Chapter Four
Noel
Suzette danced about the organ, golden curls bouncing and ribbons flying about her like banners. Erik played nearly every merry song he could think of. Together they had decorated the underground house with tinsel, holly, and candles. The walls were adorned with a numerous amount of lovely, delicate snowflakes, which Suzette had cut from white paper. The floor was covered with their white trimmings and every now and then Suzette scooped up a handful and threw them in the air, laughing as they came drifting down like real snowflakes. As Erik's song came to an end she flopped down on the floor, near the roaring fire, and selected a chocolate from a lovely box that was all wrapped in golden paper.
"What fun!" Erik exclaimed, "It's never been Christmas here before!"
"How can Christmas not come here?" Suzette asked with laughter, "When it's Christmas it's Christmas! It doesn't matter where you are."
"No, It's you that did it! You brought the magic with you when you came." Suzette just laughed. He didn't understand.
"Now what shall we do?" he asked her.
"Well, what time is it?" Erik removed his pocket watch.
"My word, its nearly one in the morning!"
"Well, we've missed Christmas Mass, so I suggest that we say a Christmas prayer." She rose and got a candle and set it on the floor before her.
"I've never prayed before." Erik told her hesitantly as he moved to join her, " I doubt that He would listen to me, anyway."
"He will. Just thank Him for the things that you have and ask Him for the things that you want."
"But I want so many things. How many things can I ask for?"
"As many as you want, silly. But it works best if you ask for things that you wish you wanted."
"Things that I wish I wanted?" he asked and Suzette nodded as she folded her hands. "Listen, I'll show you how."
Erik folded his hands and recited the prayers after Suzette. He thanked God for bringing him Suzette and making her able to love him. He thanked Him for giving him a human heart that could love her back. He hesitated for a moment; but then he opened his heart and asked Him to take away the hate and jealousy from his soul. He was suddenly filled with despair. Why would God hear him crying now when he had allowed him to suffer for so long?
Erik looked over at Suzette, who sat with her eyes closed. He had no doubt that she was talking with God. But as he watched her, Erik felt a startling sensation inside himself. It was very faint at first, and deep within him. He took a deep breath, shut his eyes, and it grew stronger. It was a feeling of not being afraid or sad. It reminded him of the time when Christine had promised to be his living wife. It was like love, coming from thin air. And it didn't disappear. It withdrew within him and made itself into a small flame inside him. Erik sat quietly in the firelight, wondering if it was real or if he'd only imagined it.
Suzette finished talking with God and opened her eyes.
"Did you talk with Him?" she asked Erik. He shook his head.
"No. But I felt something."
"Good. That's good for a first prayer." And Erik was pleased with this.
"What would you like for Christmas, Erik?" she asked him.
"I don't know," he replied truthfully.
"Well, what is the thing you want most?" Erik's gaze shifted to the floor. When he spoke again his voice was strange, as though the words labored him to speak them.
"What I wanted most….I had for one moment only…It was the happiest I've ever been.But…" Suzette looked at him with tears of compassion in her eyes.
"Did you lose it?" she asked.
"You might say so," he replied softly, "Yes. At any rate, I shan't have it again."
Suzette thought for a moment and said as if to comfort him, "When those ladies came and took me away from my father's house, I had to leave behind all of my things. I had a little treasure chest in which I kept pictures of my mother and other things that I loved. It was wooden with elves and fairies carved in the lid. I suppose that as lost as well." She looked up at him sadly and her dear little face nearly sliced his heart in two.
Suddenly Erik sat up straight and his voice became quite cheerful again as he said, "Oh, I don't know what I'm saying!…I've never had so much fun in my life as I've had the past few weeks!…I have a new little angel to play with…and…and, well… I have more now then… then I ever asked for!" Suzette smiled when she heard this.
"And I do as well!" she exclaimed.
"Now what should we do?" he asked her.
"It's time for bed, now," she said and she took off her shoes placing one on the hearth and one outside the door to her room. Erik folded his arms in a most disapproving way.
"This had better not be another ploy to keep from wearing your shoes, you silly little thing." Suzette stared at him in amazement.
"Don't you know about Father Christmas, Erik?"
"No, what is that?"
"Father Christmas! If you leave your shoe by the fire place, he will come and put in money!"
"Then I would put out both my shoes if I were you." Suzette shook her head and laughed. Once she had straightened her little shoe just the way she wanted it, she ran over to where Erik still sat thinking and snatched away his mask and kissed him good-night before he could even protest. Erik predicted that this would become a nightly ritual.
"Happy Christmas, Erik," she said, "And good-night!"
"Happy Christmas, Suzette." And Erik watched her as she disappeared into her room.
Suzette awoke from a sweet dream the next morning and rose immediately. She scurried from the bed, dropped to the floor, and ran out searching for Erik and tripping over the oversized nightdress all the way. She found him setting a nice breakfast on the table by the lake and tugged on his shirt to get his attention.
"Good morning, my little Suzette! I hope you are well?" She threw her arms around his waist and said, "Joyeux Noel, Erik!" He laughed and patted her hair.
"Let's go and see what Father Christmas has brought me!" she squealed and Erik followed her to the hearth where she collected her shoe. She peeked inside and then tipped it over into her hand. She laughed in delight as a gold piece rolled out and fell into her palm.
"It's a gold coin!" she shouted jubilantly and she held it up for Erik to see. He seemed to be amazed.
"That's incredible!" he exclaimed, "You know, I have to say, in truth, I didn't really expect there to be a thing in that little shoe of yours but lo and behold! There it is! A lovely gold piece, just for Suzette! And you laughed when I told you that you ought to have put out both shoes." Suzette grinned with pride and held the dear coin so fondly, Erik wondered if she would ever spend it.
"Well, now it is time for our lovely Christmas breakfast," he announced and they went back to the table which was lain with lovely sausages and little white cakes that were decorated with sugar. Erik helped Suzette into her seat and she set the little coin in an honored place beside her plate.
They began their breakfast and Erik told her how he had been up the whole night and found them a jolly little flat which would be perfect for the time being. He was explaining that they would be leaving that very night, when suddenly Suzette jumped up from her seat and thrust her diminutive finger out at the dark lake. "What's that?" she shouted.
Erik looked and saw, in the distance, a little boat, making its way toward them.
"Why, it's my boat!" he exclaimed in wonder. Suzette became frightened and took his hand.
"Do you suppose it's those men who are after me? Do you suppose that they found the way in through the labyrinth like you said?"
"Don't worry, Suzette," he said warmly, "I would never let them hurt you. Besides, the boat seems to be empty." As the boat drew nearer and nearer, Suzette and Erik stood peering and trying to see what the cargo of the boat could be.
"There's something in that boat. What is it?"
"It looks like boxes!" Suzette said unsurely.
"Well, boxes are no harm. Let's go and see!" So the two went down to the dock to receive the boat and whatever was inside it. The boat knocked gently against the dock and Suzette exclaimed, "It's the parcels! It's the dresses and things that I bought in the city. They've been delivered!"
"Well let's make sure that it's all here," said Erik and he began removing items from the boat. As he removed each package Suzette opened it and announced its contents. There had accumulated quite a neat little pile on the dock when Erik pulled out a box that Suzette didn't remember.
"Well let's open it and find out!" and he handed the box to Suzette, who began to open the packaging. When the box was opened and the contents revealed Suzette eyes sparkled and she gave a little sigh. Enveloped inside the glistening paper, was the lovely little doll from the store window; the prettiest doll which every little girl in the neighborhood had begged their parents for. Suzette removed the doll from the package and read the little card attached to her hand. She looked up at Erik.
"It says that her name is Elizabeth."
"Does it?" Erik replied. Suzette looked from the doll, to Erik, and back to the doll again. She gently and lovingly fingered her soft hair, delicate hands, and fine dress. Suddenly she hopped up and threw her arms around him crying "Thank you! Oh! Thank you so much!" and Erik was quite pleased with himself.
Erik removed the remaining boxes from the boat and checked their contents but Suzette had lost interest in the procedure and now sat on the dock, cradling her new baby and cooing to her softly. She didn't even look up again until Erik came to the very end of the stack when Suzette let out another small cry and bounded into the boat, nearly capsizing it in the process.
"It's the treasure chest! It's here!" she shrieked gleefully and she lugged a small trunk from the boat. Erik helped her to pull it onto the dock and examined it carefully.
It was a well-used box with many scratches and badly in need of paint. In its lid were carved the images of shining fairies dancing in the moonlight and dark-eyes elves casting evil spells. It had, at one point, had a lock but it had long since been dismantled and all that remained was the keyhole, drilled into the aging wood.
Suzette turned away and opened the lid so Erik couldn't see its contents as she rummaged through her treasures, making sure each was in its place. He stood watching and respecting her privacy until she closed the lid, satisfied.
"Well, wasn't this a nice Christmas surprise? Now, let's say we finish our breakfast and you can get dressed in your new clothes. We have a busy day ahead of us. We must pack our things so that we will be ready to move once nighttime comes." Suzette rose and said, "But first I want to give you your Christmas present!" She opened the lid of the treasure chest and pulled out something made of shining metal, and taking his hand in hers and placing on his palm, she said, "It's an angel. Papa gave him to me to watch over me and bring me good fortune. Now he can be your angel. Happy Christmas!" Erik held the angel to the light to examine it. His delicate wings and shining harp were engraved on a thin square of gold, which hung from a gold chain. His eyes shone handsomely and his lips were posed as if he were singing a heavenly carol.
"It's the angel of music!" he exclaimed and Suzette asked him if he liked it.
"I love it, Suzette. Thank you so much! I shall keep him always." Suzette's eyes shone and she held Elizabeth in one arm as she took his arm in the other.
"Now you must get dressed and we must begin packing."
"Must we pack everything in the house, Erik?"
"No, only what we will need. We shall be moving again soon. You see, my little Suzette, we cannot remain in Paris. There are too many people now who know of this place. We will come back for the rest of our things when we've gotten a new house ready. But now we must take what we can and go to our new flat. Hurry now, we must be ready to move by nightfall." And Suzette nodded in understanding and flew to her room to dress for the day.