2. A White, Fluffy Rabbit Named Arminta.

December 26, 1881.

"Good day, Andre! I hope my absence last night was not a problem." M. Firmin Richard said on entering the managers' office. Instead of greeting his fellow manager in like fashion, M. Andre Moncharmin leapt from his chair and spun around, ashen-faced.

"Oh, please, Monsieur, I swear it wasn't my fault...I tried..." He said in a voice that was shrill with fear. Then his eyes focused on Firmin. "Oh, it's you. Thank God!"

"What's wrong?" Demanded Firmin.

"Last night...Oh my God it was awful! You know the German diplomat who is visiting Paris? Well, he and his family watched last night's performance, of Faust, in Box Five!"

"Good Lord, Andre! What happened?"

"Nothing! Absolutely, God-damned nothing! I stayed here all night waiting for the usual disaster beyond imagination to befall us and nothing happened! My nerves are in shreds, and still nothing happens. This must be his punishment: nothing. He's letting us torture ourselves, imagining what he's cooking up for us..."

"Hush, Andre." Firmin interrupted his colleague's tirade gently. "You're tired. Go home and get a good night's...er, day's sleep and let me take over. Maybe the Phantom wasn't there last night and he doesn't know about it."

Despite his brave words, Firmin was just as frightened as Andre. When Carlotta burst in, looking horrified, he sprang to his feet biting back a cry of fear. Before he could say a word she gasped out:

"Padre Mio! Senor Firmin I have just seen, on the roof, a frightful sight! A young woman, playing with a white rabbit, in the dress of the comptessa from Il Muto !"

"The rabbit was wearing the dress?" Asked the bemused Firmin.

"No, the woman was. But…Oh it was awful!" Carlotta was so upset that her Italian accent had become quite pronounced. Despite her usual obnoxious behavior, Firmin was sorry for her.

"What's so awful about a woman playing with a rabbit?" He asked kindly.

"Not that! After that I heard….A voice. A beautiful voice….A tenor, but a tenor like an angel. And the unseen man said : 'Come up, Elizabeth; the view is magnificent!" And the woman, she replied: 'Erik, how can I with Arminta?" And then the Phantom jumps down from the statue and helps her to climb up to a perch at the top."

"Good God!" Was Firmin's response to this story. "Who was she?"

"I do not know and I do not care. Perhaps now this foolish affaire with Christine will be over."

"La Carlotta! If you please!" Firmin spoke more sharply than he intended. "Say nothing of the least disrespect about the Opera Ghost or his affairs!" He lowered his voice. We are being especially careful right now."

"Why?" Carlotta asked in spite of her feigned disinterest in the affaire. Firmin beckoned her over and whispered in her ear:

"Her Meyerling, the German diplomat, sat with his family in box five last night. We think the Ghost may not know, but we are taking no chances. Who knows who may be blamed." He ended slightly ominously. Carlotta, for once in her life, said nothing. She just nodded and left the room. Somehow, Firmin knew she would say nothing of the incident to anyone.

By now my readers will probably be wondering where the heck the rabbit came from. Well, I will tell you. Elizabeth had, in fact, gone to bed at about two o'clock in the afternoon on the preceding day, and so had woken up around midnight. Half an hour earlier Erik had taken a break in his music and had brought down a basket containing food for Elizabeth, so when she awoke she found breakfast waiting for her. Once she had dressed and eaten, she went into Erik's room to listen to his music. About an hour after she came in he stopped.

"How do you like it?" He asked.

"It's wonderful. It reminded me of all the things I like best, like summer, and flowers, and horses, and rabbits, I'm especially fond of rabbits."

"If you're fond of horses, come and meet Cesar." said the Phantom. He led her to a cave near the lake that he had turned into a stable. There was Cesar, the Opera's white horse that he had stolen. Elizabeth approached him slowly, but without fear. Soon she was petting him and he was muzzling her. Erik silently passed her a carrot from his pocket and she fed it to Cesar while murmuring to him.

"Can you ride?" Erik asked after a while.

"Yes." Elizabeth replied instantly.

"I will take him out now to do some shopping. When I return you may take him for a ride. He could use the exercise."

"Oh thank you, Erik." Elizabeth turned to Erik and hugged him. Erik, somewhat awkwardly hugged her back.

Erik led Cesar out of the stable and swung himself up on the horse's back. He gave Elizabeth the lamp so she could find her way back to his lair as he had no further use for it. It occurred to him she might use it to find her way out of the Opera House, away from him. He shrugged at this thought. It was no affaire of his if she left.

As he rode out of the Opera House he let his mind drift He thought about the new piece of music he was working on. It was not his usual style, being very light and fanciful, but he rather liked it. He wondered whether he could expand some of the themes and create a whole opera like that. What would it be about? he mused. He thought about it for a few moments, but no plots suggested themselves to him, so he decided to pursue the idea later. He thought about the opera he was almost finished, Don Juan Triumphant. He only had to fine-tune the ending…

Abruptly he realized that he had left the Opera House and was on the street, so he set his mind to the immediate job of purchasing. He saved the fun, namely searching for little things for Christine, for last. He found a silver hair-brush and mirror with gold trim that pleased him very much. On his way back to the Opera House he noticed a man selling livestock. Drifting closer, he saw a basket set apart from the rest of the animals. In the basket was a white, fluffy rabbit. With a wry smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, he bought the rabbit, which turned out to be female.

When he got back to the Opera House Elizabeth came running to meet him. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Erik was so shocked he nearly dropped all his parcels. Elizabeth, realizing this, stepped back.

"I was lonely." She explained. Erik gave her a weird look and went to unpack his purchases. When he gave Elizabeth the rabbit she was ecstatic. She held the small creature in her arms and gazed at her happily.

"I think I'll call her Arminta." She said. Erik threw back his head and laughed. Imagine naming a rabbit after Don Juan's most famous victim. When he got himself under control he proposed to Elizabeth that they go up onto the roof of the Opera House to admire the view. Erik couldn't help being proud of his home and enjoyed showing it off, especially to someone as enthusiastic as Elizabeth. She agreed to the excursion, and it was not long after that that Carlotta saw them.