Erik stretched his arms up as high as he could, and threw the latch that unlocked the tall, narrow window in his room. It had been an uncommonly hot afternoon and now, as the sun shone its last bright beams over the edge of the world, the air in the house was warm and suffocating. Erik propped the window open and lent back, removing his mask and allowing the fresh evening breeze to massage his face like a cool balm. He drew several deep breaths of refreshing air and opened his eyes. The top of the window was curved and decorated with inlays of cut glass. The different angles caught the last, retreating beams of daylight and made of them tiny dancing rainbows on the wooden floor. The room was filled with the colors of the setting sun and the effect was quite peaceful.

Erik turned his face to the window again, careful to keep back and out of sight. He shut his eyes as he let the cool air and the sounds of the leaves and birds wash over him. Moments passed and the sounds grew fainter until he could no longer hear them.

He sat crouched, in the dark, narrow corridor. He could feel the gusts of air on his arms and neck. Somewhere, someone had opened a trap door. He was surrounded by darkness, but it was darkness he was acquainted with. He knew exactly where he was for he had been there many times before. He was on the other side of the mirror, waiting for her. He would sit there for hours, waiting for her to come and watching her when she did. She was beautiful and mysterious. Her deep blue eyes shone so that he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Of all the people, all the little lives, he could observe, he loved most to watch her. He knew it was those eyes that captivated him so, for though they were beautiful, they were also lifeless. They were filled with a sorrow that he had forgotten he could feel. Loneliness, he realized. They were lonely eyes.

It was a sad business, being a ghost. Although he could spy on anyone he wanted, play tricks on people, and whisper terrifying things into their ears, which were all things he liked to do, the people would never talk back to him, or touch him, or want him to come and be with them. But as all good ghosts do, he had reconciled with that and was numb to the pain inside his heart as he went about his fun business of creating chaos amongst them. But those lovely, mysterious, lonely eyes reminded him of that pain. They were wonderful and terrible, and yet, even comforting. He yearned to speak to her, to comfort her too, but a ghost can do no such thing, and she was wishing for an angel.

Suddenly, in the distance a door opened with a bang, and a great gush of air rushed over him. Erik's eyes darted open and he found himself in his own room once again. The sun had set and the wind outside had grown tumultuous and angry as it shook the branches of the trees. He groped for his mask in the darkness and went into the hallway.

"Suzette?" he called, but there was no answer. He climbed the stairs to her rooms but saw that the lights were out and she was not there.

"The silly thing must still be in the garden, playing in the dark," he thought. He trotted quickly down the steps and went into the kitchen. He then flicked the switch for the electric light on the back of the house, which was the signal for Suzette to come in and had begun to slice up bread for dinner, when he realized that it had been several minutes and Suzette hadn't come to the door yet. Erik felt an uneasiness in his stomach and he went to the door and peeked out into the garden, hoping to see her making her way toward him. There was not a soul about.

"Bother, this nonsense," he grumbled and he took up his cloak and went out to look for the girl.

"Suzette?" he called again, but he heard no answer. He searched the darkness around him as he tramped to the back of the place where there where two large evergreen trees. Suddenly the night was sliced in half by a high-pitched wail. Erik stepped back so suddenly he nearly toppled over, and Othello scampered off into the bushes, hissing his indignation. The cat's yellow eyes glared at him angerly in the darkness and Erik gave him a little apologetic bow.

"Watch your step, monster!" Othello growled and Erik chuckled, "Watch your own, Othello!" Erik pushed away the branches of the old tree and peered underneath. Then he chuckled again for there lay Suzette, snoozing peacefully in a bed of prickly tree needles. He shook her by the arm and said,

"Wake up, sleepy head! You should no better then this. Haven't you remembered anything from your fairy tales? Horrible things happen to people who fall asleep under trees!" Suzette's eyes remained closed but Erik noticed an ever-so-slight twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"You might wake to find yourself stolen by fairies or even stay asleep for a hundred years!" Suzette gave a soft sigh and remained limp. Her face puckered considerably though, when Othello wandered in to lick her cheek with his scratchy, pink tongue.

"Meow!" said Othello, looking curiously at her.

"Well, I like that!" Erik exclaimed, and then he addressed Othello, "You know I should just leave her out here. The storm that's brewing up there should wake her soon enough when it comes down and then she'll learn her lesson about sleeping under trees!"

"You'll do no such thing!" Othello exclaimed, "Honestly, the evil thoughts you think! You just lift her up and take her inside like a honest fellow."

"Oh, very well, you tiresome beast. Heaven forbid an honest ghost should have any fun! Come along, Suzette." And he lifted her gently, plucking a few needles from her hair and carried her through the blustery night to the back door.

Once indoors, Erik set Suzette in a large armchair in the living room. At that moment, Suzette made a big fuss of waking up, stretching her arms wildly above her and rubbing her eyes. She looked around and her eyes fell on Erik.

"Hello, Erik," she chirped.

"Hello, dear."

"However did I get in here?"

"I rescued you from being captured by fairies or drowning in a rainstorm."

"Oh, how nice!"

"Yes, Othello wanted for me to leave you there, but I made him see the error of his ways." Suzette giggled.

"What shall we do now?"

"You go up and get bathed and ready for bed, and I will bring you up some supper."

A short while later, Erik and Suzette were in the sitting room finishing up their bread and soup.

"Will you read me a book before I go to sleep?" she asked him.

"Why certainly, mademoiselle. It just so happens that I've just received in the post, a lovely book by Mr. Merriweather Lewis, detailing the landscape and indigenous peoples of Louisianna. I think you would find that rather interesting!"

"What?" said Suzette incredulously.

"Yes, just now I'm reading about these funny little creatures that live in holes in the ground-

"Erik?" Suzette interrupted.

"Yes, my little angel, and they scurry around in little packs on the meadows along the Missouri River, in plain sight of anything…"

"Erik…"

"A moment, my darling! But just as soon as any of them sees any danger coming they all jump up and dart into their holes! They're very quick, you see! What was it you wanted to say?" Suzette took a deep breath and then asked curiously,

"What would happen if there was a snake?" Erik pondered this for a moment and said, "You know, I'm not at all sure. Mr. Lewis didn't say anything about snakes. Perhaps they don't have snakes in that part of America? I'll just go get the book and we can see if he mentions it in another chapter…"

"Erik?"

"Yes, my dear little girl?"

"I don't want to read that book."

"No? Oh, well, that's all right! I've also got a fascinating book about Byzantine architecture, just published! Why it's even got some of those new photographs printed in it! Or, if you like, I've also got a very good treatise on the development of Notre Dame Organum and it's contributions to Western polyphony!"

"Erik, I want a story book!" Suzette said as she got up and went to her bookshelf.

"Oh! Well how about Faust? Goethe's always good for a good bedtime read." Suzette wrinkled up her face and blinked her eyes at him.

"I will choose a good story," she said snootily, "and it won't be Faust."

"As you wish it, mademoiselle," Erik replied as he settled into his favorite reading chair.

The story Suzette chose was a German fairy tale about a beautiful mermaid who fell in love with a prince. The mermaid wanted to be with the prince so much that she went to an evil witch who made for her a potion that would turn her mermaid's tail into two legs. The caveat of the spell was that each step she took felt like piecing daggers to her human feet, and that if she couldn't make the prince fall in love with her in three days, then she would die and become only foam on the waves of the sea, for only human beings have a soul that lives forever. The mermaid agreed and took the potion for she loved the prince so much. Sadly for the little mermaid, when she found her prince she discovered that he was already in love with another woman and was to be married in three days. The mermaid's sisters went to the witch to plead for their sister's life. In exchange for their beautiful, long hair, the witch gave them a dagger and told them that if the littlest mermaid used the dagger to pierce the heart of her prince and let his blood wash over her legs, then she would change back into a mermaid and be free. As the littlest mermaid stood beside her prince as he slept, holding the dagger, she knew that she loved him too much to kill him, even if it meant loosing her soul. In tead, she threw herself back into the sea. The story ended with the spirit of the littlest mermaid being lifted up by the angels. They told her that she had earned her soul by loving her prince enough to die for him. They named her Ariel, a name with means, spirit of the air.

Suzette watched with wide, compassionate eyes as Erik finished the beautiful tale. Neither spoke for a few moments, but Erik removed his mask and Suzette watched him wipe away tears.

"Did you like that story, Erik?"

"Yes, indeed, my little Suzette."

"As much as Faust?" Erik replaced his mask and turned to her.

"Oh, at least as much!"

"It's sad that the littlest mermaid had to die though." Erik placed his thin hand on her head and stroked her hair. She was far too young to understand how beautiful it was to be dying of love.

"Well, now it's time for bed!" Erik said suddenly. He hoisted her up and carried her into the bedroom, placing her gently beneath to covers. They embraced and Erik said, "Sleep well, my dear little Suzette! I shall be downstairs reading about Leonin and the Magnum Libre Organi."

"Goodnight, Erik," she whispered. He shut off the light and began to walk toward the door. She watched his stop suddenly and turn back toward her. "Oh know!" she thought, "It'll be the bed-monster again!"

"Don't forget, Suzette! If you have to get out of bed, turn the light on first! You don't want the monster under the bed to grab you." Suzette began to protest that she was much to big to believe in under-the-bed monsters, but Erik continued, "I know, of course, that the under-the-bed monster is only a story I made up to scare you into staying in your bed at night, and I only mention it because, if there did happen to be such a thing as an under-the-bed monster, it would surely be active on a dark, blustery, stormy night such as this. Sleep tight!" and Erik strolled cheerfully into the next room where he gathered the dinner dishes and went whistling down the stairs.

"Humph!" Suzette said as she lay back in her bed, listening to the night wind. It sounded to her like a wild animal howling in the distance. Suddenly she heard a very strange creaking followed by the sound of something scraping against wood. Suzette froze and listened closely. There was the scraping sound again! Suzette sat up and looked out the window. The branches of the trees in the front garden whipped wildly back and forth with the wind. Was that the sound she heard? Suddenly, there came the sound again and Suzette was sure it came from under the bed. Now Suzette was genuinely frightened, though she was a brave girl. Was the sound from outside or was it under the bed? Well there was only one way to know. Slowly, Suzette leaned over and pulling up the bedspread, peeked under the bed. Two glowing eyes stared back at her. Suzette was so surprised that she shrieked and fell over onto the floor. She scrambled back into the bed and screamed for Erik to help her.

"What is it, my love?" he asked her earnestly.

"The monster! Under my bed! I saw it!" Erik stared at her a moment, then exclaimed, "I just knew there was something hanging around under that bed. Well, we can't have this! There is simply not enough room for two monsters in this house!"

"But what can we do?" she asked.

"First we will shut the door so the monster can't escape!" Erik stepped into the room and shut the door behind him.

"Now I shall turn on the light. Most monsters hate the light, you see." Erik turned the switch and a frantic scurrying came from under the bed. Erik knelt down beside the bed and peeked underneath.

"There is something under there!" he whispered and he reached in slowly.

"Aah!" he cried and he jumped up onto the bed clutching his arm and sucking on one of his fingers. "It bites!" he cried and Suzette yelped in terror.

"What now?" she wailed.

"Wait here," Erik ordered and he disappeared into the adjacent room, carefully closing the door behind him. Moments later he was back with a carrot, a piece of twine, and an attitude of resolve.

"We shall have to trap the monster! Suzette, hand me that pillow case, please." Erik took the carrot, tied the green end with the string, and handed it to Suzette.

"When I turn out the light, dangle this over the edge and make it dance around, then when the monster tries to get it, I will catch him in this pillow case." Suzette looked at him suspiciously, "How do you know that monsters even like carrots."

"Well, they're not their favorite thing to eat," he admitted, "But I can't very well ask you to dangle yourself over the side of the bed, now can I?" Suzette shook her head vigorously.

"Aside from that, monsters know that carrots are good for them and give them strong eyes for seeing their prey in the dark. Now, shall we give it a try?" Suzette nodded gravely and Erik turned out the light. Suzette dangled the carrot down near the floor and within seconds a dark shadow had raced out and tried to snatch it. Instantly, Erik had tackled it and was tumbling around the floor trying to stuff it in the pillowcase.

"I've caught it, Suzette! Turn the switch again!" Suzette did as she was told and observed that Erik held the pillowcase up proudly and something was wiggling and twisting about inside it.

"It's not very big," remarked Suzette.

"No, its under-the-bed sized." Erik replied. Suddenly, there came from the pillowcase, a high-pitched, muffled, and very angry sounding voice.

"It's a noisy one!" Erik exclaimed.

"It sounds just like Othello," said Suzette.

'So, it does. So, it does," he replied and he opened the pillowcase just a big so he could look inside. Suddenly, before Erik could even cry, "Oh", Othello leaped out of the trap and landed on the bed, shouting every nasty name he could think of at Erik.

"You vile demon! You vile, monstrous, loathsome, evil, horrible blackguard! You fiendish, ghastly, creature of death!"

"Now, now! Such awful language in the presence of a young lady!"

"HOW DARE YOU!"

"Really, Othello, it was an honest mistake. Why were you creeping about under her bed anyway?" The cat growled deep in his throat and jumped onto the floor. Suzette ran to the door and opened it, and Othello took off like a shot.

" Poor Othello," Suzette said sadly.

"I guess there really isn't a monster under there," said Erik.

"No, I suppose not," said Suzette.

"What a pity. Well in that case, you should be fast asleep by now, dreaming of fairies and mermaids." Suzette climbed wearily into the bed and pulled the covers up over her, and Erik switched the light off for the third and final time.