The Opera ghost's whisper
I do not own anything
Chap 9
" Julian? Where are you?" Russell called me.
" I am at home, I am on my way to the Opera house."
" no … don't come…"
" what? Why …?"
" it is like a mad house in here, everyone is screaming and running…. I don't know what happened…. But… ARRRRRR!"
" Russell? RUSSELL ?" the phone cut off. I had to get there as fast as I could!
oOo
I tried to get in the opera house, but like Russell had told me, it was like a mad house, everyone was running and screaming, I didn't know what they was saying, something about ghosts and flying chairs….
The Opera ghost was here, and it wanted revenge.
On Russell.
On everyone in this opera house, for taking what belonged to it.
" Russell? Russell? Where are you?" I tried to run throught the wave of people trying to get out of the opera house. suddenly I saw one of the dancers.
" wait!"
" please, monsieur, we have to get out of here, this place is haunted, it is not safe!" the girl wailed.
" calm down, Marri, tell me, did you see Monseur Davis?"
" no…. no I don't… there were too many people…. And noise…. Someone said something about…. I don't know… Monsieur…. Please let me go…."
" just tell me when was the last time you saw Monsieur Davis!"
" I… I… he went to look for Madame Butler… and … Megan….where is Megan? Oh no… Madame said she wanted to find Megan…"
" relax… calm down…. Tell me… slowly… which way did Monsieur Davis go?"
" I… that... I think…" Marri breathed out slowly. " I think it is that way. He said he would need to check the old dressing room to find those old dresses, there were a lot of old dresses, but no one used it for a long time, and he wanted to see if there was something we could used. He said he didn't really satisfied with the Phantom's costome." Marri was about to cry again. " and I told him that…. Maybe there was some old customes… since nineteenth century…. Nothing had been moved from their place…. So… maybe we could use some of them…"
" the old dressing room? Which way?"
" that way…." She said.
" thank you."
oOo
I ran in the old dressing, the room was really old, the wall was yellow, the floor was really weak, one wrong step and you would fall down below. No Russell inside, but the mirror was opened, that meant someone had used it.
Russell. Did he go inside the Phantom's lair?
There was only one way to be sure. I carefully walked in the dark hall, leading to the world of darkness.
oOo
As I was walking down, I heard 'the voice'.
Where are you?
My love, my Angel…
" no, no… where are you? Come out, you freak! Why did you do this to us, I didn't do anything…. Julian didn't do anything…. Come and haunt another opera house!"
That was Russell's voice. I came in the right place.
" we are going to die! I am too young… I want to be a famous dancer…. I want to get marry and have kids…." That was Megan's voice, she was crying in fear. Why did the ghost take her?
" Mademoiselle, please stop crying, you will make whoever took us here mad… well… more than he or she already is anyway."
Madame Butler? She was here, too?
Shut up…. You all deserve this….
You all deserve to die…
You are not allowed to live…
You took him away from me….
The voice got louder, that meant the ghost was angrier than she already was.
" STOP!" I ran right in time when the white shadow was about to let Russell fall in the lake. " CHRISTINE DAAE! STOP!"
The white shadow stopped, so Russell didn't fail down on the lake, he got a hold on the rope and just hanging on it.
" Christine Daae?" Russell looked surprised.
" Christine, come here…." I tried to take the ghost's attention from her captors.
Erik….. Erik…. Erik… you came…
Erik… Erik… you are back…
Erik… you are here… my love … my Angel…
The white shadow turned to a brown hair girl, her eyes was still blue ocean, her skin was white, too white- it looked like it was shining.
" Christine Daae…" I said again. " I know the lost of him made you sad and hurt… but I am not him… I am not Erik, I am not your Phantom."
I took a deep breath, before I countinued " I am Julian… Julian Walker. I am an Architect, I am not even French, I am from American, I came to France to work and study…"
Erik… what are you saying my love?
You are here, right?
You remember me... right?
I missed you a lot….
Why did you leave me?
I want you…
I only want you…
My love… my only love…
Christine put her hands on my face.
Cold. I felt cold… really cold.
You haven't change anything at all… my love…
" no, Christine…" I looked at her eyes. " look at my face… do you see what is missing?"
What… missing?
The ghost looked at my face. She tilted her head, looking like she was thinking.
Erik … where is your… mask?
" that is right, Christine… I don't have a mask. I don't wear one, never did…." I said. " I am sorry, but I am not him, I am not your Erik."
Erik… Erik… where are you?
Erik…
Christine looked everywhere, she looked like she was in panic, and scare.
Like a lost child.
Then suddenly her eyes were red, she flew toward Russell and the others.
You!
Where did you hide him?
Where did you take my Erik?
Where is he?
Then she turned to madame Butler.
Where did you hide him?
Give him back!
Madame Giry!
Give him back!
Madame Giry? Christine Daae's god mother? She thought Madame Butler was her godmother?
You!
She turned to Megan, who was still crying.
You always try to steal what is mine…
Clothers… flowers… Jewels…
I can give you all of that…
But you can't take my Erik away…
No one can…
He is mine… mine…
I will not give him to anyone.
Stop it…
Don't take him away…
I just…
I just want to be with him…
I just want to be alone…
Why can't you all leave us alone…
" Christine, stop… she is not Meg, your friend…" I screamed, trying to get her attention again. " she is Megan, not Meg…. And she is not Madame Giry, she is Madame Butler…" pointing at Russell. " AND HE IS NOT RAOUL DE CHAGNY!"
I sighed, " this is not nineteenth century anymore It is a new year now, she is not Madame Giry, she is Anne Butler… she is a dance teacher, a very good one. And next is Megan Ginger, she is a dancer, a good girl with bright future ahead, and he is not Raoul De Chagny, your fiancé, he is Russell Davis, he is a good guy, a good husband, a good man, not some pervert you tried to get in your dress, those who separated you and your beloved Phantom died years ago." Why didn't I see it before? Russell looked a lot like Raoul in the Diary. " and I… I am not Erik the Phantom. I am Julian Walker, the Architect, yes, I may look like your Phantom, I have black hair, green- yellow eyes, but I don't have to wear a mask, I live in an apartment, not some dark and mysterious lair. Yes, I like to read and write music on my free time, but I am an Architect, not musician."
No… you are lying…
Erik would not leave me alone…
Erik will come for me…
Erik… Erik… where are you…
Then, she appeared right in front of me.
That is right…
That is right…
If you are like me… you will remember me…
That is right…
If you are like me…. we will be together forever…
I could feel her cold hand around my neck, but I couldn't move.
" JULIAN!" I could hear Russell's panic voice calling my name.
STOP!
A very powerful voice.
Christine stopped.
From right in the middle of my chest, a small white ball flew out and stopped right in front of her face.
Christine … stop… please…
The small ball turned into a white shadow, and then turned into a man.
Looking exactly like me! black hair, green-yellow eyes, white skin and white mask. he must be Erik, the Phantom.
Erik… Erik…
Christine cried. Hugging the man. I could see one tear in his eyes, too.
Christine, stop, he is right, this is not nineteenth century anymore…
All the people that kept us apart are long dead…
They are not them…
The man said silently, he looked at Christine's eyes with love and sadness.
I am sorry, Christine, because I was a coward…
That we couldn't be together…
I… I love you… too much… I couldn't… I don't want you to live like me…
Christine, you can't live hiding like this…
You were a Diva, your place is on stage, not down below the earth…
Not a housewive….
Erik hugged Christine closer to him.
You mean the world to me…
I could not be selfish and take away all of your freedom…
Christine looked at Erik's face.
I want you to be selfish…
Erik… all I ever wanted….
Not to be a Diva…
Not marry a rich and handsome Vicomte…
But to raise a family…
With the man I love…
Erik, we are here now, together….
We can be together forever
Erik looked into Christine's eyes and shook his head.
No, Christine, this is not right, this is not where you are supposed to be. If we are going to be together, I want both of us to be human, not spirit, not ghost. I want you and I to have a family that we couldn't have in our previous life, including childrend…
Christine looked uncentain.
Christine, don't you want to have kids, little Christine and little Erik?
She looked up to his eyes.
But … what if I don't remember you…
What if I fall in love with another man?
Don't worry Erik turned to me he will find you
I could see relief in her eyes, as she slowly disappeared into the white light.
Remember to find me… Erik…
" if you want, everyone and me can be your witnesses. You two can get married." I said. I couldn't let everything end like this. " you don't have to let her go like that. You two can be together forever."
But Erik turned to look at me, it was weird, seeing my own face looking back at me.
It is fine…
Julian, thank you.
Thank to you, I get to see Christine one last time…
She had been waiting for me…
For a very long time.
This time…
It is my turn…
He looked at me and smiled. Erik looked so peaceful and happy.
Beside, we are one, if I go, you will die.
" you know, Erik." I said. " you are completely different from the Phantom in Gaston's story."
What did he say about me?
" that you are a real monster, you tried to force Christine Daae, the Diva to marry you."
He looked a bit hurt and surprised.
I don't think I know this man Gaston, but he did say the truth.
I was a real monster.
" but you are not like that …"
You know… I have gone to a lot of countries… I have seen a lot of place… and I have studied a lot of useful things. but I was still a fool when it come to love. Erik closed his eyes. After years living as you, I got to have family, friends, I got to go to school like I used to want, got to live like a real human, got to see the sun ... I realized... I was a monster… I... I used to... I wanted to take her… wanted to bury in the dark with me, so that no one could find her… so that she would belong to me and no one else… I did think about that… I was a selfish man… after we moved to live in the countryside. I didn't feel sacrified with what I had… so I chose to leave. But when I saw her, she came after me, I thought that maybe, she did have some feeling for me... the feeling kept growing… until one day I saw her, kissing that fop… I knew, I was selfish and arrogant, Christine never did love me... but right now, I think I was the happiest and luckiest man ever, Christine did love me after all, even when for one moment...
" but she… Erik… what if I can't find her?"
Tell you what, Julian,I don't think you could find her, either.
" what? Then why…"
Because like I did, she needs to let everything that tied her to this world go, or she wouldn't be able to go to her after life. Erik said my life had ended, it is your life now, and she, will have a new life, too.
I looked at him for a moment.
" you know, Phantom." I said. " like I said, you are nothing like Gaston wrote."
He looked surprised, but said nothing. Then Erik slowly turned back into a small shining ball and flew inside me again. Even when he disappeared, I could still hear his voice in my head.
Thank you, Julian, please live your life to the furthest.
(TBC)
Note: one more chapter * hurray*
