Tears streaked down Christina's face as she left the Opera House
behind. The image of the Phantom lingered in her mind. Her blind eyes could
not see him, but yet she knew his face. Her grandmother had described it in
perfect detail. There he was in all the ruin, playing on into the night. He
had haunted her dreams ever since she had met him. Had Christine ever felt
this way? The Phantom had killed out of love for Christine, clearing a path
for her career. Her grandmother had described him more unyielding and
devious than what the Phantom had seemed like each time she had talked with
him. Maybe the years after her grandmother had softened him just a little.
Whatever reason, she could not just leave him down there, all alone with
just his music.
Christina had not been back for a month. A long month. Each day he had waited for her, but she had not returned. He knew he had frightened her badly, but her last remark about him and love was a wound to his pride. He was loosing hope that she would ever come back. What was hope? Something the weak relied on? He had never relied on hope to see him through his life. It had always been his wits, his cunning. What now? What now...? He paced the silent floor. His hands went to his mask. He never took it off for fear of someone discovering him. Christina would not have to worry about seeing him, she was blind. Wait...she reminded him of someone...his mind drifted back to his old world as a sideshow...
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Look what I have here! See the savage boy! Come see him! Very cheap, very cheap! Just step right here and give me a coin!" The man standing on the crudely built platforms said. "Now no screaming, it frightens the brute!" He warned the glove tipped ladies who placed a coin in his palm.
"I'm made of tougher stuff than that good sir," One lady protested. Laughter flooded through crowd at her statement.
"We'll see! We'll see!" The man nodded smiling with his gold capped teeth shining with spittle. His clothes were filthy with travel, and his purse empty. He had spent it on beer or the pleasure of a woman's company. Now he had joined up with a couple of gypsy's who ran a small circus in the countryside. They made a good little sum of money each event. People came from everywhere, mostly farmers and their children looking for a bit of entertainment from their plain lives. When all who wished to see the boy had paid, the filthy man ushered them back into a dark tent. They could make out a small cage in the dim lighting.
"When I light this candle," The man whispered. "The boy'll wake up! No one screams!" He warned. He glanced sternly at the ladies and small children. He pulled a match out of his coat pocket with a dramatic flair and lit his candle. The audience gasped. They could now see a small figure hidden in a blanket in the far corner of the cage.
"Erik!" Prodded a gypsy who was crouching outside the cage by the huddled figure. He had been told to say threats if the boy did not perform. "Ya want supper now don't you? Come on then!" The gypsy shoved his hands between the bars and pushed Erik out from under the blanket. Some of the ladies jerked back. He kneeled, his eyes closed, face upwards. The candle only lit the small boy's neck; the man was waiting for the most dramatic moment to reveal him.
"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you the Monster!!" He flung the light upward and glow that was cast off from the candle showed what the audience had feared. Women screamed, some fainted. Men hustled the small children away from the terrifying sight. Erik's breath left him, his chest seemed hollow. Emotions hit him all at once, anger, fear, and resentment. Why had his mother left him to such a horrible hell-like fate? He was only a boy. Why did he have to grow up so fast??! He lay prostrate on the floor of his prison. Everyone had left him, including his captor, and the gypsy. Once he had gathered enough people again, he would repeat the humiliating process over, and over again. Sobs wrenched through the small boy's frame. "Mama!" He cried. "Mama!" Fury suddenly seized him and he was up and shaking the bars of his cage. "Let me out! Let me out! Please!" The cries brought no one to his aid. He knocked his head against the iron bars and fell back. He felt blood trickled down his mutilated face. He reached up and wiped it away. He was defeated. They had won...
"Daddy?" A small voice called. A girl had wandered into the tent. She looked to be about his age, only eight. Her curly auburn hair shone with consistent brushing, and her dresses were plain, but looked well cared for and ironed.
"Daddy!" The girl was getting worried. Erik hid his face behind the ragged blanket he had. She reached out as if she was looking for something, and then suddenly her hands connected with the iron bars of the cage. She jerked back as the cold metal touched her skin. Then with a curious interest she reached back to touch the bars.
"What's this?" She asked out loud to no one in particular.
"A cage," Erik's voice echoed. He hadn't meant to say anything! "Can't you see that," He added softly.
"No, I'm blind," She said a matter-of-factly. He looked more closely and noticed her green eyes were clouded with grey. She was blind. He dropped the blanket and walked over to her.
"Where are you?" Her head tilted to the sound of his footsteps. "In the cage,"
"Why??" She asked anxiously. "Do you need help? Did you get trapped in here? When I find daddy I'll ask him to get you out!"
"No," He shook his head. "I'm better off in a cage,"
"Why," She looked to where she thought his voice was coming from.
"They say I'm a monster,"
"You're just a little boy!"
"Even little boys can be monsters," He said sadly. His hand touched his face, and instantly he felt the same repulsive feeling he'd felt many times before when he touched his face.
"May I see?"
"How," He scoffed.
"Come here," She ordered.
"No," Suddenly he was scared. What kind of magic could she use to see him if she was blind, and if she could see would she scream too?
"I won't hurt you," She said gently.
He inched forward, still uncertain of what to do. Before he knew what was happening her hand found an opening through the bars and had rested on his own hand. "I can't see you with my eyes, but I can see with my hands," She said softly. She waited as if asking permission, and then slowly offered her hand. He gently grasped her fingers and placed them gingerly on the hideous side of his face. She flinched only a little as she felt the bumps and ridges, and the wet feeling of rotting flesh. Erik trembled with fear. She did not draw back as he had expected, but her hand gently went over his whole face, exploring every detail. When she was done her hand dropped back at her side.
"You are beautiful," She whispered. "I don't know why they think you a monster,"
"How could you think that?" He asked in wonderment.
"I cannot see, but that doesn't mean my soul is blind, I see you are kind, and gentle on the inside. No one can be that way and be a monster. If all they do is shriek at you and call you horrible, they aren't looking past the way you look, they aren't looking at the real you," She said.
"Emilie!" A man's voice called. "Emilie," He sounded worried.
"That is my papa... I shall never forget you," She rushed away, her cane going before her to check for any holes in the ground as she ran towards her father's voice. The feel of her soft hand on his face stayed with him, and helped him to sleep through the night with no nightmares about his mother...
Christina had not been back for a month. A long month. Each day he had waited for her, but she had not returned. He knew he had frightened her badly, but her last remark about him and love was a wound to his pride. He was loosing hope that she would ever come back. What was hope? Something the weak relied on? He had never relied on hope to see him through his life. It had always been his wits, his cunning. What now? What now...? He paced the silent floor. His hands went to his mask. He never took it off for fear of someone discovering him. Christina would not have to worry about seeing him, she was blind. Wait...she reminded him of someone...his mind drifted back to his old world as a sideshow...
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Look what I have here! See the savage boy! Come see him! Very cheap, very cheap! Just step right here and give me a coin!" The man standing on the crudely built platforms said. "Now no screaming, it frightens the brute!" He warned the glove tipped ladies who placed a coin in his palm.
"I'm made of tougher stuff than that good sir," One lady protested. Laughter flooded through crowd at her statement.
"We'll see! We'll see!" The man nodded smiling with his gold capped teeth shining with spittle. His clothes were filthy with travel, and his purse empty. He had spent it on beer or the pleasure of a woman's company. Now he had joined up with a couple of gypsy's who ran a small circus in the countryside. They made a good little sum of money each event. People came from everywhere, mostly farmers and their children looking for a bit of entertainment from their plain lives. When all who wished to see the boy had paid, the filthy man ushered them back into a dark tent. They could make out a small cage in the dim lighting.
"When I light this candle," The man whispered. "The boy'll wake up! No one screams!" He warned. He glanced sternly at the ladies and small children. He pulled a match out of his coat pocket with a dramatic flair and lit his candle. The audience gasped. They could now see a small figure hidden in a blanket in the far corner of the cage.
"Erik!" Prodded a gypsy who was crouching outside the cage by the huddled figure. He had been told to say threats if the boy did not perform. "Ya want supper now don't you? Come on then!" The gypsy shoved his hands between the bars and pushed Erik out from under the blanket. Some of the ladies jerked back. He kneeled, his eyes closed, face upwards. The candle only lit the small boy's neck; the man was waiting for the most dramatic moment to reveal him.
"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you the Monster!!" He flung the light upward and glow that was cast off from the candle showed what the audience had feared. Women screamed, some fainted. Men hustled the small children away from the terrifying sight. Erik's breath left him, his chest seemed hollow. Emotions hit him all at once, anger, fear, and resentment. Why had his mother left him to such a horrible hell-like fate? He was only a boy. Why did he have to grow up so fast??! He lay prostrate on the floor of his prison. Everyone had left him, including his captor, and the gypsy. Once he had gathered enough people again, he would repeat the humiliating process over, and over again. Sobs wrenched through the small boy's frame. "Mama!" He cried. "Mama!" Fury suddenly seized him and he was up and shaking the bars of his cage. "Let me out! Let me out! Please!" The cries brought no one to his aid. He knocked his head against the iron bars and fell back. He felt blood trickled down his mutilated face. He reached up and wiped it away. He was defeated. They had won...
"Daddy?" A small voice called. A girl had wandered into the tent. She looked to be about his age, only eight. Her curly auburn hair shone with consistent brushing, and her dresses were plain, but looked well cared for and ironed.
"Daddy!" The girl was getting worried. Erik hid his face behind the ragged blanket he had. She reached out as if she was looking for something, and then suddenly her hands connected with the iron bars of the cage. She jerked back as the cold metal touched her skin. Then with a curious interest she reached back to touch the bars.
"What's this?" She asked out loud to no one in particular.
"A cage," Erik's voice echoed. He hadn't meant to say anything! "Can't you see that," He added softly.
"No, I'm blind," She said a matter-of-factly. He looked more closely and noticed her green eyes were clouded with grey. She was blind. He dropped the blanket and walked over to her.
"Where are you?" Her head tilted to the sound of his footsteps. "In the cage,"
"Why??" She asked anxiously. "Do you need help? Did you get trapped in here? When I find daddy I'll ask him to get you out!"
"No," He shook his head. "I'm better off in a cage,"
"Why," She looked to where she thought his voice was coming from.
"They say I'm a monster,"
"You're just a little boy!"
"Even little boys can be monsters," He said sadly. His hand touched his face, and instantly he felt the same repulsive feeling he'd felt many times before when he touched his face.
"May I see?"
"How," He scoffed.
"Come here," She ordered.
"No," Suddenly he was scared. What kind of magic could she use to see him if she was blind, and if she could see would she scream too?
"I won't hurt you," She said gently.
He inched forward, still uncertain of what to do. Before he knew what was happening her hand found an opening through the bars and had rested on his own hand. "I can't see you with my eyes, but I can see with my hands," She said softly. She waited as if asking permission, and then slowly offered her hand. He gently grasped her fingers and placed them gingerly on the hideous side of his face. She flinched only a little as she felt the bumps and ridges, and the wet feeling of rotting flesh. Erik trembled with fear. She did not draw back as he had expected, but her hand gently went over his whole face, exploring every detail. When she was done her hand dropped back at her side.
"You are beautiful," She whispered. "I don't know why they think you a monster,"
"How could you think that?" He asked in wonderment.
"I cannot see, but that doesn't mean my soul is blind, I see you are kind, and gentle on the inside. No one can be that way and be a monster. If all they do is shriek at you and call you horrible, they aren't looking past the way you look, they aren't looking at the real you," She said.
"Emilie!" A man's voice called. "Emilie," He sounded worried.
"That is my papa... I shall never forget you," She rushed away, her cane going before her to check for any holes in the ground as she ran towards her father's voice. The feel of her soft hand on his face stayed with him, and helped him to sleep through the night with no nightmares about his mother...