complaining to him in the strongest of terms!"

But it hadn't been humiliating at all. It was strange, yes, but it was magical too, and I could not wait to see more of it.

We went upstairs in the lift, which would have been exciting in other circumstances, but it seemed terribly ordinary now. We were staying on the top floor and it was a large, well-appointed suite, with two bedrooms, like on the ship and a beautiful sitting room with a cream sofa and armchairs, and a table at which we could take our tea. Some flowers were placed in a lovely blue and white vase, as a present to Mother, judging by the note she found, and there was a present for Raoul too, although I don't know if he even looked at it.

But I hardly noticed my luxurious surroundings, being so fascinated with my present which I had carried upstairs myself. Tearing it open, I shook the box inside, trying to guess what it was, as Raoul grumbled some more about how awful Coney Island was and Mother tried to soothe him. I opened the box and lifted something out, wrapped in paper.

It was a strange object – a monkey dressed in Middle Eastern robes of deep red and he was seated on a bench in front of a miniature piano. Both stood on a disc-shaped silver platform and I turned it around, trying to understand what exactly it was. Then, I saw a key in the monkeys back and turned it as far as it would go. When I released it, it turned back around on some kind of spring and a tune began to play. The monkey's paws were moving up and down and the keys were pressing down, making it look like he was playing the piano.

"Look, Father, see the toy they gave me!" I cried in delight. He was complaining bitterly about having to come to America and I desperately wanted to make him happy somehow.

Each note that I heard was musically correct – it corresponded exactly to the notes that the monkey was "playing". I had never seen such a toy.

"Father, come here and see this! You wind it up with a key and it plays music. Come and look at it!"

"Tell the boy the answer is no!"

My heart almost broke. It was always "the boy", never "my son".

"I need some air", he announced brusquely and pushed past Mother to the door. "Please, Raoul, don't drink any more-"she begged, but he was gone.

We both knew what "getting some air" really meant. I ached right then, for despite everything, despite all he had done to us and the way he spoke to me, I still longed for his approval, his attention, his love.

I sat on the floor, the tune having faded, and stared at my new toy. Mother was sitting on the couch, her head in her hands, but I could only think of my own sadness at that moment.

"Father never plays with me. Doesn't he love me?"

Smiling a little, Mother got up and sat down on the floor beside me. She examined my toy monkey and let me show her what it did.

"Your father loves you very much, as do I", she told me gently. "Things have been very difficult for him lately. But you see, people love in different ways. Not everyone likes giving hugs or lots of affection, but it doesn't mean they don't love anyone."

I snuggled against her and she sang me a song about how love was not always beautiful and how I should look with my heart, not with my eyes. We sang it together too and I was comforted by her words, as always.

"Time for bed, darling" she told me after a while. "Go and get yourself ready while I start unpacking and I will come and tuck you in. Oh, and here is your nightshirt. And your little friend of course."

She handed me my nightshirt and my bear from out of my suitcase. Thinking it would please her, I wound up the monkey again as I left the sitting room. It played a different tune this time, one I did not know. If I had only looked behind me I would have seen Mother's bewildered expression as she heard a tune that she never thought she would hear again.

After a little while she joined me and sat on a chair beside my bed.

"It will be a busy day tomorrow. I will have to go to rehearsals and do my voice exercises. You will need to bring a book along with you, or something to keep you amused."

"I will" I told her, "But when do we get to go on the rides?"

"I don't know how much free time I'll have, Gustave. We'll see, but I promise you, the day after the concert, we will go on whatever ride you choose. Even the Ghost Train!"

I felt a bit happier then and, for once, I was too tired for a story so Mother simply stayed with me until I fell asleep.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O

I was standing on a beach, with the wind howling and rain pelting down, but there was no shelter anywhere. Then suddenly, a dark shadow grabbed me from behind and began dragging me to the water's edge, my feet trailing in the sand. A voice, a female voice was laughing as I screamed for help. The water around my feet was getting deeper as I was dragged even further out, the waves crashing over my body and now the shadow was pushing my head under the water... I couldn't breathe! And although I struggled, those strong hands were still holding me under and I could hear that horrible laughter again...

Terrified, I woke up, gasping for breath. And a new terror struck me – this was not my bedroom! With my heart beating rapidly, I struggled to sit up and looked around me frantically. Then I remembered – we were in the hotel in Coney Island, not on the ship or at home.

I could not stay in this unfamiliar bedroom. Without another thought, I jumped of bed and ran into the sitting room.

"Mother, I'm scared! I had a horrible nightmare. There was someone dragging me into the sea and trying to drown me-"

She ran to me and put her arms around me. "It's all right Gustave, it's all right, you're safe now," she assured me, and I slowly I began to calm down. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a black pillar in the middle of the room, which hadn't been there before.

"Come and meet a friend of mine" she told me gently, guiding me towards the pillar. Now I realised that it was in fact a man, dressed in a black suit and cloak, with his back turned to us. Quickly he turned to face the two of us and walked towards me with graceful steps.

"Welcome to Phantasma; I am Mister Y" he announced with a deep, melodic voice full of authority.

"This is Gustave, my son", Mother told him politely.

He gave me a strong, firm handshake and I looked up at him. Looked up is the right phase here; he positively towered over me. "How do you do, young man?" he asked me, allowing his gloved hand to linger in mine briefly. I swallowed, trembling a little. Even this simple phrase carried so much power and authority! That voice.. It was entrancing, mesmerising; it was like no other voice I had ever heard. And that was not the most intriguing thing about him; he wore a mask of white porcelain, which covered half his face from his hairline to his jaw. His black hair was carefully combed and the visible half of his face was pale, with small lines around his mouth and eye.

All I could do was stare. It was a good thing that he spoke perfect French as I seemed to have forgotten all my English from sheer nerves. Then finally I spoke.

"You are Mister Y?"

"Indeed I am, young Gustave. And it is a pleasure to meet you."

"Then, all this… is yours?" I waved my hand to indicate the park outside.

"All of it. Every inch"

I suddenly realised that my jaw had dropped open. This truly was Mister Y! Finally I was standing in front of him... and I was shaking like a leaf! Mother watched us both, her eyes moving between both of us as we spoke in turn.

"But that's.. that's wonderful!" I could not take my eyes off that white mask. Then, a thought suddenly occurred to me, "Th-thank you for my present. It is beautiful."

"Why, you are most welcome! And now, my young vicomte, I am the owner of this park, as I said, and I can grant any wish that you may have. Anything at all."

I thought of the Hall of Mirrors and the Ghost Train and all the rides that I wanted to go on. But what if I could go to all the secret parts of the park, where visitors never go to?

"Sir, if you please, I would like to see all the mysteries of the park, all the hidden corners.."

A shiver ran down my spine as he looked down at me. Those eyes.. How can I describe how they burned into me? For a moment, everything else ceased to exist, save for this awe struck child, just awakened from a nightmare, and this powerful, mysterious being.

Who was he?

I was jolted back to reality by his reply. "Then that is precisely what you shall see. But not until tomorrow, mind! The park is closed for the night and you must be patient."

"Yes sir. And thank you very much.. Mister Y"

"Back to bed now, Gustave," my mother told me, and I kissed her cheek, bid her and Mister Y goodnight and made my way back into my bedroom. My nightmare was all but forgotten. I had met Mister Y and he was going to show me around the park tomorrow! Now I would learn all its secrets. Maybe I would learn how that carriage moved by itself?

But why did Mother never tell me that he was a friend of hers? And why did he wear that mask? Was it part of a costume? Never mind, I would find out the answers tomorrow, surely, as I explored the park. Tired but happy, I climbed into bed and snuggled my bear against me. Tomorrow was going to be a real adventure.. Tomorrow…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Of course, if I had been able to look beyond my own childish needs and desires, I would have seen that Mother was uncomfortable and even nervous in Mister Y's presence. Or even that she too had been upset by Raoul's anger that night. But that did not occur to me until much later. Too distracted by toys and amusement parks, like the immature child I was. All the clues that I never put together, all the things that happened that I was not aware of until it was too late…

But I am aware that I am looking back in hindsight, much wiser now. What could I have done, even if I had known the truth about Mother and.. Papa.. on that first night? Fate had already set a chain of events in motion and I can only record how I saw it, at that time.

And now the past fades, before my eyes, as I glance at the clock.

Today, it is the here-and-now that requires my immediate attention – my dental appointment, errands to the post office, the pharmacy and that new supermarket, someone coming round to fix the TV later… So for the moment, I shall return to the mundane world and leave my younger self sleeping, blissfully unaware, in that hotel room in Coney Island, long ago.