Chapter XXIII.

It was taking forever while Christine and Monsieur de Chagny finally investigated where that train went which Mahtab climbed up on. The line from which it left and telling the approximate hour of the departure made it clear that the train was heading to Marseilles. Christine nearly fainted again upon hearing where her 4 year old daughter is travelling at the moment. Raoul gently guided Christine to his carriage and sat her in, and told the driver to go to Dijon. It was the next main station where the train would stop for a higher amount of time, leaving enough opportunity for Mahtab to get off of the train safely. They hoped she will do so. The horses were nagged to go as fast as they can, so they were able to arrive to the destination earlier than the train most likely would. Christine was all silent, and so was Raoul. This wasn't a situation where they had much urge to talk. Christine was blaming herself in her mind, and worried about Mahtab. What if she falls off of the train? What if she gets in danger? Is she safe? Is she healthy? Isn't she too scared? Why did she not hold the child's hand…? If only she would have been more careful!

The small girl was curious about the train's inner looks as well so she eventually wandered inside the last wagon. It was furnished with wooden benches and it was dark and a foul air in there. Choking and smoky. Noise was coming from all directions. Chit- chatting or singing, or even fighting. Males and females were sitting on the benches, looking out of the window or just staring in front of themselves, chewing on something or smoking pipes or cigarettes. Mahtab had never saw cigarettes before. Papa smoked cigars sometimes, but he would send her away if he did so. A funny man was blowing smoke circles out of his mouth and this entertained Mahtab very much. The people did not seem to notice her at first, they were too much occupied by their thought, or quarreling with each other to pay attention to a newcomer. She was able to examine the crowd in peace. There was a younger boy, about 12-14 years old, who sat in one of the corners, playing on a strange wind instrument. It was small, and made of some kind of iron. Mahtab instantly was heading to him to ask him about the name of the thing and if she was allowed to, borrow the thing for a time. The boy suddenly gasped in horror as the small girl approached him and dropped the thing out of his hands, which gave out a sound while hitting the ground. Mahtab picked it up, and started examining it with growing interest.

- Give it back. – The boy ordered, when he regained his bravery.

- No. – Mahtab simply answered, then blew some in the holes that were on the front side of the instrument. She instantly found out it was tuned in C major.

- Give it back, you little monster! – The boy yelled. – This disgusting thing is a thief! Help!

More people stood up from their places and went to check on the boy who was yelling from the top of his lungs about some kid is trying to play his goddamned harmonica.

- Shu your face, you moron! That child is a baby. He just wants to play. Aren't you ashamed, being so jealous?

- Tell his parents to take him away from here! I am afraid of him! – The boy prayed.

- What the Hell is your- Mon Dieu! – A man suddenly saw Mahtab's face from the crowd and pointed at her in utter disgust and horror. – Yuck! Devil's face!

More and more people noticed the child's features, who simply did not understand what was going on, she just stopped trying out the instrument and stood there, silently glancing around. Screams, gasps and cries could be heard as the passengers noticed that deformed small child, and suddenly the boy wasn't a jealous spoiled little brat in their eyes, but a poor victim of Satan himself.

Things escalated quickly. A man grabbed the surprised child by the collar and held it up high. She got so scared about being dragged up so violently but she did not have too much time to wonder about what was going to happen as she got an enormous slap in the next moment, followed by another, and a third one in a row.

- Don't hit it, it might be dangerous! Maybe you will get a curse falling on you or your family…

Mahtab got terrified. Why are they hurting her? She did nothing… People started to think out loud about what should happen to her.

- Give it to the police!

- Kill it!

- Throw it out of the window!

- Call an exorcist or priest!

- Simply get rid of it!

- But what about my harmonica?

- Don't touch it!

- Don't release it!

Mahtab gasped in horror. She did not dare to talk, only she knew she had to run. She did not understand the concept of running for her life, but she knew deep down in her heart that she had to run unless she wanted to wait something terrible happen. Various words were echoing in her ears as people were saying them: disgusting, devil, monster, Satan, hazardous, infection, corpse…

She suddenly slipped out of her jacket and before the man who only stuck there with holding the small jacket in the middle of the crowd could notice anything, she ran out of the wagon as fast as she could. She found herself in another wagon, but this one was less crowded, there were only some people sitting on red plush seats and she did not make the same mistake as she did before of drawing attention on herself – she just climbed under a pair of seats, and hid so close to the wall that no one could see her. She hugged her knees and stuck her chin between them and tried to calm down and figure out what had happened, and come up with a solution. She was too young to think of a good plan, and eventually just ended up doing what such a tiny girl could do in this situation- cry.

- I don't understand. They should be home for at least an hour.– Erik walked up and down in circles in the drawing room, and glanced nervously at the Daroga who held Flo in his arms, softly talking and giggling to him. He just wanted to visit his friend and they were spending the afternoon, playing chess and taking care of Florian together.

- Erik, they might be just enjoying themselves, you told yourself that Mahtab adores trains and can watch them for hours.

- I don't know, Daroga, I have apprehension. They are gone for 3 hours. Something isn't right, I know it.

- Erik, if it calms you down, just go to the railway station, and see if they are all right. I stay here with our cute little prince and babysit him.

- Maybe you are right. I shall check on them. Please be safe.

- Don't worry Erik, we will.

Upon arriving to the railway station, and searching for his relatives among the people he felt worse and worse by not noticing either Christine or the child anywhere. He was frantically searching for them and after some minutes he got desperate enough to overcome his unpleasant feelings about talking to others and started questioning people if they saw his wife and "son"- as Mahtab was dressed in boy clothes. He got many negative answers, but one of the conductors finally overheard a desperate sentence of Erik's about a "boy with blondish hair, about a meter tall" and a " young and beautiful blonde woman, dressed in a red gown " and he just called out to Erik:

- Monsieur, I think I saw your wife!

- Where? – Erik jumped in front of the conductor with growing worry.

- She was searching for the small boy that snuck up on a train and she left with a carriage and an honorable man.

- Snuck up on a train? – Erik felt he was breathing heavier.

- Yes, Monsieur, the child somehow got on the train that was heading to Marseilles, and the honorable man took your wife by carriage after the train…

- Honorable man…? What did he look like?

- He had blond hair and a small mustache and… something happened to his right hand.

- Were some of his fingers missing? – Erik asked suspiciously.

- Yes, Monsieur.

- Where did they go?

- They wanted to arrive to Dijon before the train does.

- Thank you… you helped a lot. – Erik bowed his head and he did not even know how to feel at that moment.

He was only sure that he had to find his daughter and wife as well. He just had enough time to get on a train heading to Marseilles as well. He knew that he will most likely be late- the train Mahtab was on had left nearly 2 hours before his train, but he only hoped Mahtab had enough brain to get off of it somewhere. He was nervous about Christine and Raoul being in the same carriage and also about the Daroga being alone with Florian. What an adventure, again…! He is too old for things like these…

Maurice Perier, the nearly 60 year old, honorable tall conductor was slowly walking through the wagons to see if someone new had gotten on the train when he suddenly noticed the great amount of noise coming from the second class wagon. He instantly thought there was some kind of trouble, so he walked in and asked what had happened. People were searching for something under the seats, nervously stuttering and yelling something about a monster, and some kind of thief and asked for his help. The man nodded and promised the nervous crowd that he was going to investigate the case. As he finished looking through the whole second class, he informed the crowd he had found nothing, then left to continue the search at first class. When he walked in a wagon at first class that had gotten empty in these hours since the train left Paris, he heard a strange noise coming from under one of the seats. He knelt down to examine it better and only then his eyes met two glowing eyes, one yellow and one blue. At first he assumed it to be a stray cat that somehow got up on the train but after he searched his memory, he found out he had seen something similar before in his life.

He was yet a boy back then, he was visiting the house of his aunt with his beloved father, George. Aunt Genevieve was his father's sister, and a very strange woman, she was cold, distant and one could rarely see her smile, and she did not really let anyone near her house after Uncle Henri died, but she loved her brother very much and he would visit her once or twice a year. One time he accompanied his father to Aunt's house and he started wandering around the rooms. He loved the Louis- Philippe furniture set everywhere in the house and the beautiful china cabinet in the dining room. Aunt Genevieve warned him not to go near the cellar, and when he asked, ehy not, she could not come up with a good excuse. Of course, Maurice was like any other 11 year old boys: if they told him not to do something, he would try to do it even if it wasn't in his mind earlier. The cellar door was so tempting. Maybe Aunt is keeping some treasures down there? Maybe there is a huge pile of sweets? Part of him wanted to be a good and obedient boy, but there was a too big temptation, and he wanted to investigate why was he banned from that one place while he was allowed to enter anywhere else?

As he tried to open the door, he was surprised upon finding it closed. No one closes a cellar door. Thankfully the key wasn't hidden, it lay on an end table in the same hallway. He inserted the key in the keyhole while he heard his father and aunt talking about sweet childhood memories a few rooms away. He slowly opened the door and took a step on the first stair leading down to the old and huge room It was dark, and though Maurice was a big boy, he was still a bit of afraid of the dark, yet he did not like to admit it to anyone. Suddenly he heard a strange noise from one of the corners, as something would have desperately ran to hiding and as he turned to face where the sound came from, he saw the pair of glowing eyes staring at him from a corner.

- Hello? – Maurice called out. – Are you a cat? – He added.

No answer came and the eyes disappeared as well, but he could still hear some kind of nervous wheezing.

- Come here… are you a human? I don't want to harm you. – Maurice continued.

- I… I am… not… - He heard a very sweet sounding child voice from the corner. He could have sworn he had never heard such a sound before, even if it was very scared and faint.

- Can you talk? – He went on. – I am Maurice… Maurice Perier… are you a boy or a girl…?

- I… am not allowed to… talk to others. – The child refused to answer any of his questions, but Maurice was fascinated by what he just found – there was a child in his aunt's basement!

- Please tell me if you are a boy or a girl! At least this…

- Boy. – The voice whispered almost inaudibly.

- Do you like playing with marbles? I have some very special, colorful ones. If you come here, we could play. Maybe you win them for yourself.

- I don't know what they are. – The other boy replied. – Go away, before…

- Maurice! Where are you? Supper is ready! – Aunt Genevieve's voice could be heard and soon after she appeared on the top of the stairs with some candles.

Only then he could see the room in some light. In a corner there were a pile of books, a chair, a table, a basin with some folded cloths, and a chamber pot. There was no one any more, just as no one was there earlier either.

- What are you doing down there? – She scolded Maurice. – Didn't I tell you that you were not allowed down here?

- Here is another boy! – Maurice exclaimed happily. – May I play with him, Auntie? Please!

- I don't understand what you are talking about my boy. You exactly know I have no children.

- But I heard him and…

- It was only your imagination. You are a creative little boy, I am only afraid that the cake is going to dry if you don't come and eat it soon.

Maurice was suspicious about he really heard a boy down there, but some years later, when he went for a visit again, the cellar door was open and it was completely empty, so he finally accepted that one small amount of time was really just a dream or a game he imagined.

But now as he saw those glowing eyes again, he instantly knew it can't be a coincidence.

- Come, don't be afraid. – He said softly. – Please, come here, child.

Mahtab did not really know what to do for some minutes, but the man kept calling her so kindly, so she finally climbed out from under the seats and sent a worried look towards the conductor. He was at first surprised of the child's skull face, but he had seen a lot of things in his life already, he wasn't as easily creeped out as most of the people. He could easily guess that people in the second class wagon got freaked out because of the child's face, yet he did not do anything special, only existing with some kind of physical malformation.

- Will you not slap me? – She asked worriedly.

- No, of course not. Such a tiny child, the poor thing. You are so scared. Where are your parents?

- At home. – She answered a bit of calmer as she found out there were no more slaps waiting for her.

- And why are you travelling on this train? You seem to be too small for it.

- Papa said so as well. – She admitted penitently. – If only I could go home… I would never ever climb up on a train.

- Oh, did you sneak from your parents, eh? – The man asked, and lifted Mahtab up from the ground. – Well- well, you were a naughty little boy. That means your parents are most likely worried about you to death. Don't scare them like that again.

As he saw the small boy was too scared to talk, he just carried her to an empty seat and put it down, placing a conductor's hat on the child's head so people will only see a huge hat instead of this small deformed face, and won't hurt her any more. Maurice couldn't get those glowing eyes out of his mind. This child had the same eyes, but he sure couldn't be the same child as he met at his aunt's house. So many years had passed since that and no way was it still so tiny. Maybe it could be the boy's son? Then it would mean they are related. He really had a cousin and they did not even met, only for a few sentences.

He did not exactly know what to do to that poor child as it looked so terrified and shocked of the happenings, but he wasn't allowed to leave the train. Only at major stations, while the machine was waiting, he could get off to smoke a cigarette or to rest a bit. He did not want to make the child travel to Marseilles with the whole train, as the poor boy was already worn out, but he could not send her back to Paris with his co-worker if they wait for the train that departs from Avignon (that was the next main station) to Paris because of the child's skull – face. Not all people would react to him as Maurice did – the sad reality is that most people would react to the child's features as the people at the second class. He scratched his head in confusion, but then the small child hit the window with two hands as she looked outside.

- Papa! Papa! – She banged the glass, screaming. The man rushed to Mahtab's side and asked.

- Can you see your father?

- Yes, he is Papa! – Mahtab pointed at a skinny man wandering through the crowd in sunset, nervously examining the newly arrived train. – Papa! – Mahtab screamed.

- Mahtab! – Erik exclaimed with a mix of fury and relief. – Mahtab! – He stormed through some bunch of people, stepping on feet, tossing them out of his way, not even listening to the displeased cries.

The conductor was happy to see that sweet moment when the worrying father could finally touch the child's bony hand, and he simply lifted it out of the train window.

- Thank you Monsieur, for taking care of her. – Erik looked at Maurice when Mahtab was finally comfortably seated in his arm. – I don't know how could I repay you for it… but I will try to find a way.

- There is no need to thank me. – He smiled contently. – I am just happy your child is safe.

- Can I, at least have your name? – Erik insisted.

- I am Maurice Perier.

- From… Rouen? – Erik looked at the conductor with surprise. Yes, that conductor had his poor unhappy mother's eyes, now that he examined him better.

- Yes, my family lived in Rouen. Do we know each other? – Maurice's heart was beating more rapidly, these happenings just were meant to be. This man is sure that boy from the cellar.

- I… I… don't think so. – Erik stuttered nervously. He hugged Mahtab closer to himself then excused himself quickly and left.

- What is your name? – He heard the conductor's excited voice behind him.

- My name…? My name is… Erik. – He hurried away before the other man could ask for more questions.

He searched for a train back to Paris. Mahtab was unusually silent but he did not mind it too much this time. He was too worked up emotionally at that moment, too much feelings were mixed in his tortured soul. There was a Maurice Perier he heard of when he was a boy. To his knowledge, they were cousins, but he never was allowed to see him, as anyone else in his life. Whenever his uncle and cousin arrived in his mother's house for a visit, Erik had to go down to the cellar and live there until they left. It was mostly just a few hours, but there were times when he was locked in that damned cellar for 3 days. He only got the necessary things then: food, water a basin for washing himself, and a chamber pot. He wasn't allowed to leave the cellar or make noise as mother threatened him with a huge beating if he dared to. Mother would not talk to him while this lasted, not even the small amount of talk she did other times. She only visited the cellar to bring him food and water and to dump his waste. But the worst feeling wasn't even all of the above. Erik knew that he had to stay there because mother was ashamed of him. She did not want relatives to see him, because she would have died of shame if they met the disgusting creature that lived in the same household with her, so she wanted to keep his whole existence in a secret. Erik did not exist to others.

When Mahtab saw they were heading towards a train, she started crying again.

- What's wrong, Mahtab? – Erik asked, noticing the child's pain.

- I don't want to go by train! – She whined.

- Why, you only wanted to go by train before.

- Not anymore.

- Why, what has happened?

- There are people.

- I know. – Erik nodded. – But this train has compartments and we can even close the door so no one will bother us.

- Really? – She asked with hope.

- Yes, dear, calm down.

Erik dried his eyes with the sleeve of his jacket as he realized that his small daughter was afraid of other people. Something bad has happened on that train. He was examining Mahtab as he placed her on the red plush seat and could see some hitting marks on her face. Oh, Mon Dieu… She lost her jacket somewhere and so was the mask missing. Erik was thankful for the huge hat on Mahtab's head, it mostly covered her face. He sat down next to the tiny girl and started humming softly to ease Mahtab's pain.

- Papa! It comes to my mind about music! – She exclaimed as nothing had happened before. – What is this? – She reached into the trousers' pocket, then handed Erik the something she found.

- A harmonica. – Erik replied. – Where did you get it?

- A boy dropped it in front of me when he saw me. Why, Papa?

- Well, he was just maybe, surprised about seeing such a small child on a train all by herself.

- So I assumed he doesn't want it any more if he throws it and I just wanted to play it. Can you play it Papa?

- Yes, I can.

- Show me! – She knelt up to see it better.

- Well, if you blow it, you can play C-E-G and C. The other notes can be reached if you inhale while playing.

- Can you play the Jupiter symphony, Papa?

- Oh, you certainly want to put my lungs at work… well, all right. – Erik sighed, and even though he wasn't in the mood for playing too much, he had to calm the child and music was always good to settle his nerves as well.

By the time he finished the first movement, Mahtab was sleeping still next to him on the seat, and he covered her up with his jacket. Most of his anger and nervousness faded, and he decided not to punish Mahtab for her rebellious act – she had suffered enough for it- even too much. She had to face people's hatred on her just because of her face, and may God help her to forget what has happened that day.

When he arrived to his home with Mahtab sleeping in his arms, the Daroga had already put Florian to sleep. Christine was carried to the bedroom after Raoul had returned her, after they finally heard Mahtab was found by her father and they travelled back to Paris. They were home earlier than the train as Raoul was really forcing the horses and the coachman as well. As Erik stepped in the bedroom, Christine slightly lifted her head up. Her face was as pale as she was dead.

- Erik, I am…

- Sorry? – Erik asked without much emotions. He was tired as well.

- Yes..,

- Let's just not talk about this, Christine. Erik is exhausted. He wants to sleep finally.

- Are you… angry?

- Christine, Erik is going to lay down in two minutes and he doesn't want to hear a single note until tomorrow. – He just removed his human mask and shoes and stretched out next to her in shirt sleeves, not even removing his cufflinks. As his head reached the pillow, he already started snoring a bit.

- Erik…,

- What? – He moaned sleepily.

- I love you. – Christine whispered.

- Ahem. – He just let out a groan with his mouth wide open, but Christine forcefully turned him to face her, then kissed his cheek.

- I said I love you.

- Me too. – Erik's eyes closed again and she could only hear his even paced breathing until she finally fell asleep as well, cuddling to Erik.