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Enjoy!
Christine
Chapter 56
The Newsletter
By the time the newsletter featuring Erik's shows came out a week later, when I looked at the printed page, two things refused to let my eyes look away or let my mind rest.
First was the article itself. It brought back the memory of M. Leroux's conversation with us - with me - that day. A conversation I hadn't expected.
M. Leroux did want to interview Erik as well as Franklin. He asked questions about what he did onstage. He asked about his identity - which Erik refused to give, save for his surname. This, actually, intrigued the journalist. He would write about "The Phantom", painting it as a great mystery. His last name was known - Perrault - but that was it. Where did he come from? What did he look like? It was all so interesting.
The day the newsletter came out, demand to see Erik's show doubled. The desired effect.
But that day that the interview occurred, just before the journalist left, he caught sight of my drawings. He asked me if I would be interested in submitting some to him for publication. My answer was almost immediately yes.
And there it was. Just underneath the article about Erik, a drawing of him as the Phantom, done by my hand and printed here. Husband and wife on that page, inches apart.
M. Leroux asked me to submit more if I had any. As per the nature of the newsletter, they could be the artistic drawings I'd already made, or they could be political cartoons. Either way, he liked my style.
And he'd pay me.
I had a job. Using art.
So yes. The article - I couldn't tear my eyes away.
But there was also the matter of the date.
I'd not much paid attention to what day it was as of late. Now that it was staring me in the face, though, I was hit with a jarring realization.
More than a month...longer than four weeks...had it truly been that much time since? Yes. It had. And I hadn't even noticed. I hadn't bothered to notice, with everything else that had happened.
My cycle.
It was late.