Chapter 7
Erik led Nadir down to the cellars, very near where Carlotta had fallen through.
He fell down against the cold stones and burst into laughter.
"What great fun, eh, daroga? What do you say?" Erik wiped some tears away.
"Is this what you do for fun, Erik?" the Persian asked. Under his breath he
muttered, "What a sad little man."
Erik stiffened.
"I heard that. I don't think you deserve to go on any more escapades with me.
Perhaps I'll just leave you here stuck in the cellars with Carlotta? No, I couldn't do that.
I've a better idea."
In the dark, Erik grinned and pulled out some feathers, the same ones he had used
earlier on to mock the viscount. He motioned for Nadir to follow him and the crept
around to Carlotta. She was sitting on the floor, sniffling and crying that she would starve
to death.
"Watch this!" Erik whispered. He took the feather and tickled Carlotta's nose with
it.
"Oh no! What iz zhat? My allergies!" She gave an enormous snort and sneezed so
hard it echoed around the cellars for a good ten minutes. Erik tried to stifle giggles but
without success. He tickled her nose again and again until she sneezed so hard, even the
Persian could hear her eardrums pop.
"Erik isn't this dangerous? She's like a hornet! As mad a bull in a china closet,
they say! We could get ourselves killed . . ."
Erik waved his hand as if to reassure the Persian. He pinched Carlotta's arm and
said "My what muscular arms Signora has!"
"What? Zhat iz you, O.G.! I know it! I'm going to get you!" Carlotta groaned as
she tried to stand up. She thundered off down the opposite direction while Nadir stared at
the cracked stone where she had fallen. He whistled.
"Golly, would you look at that! She could snap someone like a twig! That's the
last time I *ever* provoke someone bigger than me!"
Erik snickered and put away the feather. "All in a day's work, my friend." He
grinned and added, "Just wait until you see tonight's opera!"
******************************
Nadir came to the night's opera, worrying greatly what was going to happen. As
soon as he walked into the front doors, the managers rushed up to him mumbling
excitedly that he was to sit in Box Five. He shrugged and took off for it. It was empty, but
he sat down and began to watch the opera. But something did not feel right. Suddenly the
grand chandelier caught his attention. It was flickering madly and shaking about.
"Erik! He's going to drop the bloody chandelier on the people!" he shouted. He
could do nothing but watch in horror as the the giant light fixture swung wildly back and
forth, increasing in speed quite quickly. He could hear Erik's insane laughter echoing
about the auditorium, while the people turned in their seats shushing each other, not
noticing the chandelier.
Carlotta, who had succeeded in finding her way out of the cellars, was singing on
stage, more awfully than ever, adding to Nadir's fright. He watched the chandelier give a
little shake each time she belted out a very loud note, which happened to be every note,
unfortunately.
But curiously, only bits and pieces fell off the chandelier. Suddenly it stopped
shaking all together and Nadir cringed as he heard Erik's angry voice over Carlotta's.
"Damn! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"
People were now turning about in their seats and some were leaving.
"Stupid chandelier!" Erik muttered and then Nadir could hear him no more.
Carlotta fumed and spat out some words in Spanish, while refusing to sing
anymore if people were leaving. The managers rushed onstage and comforted her that her
understudy was coming on. Carlotta darkened at that and suddenly said that she could do
it. They shrugged and rushed back offstage.
Carlotta opened her mouth to sing the next aria when nothing but large quacking
came out! Nadir started laughing, but quickly covered his mouth. Carlotta continued
quacking, and then Erik's disembodied voice began yelling.
"Look! It is Signora duck!"
Bits of bread fell from the ceiling and landed on the stage at Carlotta's feet. Even
though she was still quacking, she reached down and gobbled up the bread. Erik howled
with laughter and gave the chandelier a kick. It shattered and it's many pieces came off
one by one, like diamonds falling from the sky. People grabbed at the pieces for souvenirs
and ran out of the Opera House. Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Nadir left for
his home.
Long after the auditorium had been emptied, Erik stay in the attic of the House,
laughing the hours away. It had been fun, especially how Carlotta had eaten the stale
bread. He had decided she would sound better off quacking than croaking anyway. She
sure made one hell of a duck, he had to admit. He ran off to Christine's dressing room
and waited behind the mirror for her.
"Erik, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Did you see what happened to
Carlotta? She made a big scene on stage!" Christine asked, puzzled.
"Oh yes, I was there, Christine, little do you know," Erik said, holding his hand
over his mouth so he wouldn't burst into laughter. "Time to come with me now."
"Oh no, I can't!" she exclaimed. "I promised Raoul I would go out to dinner with
him."
"What?!?!" Erik yelled. "You promised me over a week ago you would come with
me! What is it, Christine?" he quickly stepped through the mirror into her dressing room.
"Is it my face, is that why you forget about me so easily? Tell me Christine, does this
frighten you?" He gestured to his face angrily.
Christine's mouth fell open like a fish's.
"Don't be ridiculous, Erik! It's Raoul's money!" She giggled like she had said
something incredibly funny.
Erik pouted.
"But I have money to! I'm richer than the viscount, and you know it!" he
protested. "No, I know what it is. He's a cross-dresser, and is just your size so you two go
have fun. I'll be sitting here, just waiting for you when you come back."
Christine shuddered.
"Don't remind me of Raoul's secret! But how do you know of it too? I thought I
was the only one besides the managers who knew!" she exclaimed.
Erik racked his brains.
"Uh, I have my connections . . ."
"Oh wow! Perhaps I can stay with you instead of Raoul. He's so dull anyway.
Nothing at all like you."
Erik grinned.
"Well, yes, I can make the accommodations, of course, my dear. Just follow me . .
."
Erik led Nadir down to the cellars, very near where Carlotta had fallen through.
He fell down against the cold stones and burst into laughter.
"What great fun, eh, daroga? What do you say?" Erik wiped some tears away.
"Is this what you do for fun, Erik?" the Persian asked. Under his breath he
muttered, "What a sad little man."
Erik stiffened.
"I heard that. I don't think you deserve to go on any more escapades with me.
Perhaps I'll just leave you here stuck in the cellars with Carlotta? No, I couldn't do that.
I've a better idea."
In the dark, Erik grinned and pulled out some feathers, the same ones he had used
earlier on to mock the viscount. He motioned for Nadir to follow him and the crept
around to Carlotta. She was sitting on the floor, sniffling and crying that she would starve
to death.
"Watch this!" Erik whispered. He took the feather and tickled Carlotta's nose with
it.
"Oh no! What iz zhat? My allergies!" She gave an enormous snort and sneezed so
hard it echoed around the cellars for a good ten minutes. Erik tried to stifle giggles but
without success. He tickled her nose again and again until she sneezed so hard, even the
Persian could hear her eardrums pop.
"Erik isn't this dangerous? She's like a hornet! As mad a bull in a china closet,
they say! We could get ourselves killed . . ."
Erik waved his hand as if to reassure the Persian. He pinched Carlotta's arm and
said "My what muscular arms Signora has!"
"What? Zhat iz you, O.G.! I know it! I'm going to get you!" Carlotta groaned as
she tried to stand up. She thundered off down the opposite direction while Nadir stared at
the cracked stone where she had fallen. He whistled.
"Golly, would you look at that! She could snap someone like a twig! That's the
last time I *ever* provoke someone bigger than me!"
Erik snickered and put away the feather. "All in a day's work, my friend." He
grinned and added, "Just wait until you see tonight's opera!"
******************************
Nadir came to the night's opera, worrying greatly what was going to happen. As
soon as he walked into the front doors, the managers rushed up to him mumbling
excitedly that he was to sit in Box Five. He shrugged and took off for it. It was empty, but
he sat down and began to watch the opera. But something did not feel right. Suddenly the
grand chandelier caught his attention. It was flickering madly and shaking about.
"Erik! He's going to drop the bloody chandelier on the people!" he shouted. He
could do nothing but watch in horror as the the giant light fixture swung wildly back and
forth, increasing in speed quite quickly. He could hear Erik's insane laughter echoing
about the auditorium, while the people turned in their seats shushing each other, not
noticing the chandelier.
Carlotta, who had succeeded in finding her way out of the cellars, was singing on
stage, more awfully than ever, adding to Nadir's fright. He watched the chandelier give a
little shake each time she belted out a very loud note, which happened to be every note,
unfortunately.
But curiously, only bits and pieces fell off the chandelier. Suddenly it stopped
shaking all together and Nadir cringed as he heard Erik's angry voice over Carlotta's.
"Damn! Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn!"
People were now turning about in their seats and some were leaving.
"Stupid chandelier!" Erik muttered and then Nadir could hear him no more.
Carlotta fumed and spat out some words in Spanish, while refusing to sing
anymore if people were leaving. The managers rushed onstage and comforted her that her
understudy was coming on. Carlotta darkened at that and suddenly said that she could do
it. They shrugged and rushed back offstage.
Carlotta opened her mouth to sing the next aria when nothing but large quacking
came out! Nadir started laughing, but quickly covered his mouth. Carlotta continued
quacking, and then Erik's disembodied voice began yelling.
"Look! It is Signora duck!"
Bits of bread fell from the ceiling and landed on the stage at Carlotta's feet. Even
though she was still quacking, she reached down and gobbled up the bread. Erik howled
with laughter and gave the chandelier a kick. It shattered and it's many pieces came off
one by one, like diamonds falling from the sky. People grabbed at the pieces for souvenirs
and ran out of the Opera House. Seeing that there was nothing he could do, Nadir left for
his home.
Long after the auditorium had been emptied, Erik stay in the attic of the House,
laughing the hours away. It had been fun, especially how Carlotta had eaten the stale
bread. He had decided she would sound better off quacking than croaking anyway. She
sure made one hell of a duck, he had to admit. He ran off to Christine's dressing room
and waited behind the mirror for her.
"Erik, I've been waiting for you for a long time. Did you see what happened to
Carlotta? She made a big scene on stage!" Christine asked, puzzled.
"Oh yes, I was there, Christine, little do you know," Erik said, holding his hand
over his mouth so he wouldn't burst into laughter. "Time to come with me now."
"Oh no, I can't!" she exclaimed. "I promised Raoul I would go out to dinner with
him."
"What?!?!" Erik yelled. "You promised me over a week ago you would come with
me! What is it, Christine?" he quickly stepped through the mirror into her dressing room.
"Is it my face, is that why you forget about me so easily? Tell me Christine, does this
frighten you?" He gestured to his face angrily.
Christine's mouth fell open like a fish's.
"Don't be ridiculous, Erik! It's Raoul's money!" She giggled like she had said
something incredibly funny.
Erik pouted.
"But I have money to! I'm richer than the viscount, and you know it!" he
protested. "No, I know what it is. He's a cross-dresser, and is just your size so you two go
have fun. I'll be sitting here, just waiting for you when you come back."
Christine shuddered.
"Don't remind me of Raoul's secret! But how do you know of it too? I thought I
was the only one besides the managers who knew!" she exclaimed.
Erik racked his brains.
"Uh, I have my connections . . ."
"Oh wow! Perhaps I can stay with you instead of Raoul. He's so dull anyway.
Nothing at all like you."
Erik grinned.
"Well, yes, I can make the accommodations, of course, my dear. Just follow me . .
."
