Erik's POV
"Gustave, I…I have something that I need to tell you."
I placed my mask back over my face and looked down at my son…My son! He needed to know the truth before I ended my life, he needed to know that I would always be here for him no matter what.
"Come, let us return before our lunch grows cold."
I took the boy by the hand and led him back to the pizza shop. Once there, I placed him on my lap and smiled…
"Gustave, I want to tell you something important, something that will change your life forever."
I was about to tell him, when all of a sudden, Gustave went running towards the front door.
"Mama!"
Mama? I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but when I faced the door, I spotted Christine walking through it. What was she doing here? She scooped Gustave up into her arms and smiled, walking towards the table.
"I'm on my lunch," she replied. "I wanted to swing by and grab a slice of pizza. Well, it seems as though you beat me to it…Perhaps I'll join you, if that's all right?"
When I nodded, Christine sat down across from me and placed Gustave into her lap. So much for continuing our father/son moment.
"Mister E said that he has something he wants to tell me…" Gustave began. "Go on…"
"Yes, Erik," Christine smiled. "Go on…"
"It's nothing," I concluded. "I was just going to tell Gustave that I was going to talk to Doctor Gangle about letting you sing."
Gustave raised a curious brow, but after my little lie, it quickly faded away, especially when our pizza was placed down in front of us.
"Well, this is nice," Christine concluded. "It's been a while since we've spent time together like this."
I didn't eat, for I was still full from breakfast. I knew that I couldn't tell the child about his true parentage, for I had promised Christine he would never know. I suffered through lunch, and when Christine was finished, she rose and kissed Gustave goodbye.
"I have to get back to work now, sweetheart. Mister E is going to be working soon as well, so when you return to Nadir's, make sure you're on your best behavior."
"Yes, mama…"
"Maybe when I get out of work, we could take a walk around the city? I do have a few errands to run. If you're good, we could stop somewhere for dessert."
When Christine left, Gustave's melancholy attitude returned. I knew that he hated being away from his mother, and if it were up to me, I would do anything in my power to take her place in the workplace just so she could be home with him all the time.
"What's wrong?" I curiously asked.
"I don't wike it when mama leaves me. I miss her, Mister E…"
"She'll be back later…" I said, pulling out my pocket watch to have a peek at the time. "I have an hour before I have to make my way to work. Why don't we stop by the park?"
The boy's eyes widened. "Will you push me on the swings?"
"Of course…"
With my son by my side, I escorted him to the park that was on the other side of the island. It wasn't anything elaborant, but the local children did enjoy playing on the contraptions that were housed there. It might have only been a metal sliding board and a creaky swing set, but it was enough to entertain the boy.
"Push me higher, Mister E!"
I was standing behind him as his swing swung high into the air. When it came back towards me, I pushed him again… Oh, the simple joys of being a parent. They were simple, but large enough to warm my cold heart. How could Raoul neglect such a special child? He was so special…So special and so much like me in every way.
"It's getting late," I reminded him as I stopped his moving swing. "We should be getting you back to Nadir now. I have work and I cannot afford to be late today."
"But I don't want to go home… I want to stay here."
"And if you start a tantrum, I shall never bring you to the park again. No fussing with me, boy. Now, come along and perhaps when I get out of work we will come back. If not today, then tomorrow."
"You promise?"
"Cross my heart, child…"
After running my hands through his locks one final time, I released him into Marisha's care and headed to work, already conjuring the idea of Christine singing at the restaurant. Once inside, the first thing I did was head to Doctor Gangle's office.
"Sir?" I knocked upon the door, Doctor Gangle's head instantly raising from his paperwork.
"Erik? What can I do for you?"
"I…I have a request."
"Request? Is this about another raise? If it is, you're out of your mind. I have given you three raises already. You make more money than any other pianist in the city."
"It's not about a raise, sir…"
"Hell, then come inside and sit down."
After closing the door behind me, I took a seat across from my boss' desk, my hands sweating as I thought about what to say next.
"Sir, remember a few months ago when you were going to hire Christine to sing?"
"Of course, how could I forget such a day? You two acted so strangely around one another. Not to mention that she turned down the singing job."
"Well, what if I was to tell you that she wanted to reconsider?"
"Did she tell you this?"
"She wishes to sing, sir… It would be worth a try, and I can promise you that with her singing to my music, it will make you more money than any musical act in the city."
Doctor Gangle thought long and hard for a few seconds. I knew that he didn't want to let his most valuable waitress go, but at the same time, I knew he wanted to make a ton of money.
"You better not be lying to me, Erik… If this fails, I will have no choice but to make you a waiter. In the meantime, I shall hire a few new waitresses and your Christine will take the stage next Friday."
"Sir…I…I can't wait that long," I began. "It has to be sooner."
I couldn't wait that long for Christine's career to start. I was going to end my life by the week's end. I couldn't wait another two weeks. If I died before she began singing, she would never want to sing on stage with a stranger playing the piano. No, it needed to be now, for if I started off with her, she would feel comfortable without me when the time arrived.
"And now you're making the rules?" he snapped.
"It has to be the day after tomorrow," I stated. "It's urgent…"
"Very well, Erik. I'll start her off on Tuesday evening. It's the only shift that I have other waitresses working on the floor. Tuesday evening…"
"You won't regret this…"
"We shall see…"
I was so excited to tell Christine about her new job! She was going to be happy, oh, so happy! This would be my final task in making her happy, for with this job, she would no longer feel miserable in life. Music would set her soul free… We would finally be whole again. I sighed and headed out to the main floor in search of my one true love, but found in nearly impossible to spot her with the over abundance of people in the restaurant…Oh well, this would have to wait until our shifts ended.
Gustave's POV
When I returned home from my outing with Mister E, I found Reza playing in his room. Aunt Marisha was currently cleaning the kitchen, and I knew that she wouldn't be able to play with Reza and I for many hours. Uncle Nadir always expected to come home to a spick and span house, and Aunt Marisha made sure to keep it that way.
"Weza, what are you doing?" I asked, stepping into his small bedroom.
"Pwaying with my bwocks…Do you want to pway too?"
"We pwayed that yesterday," I argued. "Why don't we pway with something different today?"
"Wike what?"
"A game…How about hide and seek?"
"Mama doesn't want us to go outside. She's cweaning the house. She said we have to stay inside until she's ready to garden."
I groaned and thought about what we could do. Most of Reza's toys were too boring to play with, for we had been playing with them for months now. Once in a while it was nice to go outside and be able to run in the backyard and pretend that we were pirates.
"My bear!" I gasped. "We could pway with him. Mister E gave him to me… I named him Mr. Bones."
"Great, where is he?"
"Upstairs in my room…Come on, let's go get him."
"Mister E's been staying up there," Reza argued. "We shouldn't go…He get's awfully angry when someone goes up there."
"He's not home…He's at work. We'll only go up and come right back down. I know where Mr. Bones is… I put him on my bed."
"And Mister E is currently sleeping in that bed."
"Don't be afraid, Weza…Mister E won't mind. Come on…"
We tiptoed up the stairs to that Aunt Marisha wouldn't notice us. When we were at the bedroom door, I opened it and walked in. Reza was still standing in the doorway, too frightened to enter. But why? Why was he afraid to come in? Maybe something bad happened between the two of them, something that scared Reza…
"Here he is…" I grabbed hold of my bear and looked back towards the doorway. I knew Mister E would only be staying here another few days, but when he did decide to leave, I would miss him. Yes, his face was strangely malformed, but I felt as though I could connect with him. It was as if I could feel all the pain that he felt.
"Well, come on," Reza whispered. "We're not supposed to be up here."
"All right," I groaned, coming around his bed to meet Reza. Though, when I noticed a small bottle sitting on his night table, I stopped and picked it up.
"What are you doing? Gustave, you're going to get us both into trouble…Come on."
I giggled and held the bottle up so that Reza could see it.
"Wook, Mister E is keeping his pee in a bottle…"
"Gustave…"
"Oh, come on…Wook at this…"
Reza looked both ways before making his way to me. When he saw the yellow liquid that was sealed within the bottle, he too began to giggle.
"Why would he do that for?" Reza asked. "That's gross…"
My tiny fingers wrapped themselves around the small cork and pulled it open… We thought nothing of it until a strange and foul smelling odor surrounded us.
"Ewww," Reza gagged. "It even smells like pee…"
"Worse, actually…"
Suddenly, Reza formed a small, evil smile across his dark cheeks.
"I dare you to taste it…"
"What? You're mad…That's gross."
"I triple dog dare you to taste it…"
I knew this game far too well, for Reza and I played it all the time. One would dare the other to do something, and once a triple dog dare was given, there was no turning back.
"I…If I taste this," I began. "Then you have to do it too…"
"What?"
"I triple dog dare you to taste it with me…"
"On the count of three then…"
I took a deep breath and held the bottle to my lips.
"One, two…"
"Three," I finished, chugging down a mouthful of the burning liquid. Once I gagged, I handed the bottle to Reza, taking notice that I had taken more than a mouthful, for there were only a few drops left within the bottle. Reza sucked them up and he too began to cough and gag…Though, it only took a few moments for the both of us to realize that what we had just drank was not Mister E's urine, for my insides began to sizzle and ache. I wasn't sure what was happening to us, but we both dropped to our knees and grabbed a hold of our stomach's.
"I…I don't think that was…"
But Reza never finished, for he toppled face down into the floor, and I followed a few moments after.
So yes, I know that I am evil... Originally, I was going to have something else happen, but when I began thinking about ideas to the ending of my story, this seemed to be a better fit, no matter how evil it is. So, now that I got you all at the edges of your seats, please review for a quick update! Thanks again, everyone!
