Chapter Six
Mama V's house was even bigger on the inside! She had two living rooms, both of which were four times bigger than my bedroom! There were five WC's, six bedrooms, a kitchen that is a chef's dream, three sun rooms, a library, and two dining areas. Madeline and my bedrooms were on the top floor, but, my bedroom was bigger and came with a balcony that overlooked Mama V's rose gardens. The first few days of living in Mama V's home, it was hard to settle down, for, I was immune to a small home, not such a mansion as this!
Madeline ran about the corridors, giggling and laughing, happy to be in a place where she could run free. I often spent my time in Mama V's library, I would sit in there for hours, plunging myself into an imaginary world, thinking of someone else's problems for a change. One day, I ventured deep into the library and found an old organ! Not a small organ you normally see, but a large, old, church organ, who's golden pipes and valves took up the entire wall! There were three keyboards, each on top of each other, resembling stairs.
Engraved into it were wonderful designs of different composers and abstract swirls or inlays, a thick layer of dusk coated the organ, I wondered if it still worked. I slowly pulled out the large, wooden seat and carefully sat down, scooting up to the first layer of keys and testing one. Pumping my foot as I did so. The organ was not just in tune, but it was loud! I smiled, I decided I would play a song I learnt from my father.
The song's name was 'Davy Jones', and he often played it when he told Madeline and I stories of swashbuckling pirates! The song was quiet to start out, then, as it continued, it grew louder...and louder...and louder, until it hit the climax! When it did this, the pipes screamed and a forceful wind blew from the pipes, forcing my hair back and blowing dust in my face. Nonetheless, I continued to play, but it got softer now...and softer...and softer...until the sound now was the exact same as the sound in the beginning. Madeline always giggled and clapped when the song hit the climax.
I sighed and lifted my fingers from the ebony keys, feeling the dust covering the tips of my fingers. No one had probably ticked this organ's ivory in years! But the crisp, deep, hypnotic sound from an organ always entranced me, I always thought an organ made anything sound more important or awesome than it is, and this time was no different. Someone began to clap behind me, it wasn't short, little claps, these were long, deep claps, male claps. I turned, but there was no one, it occurred to me that whomever it was could've been hiding behind a bookshelf, but, I had not the energy to chase ghosts at the moment.
That day I had painted Madeline a picture of a sunset with striking gold's, ravishing reds, humble blue's, soft violet's, and garnished the picture with a bit of green. It looked like the exact sunset she and I saw on the train to London. Mama V didn't cook, so, she hired a cook and we had all sat down at her huge, oaken table and we all had our own side. "Mama V?" I asked, she glanced up to me from what looked like oatmeal.
"What is it, dear child?" Asked she in genuine concern. Something I barely heard.
"How did...this house is amazing...how did you come by it?" I asked, trying to word that sentence in a way that did not offend her. All of a sudden, Mama V burst into a fit of laughter, banging her hand on the table as her face turned red.
"Oh...oh, I'm sorry, child, you need not re-think your sentences! Sweetheart, I'm too old to care about offenses! I know you don't mean anything by it, you're just curious. This is the house I grew up in, Penny, I was lucky to have been born into a rich household and married rich. Then, my poor husband, Charles, died in an accident and the house was paid off."
She explained, I nodded and smiled in understanding. There was a long silence. "Mama, how did you meet Erik?" I asked, Mama smiled.
"You're very inquisitive...aren't you?" She asked, laughing, she sighed. "I helped Erik escape" she said proudly, puffing out her chest and smiling slyly to me. "My husband and I went to see the gypsies, and I was intrigued by Erik's performance, he was an absolute genius, and his voice, Penny, oh, when he sang I felt the gates of heaven open and pull me inside! I felt I met God when I heard Erik sing, then, at the end, he hesitantly took his mask off and finished the last note."
Mama V paused "the entire crowd gasped in shock, some women fainted whilst others stared in disgust. But I, Penny, I stared in wonder. He did not frighten me, I had seen things much, much more disturbing than his face. After his performance, I slipped away from Charles and went to investigate what he lived like, but nothing prepared me for what I saw. There was this fat man, looming over Erik, Erik's mask was thrown a few feet away from him and I did not see true terror until that day...Erik's eyes were full of it.
Erik was lying upon his elbows upon the ground, staring in utter horror up at the fat man. The fat man grasped him and yanked him up, attempting to pull off Erik's clothes! I was disgusted and for fear of watching a crime ensue, I picked up the biggest rock I could find and hurled it at the fat man. The fat man dropped Erik and turned towards me, I had the sense to hide, making the fat man come out of the tent and investigate. The fat man left and as Erik collected his mask and was readying to bolt, another man came into the tent, this man was skinnier and began to yell, Erik grasped a rope and fashioned something called a 'Punjab lasso' out of it.
It's like a noose, but more deadly." Mama V paused and cleared her throat "Erik jumped into the air and pounced on the man's back like a cheetah pounces onto a gazelle. Then, Erik wrapped the lasso around the man's neck and pulled it as tight as his little arms would allow him, for, Erik was twelve back then. Anyways, a few moments of excruciating noises of gaging and gasping ensued, and then, there was silence, save for the noise of Erik's panting. I now unveiled myself and told him there was nothing to fear, that I would help him, and I did just that."
Mamma V smiled contently at the memory "he lived with Charles and I for a while, before leaving for god knows where. He would send me letters with pictures from all over the world!" Mama paused again and looked to me with a sly glance, my mouth hung agape and I waited anxiously for her to resume. Mama smiled happily. "In his latest letter he explained a beautiful young women, his age, with golden eyes.
He explained that she had a little sister and that she had the voice of an angel bestowed upon her. He said that she needed help, he knew something was going to happen to her father and he feared for her life. He told that she had been beaten viciously by her mother...because of those same, beautiful, wonderful, golden eyes. He also told me she had a kitten named 'Agatha' that never left her side. He said that the only reason he did not take her in was, that he could not take such a beautiful woman to a construction site.
For; he feared that she would be injured." Mama V stopped and smiled "I quote this verbatim, Penny, 'Mama V, I beg of you to help her, I haven't thought of anyone like I think about her, since I had just entered my adolescence. Please, Mama'...that is how he finished his letter, sweet child." Finished Mama V, I felt tears gather in the sides of my eyes. 'I haven't thought of anyone like I think about her since I had just entered adolescence', those words reverberated in my head...since he first entered his adolescence.
I smiled and I felt my heart warm. Now, I sat before the organ, silent. I sighed and placed my fingers back upon the white, dirtied keys, and began to play a melody, not a particular song, just one I made up as I played. It sounded to have the tune of the 'Moonlight Sonata', but I put my own twist on it. I felt that someone was standing behind me, but I did not turn around until I finished the little song, I quietly placed my arms in my lap and turned to find Madeline standing there with Mama V standing behind her, Mama's hands on Madeline's small shoulders.
I smiled and Mama sighed "come, Penny, it is time for bed." I then noticed that the sun had long since sunk behind the trees and the moon had taken dominance over the sky. We put Madeline to bed, and I sang her 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', Mama V stood beside me in my bedroom. We were silent as we both stared at the stars from the balcony, listening to the loud chirps of a chorus of crickets and watching the stars wink at us as the moon smiled. "That organ, Charles gave to Erik many years ago, when he lived with us" Whispered Mama V, staring at the stars, the moon's beams shining off of her pale skin.
"Erik would go down into the library and play it every day. His wonderful music swirled around the house and entrapped Charles and I in it's rhythmic melody..." Mama V's eyes glassed over and two tears fell from them. "That organ has not been played for five years...I thought that Erik was down in the library again when I heard your beautiful song." She whispered through sniffles and choking back sobs. I rubbed her hunching back and gave her my tenth hug, after a few moments she sighed and composed herself again.
"Sleep well, princess" She whispered as we both walked back inside my bedroom, we left the windowed doors open to the balcony and a warm wind blew inside, blowing the white, cotton curtains softly. I layed in my bed and closed my eyes, all of a sudden, I heard the faint music of an organ float up into my bedroom and my eyes shot open...I recognized that song. It was the very song I had written! It was the melody to 'Think of Me'! I quickly sat up and moved out to my balcony, I could see inside the library from my balcony, I saw the organ, and there was a figure leaning over it, a male figure, and it was surrounded by flickering candles.
I knew it was Erik, but why did he tease me like this? Maybe the didn't think of it as teasing...maybe he thought of it as telling me that he was there. But, no one really knows with Erik, he's unpredictable. Now my door opened and Madeline ran inside, hugging me tightly "sweetheart, don't be afraid, it's only Erik" I whispered, smoothing back her hair and kissing her forehead. I held her hand and noticed that the windows to the library were open, I smiled and walked to the side of the balcony, I turned to Madeline, kissed her forehead and instructed her to stay put and watch the library.
I hurried out of my bedroom, still in my pink nightgown which, to me, looked like a costume dress. I pulled up the front of the dress, in order to run, and hurried down three flights of stairs, running across the four living rooms, flashing by the WC's, and sprinting by the kitchen. I stopped running and quietly walked as the library came into view, candles were lit on every wall, illuminating the library with a warm, ghostly flicker. I slowly peeked into the library to find that several bookshelves had been pushed down to make a clear pathway to the organ, I gulped and slowly moved into the room, making sure I didn't slip on a book or something to that equivalent. The organ still played, but no one was sitting before the organ, no one was touching the ebony keys, no one was pumping it, no one was causing the valves to sing crisp notes.
Once I was before the organ, I realized, that it was not the organ which made the music, it was a little radio beside the organ that made the tunes! But...but, I could've sworn that sitting in that seat...and playing those notes...was Erik! I would've sworn my life to it! I slowly wound the little red knob and the radio clicked off, then I got to wondering how all of these candles became lit...I rested against the wood of the organ and sighed, my back was towards the door. In this moment, I heard the 'clickity clack' of high heels on the stone floor leading down to the library, I knew it was Mama V.
"Mama, it wasn't me this time, and Madeline's-" I stopped when I turned and saw no one. My brows furrowed and I hurried forwards, peeking my head out of the library's threshold "Mama V?" I called, and the only reply I gained was one of my own echo. I stumbled back, to the safety of the lightened library, opposed to the darkness of the rest of the house, I then remembered that I told Madeline to stand on my balcony and look to the library, I ran to the window, hoping to spot my little sister's figure before the risen moon, but I was disappointed. Madeline wasn't there.
I suddenly felt cold all over. I no longer felt safe, or no longer welcome. I heard a swish behind me and jerked around, staring with wide-eyed fear at the room around me, I needed to get out, but, where was I to go? I pulled my arms to my chest and my hands clasped each other in fear, I had not felt such a fear since Jeanette beat me with a bat. My breathing was quick and quiet, I had learned to quiet my breathing in all of my years living with Jeanette and her rage, I could make myself virtually unknown if I pleased. But now, now I felt again like a hunted animal, an animal trapped in a corner, helpless.
There was unbroken silence around me, a silence that strangled me and stole the breath from my lungs. A silence that jerked tears from my eyes. Indeed, my yellow eyes glassed over and I felt the urge to cry, has I had done so many times before. But I did not cry, not yet, anyways. Suddenly, my own name was screeched into my ear, I shrieked and fell down, landing on my backside and facing the voice.
Tears dropped from my eyes as I layed before the mystery person, the mystery person pulled a black cloak over their entire body, so as to hide their identity from me. They advanced, and I scrambled backwards, I scrambled and crawled until I hit the wall and pulled my body into a ball, covering my face with my arms and pulling my knees to my chest, turning on my side and trying to make myself as small as possible. Mirroring how I felt. I sobbed and begged for the person not to hurt me, I had been hurt too many times, another would simply be the death of me. The person did not advance, the person did nothing, I did not feel pain, nor anything, I slowly pulled my arms down and unfurled myself to see Madeline standing before me, wrapped in Erik's black cloak.
"I wasn't going to hurt you, sissy, I just wanted to...to play a joke." Madeline whispered, my sadness and fear passed me, now all I felt was anger. Anger flared in me and spread through me like a fire ignites and spreads through a dry forest, I jumped to my feet, tears still in my eyes and running down my cheek, I then yanked Erik's cloak from her and slapped her cheek as hard as I could. Causing her to stumble and fall to the ground.
"How dare you?" I growled, leaning down and advancing upon her, now, Madeline scrambled back just as I had done a few moments ago. "How dare you play such an evil trick on me? How dare you...you little, you little Pandora! You little viper!
Curse you, you little demon! You do not even deserve to look at his cloak, much less touch it!" I hissed, yelling horrible curses at Madeline. I stopped yelling and there were a few moments of tense silence, I stared at Madeline with hate, anger, and regret. I shook my head as I saw Madeline's eyes fill with fear, sadness...and tears. "I hope you're happy" I hissed in a whisper, turning from her and walking out of the library, going back to my bedroom and falling upon my bed, wrapping myself in Erik's cloak.